How to Draw Cicada — Free Practice Sheets

Drawing a cicada is a study in balancing a heavy, segmented body with large, delicate wings. This guide breaks the insect into clear shapes: a vertical oval body, a wide head with round eyes, two overlapping wings marked with veins, and six legs attached to the thorax. Use the free practice sheets to trace, copy on a grid, or complete a partial drawing. The goal is not a pixel-perfect copy but a recognizable cicada with correct proportions and visible features.

Start with the body and head

Begin with a vertical oval for the stout body. Cicadas have a thick abdomen that tapers slightly toward the rear. Add a wide head at the top, wider than the body, and place two prominent round eyes on top of the head. The head should sit directly above the thorax, the midsection where the legs and wings attach. Keep the body centered on your page so the wings have room to spread downward.

Use light pencil strokes first. The body is segmented, so you can add a few horizontal curved lines across the abdomen later. For now, focus on the overall silhouette: a rounded head, a narrower thorax, and a larger oval abdomen.

1. Draw a vertical oval for the body, slightly narrower at the bottom.
2. Add a wide head above the body, wider than the thorax.
3. Place two round eyes on top of the head.
4. Lightly mark the thorax as a smaller section between head and abdomen.

Add the broad wings and vein lines

Cicada wings are long, rounded, and translucent, folded over the back when at rest. Sketch two large wing shapes extending down from the thorax, overlapping slightly at the center. Each wing should be broad and slightly curved, reaching past the abdomen. Keep the outlines light so the wings read as delicate.

Inside each wing, draw a few curved longitudinal lines running from the base to the tip. Then add sparse cross-veins connecting them. Do not fill every space; a few clear veins suggest the translucent membrane without making the wing look solid. The vein pattern is a key identifying feature, so make it visible but not crowded.

1. Sketch two long, rounded wing shapes from the thorax downward.
2. Overlap the wings slightly at the center line.
3. Draw three or four curved longitudinal veins in each wing.
4. Add a few cross-veins to connect the main lines.

Draw six legs from the thorax

All six legs attach to the thorax, not the abdomen. Draw two front legs angled forward, two middle legs extending out to the sides, and two hind legs angled back. Each leg has a thin, jointed appearance. Keep the legs simple: a short upper segment, a bend, and a lower segment. The front pair is often the most prominent, so angle them forward as if gripping a branch.

Check that the legs are evenly spaced and that none emerge from the head or abdomen. The middle legs should point outward, while the hind legs trail backward. This arrangement gives the cicada a stable, insect-like stance.

1. Mark six small attachment points along the thorax.
2. Draw the front pair angled forward.
3. Draw the middle pair extending to the sides.
4. Draw the hind pair angled backward.
5. Add a slight bend at each leg joint.

Use the practice sheets to refine your drawing

The free practice sheets offer different ways to build the same cicada. On the trace sheet, follow the reference outline, then try the contour independently and compare with the full reference. On the grid sheet, copy the reference onto the blank grid using matching intersections to keep proportions. The bounding-frame sheet helps you place the silhouette using a center guide before adding details. The partial sheet lets you complete the missing right-hand portion from the full reference.

Each method trains a different skill: tracing builds muscle memory, the grid teaches proportion, the frame supports placement, and the partial sheet tests recall. After each attempt, compare your drawing to the reference and check the body shape, wing overlap, vein lines, and leg positions. Remember that multiple valid outcomes exist; assess the visible features rather than exact matching.

1. Choose one practice sheet method: trace, grid, frame, or partial.
2. Follow the sheet's setup to place the body and wings.
3. Add veins and legs according to the reference.
4. Compare your finished drawing with the full reference sheet.
5. Note one feature to adjust on your next attempt.

Check your work

• Body is a stout vertical oval with a wide head and two round eyes on top.
• Two broad wings extend from the thorax, overlap slightly at the center, and show visible vein lines.
• Six legs attach to the thorax: front pair forward, middle pair outward, hind pair backward.
• Overall proportions keep the head wider than the thorax and the wings reaching past the abdomen.
• Drawing is recognizable as a cicada even if details differ from the reference.

Worked example

cicada: Trace the reference outline, then practise the contour independently. Compare with the separate full reference sheet.

Common mistakes

• Drawing the wings as solid, opaque shapes with no vein lines. Keep wing outlines light and add a few curved longitudinal veins plus sparse cross-veins to suggest translucency.
• Attaching legs to the abdomen or head instead of the thorax. Mark six attachment points on the thorax only, then draw front legs forward, middle legs outward, and hind legs backward.
• Making the head narrower than the body or placing eyes on the side. Draw a wide head above the thorax and place two round eyes on top, clearly visible from above.

Questions and answers