Papuan golden stag beetle — Colored Example

Take a look at the colours and the tips, then try it yourself.

  • Papuan green stag beetle — colored example

    Colouring tips

    Layering colors to make metallic "structural colors"

    The coolest feature of the Papuan golden stag beetle is its metallic look! Its colors change between green, gold, and bronze depending on how the light hits it.

    • Start by pressing lightly to color the whole body in bright yellow or yellow-green as your base layer.

    • Next, layer dark green, orange, gold (yellow-ocher), and reddish-brown over it. Slowly shift the colors to match the curves of each body part!

    • Put orange or bronze right next to green and blend them together. This creates a shiny, rainbow-like sparkle just like a jewel beetle!

    Adding highlights for a super shiny look

    To make it look hard and smooth like metal, you need strong contrast between bright light and dark shadows.

    • Leave big white spaces for highlights on the highest parts of the back and chest where the light hits best.

    • Color right around those white spaces with dark green or dark brown. Then blend the colors outward smoothly. This makes it look as shiny and hard as real enamel!

    Coloring the sharp jaws and legs

    The male Papuan golden stag beetle has unique jaws that curve upward.

    • For the jaws and legs, use a different style from the green back! Use mainly bronze, reddish-brown, and orange to make it look just like a real beetle.

    • Sharpen your colored pencil really well. Draw the tiny teeth on the jaws and tips of the legs neatly. Add black in the joints to show off its small but super strong body!

    Colors to make a damp forest floor

    The ground where the stag beetle walks is a leafy forest floor full of moss and rich soil.

    • Use bright green and yellow-green as a base. Then sprinkle in colors like brown and beige for dry leaves and small pebbles.

    • Do not color it in smoothly! Leave some pencil marks to create an uneven texture. This makes it feel rough and realistic like real nature.

    Adding dark shadows to ground your beetle

    Drawing dark shadows right underneath your beetle is the best trick to make it look super real!

    • Use black or dark brown to draw clear drop shadows on the ground under its belly and around its legs.

    • This shadow makes your Papuan golden stag beetle pop off the page! It will look like it is really walking right there on the ground.

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