How to draw a butterfly Step by Step

How to draw a butterfly in 2 ways will be described in this article. The butterfly belongs to the class of insects, the type of arthropods, and the division of scales (Latin: Lepidóptera). Two pairs of butterfly wings, covered with flat scales of different shapes, have a webbed structure and are penetrated by transverse and longitudinal veins. The size of the hind wings can be the same size as the front wings or much smaller than them.

The pattern of butterfly wings varies from species to species and fascinates with its beauty. In macro photography, the scales on the wings of butterflies are very visible – they can have completely different shapes and colors. The appearance and coloration of the wings of the butterfly serve not only for intraspecific sexual recognition but also act as a protective camouflage, allowing it to blend in with its surroundings.

Therefore, colors can be either monochromatic or variegated with complex patterns. The size of the butterfly, or better to say the wingspan of the butterfly, can range from 2 mm to 31 cm The numerous order of scale includes more than 158 thousand representatives. There are several systems of classification of butterflies, quite complex and confusing, with changes constantly occurring in them.

It is not an easy task to draw a butterfly, especially when it comes to making it look natural! The distribution range of butterflies on the planet is very wide. It does not include only the icy expanses of Antarctica. Butterflies live everywhere, from North America and Greenland to the coast of Australia and the island of Tasmania. The greatest number of species have been found in Peru and India. These fluttering insects make their flights not only in flowering valleys but also high in the mountains.

The diet of many butterflies consists of pollen and nectar from flowering plants. Many species of butterflies feed on tree sap, overripe, and rotting fruit. The dead head reveler is a real gourmet because it often flies into the hives to bees and enjoys the honey collected by them.

Some nymphalid butterflies need various micronutrients and additional moisture. These come from feces, urine, and sweat of large animals, wet clay, and human sweat. For example, butterflies from the Amazon rainforest drink the tears of turtles and crocodiles.

There are species of butterflies that have no mouth apparatus. To maintain vital activity, they spend the reserves of nutrients that were accumulated in the caterpillar stage. Such butterflies include the Madagascar Comet, which has a wingspan of 14-16 cm and a life span of 2-3 days.

Let’s immediately start drawing the butterfly!

How to draw a butterfly easy (option 1)

Step 1

Let’s start drawing this butterfly by drawing the letter X, not with straight lines but with slightly curved lines. Notice that the top of these lines goes farther apart than the bottom.

Step 2

At the intersection of these lines, draw the body of the butterfly. As you can see, it looks like the number 8. The upper circle of this figure is quite small and is exactly at the intersection of the lines, and the lower one is elongated. Above the “eight,” we draw two eyes-circles.

Step 3

Draw a curve across the breast of the butterfly, the ends of which look downward.

Step 4

Now, draw wings. At first glance, it seems difficult, but let’s first see what the lines we need to draw look like. They are highlighted in different colors, especially for this purpose. The edges of the front wings look like the letter “C” and its mirror image. The lines of the rear wings on the left resemble the letter “S” and its mirror image on the right.

Step 5

Decorate the butterfly’s wings with patterns: Draw lines from the breast to the lower points of the hind wings, and draw circles in the “hollows” of the hind wings. Then, draw symmetrical patterns on the right and left. A link of such a pattern resembles the letter U or a small arc. The lower we go down, drawing this pattern, the smaller the arc. Each pattern ends on the line we drew at the beginning of this step.

Step 6

Add other details as you wish. For example, add tendrils to the head. From the breast, you can draw lines to the upper ends of the arcs of the pattern we drew in the previous step. You can make another row of the same pattern outside of the first one and paint them with different colors. You can decorate some of the sectors with shading before taking colored pencils or felt-tip pens and coloring our butterfly.