How to draw a butterfly with this how-to video and step-by-step drawing instructions. Easy animals to draw for beginners and kids.
Please see the drawing tutorial in the video below
You can refer to the simple step-by-step drawing guide below
Step 1
Draw the chest and belly of the butterfly’s head. This trick will center the butterfly to the center of your paper. The body is made up of the head (circle), the middle thorax (the oval shape), and the belly (the elongated oval shape), 2 eyes (semicircles on either side of the head), and 2 antennae.
Fun fact: some butterflies are straight and some are curved, depending on the butterfly species.
Step 2
Draw 2 curved lines from the top of a body part (on the sides). Try to make these lines of equal length and curvature.
Step 3
Draw 2 lines from the center of the body (on either side). Make the line segments equal in length.
Step 4
Draw 2 curved lines from the bottom part of the body (on the sides). Create lines of the same length and arc.
Step 5
Draw a squiggly line to connect the wing tip to the midline (horizontal). Do this for both sides of the wings
Step 6
Draw 2 diagonal lines from the end of the midline. Make sure they are the same length.
Step 7
Draw 2 semicircles connecting the diagonals from the last step and the bottom arches. Your butterfly’s overall shape is now complete. Take a step back and make sure both sides look roughly equal. Take this opportunity to repair any areas that are sticking out.
TIP: It also helps to flip your photo upside down and see. The side flip gives your eyes a fresh perspective and you can easily see if your butterfly is proportionate or not.
Step 8
Draw 4 teardrop shapes inside each wing.
Fun fact: The markings and colors on butterfly wings are different for each species. Colors and patterns help the butterfly camouflage, protect, attract mates, and more. If you want some inspiration for your butterfly art, check out this website that features images of over 50 species.
Step 9
Draw 7 lines in each wing quadrant (from teardrop to outer edge).
Step 10
Draw a bubble-like border around the outer edge of the wings
Step 11
Use a pencil to fill in the border between the bubble outline and the outer wing.
Step 12
Add some semicircles and “D” shapes for the top 3 parts of the wings. We will fill around them in the next step
Step 13
Fill in around the patterns you drew in the previous step (using a pencil). Also draw small circles along the top edges of the wings
Step 14
Thicken all lines between sections on both wings
Step 15
Fill in the text and you’re done!