Although this is the first fully in-color butterfly I have on the list doesn’t mean the rest can’t get colored in–I just think a brightly colored one is extra fun, and I had to share.
21 Butterfly Drawing Ideas
Their vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and delicate wings make them an ideal muse for creative inspiration.
Whether you’re a beginner or a professional artist, drawing butterflies can be a fun and rewarding experience.
From realistic depictions to whimsical designs, there’s something for everyone to try. So, grab your supplies, and let’s dive into the world of butterfly art.
If you need art supplies to try any of these, here are my recommendations. These pencils, these markers, this notebook, and these erasers all work well for any of these projects.
A simple way to start our list today is a butterfly in flight–classic simple, and to the point. Start with the body and draw a basic wing structure.
Since the butterfly is the focal point, the basic wing outline is key to correcting the proportions. Return and structure out the details of the wing and hit the rest of the butterfly.
Add sparkles or other motion lines to showcase the flight.
These great drawing hacks will be super helpful for you!
Butterfly to the Flower
A main part of a butterfly’s diet is flowers, so there’s no better drawing to include in this post. Add a whole field of flowers or a family of butterflies to enhance the image.
Butterfly and Bunny
If you’re looking for something a little different than a flower interacting with your butterfly, try a rabbit like this one. It gives a bit fresher look than the classic duo, but it’s just as sweet of a takeaway.
Or, try a different animal entirely! Use the inspiration from this idea to create a whole new idea.
Create shape, colour and texture
Because butterflies are symmetrical, you can draw one half onto a folded sheet of tracing paper, turn it over and trace onto the other half. Once you’ve transferred the outline onto watercolour paper, create the initial stage of your painting, using some nice puddles of paint – make sure the whole area is covered.
Before it has a chance to dry, place a layer of kitchen roll over the image and let it absorb the paint. You can now add rich, vibrant (and very wet!) colour on top. I’ve used mixes of Cobalt Teal, Perylene Red, Viridian and Indigo. Leave the tissue on until it is a little short of dry, before peeling it off for some lovely textures.
Add in the detail
I take a strip of masking tape and tear it down the middle, before sticking it onto the image, leaving a small gap. I then paint over the gap with blue gouache. When the tape is removed, it will leave an irregular-edged blue stripe for detail on the wing. I then make another longer stripe, this time running the entire length of the wing. There are now two stripes on the top wing, and just one on the bottom wing. I repeat this on the other side.
If the outline of your butterfly has been lost in the painting-through-tissue stage, find it again using opaque gouache that more or less matches your paper colour (add a little Yellow Ochre to the white if you need to). Just paint around some of the outline, such as the areas where the wings meet, where the tail and wings meet and around the butterfly’s head.
Add in more detail
The hairs of the butterfly’s body can now be painted on with a round brush flattened into a ’comb’. The wing veins are painted with a sword brush. For the red part of the wings, I’ve taken some Chinese/tissue paper and painted it with a rich mix of red paint. Once dried, I tear it into two circles. Next,
I paint some textured craft paper with bright red gouache, and use this to print onto the tissue. The circles are then stuck onto the wings with glue. Finally, I print on the yellow gouache dots using my finger.
You are looking to get the pattern as near symmetrical as possible, so it may be worth using your tracing paper again to ensure this if you’re not confident doing it by eye.
This article originally appeared in Paint & Draw: Animals. Buy the full bookazine at Magazines Direct.
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