How to Draw Bats

Bats are symbols of vampires and Halloween.

While most of the 1,200 species of bats eat fruit and insects, three species in Latin America do feed on blood, according to Bat Conservation International. All bats are nocturnal, which means they are awake at night and sleep during the day. Their vampire-like behavior and their nighttime activity have made bats a symbol of Halloween. To draw bats, you must observe their overall anatomy. Bats are the only mammals that fly. They look similar to rodents with wings. The wings are soft and their arms and legs provide the structure for the wings.

Things You'll Need

• Drawing paper
• Pencil
• Eraser

Instructions

1. 

   The overall shape of the bat starts with a stretched "M."

   Draw a large stretched "M." These will become the wings for your flying bat drawing.

2. Add a oval shape into the center of your wings or "M" shape. This will be the body for your bat. Draw a small circle above and overlapping the top of the oval for the head.

3. Draw two triangular ears on the head and two small eyes on the face. Draw a mouth and nose holes. The bat's face looks similar to a mouse's.

4. 

   The bottom a bat's wings has an inverted scallop shape.

   Form the rest of the wings by connecting the the bottom of the "M" shape to the bottom of the oval body. Draw inverted scallop shapes at the bottom of the wing to connect it.

5. Add two arm bones to the top portion of the oval body, which will go along to the top of the wings. Draw them as ridges along to top of the wings.

6. 

   A bat's legs are part of the structure of its wings.

   Draw a "M" shape for the legs. They should be about one-third of the size of the entire wingspan, and they will start from the bottom the body. Draw the legs within the structure of the wings and add feet, which protrude just out of the bottom of the wing. The feet are bird-like and the same size as the ears. They have four talon-like toes.

7. Draw a tail that comes out of the bottom of the bat. It should be approximately half the size of the entire body.

Tips & Warnings

• Sketch your bat with thicker lines and erase any unwanted lines at the end of your drawing to finish.

• Use colored pencils to add color to your drawing.

• Start your drawing with a "W" shape to draw a bat flying downwards.

References

• DragoArt: How to Draw Bats
• Bat Conservation International: Introduction