Then, to finish off we will be adding the body of the butterfly. This will be a solid, thin black shape between the wing sections, and there will be a small black circle at the left-hand side of it.
How to Draw a Butterfly for Kids
Butterflies exist in various shapes, sizes and colours. And, did you know they can see colours too? These delicate little creatures fluttering their many-hued wings can hold your kid’s attention for hours. Then, how about encouraging your little one to draw one? It can turn out to be a great indoor activity and also polish your child’s drawing skills. Here’s a step-by-step guide your kids can use for drawing a butterfly.
Video: How to Draw a Butterfly – An Easy Step-by-Step Guide for Kids
What You Will Need:
- An A4 size plain drawing paper
- Colours (crayons, sketch pens or watercolours)
- A pencil
- An eraser
Butterfly Drawing for Kids in 12 Easy Steps
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to draw a simple butterfly.
Step 1: Draw a circle.
First, draw a circle on the top half of your drawing paper. This will be your butterfly’s head/ face.
Step 2: Draw a stretched oval connecting the circle.
From the bottom of the circle, draw an oval shape that stretches downwards and tapers at the bottom. Ensure the oval shape touches the bottom of the circle. This forms the body of the butterfly.
Step 3: Draw two curved lines on the body.
Draw two curved lines, equidistant to each other on the body of the butterfly, as shown in the figure. This is the butterfly’s abdomen.
Step 4: Draw a smiley.
Now, on the face (the circle which was drawn in Step 1), draw a smiley with two small circles for the butterfly’s eyes and a curved line for its smile.
Step 5: Draw two lines at the end on the head.
On the head of the butterfly, draw the antennae with two curved lines spiralling out in opposite directions, as shown in the figure.
Step 6: Draw two circles on each side of the butterfly’s body.
Draw two circles overlapping the butterfly’s body at the centre. These circles are the butterfly’s fore wings. Use the curved lines of the abdomen for reference to get the shape as perfect as possible.
Step 7: Draw a curve at the bottom of each wing.
Draw a curve at the bottom of each wing and connect it to the bottom part of the butterfly’s body. These are the butterfly’s hind wings.
Step 8: Draw curves from the lines on the abdomen.
Now, connecting the two curved lines on the abdomen, draw a curve inside each fore wing, as shown in the figure.
Step 9: Draw two curved lines at the bottom of the body.
From the point where the butterfly’s body meets the hind wings, draw a curved line on each side, pointing away from each other. Draw a small circle at the end of each of these lines. These lines are the butterfly’s legs.
Step 10: Draw circles in the centre of each fore wing
In the centre of each fore wing, draw two concentric circles, touching each other as shown in the figure below.
Step 11: Draw tiny circles on the fore wings.
On the outermost part of the fore wings, draw three tiny circles on each side of the wings.
Step 12: Colour the butterfly.
Now, pull out all your colours and decorate the butterfly in as many shades as you want.With this easy-to-understand guide, your kid can learn how to draw a simple butterfly. When your little one masters this drawing, encourage him/her to draw more butterflies in various sizes, prettier shapes and colour them as vibrant or subtle as they want. Don’t forget to put the drawings on the refrigerator. You will give them wings to explore the art form by doing that!
Also Read:
How to Draw A Colorful Butterfly – Let’s Get Started!
For this first step of our guide on how to draw a colorful butterfly, we will begin with the main attraction: the wings of the butterfly.
More specifically, we will start with the outlines for the wings so that you can add details to them later on in the guide.
The wings are separated into four different sections, with the two top ones being much larger than the two back ones. They all connect at the body of the butterfly, but that will be added later.
Try your best to draw the wing shapes and positions as closely as you can to our reference picture, and then we can proceed to step 2!
Step 2 – Now, draw some pattern details for the first wing portion
With the outlines of the wings for this colorful butterfly drawing done, we can now start to add some pattern details to the wing sections.
For now, we will be focusing on the wing section on the upper left.
We will use some curved lines extending from the inner edge of the wing to start this pattern, and then these will extend into some rounded square shapes.
The squared shapes will vary in size, so you can use the reference image to guide you as you design these shapes.
Once you’re happy with how this pattern looks, we can move on to step 3!
Step 3 – Draw some pattern details for the next section of the wings
In this third step of our guide on how to draw a colorful butterfly, we will be adding the pattern details to the front right-hand section of the wings.
When drawing this next section of the pattern, try your best to have it be as close to a mirror image of the other side of the butterfly’s wing as you can.
As long as you replicate the pattern exactly as it appears in our example then you should have no problems getting it looking close to the pattern on the other side!
When you have drawn this next wing section, we can add some more in the fourth step.
What Art Teaches Children
Art is a great way for children to express themselves. It also helps them to develop fine motor skills, visual perception, and problem-solving skills. In addition, art can also teach children about colors, shapes, and patterns.
So, not only is this printable copy the picture and draw the butterfly activity fun, but it’s also educational!
We hope you enjoy this activity with your child. If you try it, be sure to share a picture of their artwork with us on social media! We’d love to see it!
This Copy the Picture and Draw the Butterfly activity would make a great addition to your homeschool, classroom, or spring unit study. It’s also perfect as an art supplement for learning more about butterflies in a butterfly unit study.
And of course, it’s a fun activity for any sprint or summer day when you just need a boredom buster for your child!
Free Printable Copy the Picture and Draw the Butterfly
How to Download
Just click on the button below and you’ll be taken to the download page.
More Copy the Picture Printables
- Free Printable Activity for Kids: Copy the Easter Bunny Picture
Thanks for reading! I hope you and your little ones enjoy the printable copy of the picture and draw the butterfly activity. If you do, be sure to share it with others by using the buttons below. I’d also love to hear about how it goes, so feel free to leave a comment letting me know. Have a wonderful day!
