How to Paint Butterflies
Butterflies are beautiful and majestic creatures. Their elegant wings show off a variety of colors and designs. When you paint your own butterflies, you can choose to render in a realistic or fantastical way, depending on your preference. Although you can paint butterflies in a variety of different mediums, acrylic paint will allow you to layer the basic shades and textures of the butterfly wings. For this painting process, you will create each butterfly using a series of layers.
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Instructions
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Select a reference picture for your butterfly painting. Browse through photos of butterflies until you find the one that you would like to paint.
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Sketch an outline for your butterfly painting. Lay out the blueprint for the butterfly's basic form. This includes sketching the butterfly's wings, body (thorax, abdomen and head) and antenna.
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Create a color scheme for the wing background. Select colors from your reference picture that match the shades of the wing's overall color, which excludes the wing veins and any wing patterns. Squeeze these colors onto your palette. Paint the background color for your butterfly wing using a large acrylic paintbrush.
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Paint the body. Choose colors for the butterfly's body using your reference picture as a guide. Squeeze these colors onto your palette. Paint the body of the butterfly using the large acrylic paintbrush.
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Allow the first layer of paint to dry completely.
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Detail the wings. Select a color or blend of colors for the wing veins and wing detail, using your reference picture as a color guide. Squeeze the acrylic paints onto your palette. Use a detailing brush to paint the wing details over the base wing color.
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Detail the body. Use a detailing brush to add eyes, antenna and legs to the butterfly's body.
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References
- Photo Credit Nicholas Cope/Lifesize/Getty Images
