Bats are smart, adorable and sophisticated creatures, who are all too often overlooked in favor of other animals. To help correct this error, let’s learn how to create our very own bat just hanging out!
Tutorial Video
Step-By-Step Images and Instructions
1.
Take a brown pen and start by drawing two lines around two inches from the top of the page. Each of these should come from the edges in towards the middle, with a gap in the center. Then, add another set of lines above this, this time angling down from the top, straightening out as you reach the middle, and with a bump in the center.
2.
Use the brown pen to add a series of lines to the left-hand section, moving in from the edge.
3.
Repeat this on the right-hand side, giving you a textured design.
4.
Use a black pen to create the top of an “egg” shape, and add two curved lines, one on either side.
5.
Connect the bottom of the “egg” together with a wavy line, and curve this down and around at the bottom.
6.
Then, join the bottom of these curves together with a large semicircle – this is your bat’s face.
7.
At the bottom, draw two “flame” shapes for ears, and then add another, smaller “flame” shape inside the first.
8.
At the bottom of the face, add a semicircle shape, with two small, pointy triangles emerging from the top – every bat needs some fangs! Add two small marks at either end of the mouth, and then add another upside-down semicircle just above.
9.
Just below this, add an oval shape, with two small dots inside, to give your bat a nose.
10.
Then add two more oval shapes to the bottom of the face, to create eyes for your bat.
11.
Now for some detail – add a series of curved points moving all across the body using slightly curved lines, ending in a point at the tip.
12.
Next add two small “tufts” to the bottom of your bat, so that it has small feet.
13.
Use a brown pen to fill in the main body of the branch…
14.
And a pink pen to fill in the inside of the ears and the nose.
15.
Finally, grab a gray pencil. Fill in the pattern in a darker shade, and the rest of the body in a lighter gray tone.
And there we have it; your very own bat hanging upside down in one of their favorite positions! Now, why not create some friends for your bat to hang with, and help create a whole new world?
Bats may be small in size, but they have a hefty global presence, making up one quarter of the animals on the planet. There are over 1100 species of bats currently known to exist across the globe, and the United States is home to an impressive 40 species. Sadly, over half of these species are considered to be in severe decline or are officially listed as endangered. Their plight comes as a result of losing their habitats, as well as a condition known as “white nose syndrome” – a devastating fungus which has caused serious damage to the bat population across Canada and the USA. Extensive work is underway by a number of experts across the globe in an attempt to source a solution to help bats rebuild their numbers in the wild.
These are also impressive and intelligent creatures, able to reach speeds of up to 60 miles an hour or more. They can also live for over 30 years, meaning that despite their small size, bats make a huge presence.
Bats also possess a wide range of abilities, all of which are designed to help them thrive; they can find their food in darkness, allowing them to locate insects through “echolocation” – this refers to the emission of inaudible, high-pitched sounds at 10-20 beeps per second, and through listening to echoes. They are a friend to those who are not fans of mosquitoes, with the ability to eat up to 1200 per hour, and their excrement – known as guano – is one of the richest fertilizers we have to hand!
