Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly Watercolor Tutorial
It’s time for Part 2 of our butterfly series! The first watercolor tutorial featured a monarch butterfly, and I had so much fun with it (and you all seemed to enjoy it), so it just made sense to create a mini-series! This second watercolor butterfly painting tutorial (that’s a mouthful!), features a beautiful yellow swallowtail butterfly. I love the scallop edges—both implied and actual—of the wings and the intricate pattern.
In this tutorial, I’m also going to show you one of my favorite blending techniques for creating a soft gradient in watercolor. As an artist with a colored pencil background, I am obsessed with a smooth transition of color and really don’t like the harsh lines or more “blocked” style of blending or building color that many watercolor artists prefer. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it—in fact, I think it’s beautiful! But it’s not my personal style or aesthetic, so I developed this technique that gets the effect of a smooth blend.
So without further-a-do, here’s the full watercolor tutorial!
PRODUCTS USED:
BRUSHES:
“Standard” Brushes: https://amzn.to/2XsTGYt
Watercolor Brushes (I mostly used Round 6): https://amzn.to/2Jj604X
This kit offers a great variety: https://amzn.to/2XxDGzv
WATERCOLOR:
Hematite (warm black): https://amzn.to/2HzPFYr
Chinese White: https://amzn.to/2JwygzF
Deep Scarlet: https://amzn.to/2ZjlV85
Alizarin Crimson: https://amzn.to/2JwygzF
Cadmium Red (deep): https://amzn.to/2JwygzF
Lemon Yellow Hue: https://amzn.to/2ZkJ8KX
Sap Green: https://amzn.to/2JgXFi8
Ultramarine: https://amzn.to/2S3cjfx
Indigo: https://amzn.to/2JwygzF
MISC:
Watercolor Paper: https://amzn.to/308bAB0
Large Palette: https://amzn.to/2NMsJZD
Drawing Pencil: https://amzn.to/2S5TYic (HB)
*Some of the links above are affiliate, but they do not cost you any extra money to use them and are products that I really do use and love!