How to Draw a Black Widow Spider – Step by Step

Snakes and spiders scare me.  I’d say of the two, spiders are the scariest. No spider is more feared by me than the dreaded black widow spider.  I definitely don’t want to touch one – or even draw one from life – but they do make a great specimen for a drawing tutorial. Please – do NOT try to draw one of these from life! In this lesson, we’ll look at how to draw a black widow spider, step by step.

Step 1 – Draw the Main Body Parts of the Black Widow Spider

The first thing we’ll do is draw the three main sections of the spider’s body.  These areas should be drawn using simple circular shapes that overlap since we’ll be drawing the spider hanging upside down on a web. Notice that the largest shape is quite a bit larger than the shape drawn for the head.

 

Step 2 – Draw Lines for the Legs of the Spider

With the main portions of the body defined, we can draw lines to indicate the legs of the spider.  The legs in comparison with the body may be a little longer than you expect.  It’s also critical to include directional changes with these lines so that the legs look more natural and realistic.

Notice how much the legs bend and how the portions of the legs that come toward the viewer or extend away are shorter. This is called foreshortening.

 

Step 3 – Thicken up the Body and Add Segments

Now, using the lines that you drew in the last step as a guide, thicken up the legs and add segments.  The segments in the legs can be added with a simple line. You can also add the dreaded hourglass pattern on the bottom of the abdomen. (Clearly, we’re drawing a female Black Widow. The males look completely different.)

 

Step 4 – Add the Spider Web

Our drawing is already looking like a Black Widow Spider, but let’s make it more interesting by adding a web. We’ll draw a few curved lines for the spider web.  These lines are curved because the weight of the spider is pulling them downward. We’ll only include horizontal lines since we don’t want to cover too much of the spider’s body. Each one of these lines may touch the end tips of the spider’s legs so that it looks as if the spider is actually hanging from the web.

 

Step 5 – Finish the Black Widow Drawing

Now that the structure of the spider is in place, all that is left to do is to finish the drawing by adding all of the black.  As you add the black, be aware that the spider needs to look shiny.

In order to accomplish this illusion, leave some areas white. By leaving some of the areas white, you create the illusion that light is hitting – creating a highlight. Some good areas to leave alone include the locations where the legs are segmented and around the edges of the legs and body.  You can also fill in the hour glass pattern with red for an added effect.

Here are the steps to drawing a Black Widow Spider in one image…