Painted Butterfly Bookmark Craft

Here’s a cute springtime project to do with your homeschool class: a painted butterfly bookmark for your child’s favorite book! This unique and creative bookmark also makes a lovely gift for Mother’s Day or a favorite reader. It’s an ideal project for older children and tweens, as it requires the fine motor skills of sketching and painting.

Let’s get started with what you’ll need for the bookmark!

Supplies for Painted Butterfly Bookmark

White thick watercolor paper
Paint brush
Acrylic paint
Scissors
Craft glue

UCreate Watercolor Paper, White, Package, 140 lb., 9″ x 12″, 50 Sheets

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Fantastory Acrylic Paint Set (24 x 2 oz ) with 12 Brushes – Fade-Resistant, Waterproof Christmas Acrylic Paints for Glass, Canvas, Wood, Ceramics, Models – Ideal for Beginners, Art Students, Hobby Artists [Balanced Series]

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Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue – The Original – 4fl oz – Tip Kit Included – Dries Clear – Metal Tip – Wrinkle Resistant – Flexible and Crack Resistant – Strong Hold Adhesive – Made in USA

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Instructions for Painted Butterfly Bookmark

Step 1:

First, you need to sketch out the butterfly using a pencil. Take a piece of thick watercolor paper and draw an inflexed arch shape like shown in the picture.

Step 2:

For the outer top wing, draw a gentle curved line starting from the top of the butterfly’s body outwards. Like the natural shape of a butterfly’s wings, it should curve upwards, then slightly downwards. Draw the same shape on the other side, making it as symmetrical as possible.

Step 3:

Now bring the ends of the curved lines inwards from both sides. This completes the outline of the top wing.

Step 4:

To draw the bottom wings, draw a lightly elongated oval shape on both sides of the butterfly. The wings should slightly taper at the end and curve, then connect together in the middle.

Step 5:

Now it’s time to add the details. Draw serrated lines on the edge of the bottom wing.

Step 6:

Now we have to sketch the cells or the patterns of a butterfly. The shapes and sizes of the cells come in variations. Begin by drawing irregular ovals and elongated blobs on the wings while maintaining that symmetry on both wings.

Step 7:

The cells should be smaller as they approach the outer corner of the wing. Leave some space on the apex or the outer corner of the wing.

Step 8:

Now start drawing the cells on the bottom wing as well. Following the same rule as the top wing, but note that the shapes should be more triangular at first.

Step 9:

The cells of the bottom wing should be more curvy and rectangular on the edge as shown in the picture.

Step 10:

Once you’ve drawn all the cells, the sketch is complete.

Step 11:

Now, the sketch is ready to be painted. First, we will use watercolor for the cells. Using a pointed round brush, slightly wet the cells with water. Be careful not to add too much.

Step 12:

Using the same small pointed round brush, paint the wet parts with a warm yellow color. Here I used the shade New Gamboge.

Step 13:

While the paint is still wet, add a little bit of a dark orange or a brownish shade on the outer parts of the cell to add dimension. The shade used in the picture is Burnt Sienna.

Step 14:

After the paint has dried, take a detailing brush and draw thin outlines around the cells using the same dark shade. Then let it dry.

Step 15:

Once it dries, take black acrylic paint and start coloring the empty spaces on the wings. Be careful when doing this, as you don’t want to paint over the cells.