Author: Kathy

 Behind The  Easel look at  Monarch and Butterfly Bush Painting

My newest painting is finished and matted. I've painted a number of small Monarch butterfly paintings recently. They are such fun to paint.  This time I wanted to paint the monarch on the butterfly bush, with all the wing detail on display,  the way they look in the summer  when they show up in my yard.  The butterfly bushes are not in bloom here and this is where the reference photos and sketch book come into play.

I've taken a zillions photos of the butterfly bush over time. I pulled a few that  showed a single stem up close  to use for this painting. 

I also pulled out my sketch book that I have detailed the butterfly bush during the summer  for a larger unfinished  painting.   I've seen some artist's "rough" sketches that  are gorgeous  and look ready to matt and sell for a premium price. Mine are not…… not at all.  However, they provide the mechanics of what the flower and stem look like for me. I rough sketch each, and then detail the colors and where the colors are on the flower and how the leaves grow off the stem. These are the finer details that I can't always see in a photo.

Here is the finished painting:

You can find this painting at my Etsy shop.  And that is a peek behind the easel.