How to Draw an Easy Dragonfly
Drawing and art are skills that anyone can learn. It just takes consistent practice over time. And if you enjoy it, you’ll want to practice everyday.
Keep things relaxing and fun. And always remember that whatever you create is a one of a kind work of art that only you can do.
Now let’s grab some supplies and get ready to have some fun learning how to draw a dragonfly.
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Art Supplies
Dragonfly Sketch Practice
Doing a practice sketch exercise is a terrific way to warm up. But it’s also a great way to learn about what you’re drawing in a really short time.
Here’s how to do a dragonfly sketch practice session.
- Get some paper and something to sketch with (pencil, pen, marker, etc)
- Pull up some reference photos of dragonflies
- Set a timer for three or five minutes
Then you just quickly sketch as many dragonflies as you can before you run out of time.
Another option is to sketch until you fill your paper. Either way is fine. Just keep your sketches quick and loose.
The idea is to capture the essence of a dragonfly and to better understand the shapes and proportions of them.
How to Draw a Dragonfly
Learning how to draw a dragonfly is really easy. Especially if you break things down into simple shapes.
We’ll begin by making a line to indicate where we want the body to be located on the paper.
Then draw a long, thin oval for the abdomen.
Draw another, shorter oval for the thorax.
And then a circle for the head with two more circles for the eyes.
Now we need to start drawing the wings. There are many different ways to draw them. Just do whatever looks good to you.
The wings should be narrower where it connects to the body. And wider in the middle and curved at the ends. Try to avoid any sharp edges.
Draw a similar shape for the other wings. Your dragonfly drawing should look symmetrical.
However, don’t stress out about this so much that you don’t enjoy the process of drawing. Your artwork doesn’t have to be perfect.
Don’t worry if your wings aren’t perfectly symmetrical or if the entire wing doesn’t fit on your paper. Just have fun making your art.
Now draw the lower wings using the same process.
Next, draw the segments on the body by making a series of curved lines. Make sure they’re curved and not straight. You want to show the contour of the body shape.
Add the antennae on the head.
Finish your dragonfly drawing by adding some lines on the wings. You can make your wings simple, or very detailed. It just depends on the look you’re going for.
You can add patterns to your wings, or more lines to make them more detailed. Experiment and have fun.
To save time try using Artist Trading Cards for your artwork. This helps to give you some freedom with your drawings since they are much quicker to finish.
Dragonfly Outline
Making a dragonfly outline is really easy. Just trace over your pencil lines with a black pen or marker. You can make your lines thin, thick, or a combination of the two.
You can also use a color other than black. Maybe try using blue or purple. Just do whatever fits your artistic style.
If you don’t know what your style is don’t worry. Your style will develop over time with more practice.
After you’ve made your dragonfly outline, use an eraser to remove any pencil lines.
How to Draw a Dragonfly with Markers
Learning how to draw a dragonfly with markers is much easier than people think. But there are a few things you need to understand before using them.
First, if you want to be able to blend your colors together you need to use alcohol based markers. Bic, Sharpie, and Copic for example. As well as many others.
Second, you need to work while the colors are still wet or they won’t mix together. This isn’t a big deal. Just make sure you work on a section at a time.
Third, you need to use colors that are similar to each other if you want to create a smooth transition of color. If your markers are too different they will leave a harder edge.
Having a harder edge is perfectly OK if that’s the look you’re going for.
For your dragonfly drawing you’ll probably want smoother transitions though.
You can make your dragonfly drawing full of different colors. Or, you could stick with one or two colors.
For this example four markers were used. Two different greens, and two different purples.
And then two greens for the background. I also used two different brown markers for the branch.
A white Gelly Roll pen can be used to add some highlights.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
Now that you know how to draw a dragonfly step by step, what’s the next step?
If you want to improve your art and drawing skills you need to practice consistently. The more you practice the better you will get. Drawing everyday is the most beneficial.
You don’t have to spend hours a day working on your art. If you can dedicate five or ten minutes each day, this time will quickly add up.
The more you enjoy your creative time, the more you’ll look forward to it. So don’t focus too much on the outcome. Simply enjoy the process.
If you want to get better at drawing a dragonfly, draw as many as you can. Challenge yourself to draw one a day for a week and see what you come up with.
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