Keep adding layers of paint, taking some artistic liberty to change things if you like. When you’re happy with the wings, set them aside to dry and then clean your brushes.
Kids ECO Camp: Butterfly Symmetry Painting
Create a Template: Use your paper and pencil to create a traceable butterfly template. Fold your paper in half and along the fold, draw one side of the head, antennae, body, and wing of the butterfly. Use scissors to cut along your drawn line.
On Paper
Step 1: Fold in half and then open flat a piece of mixed media paper. Align the folded creases of the butterfly template and the mixed media paper and trace your butterfly. Remove template when done.
Step 2: Use a paintbrush to apply a thick layer of paint to one side of the butterfly trace.
Step 3: Fold the paper in half and rub gently to transfer paint to the other side of the page.
Step 4: Slowly unfold the paper to reveal a symmetrical butterfly! You can touch up blank spots with a brush and paint.
On Fabric
Step 1: Trace your butterfly template onto a piece of fabric.
Step 2: Use a paintbrush to apply a thick layer of fabric ink to one side of the butterfly trace.
Step 3: Fold the fabric in half and rub gently using a paper towel to transfer the ink to the other side of the fabric.
Step 4: Unfold the fabric to reveal a symmetrical butterfly! Touch up blank spots with a brush and ink.
On Canvas
Step 1: Use a paintbrush to apply a layer of gesso over a piece of unstretched canvas and allow to dry completely.
Step 2: Fold the dry canvas to create a crease. Align your butterfly template with the canvas crease and trace.
Step 3: Use a paintbrush to apply a thick layer of paint to one side of the butterfly trace.
Step 4: Fold the canvas in half and rub gently to transfer paint to the other side of the page.
Step 5: Unfold the canvas to reveal a symmetrical butterfly!
Learning and Discussion Questions:
1. What is symmetry? Visually explain symmetry to young students with this video.
2. How are butterfly wing patterns formed? Watch this quick video to learn how genes play an important role in determining the patterns!
Thank you to our sponsor, PNC Arts Alive!, for helping to make this video possible!
Current Month
People, Place, Process
Event Details
People, Place, Process: 50 Years of Glassmaking at WheatonArts Museum of American Glass An ongoing exhibition focusing on the evolution of WheatonArts as a vital arts organization! Presenting highlights of contemporary artworks
People, Place, Process: 50 Years of Glassmaking at WheatonArts
Museum of American Glass
An ongoing exhibition focusing on the evolution of WheatonArts as a vital arts organization! Presenting highlights of contemporary artworks made by our international community of artists and interpreting the people, place, and process that inspired them, the exhibit tells a story of creativity’s exploration specific to WheatonArts. Honoring 50 years of glassmakers at the Center, visitors will discover collaborations that artfully combine vision, artifacts that serve as muse, and the tools that connect skills across time.
Time
April 1 (Saturday) – December 31 (Sunday)
Amber Cowan | Alchemy of Adornment
Amber Cowan | Alchemy of Adornment April 1 to December 31, 2023 in the Museum of American Glass Step into the enchanting worlds of Philadelphia-based artist and educator Amber Cowan! Cowan uses centuries-old
supplies
- Heavy Body acrylics (Liquitex, Golden, or other quality brand)
- Golden Glazing Liquid(either Satin or Gloss is fine) or similar acrylic paint extender product
- modeling paste
- brushes suitable for acrylic paint
- palette knife
- inexpensive cake decorating bags and tips
- water container, rags, and mixing tray
- Creative Paperclay
- craft knife and rolling pin for use with clay
- Aleene’s Tacky Glue or other good quality craft glue
- Gorilla clear epoxy
The base that I used for this project was a large 4 ft canvas.
To create a soft blended background, use Golden Glazing Liquid along with acrylic paint in these colors: Burnt Umber, Brilliant Yellow Green, Sap Green Permanent, Cadmium Free Yellow Light, Prussian Blue and Titanium White.
Since acrylic paint dries fast, the Golden glazing liquid is the essential element in this line up. It is a slow-drying extender that increases the open-time of the paint, giving you time to blend. It can also be used to thin the colors to make a translucent or transparent glaze for a soft watercolor look. Add it to your paint palette, and mix with the acrylics before applying them to the canvas.
Begin by brushing on the colors using a wide 1 inch or 2 inch brush, depending on how large your canvas is. Go for loose blended strokes.
It’s going to look pretty messy and rough after the first layer.
When the first layer dries, use the same colors, glaze and brush to add a second layer right on top of the first, building and blending the colors as you go. After the second layer dries, the background will look a little softer and more blended.
Keep adding layers and blending until you are happy with the background.
stems
for the large stems
To give the stems a thicker, dimensional element, I cut long stem shapes from Creative Paperclay, glued them to the canvas while the clay was still damp, and then painted them when the clay was dry.
Here’s how to do it–
Open the Creative Paperclay package and remove a handful-sized amount of clay. Keep any unused clay sealed inside the package or place it inside a resealable bag so that it will not dry out from being exposed to the air.
Use your fingers to roll the handful of clay into a long rope on a non-stick surface (like wax paper, a vinyl mat, or parchment paper).
Then use a rolling pin or wood dowel to flatten the rope out. A thickness of about 1/8 to 1/4 inch is good.
Next, use an inexpensive craft knife or plastic knife to cut out long stem shapes.
If there are any rough areas, you can smooth them using your fingers dampened with water.
Position the canvas so that it is on a flat/horizontal surface. Using a good quality craft glue, like Aleene’s Tacky Glue, squeeze a line of glue onto the canvas where you’d like for the stems to go.
Then, gently lift each clay stem off the non-stick surface and position it on the canvas over the glue line. Press gently and then let the clay dry.
The clay stems should air dry in about 24 hours at normal room temperature. For faster drying, you can place the canvas outside on a sunny day or near a warm heater if the weather is cold.
When the clay is dry, brush over the stems with a little paint, and then you’re ready for the next step.
for the tiny stems
To make the tiny stems that branch out from each main stem, an inexpensive cake icing decorating bag and metal tip works like magic! It’s just like decorating cookies, only instead of icing, the bag will contain heavy body acrylics mixed with modeling paste.
Decorating bags can be recycled or used again. You can also try a strong ziploc type bag if you don’t have a cake decorating bag. Word of caution though–don’t use cheap storage bags for this. I found out the hard way, on another project, that cheap bags will quite often burst open when squeezed. And then you end up with an altogether different kind of art–more like the Jackson Pollock variety.
To get the green stem color for the tiny stems, I used Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic in these colors: Sap Green Permanent, Brilliant Yellow Green, and Cadmium Free Yellow Light along with Titanium White. After getting the right hue of green, I used a plastic palette knife to mix an equal amount of modeling paste with the green acrylic paint mixture on a plastic lid.
A plastic palette knife not only works well for mixing the modeling paste and paint together, but also does a great job of actually getting the paint/modeling paste mix into the decorating bag.
Adding the tiny stems is easy. Put the canvas on a horizontal surface. Squeeze the bag, and watch the stems appear. Connect the tiny stems to the large paper clay stems that you made in the last step.
blooms
To create the look of Queen Anne’s Lace wildflowers, use another plastic recyclable decorating bag.
Mix 1 part modeling paste to 1 part white acrylic paint. Then use the plastic palette knife to scoop the paint/paste mix into the decorating bag….
Just like decorating a cake. You can, of course, use a plastic palette knife to apply the paint and skip the bag altogether. But the decorating bag is way more fun! And it can be used in a precise way to get the paint exactly where you want it to go. After the paint is on the canvas, use the palette knife to knock down and shape some of the texture.
For some color variety, you can mix additional bags of paint & paste. I mixed a second bag with a pale green tint. Then I added more flower blooms in the new pale green color. I also added a few cream colored blooms. That added a subtle variation in hue, and kept the flowers from being too monotonous.
