Cicada

Tosena albata

Detailed illustration of an orange and black cicada with bold black / brown wings
Distribution:Southeast Asia
Size:130mm wingspan
Diet:Tree sap

I can’t find out much about this species, so I’ll shed some light on the drawing process instead. All of my drawings are based on nice detailed photos of specimens, the majority of which I’ve bought from (hopefully) ethical sellers. This particular cicada is a great example of where I’ve had to refer a lot to photos of the live bugs to get a better idea of the colours, because specimens are often duller and darker. In my earlier days of drawing bugs, I didn’t think to do this extra referencing, so you’ll notice that some of my illustrations aren’t quite as vibrant or colourful as you might expect. One of the items on my giant to-do list is to review all my older drawings and update the colours as necessary, so expect some revisions in the future.

Take a closer look…

Close up showing the cicada's head and slightly furry thorax
Close up showing the cicada's bright orange abdomen. Like the rest of the body, this is slightly furry.