How to Draw a Butterfly

Today we are looking at how to draw a butterfly. These colorful and patterned little fluttering insects are just magical. Whether you like to sketch with color pencil sets or use Procreate brushes, this easy drawing tutorial is for you. We will be using simple shapes to create this charming butterfly clipart.

Gather your drawing supplies together for this tutorial. Our FREE drawing tutorials can be used with any medium you have on hand, including digital software.

During this tutorial, we will be using Procreate along with these ink Procreate brushes to outline and add texture to the butterfly.

Step 1 - Sketch the Body of the Butterfly

Using a pencil or light color medium that's easy to remove, let's begin sketching the butterfly's body. The body consists of three parts; the head, thorax, and abdomen. Sketch a small circle for the head, a long oval shape below the head for the thorax, and a narrower oval shape at the end for the abdomen.

Then, at the top of the head, sketch in two lines for the antenna.

Step 2 - Sketch the Wings of the Butterfly

Next, we are going to sketch the wings. A butterfly has two sets of wings on either side of its body. You can use any shape and angle for the wings or follow our sketch below.

Draw the Top and Bottom Wing Lines

Start at the top, where the head and thorax meet. Now sketch an upward curved line on either side of the butterfly body. Then, sketch a slightly curved line from the middle point of the thorax. These lines will be the top wings of the butterfly.

Lastly, where the thorax and abdomen meet, draw another set of slightly curved lives going down. These will form the bottom section of the wings.

Sketch the Outer Edge of the Wings

We need to sketch the outer edge of the wings. You can use different wing shapes to close off the sections such as a curved, or scalloped line. We have provided examples below.

For our butterfly, we sketched wavy lines as seen in the image on the top left. The wavy lines connect the top, middle and bottom sections.

Step 3 - Outline Your Rough Butterfly Sketch

For this step, we want to outline the entire butterfly sketch with a permanent marker or pen. Include the lines in the body that divide the head, thorax, and abdomen. When you are done outlining your butterfly, you can remove the rough sketches.

Step 4 - Create the Butterfly Wing Pattern

We are going to create the pattern wing design for our butterfly. Switch back to your initial sketching medium and draw a pattern design on the one side of the wings. Then, mirror the pattern on the other side of the wing sections.

After sketching the details for the wing structure, remember to outline the pattern with a permanent pen or marker.

Step 5 - Add Color to your Butterfly

In the final step, we are going to add color and texture. First, we filled the body and wing sections with a dark gray, dark purple and light purple. Use any color combination of your choice.

We then used the brushes included in our Procreate brush set to add texture. Create contrast with the textures by using light on dark or the other way around.

To complete your butterfly drawing, sketch finishing touches to the wings and body. We added extra details to the wings and created a lined pattern using white. We also added highlight details to the body and head in the form of curved lines.

Now that you know how to draw a butterfly, you can apply these simple steps when sketching illustrations. Create different colored butterflies in various sizes for projects like paper crafting or sublimation. We hope this lovely tutorial has ignited your imagination to explore more creative ideas.