Paint a Butterfly
From Scratch 🦋

Using your pencil, draw a short vertical line in the center of the canvas for the butterfly body. On each side, draw two wings: the upper wings are large rounded triangle shapes, and the lower wings are smaller rounded oval shapes. Keep the wings on both sides symmetrical. At the top, draw two thin curved lines for the antennae, each ending with a small dot. Keep all lines light and loose.

Mix Lemon Yellow with Titanium White to create a soft pale yellow. Using your large flat brush, apply this color evenly across the entire canvas. Let dry for 1–2 minutes before moving on.

Load your brush with Orange and fill in all four wings. Use strokes that sweep outward from the center body toward the wing edges. Apply the paint generously for rich, solid coverage. Don't worry about staying perfectly within the pencil lines — the black outlines added later will clean up the edges.

While the orange is still slightly wet, use Scarlet Red to paint the outer edge areas of the upper wings. Use curved strokes following the wing shape to create a natural red border effect. Add a small amount of red to the lower wing edges as well. The red and orange will blend slightly at the edges, which looks beautiful and natural.

Using a medium brush and Lamp Black, paint a slim oval body shape in the center of the butterfly. Then use a fine brush to draw clean outlines around all four wings — follow the pencil lines with confident, flowing strokes. Finally, paint the two antennae as thin curved lines from the top of the body, each ending with a small dot.

Using a fine brush and Titanium White, add a row of evenly spaced small white dots along the inside edge of the black outlines on all four wings. Take your time spacing them evenly — these dots are the finishing touch that makes the butterfly look polished and complete. Your butterfly painting is done! 🦋