this is an image of a watercolor butterfly that is orange with a teal body

Let’s Draw Butterflies!

It’s Fall, and I’m drawing butterflies.  For some reason, I am not often ‘on season’ with my creating, and I’ve decided to be fine with that.  My flow is my flow and I just need to go with it.

In this blog, I’d like to try and persuade you to draw butterflies with me off season.  Here is a little ‘flyer’ I made that is pretty and shares the reasons:

this shows a pic of an aqua butterfly on a gray background and 7 reasons why they are a great motif to use for your creative outlet.

Now that you are convinced that drawing butterflies is where it’s at, let me share with you a few easy ways to do so:

Draw, cut, trace, paint:

  1. To draw a butterfly, it is best to create a butterfly box.  To do this, you just sketch out a square of sorts (don’t worry about measuring or anything, just make it easy and eyeball it).  Divide your box into four quadrants, and draw a simple shaped body in the middle.  Then create a few dots on the top and the sides that match on both left and right and draw out your top wings.  Do the same for the bottom wings.  If you need ideas of wing shapes, just google ‘butterfly images’ and you’ll see a variety of shapes.

This shows a box with four quadrants and a butterfly sketched in.

  1. Next cut it out and you have a butterfly template to trace onto watercolor paper (or whatever paper you want to use!).  Trace just one, or trace a whole bunch going different directions on your paper, including some that are flying right off the paper.
  2. Paint them!  I chose to make the painting process really simple and am pleased with how it turned out.  I used the ‘wet on wet’ technique by painting the wings with plain water first and then dropping in a color in the middle and then dropping a slightly different color (but sticking with warm colors) in all around the border and letting the paint mingle as it flowed in the water and then dried.  Last step was to paint the body in the metallic paint and add the antennas.
  3. Once all of the butterflies dry, you can choose to paint a background around them like I did, or leave it crisp white.  Artist choice of course!

Below is a fun little piece I created using the process above.  I think I will make it into a cute card for someone special.

this shows pink and orange watercolor butterflies scattered over the paper with a silvery blue background.
Watercolor butterflies

Draw Butterflies With Procreate

  1. Open up any size canvas
  2. Tap the wrench icon and tap ‘canvas’ at the top, then toggle ‘drawing guide’ on.  There will now be a grid on your canvas and this is not exactly what we need, so next you’ll tap on ‘Edit Drawing Guide’.  This brings up a little menu at the bottom of your screen, and you’ll tap on ‘symmetry’ then below that tap on ‘options’ and click ‘vertical’.  Lastly, hit ‘done’ in the top right corner and your canvas is ready!
Getting your drawing guide set up
After clicking “Edit Drawing Guide”
  1. Now what you draw on one side, will automatically be mirrored on the other side.  You can upload the butterfly you drew above into a layer, then in a new layer, trace it with the drawing guide on (You’ll only have to trace one side, and Procreate will fill in the other side for you to perfection).  To finish, do whatever else you want inside the wings to make your butterfly your style.
  2. Pro tip: Keep your outline on a separate layer so you can use it to create multiple different versions if you’d like.
  3. Another pro tip: Fill in your butterfly outline so that your butterfly is one solid color.  In a new layer, place a lovely piece of art or a pretty pattern (you can do this by creating a new layer and then tapping the wrench tool and selecting, ‘add’ at the top and then ‘insert photo’ in the drop down menu) above your butterfly and then tap on ‘clipping mask’ on the fly out menu.
Drawing with symmetry drawing guide
Using clipping mask

 

And finally, here’s your Freebie!

If you don’t feel like creating your own butterfly, perhaps you’d like to color one?  If yes, you’re in luck because I created a free download of a fun butterfly coloring page for you.  You are welcome! (just click on the image and it will take you to a new tab where you can print this little gem)

coloring page with a botanical butterfly, vines, and the words, "A butterfly is a caterpillar who never gave up on her dream to fly" --Matshona Dhliwalo
Free Coloring Page

 

New Butterfly and Botanicals Birthday Stationary Collection

AND, as if that wasn’t enough about butterflies, here’s an entire Butterfly and Botanicals Birthday Stationary Collection of birthday stationary in several color choices that I recently created and they are available in my on-line store.  The image below shows only one color choice, but each color choice includes all four pieces.  From personal experience, it is fantastic to have these on hand so that you have a beautiful card to give when an unexpected birthday shows up on your radar!

this shows the teal and gold butterfly Happy Birthday card, with the matching envelope liner that says, "It's Your Day!", and the return address label, and finally the butterfly sticker that seals the envelope with style!

 

Well friends, go make some butterflies!  I’m going to go make EVEN more.

*If you have any questions, comment below and I’ll get right back to you, I love community!

Kimberly Snider, Virtuoso, Signing off

See All the things I have to offer HERE