How to Paint an Abstract Butterfly

Materials List... The materials for this lesson can be found at a Gold or above Art Centre. Go to to find the one nearest to you. CMMD9090 Mont Marte Double Thick Canvas 91.4x91.4cm PMDA0001 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Titanium White PMDA0004 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Naples Yellow PMDA0009 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Azo Vermilion PMDA0014 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Rose Madder PMDA0017 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Violet PMDA0020 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Phthalo Blue PMDA0040 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Paynes Grey PMDA0045 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Pearl Yellow Mid PMDA0046 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Pearl Wine Red PMDA0047 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Pearl Purple PMDA0048 Mont Marte Dimension Acrylic Pearl Sapphire MPB0102 Mont Marte Abstract Expression Brush 75mm MCG0062 Mont Marte Palette Knife #11 MAXX0019 Mont Marte Plastic Brush Washer MAPL0002 Mont Marte Easy clean Wood Palette Also required: Water Copyright of Mont International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897

1 1. Drawing the Background The background is created by applying paint directly from the tube onto the canvas. I lay Pearl Sapphire onto the top part of the canvas followed by Pearl Purple, Pearl Wine Red and then Pearl Yellow at the bottom of the Canvas. Next roughly blend all of the colours together. Use an abstract expression brush to blend the colours. Let this coat dry. 2 2 Drawing up the butterfly The butterfly is very easy to draw up and you can either draw it in direct or you can mark up a grid to help with getting the dimensions correct. The general order to follow is to draw in the eyes and body and then draw in the wings and antenna. Refer to the image on page 6 for guidance. Use a water based brush pen to draw up your butterfly. Brush pens are ideal for marking up on acrylic coats as the mark created can be easily removed with a damp cloth. Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897 of Mont Marte International Ltd ACN 1015898 Copyright ofcopyright Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACNPty 101589897

1 3 3. Applying the first coat Start by laying Umber into the body and roughly fade it into the wings with an Abstract Expression Brush. Next using the palette knife lay Violet, Titanium White and Azo Vermilion into the wings and roughly blend them into each other. Lay some Paynes Grey out and define the edge of the wings and the body. Use a palette knife to apply this. Let this coat dry.

4 4. Applying the top coat Create a peach colour from Nalpes Yellow and Rose Madder and scumble it in around the bottom of the butterfly. Ensure that the coat is thin enough that the under painting can be seen to an extent. Work up the canvas and when you get to the blue undercoat blend a little Phthalo Blue into the P each and scumble this on very lightly. Apply Pearl Purple over the Violet and Orange over the Vermilion of the wings. Ensure that the underlying tone can be seen in parts in between these coats. Lastly flick the leftover paint onto the butterfly using a palette knife. Scumbling is a term that describes a very thin application of paint. This is achieved by lightly charging the brush, wiping the excess onto a rag and scrubbing the paint onto the surface of the canvas. This gives the artist a lot of control as they can slowly build up the tone. This project can be a little messy so take steps to ensure that any surfaces are covered to protect them from paint. Copyright of Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACN 101589897 of Mont Marte International Ltd ACN 101589 Copyright ofcopyright Mont Marte International Pty Ltd ACNPty 101589897