Learn how to draw a Cicada with an easy step by step tutorial. Millions of cicadas are expected to emerge any day now after spending 17 years underground.

Cicadas are insects with stout bodies, broad heads, clear-membrane wings, and large compound eyes. There are more than 3,000 cicada species, and while some show up every 13 to 17 years, others emerge every year when the weather gets warm.

Brood X is the massive swarm slated to emerge in the spring and summer of 2021. This brood, consisting of hundreds of billions of cicadas, is spread across much of the Eastern United States, with especially dense concentrations in parts of Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Tennessee.

Depending on the species, cicadas can make loud sounds to communicate, reproduce, and maybe even defend themselves. The deafening noises you hear are most often a mating call—male cicadas are trying to attract a female to breed with.

The good news is that these insects are harmless and will not sting or bite you. Many experts remind us that it’s best to let this 17 year cicada phenomenon run its course so that future generations can witness it too.

This tutorial is made to help young students learn more about these amazing creatures by drawing a cicada as close to real life as possible. Making the wings with just some simple membrane lines, and then coloring with the background color will give the look of transparency, something the cicadas are known for.