I finished my butterfly painting!
Here is my latest painting of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly. I drew this from a still life of the butterfly my son found outside on the ground. I added the Lupine it is sitting on, because we have a ton of Lupine in our yard. I am so looking forward to Spring!
![IMG_1905[1]](https://whitefeatherfloating.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/img_190511.jpg)
It took me about 5 hours to complete.
And I want to say ALL my photo credits for my paintings go to my daughter, Grace.
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Posted on August 13, 2013, in Art Talk and tagged acrylics, watercolor. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
Patsy's Creative Corner 
Thank you for those suggestions, Christina! I do use a clear gel medium sometimes in my acrylics. I’m not sure of how much is too much to use, though. I also have a clear glaze I put over each layer I paint as I go that a lady at the art store told me to try. I think the butterfly is so black mostly, though, that all of that didn’t show through very much.
I will experiment more to practice the wings of the dragonfly. I haven’t even drawn it yet. I’ve been busy with other stuff this week. Thank you!
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Good job, keep at it, that’s the only way to learn! I like the colors!
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Thank you, Christina! I appreciate you checking out my art. I am planning on posting one more pansy picture. Originally, I was going to do two flowers and two butterflies, but I may just stick with the three, not sure yet.
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Patsy, I really love the butterfly you have finished. What medium did you use?
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Thanks, Christine! I appreciate that. I used acrylics. That’s what I used for the first pansy I did. I finished another pansy today, but I probably won’t get a post of it up until in the morning. Next I’m going to try a different butterfly. I painted over the canvas I messed up the other butterfly on with Gesso. It worked great!
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Well don Patsy! When you keep working like this, you improve so much 🙂
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Thanks! I am now trying to decide if I want to attempt another butterfly OR a reddish orange dragonfly that I found dead on the ground at church on Sunday, It has been sitting on my desk all week. I should try to draw it first to practice. I don’t know how to get the transparency of the wings to come through, though. Any suggestions??
And you are right about improving over time when we keep working. That’s my problem. I have so many interests. I feel like if I could just pick ONE and only concentrate on that I might become really good at it!!
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Patsy, Yes it is always best to have a deep knowledge of just one thing. It gets a little hard to spread yourself around if you have many interests.
With regard to the transparency of the dragonfly wings, I could advise you but need to know which medium you intend working in. It would be easy to get the transparency you are after with watercolor.
Cheers, Christine
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Watercolor is what I was thinking would be best also, but I was going to try with acrylics on canvas? I don’t know if I will, though. I think it would be really difficult unless it was watered down a lot and on paper instead.
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Patsy, If you want to try with acrylics on canvas the paint can be made more transparent by adding a clear gel medium to your paint. This thins down the paint and makes it transparent. You would put one coat down and let it dry then another coat of any color you like. It is fun and the effect is amazing. It would be great for the wings of the dragonfly. Just ask at your art shop for a glazing medium for acrylic paint. Good Luck!
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