What you will need
- Paper;
- a simple pencil or black felt-tip pen;
- colored pencils, felt-tip pens or markers.
How to draw a butterfly
1. Draw a circle. Inside, draw two small vertical ovals - these will be the eyes. Below them, draw a mouth - a curved line, rounded downwards.
YouTube channel Hello Draw Easy
2. Draw two long, rounded lines down from the head and connect them at the bottom.
YouTube channel Hello Draw Easy
3. Draw two horizontal lines inside the body, dividing it into three equal parts.
YouTube channel Hello Draw Easy
4. Add two vertical lines above the head on the sides. Draw small ones along the edges of each of them.
YouTube channel Hello Draw Easy
5. From the middle of the head to the right, draw a line rounded to the right. Finish it at the level of the center of the torso. From there, draw another curved line and end it at the bottom of the body.
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6. Draw the wings on the left in the same way.
YouTube channel Hello Draw Easy
YouTube channel Draw So Cute
7. On the lower wing in the middle, add a shape in the form of a long petal. Draw two arcs on the sides of it so that you get two more smaller petals. Draw a small circle under each one.
YouTube channel Draw So Cute
8. Decorate the wings of the butterfly on the right in the same way. Draw lines along their borders. Release two petals from above and three from below. Draw a heart on the top wing and circles on the bottom.
YouTube channel Draw So Cute
9. If desired, add butterflies and hearts around it, and a wavy dotted line from the body.
YouTube channel Draw So Cute
10. Color the drawing with colored pencils, felt-tip pens, markers, or anything else. Don't forget to outline the rosy cheeks under the eyes.
What other options are there?
Here is another cute and not very complicated butterfly:
This option has a slightly more complex pattern than the previous ones:
This butterfly can also be painted with anything. The author decided to use paints and even add glitter:
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
What you will need
- simple pencil;
- colour pencils;
- eraser.
How to draw a butterfly
1. Using a simple pencil, outline the elongated thin body of the butterfly with barely noticeable lines. On the sides of the upper body, draw rounded features up and continue them to the middle of the body so that you get oblong wings. Below them, draw small lower semicircular wings.
Using a black pencil, mark two small round eyes in place of the head. Outline the body, narrowing it slightly above the middle. Paint the bottom part black.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
2. In the upper element of the body, under the head, draw a short horizontal line. Using the same black pencil, outline the upper and lower wings. Draw curved antennae with bold dots at the ends above the eyes.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
3. Make thicker lines at the base of the top wing on the right and at the bottom corners of both top wings. Inside, from the middle of the upper body, draw out small smooth lines to the sides.
Using a blue pencil, without going beyond these lines, partially paint over the upper wings so that they are darker at the base. Using barely any pressure on the pencil, use the same color to decorate the lower wings next to the butterfly’s body.
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4. Continue to paint all the wings with turquoise or light blue until approximately their middle. To ensure a smooth color transition, overlap the previous shade slightly and do not press too hard.
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5. Using a red pencil, applying only light pressure, paint a little more of the upper wing on the left. In the upper part on the right, take more space when decorating than in the lower part. Details are visible in the photo. Add red to the lower wings as well, but don't paint them completely.
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6. Erase the top corner of the top wing on the right and add a line with a burgundy pencil in place of the previous one. Paint the wing with the same color, slightly short of the edge. Add a layer of burgundy to the wing on the left, leaving more space on the edge than on the element on the other side. In the upper parts, make the color more saturated.
Completely fill in the lower wings with a burgundy pencil, pressing harder on the body.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
7. Use purple to darken the corner of the upper wing on the left. Pressing the burgundy pencil, outline the left edge of this wing with it, a few circles at the top and fill in the rest of the space. On the wing on the right, add the same circles symmetrically and tint the unpainted edge, matching the previous color.
Make the burgundy layer on the lower wings bolder. Use this pencil to trace the lower edge of the wing on the right.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
8. Using a blue pencil, go again at the base of the upper wings, as well as along the burgundy color near the middle of the body on the lower wings.
Use purple to paint the upper corner and the entire edge of the large wing on the left, using smooth lines to match the previous shade. Paint the wing on the right in the same way. The detailed process is shown in the video below. Use the same pencil to tint the side corners of the lower wings.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
9. Make the red layer at the top of the large wings more pronounced. Add this color along the bottom edge of the small wings.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
10. Using a black pencil, draw the bases of the upper wings next to the head. Continue the lines outlined just below upward, making them curves. Connect them with short slashes to the edges of the wings. Add one more line to the sides from the corners of the resulting shapes, drawing them until the color is purple.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
11. From the beginning of the figures drawn in the previous one, draw horizontal smooth lines to the edges of the wings. Darken the corners between them with black.
Select the bottom borders of the large wings. Where they touch the small ones, make the lines thick. Trace the edges of the lower wings with the same black pencil.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
12. Using black, highlight the upper tips and side edges of the large wings, circling white circles. At the bottom, above the horizontal lines, add a few slanted strokes.
Draw several horizontal small lines along the lower border of the small wings. Add black dots below. Select a burgundy layer on all four wings.
YouTube channel Art and Sketch
13. Finally, draw thin black veins on all the wings and tint the areas on the sides of the lower part of the body. Use gray and lilac pencils to add the shadow of the butterfly.
The detailed process is shown in this video instruction:
What other options are there?
Here is a simpler black-and-green example:
Butterflies offer many color and texture options. Their wings are velvety and iridescent, allowing for rich colors that are softly blended together.
For a smooth, shiny body, a multi-color polish works best; for hairy parts, use short, linear strokes. This single object opens up many techniques and possibilities for the artist.
So how to draw a butterfly?
In order to draw a butterfly, you will need the following colors:
Step 1. How to draw a butterfly with colored pencils
After I drew the butterfly sketch, I transferred it to smooth drawing paper. Please note that I also included the pattern on the butterfly's wings in the sketch.
Step 2. How to draw a butterfly with colored pencils
Fill in the pattern on the wings with lemon yellow and erase the pencil lines of the sketch.
Step 3. How to draw a butterfly with colored pencils
Now I applied the yellow-orange color over the lemon yellow, but left it showing through in some areas. I used the same color to paint the right pupil and antenna.
Step 4. How to draw a butterfly with colored pencils
I applied some pumpkin orange on top of the yellow orange around the edges of the design. Next I used Tuscan Red to fill in the dark areas of the wings and body, as well as the left eye and antenna.
Step 5. How to draw a butterfly with colored pencils
Step 6. How to draw a butterfly with colored pencils
I filled the empty areas with black, covering up some of the colors. I also painted both eyes and the right antenna black. Voila! Beautiful butterfly.
In the next lesson we will draw. Share your work on
You can diversify your leisure time by drawing. The master's advice will help you learn how to draw beautifully with a pencil. By carefully reading the instructions and following the given instructions step by step, anyone, even a novice artist, can easily complete the task. And the end result will be a decent drawing.
Variety of butterflies
Scientists today describe about 200 thousand (!) species of butterflies. Outwardly they are all very different.
The variety of sizes, body shapes and wings, and colors is amazing. Nature painted butterflies with amazing imagination, using all kinds of colors, shades and their combinations, strict geometric shapes and intricate patterns. Therefore, the painter can safely use his imagination “to the fullest” and paint his butterfly as he pleases. The main thing is to be colorful and pleasing to the eye!
But there is one important feature that an artist must take into account in order to know how to draw a butterfly beautifully. This is unusual, but absolutely symmetrical in size and identical in color - all the patterns are repeated exactly, down to the smallest detail, on each wing. Therefore, in the drawing, you should try to decorate both wings with the most identical patterns in shape and color.
How to draw a butterfly with a pencil step by step
We found out that the color of a butterfly is a matter of taste, and given the incredible variety of possible colors, there is no point in teaching this (there can be an infinite number of examples). Therefore, it is important for the artist first of all to know the pencil. For a beginning master, it would be correct to study the drawing technique in stages, step by step.
The simplest thing and the basis of all future drawings is a butterfly with open wings
We do not insist that the proposed drawing scheme is final. But in the process of mastering the skills of how to draw a butterfly with a pencil step by step, it will certainly provide a solid foundation and become a good helper for you.
Step 1. Since both sides of the butterfly are exactly the same, let's turn to geometry. Let's build a rectangle. Use lines to divide the rectangle into parts:
- with a straight line we divide the rectangle equally vertically;
- when dividing a straight line horizontally, the upper part of the rectangle should be made slightly narrower than the lower one;
- through the intersection point of the horizontal and vertical straight lines, draw two lines from corner to corner (as shown in the figure).
- since the horizontal straight line does not divide the rectangle into 2 equal parts (the upper one is slightly narrower), the diagonal lines will not be straight, but will be slightly curved.
Step 2. At the base of the drawing we have 4 rectangles. Now we will work with the bottom 2. Let's divide their bases into 6 equal parts. On the left and right we mark 2/6 parts.
Let's connect the marked points with a straight line to the corresponding upper corners of the large (main) rectangle (as shown in the figure). We got an inverted trapezoid.
The basis for the lesson on how to draw a butterfly step by step is ready.
Draw the contours of the wings
Step 3. Draw the upper edge of the wings with a curved line from the intersection point of the vertical and horizontal lines of the main rectangle. We form the side edge of the wings along the upper part of the sides of the trapezoid.
We also draw the lower wings of the butterfly with curved lines of the shape we need - in the form of a drop of water, a rose petal or any other to your taste. You can diversify the ovals of the lower wings with additions in the form of spurs (similar wings with spurs to the swallowtail).
Step 4. Draw the body of the butterfly. To do this, draw a long, very narrow oval between the wings. Let's divide it into 3 sections. The upper section should be thickened a little - this is the head, the 2 lower parts of the body should be left narrow - this is the abdomen. Draw the eyes and antennae. We do not draw the legs, because in this position they are not visible.
Finding out step by step how to draw a butterfly with a pencil step by step, we have reached the finish line. From the sketch it is already easy to find out what kind of insect it is. Now our task is to make a full-fledged drawing from the sketch.
Making the butterfly natural
Step 5, final. The eraser removes all auxiliary lines. The edge of the wings can be given a smooth or jagged shape at the artist’s discretion. Inside the wings (along their entire length), draw veins with barely noticeable curved lines. Try to make them symmetrical. Add a light shadow between the wings near the center of the body. Darken the edges of the wings a little.
Add decorations to the wings. To make them as identical as possible, each element of the pattern is first drawn on one wing, and then immediately on the second wing. If you decorate one wing completely at once, then it will be difficult to repeat in detail the masterly design on the second wing. Feel free to decorate your wings with a variety of geometric shapes, curls, squiggles, streaks and openwork.
Conclusion
If you did everything according to the instructions, then you should get a butterfly like in the last picture. Now you know how to draw a butterfly with a pencil step by step, and you can experiment with the sizes, shapes and colors of this amazing insect. Good luck!
Let's draw a butterfly and butterfly coloring page.
These butterflies are wonderfully beautiful creatures. However, to be honest, other insects are also very beautiful and, in general, all living things are beautiful in themselves. Another question is that we, adults, consider butterflies to be beautiful and SIMPLE, and now, with our encouragement, children are drawing butterflies with all their might. But, alas, purely speculative - from the imagination. That is, they heard a ringing, but they don’t know where it is. Basically, children's drawings of butterflies come down to the image of a barrel with flounced wings on the sides, and the whole thing is topped with a smiley face with a spirally twisted mustache. In flight, butterflies are usually depicted simply vertically, since insects are shown in pictures in entomology books.
In other words, children draw a beautiful phenomenon - the flight of a butterfly - not as a flight and not as a butterfly. I will note that it would be difficult for me to draw a flying butterfly like this - from memory - I have never had the opportunity to thoughtfully observe butterflies and draw from life - they do not pose))).
Okay, then from the photo.
By the way, to understand how and what it is better to first familiarize yourself with the structure of butterflies -
Deciding to reveal the topic as fully as possible, I found a lot of pictures on the Internet and then, mostly, there will be just pictures.
How to draw a butterfly realistically - lesson 1
First we make a sketch in pencil, with light strokes, so that we can correct it. And, only after making sure that the image is captured correctly, we clarify the lines more clearly.
Our first model was photographed at a moment when the upper wings are quite wide open. But only one lower wing is visible... why would that be? I looked through a lot of photographs, and it looks like the lower pair of butterfly wings in flight open less often and not as widely as the upper one. That is, the lower wings of the butterfly are now closed.
Also notice the position of the body, it is, like, diagonal. Not horizontally, like a bird, not vertically, like a rocket taking off, but at an angle (like a flying angel). The paws are slightly tucked under the body down. That is, they are not pressed tightly, but they also do not dangle freely in the air.
The wings are very large. The top ones are almost triangular and in perspective, and even from foreshortening, their shape is very significantly distorted.
Oh, how difficult all this is for children...
I agree, but this does not mean that, for the sake of ease of perception, we now simplify living nature to the level of symbols, completely distorting reality.
It’s better to try to understand and remember exactly what these butterflies look like in flight.
How to draw a flying butterfly - lesson 2
This picture is similar to the previous one, only flying in the opposite direction. This is good: now it will become clear what we learned from the previous lesson. This butterfly's upper wings are also very sharply open, the lower wings are brought together, and again one is completely obscured.
The body is not large and, in flight, is also located at an angle. This butterfly's legs are also directed back, but are almost not pressed - it flies up to the plant and, apparently, is already preparing the landing gear for landing. Here is the second realistic coloring drawing "Butterfly in flight"
Let's draw a flying butterfly - 3
This butterfly flies obliquely AWAY from the viewer. We see her from the back.
Having decided to write about how to draw a butterfly with a pencil step by step, I realized that it couldn’t be done with simple instructions with photographs of other people’s master classes or their videos. At the same time, I will show you how, together with you, I will follow the recommendations for beginners, so that we can have the most beautiful of the beautiful, the most winged of the winged, and the most unusual of the original, a flower moth! Go!
How to draw a butterfly? Where to begin? Surprisingly, in order for our picture to come out smooth and beautiful, we need a ruler. Knowing myself, I also equipped myself with an eraser to wipe off anything that would spoil the picture.
What we need:
- Colour pencils;
- Paper;
- Ruler;
- Grater.
So, we begin to draw a butterfly step by step with a pencil from the cocoon. It should be a little thinner than an egg, but at the same time thicker than we associate with the cocoon from which our moth will emerge.
We draw a line across our cocoon, so that its upper part consists of 2/3 of the cocoon. I took the simplest example of how to draw a butterfly with a pencil step by step.
Second step. Making wings
It's time to draw the wings. They differ in shape and size. The lower ones are extended vertically, the upper ones slightly horizontally.
I measure the same line segment to the left and right of the cocoon. This is where the upper and lower wings will touch. How to draw lower wings? They come from one point at the bottom of the cocoon. The upper ones do not touch at the top.
Their shape may not be ideal, but it is advisable to try to ensure that they are rounded and symmetrical to one another (upper to upper, and lower wing to lower).
Third step. We draw mustaches for our Monarch
We complement the butterflies with an important detail. In those places where the upper wings extend from the cocoon, we will have antennae. We make a loop at the top of each drawn antennae.
At the same point you need to slightly change the cocoon, making it narrower to the bottom. Now it looks more believable.
I took an example of how to draw a butterfly step by step from my children's lessons in the art studio. But you can choose a more “adult” image of our noble “moth”, making it more like the real thing.
Fourth step. Let our beauty have patterns on her wings!
You can choose any pattern. But the most traditional one is circles and divorces. How to learn to draw patterns? I kept them very simple: on each wing there are two circles - one larger, it will be located closer to the edge of each wing. The second one is closer to the cocoon, and I will draw it smaller in size.
In this image you need to paint the “body” of the moth with patterns. Several stripes run across it in arcs. You can learn to draw a butterfly with amazing patterns, come up with one yourself, or get an idea from the website.
Fifth step. Removing unnecessary
Let's examine our masterpiece. It is not perfect, but it is already clear that the “moth” depicted on it promises to become a beauty. And we can help her with this if we carefully erase with a rubber band all the unnecessary details and lines that helped us draw her. Now they are not needed and we carefully remove them. Then, we draw a butterfly and trace its contours with a pencil.
Sixth step. Drawing pictures with colored pencils
The most pleasant moment has come, we need to add color to all the details and then our ward should “come to life”. Let's use colored pencils. We drew a butterfly, but it can and should be made motley and colorful. That is why I paint its body yellow, its wings with a red pencil, and the decorative spots on its wings blue and orange.
But our Monarch (and this is definitely it, judging by its beauty) will look even more beautiful against a bright background. That's why I draw a leaf. It’s as if our lovely creature is sitting on a leaf and offering its wings to the sun! Beauty!
If you are interested in learning how to draw a butterfly on a flower, then you can use the same technique as with a leaf. We “plant” the ready-made moth on a chamomile, cornflower or other flower arrangement.
With your participation, I was able to draw a beautiful butterfly. This is a very simple drawing technique. It is easy to master even for those who have never used pencils, and even for children it will not be difficult. Parents who want to spend quality time with their kids can draw such a moth with them.
