How to Capture the Beauty of an Eastern Swallowtail Butterfly in Your Drawings

I am learning to draw insects in an online course with the amazing Mindy Lighthipe and the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG).

First you need to learn everything you can about your butterfly. Go to the library for reference books or search online for university websites for accurate information. If you have a garden or live near a park go for a walk and capture images on your mobile phone.

You will be surprised that there are so many different types of butterflies and moths. In the scientific kingdom of Insecta, butterflies and moths belong to the order of Lepidoptera, from the Greek meaning 'scaly wing'.

One thing you will discover is that the scales that cover the wings of Lepidoptera are actually modified hairs. These insects have pairs of front wings and hind wings. The wings on the left side are the mirror image of the wings on the right. This makes drawing them easier because you can draw one side on tracing paper and then turn the tracing paper over for the opposite side.

A page from my sketchbook

Beginning the wings on tracing. paper

Completed Eastern Tiger Swallowtail image - Graphite and Colored Pencil on Dura-Lar