How to paint a butterfly with this how-to video and step-by-step drawing instructions. Simple drawing for kids and beginners, easy drawing tutorial for beginners and everyone.
Please see the drawing tutorial in the video below
You can refer to the simple step-by-step drawing guide below
Step 1:
Sketch our butterflies
Let’s start by sketching a basic outline of our butterfly. We wanted to make sure that the form of the wings was correct because the butterfly’s wings are quite symmetrical. Let’s start with the body; The body has a basic shape, similar to the tip of a ballpoint pen. This lesson does not provide reference images because it is not necessary. However, you can look up a picture of a butterfly for help if needed. The upper wings are shaped like two right triangles. However, at the top of the wings, we want to add a curve or a curve.
Spend extra time on this part of the tutorial because the wings should be as symmetrical as possible. We wanted to make the bottom wings more spherical when we designed them. The lower wings are round or oval compared to the upper wings. Alternatively, they can be viewed as two spike-like structures that protrude into the butterfly’s body. We wanted to give our butterflies some special shape, which we were able to do by bending their wings. Adding small curves on the sides of the wings gives them a more distinctive edge, giving the butterfly a more lifelike image.
Step 2:
Create a base color for your butterfly painting
Let’s start with the paint phase of our lesson by creating a light blue blend. Then we will paint a little blue on the wings of the butterfly. We don’t want to color the outside of the wing, so be careful around the edges when painting the wings. We will notice that one wing is somewhat lighter or darker than the other when we paint the wings. This is okay; In fact, it’s beneficial because it adds variety to the wings. We’ll see how this helps highlight the marks we’ll be coloring later against this faded wash.
If you want to darken any of the wings, apply more topcoat over your blue. However, the main goal here is to apply the initial coat of our watercolor butterfly’s base color palette to the butterfly’s wings. Furthermore, while coloring your watercolor butterfly paintings with blue, make sure to color along the margins of the wings precisely and gently.
Step 3:
Color the butterfly’s body and the details of the left wing
Next, we will color the body of the butterfly, as well as the outlines of its wings. We’ll start by wetting a thin brush with black paint. The easiest way to color the butterfly’s body is to paint it black. Now we can go ahead and paint the entire bodywork black. We can make a thick dark line along the edge of the bottom wing with our black paint. Start with one wing and work your way up to the next. This strip should be pretty thick, but we wanted it to be as straight as possible, with a corner starting to slide into the side of the bottom wing.
The goal is to create a black line on the sides of the wings. On the other hand, this black band is larger in the inner region of the wing and then becomes narrower as it moves along the wings. We want to trace the small curves on the wings as we paint down the sides. The two black lines go down the upper wing from the body so it is narrower than the lower wing. However, both are thinner as they go up the flanks. You want to narrow down the black details when painting around the side border of the butterfly’s wings, as if the butterfly wings are scorched. The triangular arcs that curve down the wing are a great element to add to the upper corners of the taller wings. Because most butterflies have this feature on their top wings, you can use the source image to get a better idea of this detail.
Step 4:
Color the Right Wing of the Butterfly
Now we’ll look at the dark spots we’ve created around the edge of the butterfly’s wings. Now we will go ahead and recreate these elements along the boundary of the wing. Let’s start again with the top wing, this time painting the elements black going down to the edge of the wing. We wanted to mimic all the elements on the upper wing, including the design of the top corner that arcs into the wing. We’re not trying to make the details completely duplicate, but we want to make them as similar as possible. Don’t worry if there is a slight difference.
Step 5:
Create the circuit of the wing
Now it’s time to create the veins of the wings. Although coloring the veins on a butterfly’s wings is simple, we should proceed with caution. To start, we’ll apply a little black wash. Start drawing subtle sweeps from the body to the domed feature on the top wings using a slightly thinner brush. Again, we don’t ask for the source image; but, if you need one, you can use one for reference. Let’s start with the right hand wing and draw some basic lines that blend into the edges of the wing. Try to link your lines to the top of the small arcs going down the sides of the wings. We can also darken the ends of the veins where they connect to the sides of the wings.
We don’t need too many lines in the wings, so let’s keep them as basic as possible. The little sprouting marks that protrude from the body are another great highlight that we can add. Every vein we make should flow into the body, mixing with the sprouting signs to give the impression that the lines are draining from the body. The little black lines that you brush inward from the edge of the wings are another lovely detail to add. The inner contours of the wings are made a bit more textured by adding these small sweep lines. However, to avoid disrupting the veins as a feature, keep these features narrow and short, not extending into the wings.
After you finish painting one wing, repeat the technique on the opposite wing. The lower wings attempt to mimic the venous diversity of the upper wings again. We don’t need too many veins, but we do want them to float off the body and bond to the edges of the wings like the spokes on a bicycle. Remember to apply the paint slowly and gently when painting these ridges. As they emanate from the center and branch to the edges of the wings, we wanted the lines to be smooth and graceful
Step 6:
Detailing the butterfly wings
After drawing the ridges, we can add additional features to our butterfly wings. There are many ways to learn how to draw a watercolor butterfly, but this approach explains the basic layering process. Once our butterfly was completely dry, we were able to add some extra markings to the body with a light green color. Fill in the gaps between the ridges with these marks. We wanted the blue wash to be extremely light so as not to overshadow the veins as it dries. At this stage we can experiment with different road markers. A light wash will dry and create a subtle texture on the inside of the wing as we paint these marks in between the ridges.
