How to Draw a Butterfly (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)
To draw a butterfly, start with a round head on top of a long oval body. Add two curved antennae, then two big upper wings and two smaller lower wings. Finish with round spots and a happy face.
- Steps
- 6 easy steps
- You need
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Black marker
- Pink, orange, yellow and purple crayons
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Teaching this to a class?
Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.
How to draw a butterfly step by step
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Step 1 of 6: Draw a round head on top of a long, thin oval body.
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Step 2 of 6: Add two curved antennae on top of the head, each with a small circle at the end.
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Step 3 of 6: Draw two big rounded upper wings, one on each side.
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Step 4 of 6: Add two smaller rounded wings under the big ones.
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Step 5 of 6: Draw three spots on each top wing, two on each bottom wing and a happy face.
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Step 6 of 6: Color the top wings pink, bottom wings orange, spots yellow and body purple. Add pink cheeks.
Tips for little artists
Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.
Tip: Make both sides match. Draw one wing, then copy the same shape on the other side.
Tip: Draw the biggest spot near the top of each upper wing. Then add the smaller spots below it.
Make it yours
Monarch butterfly
Color the wings orange with black edges and add small white dots along the black.
Butterfly on a flower
Draw a flower under the butterfly so it looks like it just landed.
Rainbow butterfly
Color each spot a different color from the rainbow.
Common mistakes and easy fixes
The wings are different sizes
Draw the left wing first, then make the right wing reach out just as far.
The lower wings are bigger
Keep the lower wings smaller than the upper wings. They tuck under the big ones.
The antennae come out of the body
Start the antennae on top of the head and curve them out, away from each other.
Fun facts about the butterfly
Butterflies taste with cells on their feet and on their long, straw-like mouthpart. (Source: American Museum of Natural History)
The colors on butterfly wings come from tiny scales. Together they add up like pixels in a picture. (Source: American Museum of Natural History)
Butterfly antennae are slender and end in little knobs. Moth antennae do not have these knobs. (Source: Britannica Kids)
Questions grown-ups ask
How do you draw a butterfly easily?
Draw a round head and a long oval body. Add two antennae, two big wings and two small wings. The 6 steps above follow that order.
How do you draw a butterfly for kids?
Use simple shapes: a circle for the head, an oval for the body and four rounded wings. Spots and a smile make it cute.
How do you draw a butterfly step by step?
Start with the head and body, then the antennae, the upper wings, the lower wings, and the spots and face. Color it last.
If the two sides came out a little different, that's fine. Your butterfly is ready to fly. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.