Zen Vibes

How to Draw a Butterfly

  • 8 steps
  • Ages 5 and up
  • About 15 minutes
  • easy

This butterfly is a nice simple drawing for children who are learning to follow shapes step by step. You only need a pencil, an eraser, and something to add colour if you want. Start with the long body in the middle, then add the big top wings and the smaller bottom wings. After that, draw the face and the curly feelers. In the last step, darken the lines you want to keep and rub out the dotted guide shapes.

What you need: a pencil, an eraser, black pen or a darker pencil, crayons or coloured pencils.

Print this guide as a PDF, 327 KB
  1. A long upright oval is drawn in black in the center. Pale dotted guide shapes show four wings, a small head, and two feelers around it.

    Step 1

    Draw the body

    Draw a tall, narrow oval in the middle for the butterfly's body.

  2. The center body is already drawn in grey. A large rounded wing on the upper left is added in black, while the other wings and head guides are still dotted.

    Step 2

    Add the left top wing

    Draw the large top wing on the left. Start near the top of the body, curve out wide, then bring the line back to meet the body at the middle.

  3. Both top wing guides are visible, but only the upper right wing is being traced in black. The left top wing and body are grey from earlier steps.

    Step 3

    Add the right top wing

    Draw the matching large top wing on the right. Curve it out and back in so it meets the body at the middle.

  4. The lower left wing is added in black as a rounded teardrop shape. The two top wings and body are grey, and the lower right wing is still dotted.

    Step 4

    Draw the left bottom wing

    Draw the smaller bottom wing on the left. Start at the middle beside the body, curve down and around, then come back up near the lower body.

  5. The lower right wing is drawn in black. The rest of the butterfly shape is already there in grey, with dotted feeler guides above the head.

    Step 5

    Draw the right bottom wing

    Draw the matching bottom wing on the right. Curve it down and around, then bring it back to the body.

  6. A simple face is added in black on the round head area, with two dark eyes and a curved smile. The wing shapes and body are shown in grey.

    Step 6

    Add the face

    Draw two filled circles for the eyes and a small smiling curve underneath.

  7. Two curved antennae are drawn in black, each ending in a small circle. The butterfly body, wings, and face are already shown in grey.

    Step 7

    Draw the feelers

    Draw two long curved feelers going up from the head. Add a small circle at the end of each one.

  8. The finished butterfly has dark clean outlines on all four wings, the body, the smiling face, and the two antennae. The dotted guide lines are gone.

    Finished

    Finish and clean up

    Go over the butterfly outline, face, and feelers with darker lines. Rub out the pale dotted guides when you are done.

Tips for this one

  • Keep the top wings bigger than the bottom wings.
  • If one wing looks different, gently adjust the curve until both sides feel balanced.
  • Draw the guide shapes lightly so they are easy to rub out.

Now try this

  • Add spots or stripes on the wings.
  • Draw the butterfly on a flower.
  • Colour each wing a different bright colour.

Questions

My wings do not match. What should I do?
That is very normal. Look at the height and width of each wing, then change one curve a little at a time until the sides look closer.
Do I need to draw the guide shapes first?
Guide shapes can really help with spacing. If you feel confident, you can skip them and draw the final lines more freely.
Can I decorate the wings?
Yes. Once the outline is finished, you can add circles, lines, hearts, or simple shapes inside the wings.

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