Making Realistic Insect Wings - 2005 Tutorial

For making insect wings I have been using a product called "Dura Lar " acetate alternative, a clear tear proof film that can be run through a laser printer, and scribed with a bodkin needle.

The first step to making wings is to either digitally photograph or scan a real insect wing, 300 dpi images are best for maintaining intricate detail. Old dried up wings often change shape, and it is best to use wings freshly plucked from an insect.

Using Photoshop I zoom in and erase everything, including the background, except for the wings. Then reduce the image size to the correct anatomical size of the insect, maintaining a 300 dpi resolution. Next step is to open up a new Photoshop file, 8 1/2" x 11" @ 300dpi. Then copy the wings onto the new blank page, and continue doing this until a row of wings fills the top of the page. Then I merge the visible layers to allow for quickly copying entire rows of wings down the rest of the page. To make right and left hand side wings, in Photoshop, select the wings, click on Edit, Transform, Flip Horizontal. It's a easy as that.

Below are pictures showing how I prepare wings after they have been printed.

Printing, Cutting, and Coloring

To print on Dura Lar, I use a color laser printer, and it is necessary to change the print settings from plain paper to transparency. For large wings such as Dragonflies I prefer the 0.04 thickness and 0.03 for smaller wings like Mayflies and Stoneflies. For those without a color laser printer, Kinkos and other print shops will print digital files inexpensively.

Below is a demo page of Mayfly wings of various sizes. After being printed, I use a short sharp Bodkin (dubbing needle) and using the tip, scribe the fine lines into the Dura Lar. I like to place a sheet of regular white paper under the printed sheet, which makes seeing the detailed lines easier. Both of these are placed on top of a magazine, providing a more cushioned surface, making the scribing process easier and more controllable than on a hard surface.

The photos below demonstrate how to make mayfly wings, printed onto white paper, and traced onto a sheet transparent material.

Scribing lines onto wings.

Sometimes I print the wings directly onto the Dura-Lar and sometimes I print the wings on white paper and place the Dura-Lar over it, secure with a couple of staples, then trace the wings, with a bodkin tip, scribing the lines into the Dura-Lar.

Next step is coloring the wings. Using Pantone and/or Lumacolor permanent markers color the surface of the wings, allowing the coloring to go into the scribed lines.

Then quickly, before the ink dries, rub the wings with a damp paper towel, removing the coloring while leaving color in the scribed lines.

Next step is to cut out the wings using scissors. I like to paint both sides of the wings with clear acrylic varnish tinted with pearlescent pigment powder and a drop of liquid acrylic pigment.

Let the wings dry and tie them onto your fly.

2009 Tutorial - Making Realistic Insect Wings

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