Butterflies are beautiful and fascinating insects. Drawing them might seem difficult, due to their complex colored wings and articulated bodies, but fortunately it is not that complicated if you divide the operation into small and simple steps. Whether you're trying to draw a cartoon or realistic style butterfly, the secret is to focus on one part of its body at a time.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Draw a Simple Stylized Butterfly
Step 1. Draw a small circle near the center of the paper for the butterfly head
Don't make it too big as there will need to be enough room for the body and wings. A circle the size of a 2 or 5 cent coin will do.
Advise:
try tracing a small round object, such as a coin, if you want the circle to be perfect.
Step 2. Draw two smaller circles that overlap the top of the head to make the eyes
They must be about half the size of the first circle. Draw one eye on the upper left half of the head and the other on the upper right half.
Step 3. Add a smaller circle inside each eye to show the light reflecting off them
They must have a size equal to ¼ of that of the eyes. Draw the circle in the left eye near the upper left side and the one in the right eye near the upper right side.
Step 4. Color the eyes black, except for the small circles
When you are done, the butterfly will have two large insect eyes that appear to reflect light.
Step 5. To make the antennas, draw 2 curved lines that come out from the top of the head and end with a small spiral at each end
Make the antenna on the left side of the head curl to the left and the one on the right to the right. Each antenna should be approximately 1.5 times the length of the head.
You can make the antennas symmetrical or you can make one curve lower than the other
Step 6. For the body, draw a tall, narrow "U" shape that descends from the head
Make this "U" shape about half the width of your head and center it underneath it. Design it to be as long as the head or a little longer.
Step 7. Draw a large "B" shape on the right side of the body to make the first wing
Start the "B" shape starting from the upper body on the right side and ending in the lower body (always on the right side). Draw this shape about 3 times the width of the head.
Step 8. Draw an inverted "B" shape on the left side of the body to make the second wing
Draw this wing just like you did for the first one, obviously in reverse. Try to trace the two wings of the same size.
Don't worry too much if the wings aren't perfectly identical
Step 9. Draw 2 circles in each wing to add a pattern
Draw a circle in the upper half of each wing and then one in the lower one. Make the upper circles the same size as the head, and the lower ones slightly smaller.
Step 10. To make the legs, draw 3 short lines coming out from each side of the body
On each side of the butterfly's body draw a line that comes out near the top, one from the middle and one from the bottom. Slightly tilt the upper legs up and the lower ones down. The length of these lines should be equal to the width of the eyes.
Step 11. Color the butterfly
You can use any colors you want. Choose bold tones, such as purple, pink, blue and green, if you want this cartoon-style butterfly to really stand out. You can use the same color for the body and head, then choose a different color for the wings. Use a third color for the circles on the wings or pick up the same color you chose for the body and head.
Once you are done coloring the butterfly, you are done
Method 2 of 2: Draw a Realistic Butterfly
Step 1. Draw a long narrow oval near the center of the paper to make the body of the butterfly
Make the oval small enough to have room for the wings on either side. If you are using a regular sheet of A4 paper, this oval could be 3-5 cm long.
Step 2. For the head, draw a small circle above the body
This circle must have the same width as the body and approximately ¼ of the height.
Step 3. Add a triangle with the vertex down on each side of the body to trace the upper half of the wings
Each triangle begins and ends in the upper body, right where it meets the head. Tilt each triangle up slightly so that the top of each wing is just angled. Each wing should be about 10 times the body wide.
Try to make the triangles as symmetrical as possible. Use a ruler if you think you need help making the lines straight and even
Step 4. Draw a "U" shape under each triangle to make the bottom half of the wings
Starting at the lower vertex of one of the triangles, draw a "U" shape that ends in the center of the lower body, then do the same on the other side. Make sure the two "U" shapes are the same size.
Step 5. Draw an arc in the center of the head and add small details
Start near the center of the left side of the head and draw an arc all the way to the right side. Next, draw two inverted arcs below the first one: one on the right and one on the left. Finally, draw a small crescent shape under the first arch and between the 2 flipped arches.
The arches and crescent shape will provide the size of the butterfly's head and make it look more realistic
Step 6. Draw 2 semicircles above the arch, to create the butterfly eyes
Draw an eye on the left side of the arc and one on the right side. Make these semicircles large enough to go all the way to the perimeter of the head.
Step 7. Add 2 curved lines on the top of the head to create the antennas and connect them to the base
The antenna on the left side of the head should curve slightly to the left, the one on the right side slightly to the right. Make each antenna as long as your body height (or slightly less). Finally, draw a small "M" shape between the base of the two antennas, inside the circle you have drawn for the head, to connect them together.
Try to make the antennas symmetrical to each other
Step 8. Draw a "V" shape near the center of the body to create two distinct sections
It starts at about ¼ of the height of the body, on the left side: from this point, draw a "V" shape inside the body, with the vertex of the "V" falling slightly above the center of the body itself; the "V" ends at about ¼ of the height of the body on the right side.
Above the "V" shape is the butterfly's thorax, below is its abdomen
Step 9. Round the triangles and add some detail to finish off the top half of the wings
Using the flipped triangles as a guide, trace them so that the sides are curved and the corners rounded, or draw new wings over the guidelines (you can always erase the triangles later). Either way, curve the top and bottom edges of these parts of the wings. Finally draw about 5-6 small arcs along the outer edge of each wing (make sure there are the same number of arcs on each side).
Step 10. Draw a series of arcs along the "U" shapes to finish off the lower half of the wings
Draw these little arcs along the "U" shapes you drew earlier, starting at the end of each and working your way to the opposite end. Draw about 10 arcs on each shape.
Step 11. Add some lines in the upper half of the wings for the grain
First, draw a curved line from the body to the outer edge of the wing, parallel to the curvature of the top of the wing. Then draw a short segment that comes down from the center of the curved line you just drew; angle this line left on the left wing and right on the right wing. Connect the end of each of these angled lines to the body, ending in the same place where you started the first curved line. Finally, draw more lines that join this shape to the outer edge of each wing.
Draw the same number of veins on each wing so that they appear symmetrical
Step 12. Draw more veins in the lower half of the wings
First, draw a tall, narrow "U" shape near the top of each lower portion of the wings. Start this shape on the side of the body and finish it about halfway up the top side of each bottom. Next, draw lines extending from the "U" shape to the small arcs you drew on the lower half of the wings. Tilt the lines on the outer half of the "U" shape away from the body, the one on the inner half towards the body.
Step 13. Erase the remaining guidelines and clean up the drawing
If you drew over the inverted triangles and "U" shapes you initially drew for the wings, you can now erase them. Otherwise, you can skip this step.
