Caroline
It’s always a wonderful thing to be outside enjoying a quiet evening outside, and this experience can be made even better by seeing lots of glowing fireflies in the air.
These marvelous insects manage to stand out from other insect species with their signature trick of glowing like Christmas lights.
As great as it is to see them in real life, learning how to draw a firefly can be just as great!
This is certainly the guide you’ll want to be on if you would like to create some artwork featuring these incredible insects.
We hope that you will have a great time as we work together on this step-by-step guide on how to draw a firefly in just 6 steps!
How to Draw A Firefly – Let’s Get Started!
Step 1
We will be drawing a close-up of this insect as we work on this guide on how to draw a firefly. With this in mind, we shall start with the head and thorax (or middle section) of the insect.
Because we are going to be up close to the firefly, there will be a lot of small sections and details that we will be drawing.
The head will be made up of several smaller rounded shapes connecting to one another. Then, we will be drawing the rounded feelers on top of the head, and these will be drawn with some small, thin rectangular shapes connecting to one another.
Finally, we will be drawing the underside of the thorax using some more rounded lines to create the shapes you see in our reference image.
Step 2 – Draw some legs for this firefly
In this second step of your firefly drawing, we will be adding the six legs for the insect. The view that we have of this firefly is viewing it from the bottom, and the legs will start near the center of the base of the firefly.
These legs, like the other parts we have drawn so far, will be made up of several thin shapes connecting to one another.
They will also each be in a different position, and this will make it look as if the insect is scuttling around. Once you have it looking as it does in our reference image we will be ready to move on!
Step 3 – Next, add the wings and thorax of the firefly
These insects need some wings to help them fly around and glow in the air, so we will be adding some wings along with the thorax in this step of our guide on how to draw a firefly.
First, we will be using some rounded lines to draw the first sections of the wings coming off of the sides of the firefly.
The part where the wings connect to the insect will be thin, and then the wings will get wider as they go out before getting thin near the tip.
If that sounds confusing, then the reference picture will illustrate how they should look! Then we will add the back of the insect, called the thorax, before we proceed to the next step.
This is the part of the firefly that emits the glow, and you can draw it using some thin, rounded shapes connecting to one another.
The sections of the thorax will also get less wide with each one that you draw.
Step 4 – Now, draw some more sections for the wings
We started the wings in the previous step of your firefly drawing, but these insects have more than two wings!
We will draw the other ones in this fourth step, and they should be pretty easy to add.
Simply add some long, rounded lines above the previous wings you drew, and then you can draw some shorter curved lines underneath them.
Once you have drawn these new wings, we will be ready to add some final details in the next step.
Step 5 – Add some final details to your firefly drawing
Now you’re ready to add some final details before you move on to the final step of this guide on how to draw a firefly.
If you’ve ever seen a winged insect close up, you will have noticed that they usually have some intricate detailing on their wings.
You can add these details by drawing lots of rounded lines to form some shapes on the wings as they appear in the reference image.
Then, we will finish off by drawing some straight lines around the thorax of the firefly, as this will help to show that this section is glowing.
You could also add a background for a more dynamic image, and maybe it could be flying in a garden with some more fireflies!
Step 6 – Finish off your firefly drawing with some color
To finish off your firefly drawing completely, we will now color it in.
For our example, we used some browns for most of the body, but as we move closer to the tip of the thorax we started morphing the browns into brighter yellows.
You could also add a soft wash of yellow watercolor around the thorax as one way of showing that it is glowing.
What colors and mediums will you choose for this image to finish it off?
Here’s how you can make your firefly drawing even better…
Make some bright artwork with these tips for your firefly sketch!
Getting to see a firefly is always a wonderful experience, but it’s made even better when you can see many. That would be a great way to make this firefly drawing even greater!
Now that you know how to draw a firefly, you could add a whole bunch to this image to make it a firefly explosion. You could change a few details for each new firefly to make them all unique.
How many fireflies would you like to add?
Adding more fireflies would look great, but you could also add other insects and animals! For example, maybe you could add other bugs such as moths and butterflies to this drawing of a firefly.
You might even like to add some birds, bats or other flying creatures. Anything you add will only make the image even more interesting to look at!
You don’t have to feel stuck with drawing flying creatures, as you could add anything you like! What critters would you like to add?
When you have decided whether to add other animals and bugs to this firefly sketch, you could take it even further with a background.
There are so many cool settings you could use for this picture! You could create a cool backyard setting with glowing fireflies or maybe have them at a more elaborate setting like a carnival.
These are just a few ideas, but what are some other background locations you could use?
Using colors and art mediums is one of the best ways to enhance this firefly drawing. The firefly is an insect that is well known for its ability to light up, and you could create this effect with your colors.
When creating the glowy part of the firefly, you will want to use the brightest, most vibrant mediums you can. Colored markers, pens and certain paints would be great for this.
You could also use some glitter to make it look actually sparkly! What other colors and mediums could you use?
Your Firefly Drawing is Complete!
This is truly an incredible insect, and we hope that you had an incredible time drawing it in this guide on how to draw a firefly!
We added a lot of details and separate parts in this guide, so you should be proud of getting all the way to the end to end up with an incredible picture.
Even when a picture has a lot of detail, it can be made so much easier when you take it slowly and have some steps to follow!
Now you can take this drawing even further by adding your own details and elements. We spoke about a few ideas for a background and cool ways to color it in, but what else can you think of to finish it off?
If you had a blast with this guide, you can find more like it on our website! Keep checking in, as we have many more on the way as well.
We would love to see what details and colors you used for this picture, so when it’s done we hope that you will share it on our Facebook and Pinterest pages!
