I’ve just published a big update to my butterfly sketching class with lots of new tutorials and re-filmed versions of existing ones. The update is free for existing students!
After a quick introduction to butterfly anatomy (I find it helps tremendously to know what you’re drawing), I show my process for sketching butterflies easily in different positions – from the top, from the side and from various angles. These little creatures can move fast!
My basic method for sketching butterflies is to consider the overall shape (can be a triangle or a rectangle) and draw it in lightly. Then I measure the angles for the wings, and work out how much they overlap and draw them in. The body and details then can follow. A small paper model can be helpful to make sense of the weird angles.
I like to use a combination of watercolor and colored pencil for sketching butterflies, it’s a fast and reliable method – you get the best of both worlds. Smooth and intense color from your watercolor kit, and the ability to add precise detail and texture with the colored pencils. In the class also show how you can work with pencil or ink only to produce an interesting sketch.
One thing that I have benefitted from immensely are warm-up sketches. These are fast spontaneous sketches done in one minute or less. You have to focus on the essentials: shapes, angles, volumes. Basically you take a bunch of photos (or sit down in front of a popular butterfly flower like a thistle) and then start doing as many quick sketches as you can. If you’re sketching from life the butterflies will change their position automatically for you!
I’ve refilmed all of the tutorials that were previously in the class – some didn’t meet the best video and audio standards, and I asked students which kind of tutorials they’d like to see. So now you should experience the painting process flawlessly and there are more diverse sketching tutorials in the class (including caterpillars, and some popular butterflies like monarchs and swallowtails, a new tutorial covering iridescent colors).
All existing students will of course get the update for free. For everyone interested I still have my flexible pay-what-you-want-pricing in place for all of my classes, including this one.
I have filmed new lessons showing how to sketch moths and caterpillars that are available exclusively for those who purchase the course directly from my website (total length is now over 2.5 hours and I have ideas for future updates). I show a variety of techniques ranging from pencil and ink drawings to painting with watercolor and adding colored pencils.
All in all, this has been a serious overhaul of that very popular class, and I hope you’ll enjoy it a lot. Butterflies are fun to observe and sketch, and the techniques for mastering butterfly drawings are easy to learn.
I definitely enjoyed researching and filming the new material, especially since I saw and sketched so many new butterflies this summer.
Take a look at the class here:
The class is available on Gumroad (with pay-what-you-want pricing) or through Skillshare.
