How to Draw a Centipede With Tons Of Legs

Learning how to draw a centipede can be a fun experience if you want to draw an unusual creature. Filled with tons of legs and shadows, this little insect can be a challenging subject to illustrate properly. Using mostly a few curved lines and plain colors, I will show you how to create this basic version in just a few simple steps.

Centipedes can be found anywhere. They can also range from a few millimeters long to ten inches. Even more fascinating is the fact that thousands of species can be found on earth. It's true that these little animals can be visually terrifying, but like most insects available around us, they can bring a nice balance in their natural habitat. Let's start this fun lesson now ...

sketching the silhouette of the cartoon centipede

First, let's use a wide selection of curved lines to form the silhouette of the centipede. It can be a good idea to add some movement to the posture of the character to make this one visually more dynamic.

You can start with the head located on the left side of the image. This part of the body is bigger and slightly pointed near the end. All other body segments are done using perfect curved lines.

adding some features to the character

On top of the head, you can sketch long antennas made from pointed lines. Notice the position of both antennas. Inside the head, you can draw one eye using a perfect circle. Another circular shape is used to illustrate the pupil.

On the right side of the head, the other eye is slightly visible. Complete this step by drawing the back legs on the right side of the picture.

drawing tons of legs

Each segment of the body must contains two legs (one on each side). To create a simple perspective, draw the legs on the bottom part of the drawing inside the character. The legs located on top are drawn behind the subject. You can also increase this sense of perspective by making sure that the legs visible on the bottom are longer. Nice work! This lesson on how to draw a centipede is progressing nicely. :)

sketching simple patches on the body

Now that the character is created, we need to sketch one last thing: the patches found on the body segments. These new additions are located around the legs found on the bottom part of the character. Simply draw a few curved lines as shown in the illustration below. Great! We are done drawing the cartoon centipede. It's time to bring this character to life!

working with plain colors

Using mostly plain colors, you can cover the subject with fun solid shapes. A light brown color is used inside the head, the antennas, the legs and the back legs. For the body, a saturated brown color is needed. Finally, you can use a darker color for the patches and the pupil. This cute little insect looks nice, but we can make this one even better.

adding simple shadows to create more depth

Shadows don't need to be complex to be effective. In this case, shadows are only represented by additional solid shapes. You can draw darker shapes on the bottom part of the antennas, inside the head and around the eye. More elements are created on the body segments and on both back legs. You can see these new additions below (surrounded by a temporary pink outline).

creating more simple shadows on the patches

In this step, more simple shadows are created on the patches to complete this basic effect. All you need to do is draw more darker shapes near the legs as shown below. Of course, these new elements must be filled with a dark color if you want the effect to be relevant.

Nice work learning how to draw a centipede with tons of legs!

That's it for this tutorial! Now that all steps are completed, this lesson on how to draw a centipede is over. You can see the final result below. Don't hesitate to sketch and draw more versions of this adorable insect. Simply use various postures, colors or even textures to draw something completely different and visually appealing. Just experiment and be creative!

If you need more help drawing this amazing creature, you can use the illustration below as a guideline. This simple image contains all steps needed to draw this cartoon centipede accurately.

Now that we are done with this character, feel free to draw more fun animals from the same series here. You can also try more colorful insects below. Each tutorial is filled with various challenges that are fun and easy to try. Have fun drawing and remember to practice on a daily basis. It's the key to becoming a better artist! ;)