How to Paint a Beautiful Background & White Butterfly | Easy Watercolor Tutorial, by Nasim art on YouTube. 8 min 3 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 3 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Tape your paper to a board on all four sides. Press the tape edges down firmly so paint cannot seep under and stain the border.
Sketch a light butterfly outline in the middle of the paper with a soft pencil. Keep the lines faint so they do not show through the paint.
Wet the paper around the butterfly with clean water using the size 12 brush. Leave the butterfly shape dry.
Load the big brush with may green and viridian and touch it to the wet paper. Let the color spread on its own and tilt the board to move it.
Drop in indigo and phthalo turquoise in a few spots for depth. Keep the wash light near the butterfly so it stays white.
Let the background dry completely. Check it is dry to the touch before you paint the butterfly.
Paint the butterfly body and wing edges with the size 6 and 0/4 brushes using brown and black. Use thin, light strokes.
Add soft gray-blue shadows along the wing folds with a barely wet brush. This gives the white wings shape without covering them.
Add metallic green and dark green accents to the background once it is dry. Use the liner brush 000 for fine stems or speckles.
Let everything dry fully, then peel the tape off slowly at a low angle to reveal a clean white border.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the butterfly area dry while you paint the background, or the white will turn green.
Test each green mix on scrap paper first, since viridian and Hooker's green are strong and need little paint.
Wait until the paper is bone dry before adding dark details, or the colors will bleed and turn muddy.
Questions
Do I have to use masking tape?
No, but tape keeps the butterfly and border clean and gives sharp edges. Use low-tack tape and peel it slowly so the paper does not tear.
Can I use normal paper instead of 300 gsm rough?
Thin paper will buckle and may pill when wet. Use at least 300 gsm watercolor paper, and stretch it with tape if it still warps.
How do I keep the butterfly white?
Leave that shape unpainted and work the wet wash around it. If paint drifts in, lift it quickly with a clean damp brush and blot with a paper towel.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
