Drawing Spiders Volume 1 - How to Draw Spiders For the Beginner

There are a many colorful spiders, but the peacock spider is probably one of the most colorful
and fashionable kind, not just on their order of family species, but to the entire family of spiders
in general. Or if they are not (one of the most colorful kinds), a few of them will be, because
being as colorful and as groovy as they could be are their means of survival. Peacock spiders,
also known as gliding spiders or the maratus volans, is a small type of spider that uses its
stunning colors to attract their potential mate (female).
The abdomen of a peacock spider is covered in an artistic combination of different colors. It
contains a feature that seems like extending flaps wrapped around it, which could extend to form
a disk-shaped colorful embellishment or insignia. This unique feature which has a variety of
appearance from one to another is used by male peacock spiders to impress or court female
peacock spiders that they choose to mate with. The male raises its abdomen, then spread and
brag its colors to the female. And in addition to this, it dances (yes, it actually dances, not just by
wobbling randomly, but also with a certain beat and patterned jiggling steps). In combination to
its raised abdomen displaying its colors, it sticks a pair of its limb and clap with the beat of its
groove.
The embellishment on a peacock spider's abdomen varies in different styles and colors. From
red, green, yellow, blue, orange, purple, of different shade values. This significant coloration is
arranged in different kinds of pattern, and few others containing an iridescent characteristic. Its
body is partially covered in short white fur coating, with a portion of red to brown furs on its
limbs and head ( which usually is in stripes or the color of the entire head) with few stripes of
black (which compliments the white and red fur). Its eyes contain an iridescent color of blue and
green.

• Begin with the shape outline.
Start with the spherical head of the peacock spider. Draw some lines across the sphere to create a
reference line for properly placing the head features (eyes and palps).
Establish the length and thickness of the limbs. You can start with one line per limb to easily
convey each of its folds and position. And then define the entire shape of the limbs including the and position of each leg are correct, and if they are folded or stretched properly.

• Begin portraying the fur.
The body of a peacock spider is covered in thin short fur and there's hardly a pattern that can be
followed (if not for the subtle brown color). Conveying the fur should be done with more than
one layer of texture contour.
Make a stripe on the legs with several rows of short contour hatches. Start with short thin lines
spiking downward from the surface (area it covers) if the leg is positioned downward, and short
lines spiking upwards for the raised pair of limbs. Do the same thing on the palps but the lines
should spike wider.
Cover the head with the same kind of short line strokes. The lines should flow or bend with the
head's spherical contour shape.
Thicken the fur coating by applying another layer of short contour hatches. This time, make
some few short lines that are slightly thicker than the first ones. Add some more wild strands of
fur spiking outwards from the legs. At this point, the stripe pattern you made on the limbs should
be barely noticeable.

• Apply the brownish color value of the body.
Depict the dark-brown color of the body. Apply the color in the same manner you applied the
furry texture. Create few short lines of brown following the stripe pattern of the limbs you
previously diminished (do not extend the line strokes outside of the base).
The raised pair of limbs is browner in tone compared to the other limbs, but do not color this
portion with long thick line strokes. Make a tight layer of short line strokes on the farther
segments of the limb (from the tibia to metatarsus of the legs' segments), with the ends of each
row overlapping the next one.

• Thicken the fur.
Once the subtle brown value of the body is conveyed, apply another layer of contour hatches one
last time. Put some darker lines striking upwards on the brown area of the raised limbs. Darken
the portions that should appear darker (using thicker and darker contour hatches), such as the
lower areas of the head (on the sides and the portion beneath the palps) and the lower and farther
portions of the limbs.

• Apply the stripes on the head.
The top of the head contains diagonal line marks, having a brighter value of brown (brownishorange).
This color value can be obtained by overlapping some thin lines of brown layer with an
orange color.

• Define the colors of the abdomen.
The abdominal fan-like embellishment usually contains three to four different colors. The
common print that is usually seen contains a red marking that seems to form a smiley face, on a
blue surface.

Use scribbling line strokes to create a subtle flaky/scaly texture. For a reddish-orange color of
the markings, apply a thin layer of red, and then burnish it with orange. For a bright blue color of
the entire surface, use two values of blue. Apply a bright blue color on the nearer side with
strong circling line strokes, leaving some subtle portions open, and then fill up the entire surface
with a darker blue. When the coloring is done, fill the outer areas with thin long line strokes all
heading towards the top.

• Make some final touches.
If an area is too darkened, retrieve the brightness using a kneaded eraser. When the portrayal of
its body texture is effectively conveyed, the figure would be defined with the contour hatches
and not with a solid and smooth outline. Layering the linear hatches and combining it with
texture contour is vital for these kinds of illustrations.