Our friends at Micador have created a fantastic, easy guide to painting a watercolour butterfly. We love the simplicity of their guides. Be sure to check out their blog for other great guides to stay busy with!
See the full post here or directions below:
What you’ll need:
-
Watercolour Paper
-
Fluoro Watercolour Palette
-
Permanent Pen
-
Achiever Brush, 3pk (or MFA Achiever Brush size 12)
-
Essential Pencil, HB
-
Plastic Eraser
STEP 1: DRAW A BASIC OUTLINE
Using a graphite pencil, lightly draw the basic shapes of the body and wings. To help keep the wings symmetrical, draw a square and split it into quarters. Then draw a wing in each quarter, with the body of the butterfly going down the middle.
STEP 2: ADD DETAIL TO THE WINGS
Lightly draw the patterns and shapes within the wings of the butterfly using a graphite pencil.
STEP 3: ADD WATERCOLOUR
Erase some of the patterns in the wings so the grey outlines can only just be seen. Add watercolour to the coloured areas in the wings. You can use multiple different colours for this. Wait for the paint to dry before moving on to the next step.
STEP 4: ADD BLACK
Trace the outline of the butterfly and details in the wings using a Micador Stay Anywhere Permanent Pen. Colour within the outline to add black to the wings and colour in the butterfly’s body. The black against the fluoro paint will help make the colours pop!