Order Diptera – Family Tabanidae
As with mosquitoes and deer flies, only female horse flies feed on blood, while the males eat pollen and nectar from flowers. Quieter than house flies, horse flies sneak up and give a nasty bite that continues to bleed because of an anticoagulant in the fly is saliva. A horse or cow can actually suffer serious blood loss if a number of horse flies attack it.
1. Start with a light guide line for the center of the fly. Add abdomen, thorax, and those big green eyes.
2. Draw the wings.
3. Add the six legs and two antennae.
4. Draw lines for abdominal segments and veins in wings. Add shading and texture. Add enough shading on the wings to make them appear translucent – in other words, you can see the legs through them, but not real clearly.