My Latest Obsession: Butterflies and Moths!

Hey everyone, I’ve recently gotten somewhat obsessed with butterfly and moth art and wanted to share what that has looked like! I’m not really sure what spurred me to want to draw and paint butterflies…maybe it’s just the fact that I’ve seen a lot of Monarchs lately. I’ve also always LOVED the aesthetic of butterflies/moths in glass cases.

I’ve ordered greeting cards and prints of the drawing below! I’ll be selling them at art markets in the Bay Area this fall/winter and will likely sell them in my Etsy shop, too…stay tuned! :)

mediums: colored pencils, Tombow dual brush markers, & Posca pens.

There are so many creative possibilities with butterflies and moths! All the colors and patterns your/my heart desires. The images that follow show various stages of my process for painting butterflies with acrylic paint. I’m thinking I’m going to create a series of these paintings, so be sure to sign up for my newsletter (scroll down) and follow me on Instagram (@nisha_paints) for updates on when the paintings will be available!

Earlier in the process of painting the butterfly above.

I first paint an outline of the butterfly/moth, then I paint the background before filling in the wings.

I’m into dark backgrounds right now.

Welcome to my studio space :)

I can’t wait to get back to the studio to finish the pair of butterflies and start a third painting! I’m also thinking of playing around with watercolor and gouache butterflies, so watch out for some more updates on these winged beauties. :)