How to Draw a Butterfly

Co-authored by Kyle Hall

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References

Butterflies are beautiful, fascinating insects. Drawing butterflies can be intimidating because of their colorful, complex wings and segmented bodies. Fortunately, drawing a butterfly doesn’t have to be that hard if you break it down into smaller, easier steps. Whether you’re looking to draw a cartoon butterfly or a realistic butterfly, the key is to focus on one part of the butterfly’s body at a time.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Drawing an Easy Cartoon Butterfly

1
Draw a small circle near the center of the page for your butterfly’s head. Don’t make it too big since you want to have room for the body and wings. About the size of a nickel or quarter will work.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Tip: Try tracing something small and round, like a coin, if you want your circle to be perfectly round.
2
Sketch 2 smaller circles overlapping the top of the head for the eyes. Make each circle about half the size of the head. Draw one eye on the top left half of the head and the other eye on the top right half.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Add a smaller circle inside each eye. Make these circles about ¼ the size of the eyes. Draw the circle in the left eyes at the top of the eyes٫ both circles should be facing the opposite way. ^{[3]
X
Research source}
4
Color in the eyes black, except for the small circles. When you’re finished, your butterfly will have two big bug eyes that look like they're reflecting light.^{[4]
X
Research source}
5
Draw 2 curved lines coming off the top of the head with a swirl at each end for the antennae. Make the line on the left side of the head curve out to the left, and make the line on the right side of the head curve out to the right. Draw each line about 1 ½ times as long as the head is tall.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- You can make the antennae symmetrical, or you can have one antenna curve down more than the other!
6
Sketch a tall, narrow oval coming down off the head for the body. Make the oval about half the width of the head, and center it underneath the head. Draw the oval so it’s about the same height as the head, or slightly taller.^{[6]
X
Research source}
7
Draw a big mitten shape off the right side of the body for the first wing. Start the mitten shape at the top of the body on the right side, and end on the bottom of the body on the right side. Make the mitten shape about 3 times the width of the head.^{[7]
X
Research source}
8
Sketch a backward mitten shape off the left side of the body for the second wing. Draw this wing just like you drew the first one, except mirrored. Try to make each wing about the same size.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Don’t worry if the wings aren’t completely identical.
9
Add 2 circles to each wing to give your butterfly’s wings a design. Draw a circle in the upper half of each wing and then the lower half of each wing. Make the circles about the same size as the head, with the circles in the lower halves of the wings slightly smaller.^{[9]
X
Research source}
10
Draw 3 short lines coming off each side of the body for the legs. On each side, draw a line coming off near the top, middle, and bottom of the body. Angle the top legs slightly up, and angle the bottom legs slightly down. Make each line about the same length as the width of the eyes.^{[10]
X
Research source}
11
Color in your butterfly. You can use any colors you want. Choose bright colors, like purple, pink, blue, and green if you want your cartoon butterfly to really pop. Color the body and head using the same color. Then, choose a different color for the wings. Use a third color to fill in the circles on the wings, or use the same color you chose for the body and head.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Once you’re done coloring your butterfly, you’re finished!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Sketching a Realistic Butterfly

1
Draw a tall, narrow oval near the middle of your page for the butterfly’s body. Make the oval small enough that you’ll have room for the wings on either side. If you’re using a standard 8 by 11 inch (20 by 28 cm) sheet of paper, about 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) tall should work.^{[12]
X
Research source}
2
Sketch a small circle on top of the body for the head. Make the circle the same width as the body and about ¼ the height.^{[13]
X
Research source}
3
Add an upside-down triangle on each side of the body for the upper half of the wings. Start and end each triangle at the top of the body, right where it meets the head. Angle each triangle upward slightly so the top edge of each wing is at an angle. Make each wing about 10 times the width of the body.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- Try to make the triangles as symmetrical as you can. Use a ruler if you need help making the lines straight and even.
4
Draw a “U” shape underneath each triangle for the lower half of the wings. Starting at the bottom corner of one of the triangles, draw a “U” shape that ends at the bottom center of the body. Then, do the same thing on the other side. Make sure each “U” shape is the same size.^{[15]
X
Research source}
5
Sketch an arch across the middle of the head and add small details. Start near the center of the left side of the head, and draw an arch over to the right side of the head. Then, draw an upside-down arch underneath the first arch you drew on both the left and right sides. Finally, draw a small crescent shape underneath the first arch and in between the 2 upside-down arches.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- The arches and crescent shape will give the butterfly’s head dimension and make it look more realistic.
6
Draw 2 semicircles above the arch for the butterfly’s eyes. Sketch one eye on the left side of the arch, and one eye on the right side. Make the semicircles big enough that the top of each semicircle touches the perimeter of the head.^{[17]
X
Research source}
7
Add 2 curved lines on top of the head for the antennae and connect them at the base. Have the antenna on the left side of the head curve slightly to the left, and have the antenna on the right side of the head curve slightly to the right. Make each antenna about as long as the height of the body, or slightly shorter. Then, draw a small “M” shape between the bottom of each antenna, inside of the circle you drew for the head, to connect them.^{[18]
X
Research source}
- Try to make the antennae symmetrical.
8
Sketch a “V” shape near the middle of the body to create distinct segments. Start about ¼ of the way down the body on the left side. Then, draw a “V” shape inside of the body, with the peak of the “V” falling slightly above the center of the body. End the “V” shape about ¼ of the way down the body on the right side.^{[19]
X
Research source}
- Above the “V” shape is the butterfly’s thorax. Below the “V” shape is its abdomen.
9
Round out the triangles and add more detail to refine the upper half of the wings. Using the upside-down triangles as a guide, either reshape the triangles so the sides are curved and the corners are rounded, or draw new wings over the top of the guidelines (you can always erase the triangles later). Either way, make the top and bottom edge of each upper portion of the wings curved. Then, draw a series of small arcs, about 5 or so, along the outermost edge of each wing. Draw the same number of arcs on each side.^{[20]
X
Research source}
10
Draw a series of arcs along the “U” shapes to refine the lower half of the wings. Draw the small arcs over the top of the “U” shapes you drew earlier, starting at the end of each “U” shape and making your way to the opposite end. Draw around 10 arcs on each “U” shape.^{[21]
X
Research source}
11
Add lines to the upper half of the wings for the veins. First, draw a curved line from the body to the outer edge of the wing on each wing, following along with the curvature of the top of the wing. Then, draw a short straight line coming down off of the middle of the curved line you just drew. Angle this line to the left on the left wing and the right on the right wing. Connect the end of each of these angled lines to the body, ending at the same point where you started the first curved line. Finally, draw straight lines running from the bottom of this shape to the outer edge of each wing.^{[22]
X
Research source}
- Draw the same number of veins on each wing so they look symmetrical.
12
Draw the veins on the lower half of the wings. First, draw a tall, narrow “U” shape near the top of each lower portion of the wings. Start the “U” shape at the side of the body, and end it about halfway across the top side of each lower wing. Then, draw straight lines extending from the “U” shape to the small arcs on the lower half of the wings. Angle the lines on the outer half of the “U” shape out away from the body, and angle the lines on the inner half in toward the body.^{[23]
X
Research source}
13
Erase any of the leftover guidelines to clean up your drawing. If you drew over the upside-down triangles and “U” shapes that you initially drew for the wings, erase those shapes now. Otherwise, you can skip this step.^{[24]
X
Research source}
- Once you're finished erasing any leftover guidelines, you're all done!

Community Q&A

Question

How can I make the second wing like the first?

Caroline Delgado

Community Answer

Try to draw a light line with a ruler. Be careful, though, the pencil will only erase what it can. Anyway, sketch a line lightly in the middle of the butterfly. Once you have done that, try your best to just look at the other side, and again, sketch lightly because you are not sure if you can do the other side right in just one try. So when you finish the other side of the butterfly, see if you got it right. If you didn't get it right, erase your errors, and keep sketching until you get the other side right. If you get it right, however, use the pencil or a fine black marker and outline the lines of the butterfly. And in my opinion, I think that strategy is the simplest one. Another way is to use tracing paper or other thin paper, put it over your butterfly and trace the first wing. Cut that out, line it up on the other side, and trace it.
Question

How can I draw a butterfly with pointed wings and stripes?

Community Answer

After you've drawn the wings (step four), extend the top right and left corners into points. Follow the same steps on the bottom corners. Once you've decided whether you want vertical or horizontal stripes, grab a ruler. Very lightly draw lines, vertical or horizontal, spaced evenly apart. Step back for a moment, if the lightly drawn lines look good, fill them in more heavily.
Question

How I can draw a butterfly without a body?

Community Answer

Just draw a thick line where the body would be and then extend the wings out from there.