A garden beetle from above

Draw a beetle using an oval shell, a small head, and six bent legs. A center seam and a few curved marks are enough to describe its wing cases.

A way into the drawing

1. Stack the main shapes

   Draw a broad oval for the shell, then add a smaller thorax and head at the top. Keep the center line gentle rather than perfectly mechanical.

2. Attach six legs

   Place three pairs of bent legs at the sides of the thorax. Use simple angled lines and small ends instead of detailing every joint.

3. Divide the shell

   Add a central seam, short antennae, and a few curved shell marks. A pale gray edge accent can suggest the shell turning away.

A small thing to tryCount and place the six legs before darkening them. Let the left and right bends vary slightly.