Butterfly Pencil Drawings

Butterfly pencil drawings are a way of recording your own observation of this magnificent little creature.

Observation is an important ingredient if we hope to be successful artists. Another aspect is to learn how to draw our own perceptions rather than mimic what others see.

But first, let's start with small steps and learn the basics about butterflies.

This is a simple illustration of a Common Sulphur Butterfly.

I think it's pretty even though it is labeled as common.

I did these butterfly pencil drawings in my second year of teaching myself to draw so I can confirm it is an easy topic.

You can use drawings to communicate your ideas and your interpretation of nature.

We (as artists) make it easy for people to understand the beauty of the butterfly, not by words, but by our illustration.

In my opinion, even a simple outline is an attractive drawing.

When you are teaching yourself to draw, it is important to choose topics that appeal to you as well as make sure it is simple enough for the skill level you possess at the time.

Selecting and depicting a difficult topic is a good challenge providing you have the right mindset. As beginner artists, we must protect our fragile egos by setting tasks that we know we can achieve without too much frustration.

Drawing butterflies is easy and enjoyable so let's get to it...

Features Of The Butterfly

Here's what to look for when you do your next butterfly sketch. I enlarged this outline so you can clearly see every feature that I describe below.

A butterfly ranges in size from one eighth of an inch to about twelve inches. Its tongue is like a long tube which is rolled up when not in use. The tongue (called a probosci) is used to suck up flower nectar and water for nourishment. You can see it in the outline above, just under his eye.

All butterflies have 4 wings - two at the front and 2 smaller wings at the back.

There are 3 main parts to the body: