Lesson 4: Applying Construction to Insects and Arachnids

This time let's tackle a pretty common insect that has a clear head/thorax/abdomen configuration.

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Here's the reference image I'm using for this demo. As always, try and find something with a good, high resolution. When things get blurry, it can become quite difficult to discern important information.

Start off by fleshing out your major forms - head, thorax, abdomen.

With your major forms laid out, you next want to add in some legs. In the reference image, we can't see where the legs attach to the body, so with some additional research and a bit of critical thinking, you'll find that they connect underneath the thorax like every other insect and arachnid we've dealt with today. Remember that insects have three pairs of legs, and pay special attention to how they spread out from the body. The front pair always faces forwards, but the other pairs tend to point more towards the back.

When drawing wings, don't just tack them on thoughtlessly. Consider how they attach to the body. The more accurately and thoughtfully you deal with these problems of connectivity, the more believable and solid your drawing will appear at the end.

Think of every object in existence as series of problems, whose design was tailored (be it through craftsmanship, evolution or whatever else) to solve these problems. In this case, how do we attach these wings to this little bastard so he can fly around and buzz in everyone's faces while they're trying to work.

Now that the construction is done, all that's left is to sort through the mess, bring the important shapes and lines to the forefront and push the others back. As always, use line weight to clarify which forms and shapes are in front, and which ones are behind.

Same as all of the other demos - add a quick cast shadow that roughly matches the object and throw in some appropriate ground details. In this case, I was actually thinking about little bits of human hair and skin, but it looks a lot more like grass and dirt. That's definitely something to keep in mind - if that reads as grass, it tells the viewer that this fly is massive and that they should run away immediately. Or that they should try to saddle it and use it as a steed... Either way, not what I was after.