A hermit crab and its shell

A study of a hermit crab emerging from a spiral shell with stalked eyes, antennae and claws on textured paper. Place the shell spiral and the exposed front body beneath its opening.

A way into the drawing

1. Establish the construction

   Place the shell spiral and the exposed front body beneath its opening.

2. Resolve the main structure

   Connect two claws and two visible pairs of walking legs; keep the reduced rear legs hidden inside.

3. Develop the detail

   Add stalked eyes, antennae and shell growth ridges.

4. Control the values

   Shade shell recesses and limb overlaps to clarify the emergence from the opening.

A small thing to tryTrace each visible limb back to the crab before drawing its smaller joints.