These amazing insects are formidable predators. They feature a long “neck, or elongated thorax, with triangular heads. With two large compound eyes and three simple eyes located between them, Mantids can spin their heads 180 degrees to scan their environment.
They are typically green or brown in color and well camouflaged on the plants they live among, wait in surprise, or patiently follow their prey. They trap their prey with their front legs, which have reflexes that are difficult to notice with the naked eye. Spikes on their legs help them catch prey and pin it in place.
Did you learn some interesting facts about mantis? Now it’s time for you to showcase your talent by drawing this formidable predator.
How to Draw a Mantis
Materials
- Pencil
- Paper
- Coloring material
Instructions
Step 1: Draw the Head
As it said, a mantis has a triangular head, but we can also say heart shape with a flat top. Now let’s draw the head by a slanting small triangular shape on the upper left part of your paper. Again, draw a small head because later we will draw the body on the bottom part.
Step 2: Add Eye Guide
Mantis has two large compound eyes. We must draw a two big eye guide for your mantis. On the upper portion of the head, on both sides, draw two circles apart. These two circles will go beyond the upper head of the mantis.
Step 3: Clean the Eye Guide
This step is very easy, we just have erased some lines that are not important to your drawing. Erase some lines that you’ve seen inside the eye guide. Make sure that only the lines inside are erased.
Step 4: Draw the Eyes and the Mouth
Since we have already an eye guide, the only thing that we need to do is to draw a shaded circle in both eye guides. For the mouth, just simply draw a big letter C facing upward. This must be drawn under the eyes.
Step 5: Add the Thorax
This time we will draw the thorax of your mantis. Draw an inverted, elongated teardrop under the left portion of the head. This will overlap a little to the bottom part of the head. Then erase the line in the head that overlap with the thorax.
Step 6: Draw the Front Leg
For this step, we add the leg of the mantis. Draw a slanting, elongated oblong shape from the middle portion of the thorax. This leg will also go beyond the lower portion of the thorax.
Step 7: Add Details
In continuation to the front leg, draw another slanting elongated oblong shape from the bottom part going upward. Make sure that these two elongated oblong shapes are still connected.
Step 8: Add Details
In connection to the front leg, draw another slanting elongated oblong shape from the top of the second elongated oblong going downward. This elongated oblong shape is a little bigger than the two.
Step 9: Add the Abdomen
Now let’s draw the abdomen of the mantis. We need to draw a big abdomen. Draw the curved line from the tip of the thorax, going upward then going down. To enclose the abdomen, draw another curved line from the tip of the thorax going downward then connect it to the curved line earlier.
Step 10: Draw the Wings
The next thing that we need to do is to draw the wings. Draw a curved line inside the abdomen. To do this, draw a curve line from the tip of the thorax going downward. This curve line will go beyond the abdomen. Then enclosed it with another curved line on the top.
Step 11: Draw the Legs
In this step, we will draw the front two legs of the mantis. All you must do on both sides is just simply draw a curved line going downward. Make sure these legs are long. Then do it on the opposite side to make it even.
Step 12: Add Legs
This time we will add a leg on the body side of the mantis. Draw a long-curved line beside the body. Make sure that this leg is longer than the two legs in front and will go beyond the abdomen and the wings.
Step 13: Add Details
Let’s add a short, curved line on another side. Draw this on the top of the wings. This will be the long leg on the other side. Then, draw a small circle on every tip of the leg. These circles will serve as their feet.
Step 14: Finish up!
I know this is a little bit confusing because of the small part of the mantis. But Congratulations because you made it. Since I’ve mentioned earlier that the color of the mantis should be brown or green then choose between the two colors. Then color your mantis properly.
