How to Draw a Stick Insect (Easy Step by Step)
Learn how to easily draw a friendly stick insect step-by-step. You'll create its round head, long body, bendy legs, and leaf shapes using simple lines.
- Use simple, long lines to draw your stick insect.
- Begin with a round head and a long, skinny body.
- Add bendy legs to complete its form.
- Include a couple of leaf shapes for detail.
- Give your insect a friendly, smiling face.
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A stick insect is a great first bug to draw because it is mostly long, thin lines. You only need a round head, a long skinny body, bendy legs, and a couple of leaf shapes. The smiling face makes it look friendly and a little bit silly.
- Easy
- 15 minutes
- 10 steps
You need: paper, a pencil, an eraser, and crayons or markers for coloring.
Start drawing
In this article (7 sections)
How to draw a stick insect step by step
How to Draw a Stick Insect · tinyhandscreate.com
Step 1: Guide shapes
Lightly sketch this oval. It only shows where the big parts go, so press softly. You will erase it at the end.
Step 2: The head
Draw a curved line shaped like the letter C, almost a full circle, on the left side of your paper. Leave a small gap on the right side, because the body will start there.
Step 3: The long body
Starting at the gap in the head, draw two long lines going to the right that are almost straight. Close them at the far end with a gentle rounded point, like a very long, thin leaf.
Step 4: Two antennae
Draw two long curved lines rising from the top of the head. Let one lean to the left and one curve out to the right, like two thin bendy whiskers.
Step 5: Face and first lines
Close the head with a small curve on its right side. Add two dots for eyes and a little smile. Then draw two short straight lines across the body, from the top line down to the bottom line, just beside the head.
Step 6: More body sections
Draw three more short straight lines across the body, from the top line down to the bottom line. Space them out along the back half of the body to make more sections.
Step 7: Front legs
Under the body near the head, draw three legs. Each one starts at the bottom of the body, bends out like an elbow, then goes straight down.
Step 8: Back legs
Draw three more legs under the back half of the body. Bend each one at the top like an elbow and let them go down toward the ground.
Step 9: The branch
Draw one long line that slants gently upward from left to right. Make it touch the bottom of the legs so your insect stands on it.
Step 10: Hanging leaves
Draw two leaf shapes below the branch, one near the left and one near the right end. Make each one a pointy oval, like a lemon, with the top tucked against the branch.
All done!
Erase the guide shapes, go over your lines, then color it in.
Finished your stick insect? Keep the pencils out and learn how to draw a fox or how to draw a hedgehog next.
Tips for drawing a stick insect
- The long body is the trickiest part. Use a ruler or draw slowly with a light hand, and do not worry if the lines wobble a little, because real twigs are not perfectly straight.
- Draw the legs one at a time and make each one bend at the top in the same way. Matching bends make the legs look like they belong together.
- Draw the branch after the legs so you can stop each leg right where it touches the branch. That way your insect stays standing and does not float.
Free stick insect coloring page
Want to go straight to coloring? Open this stick insect coloring page at full size and print it. It is the same drawing you just learned, with clean lines ready for crayons or markers.
How to color your stick insect drawing
Try green and brown for the body and legs so your insect blends in with the branch, and a bright green for the leaves. For a creative twist, give it a rainbow of colors, as if it were a stick insect that wants to be seen.
Stick insect fun fact for kids
Stick insects are experts at hiding. Their long, thin bodies look just like twigs, so birds and other hungry animals often walk right past them.
Questions about drawing a stick insect
What shapes do I need to draw a stick insect?
You need a round head, two long thin lines for the body, and a few bendy lines for the legs. The leaves are simple pointy ovals.
How do I make my stick insect look cuter?
Give it a big smile and round dot eyes, and draw the antennae with a nice curve. Leaves hanging from the branch also add a cozy touch.
How many legs does a stick insect have?
Real stick insects have six legs, like all insects. In this drawing there are six legs standing on the branch, three near the head and three toward the back.
