Monarch Butterfly Drawing - HelloArtsy

Discover how to make a monarch butterfly drawing.

Sharpen a pencil and follow along with these basic 6 drawing steps. You will learn the basics for drawing a monarch butterfly.

This lesson only takes about 20 minutes and has a PDF near the bottom of the lesson you can easily print or download. The pdf packet even contains a coloring book page with just the line art. This accompanies perfectly with crayons, colored pencils, or markers. It is ideal for very young children in the need of extra guidance and are looking to color in a monarch butterfly.

Enjoy creating a colorful monarch butterfly drawing and remember to add some individual touches. Now let’s get started.

Materials

• Pencil
• Drawing Paper
• Crayons or Colored Pencils
• Black Marker (optional)
• Monarch Butterfly Drawing Printable PDF (see bottom of lesson)

In this tutorial, we will discover how to create a monarch butterfly drawing on paper. To look the best, we will consider the various sizes and shapes of each part of the monarch butterfly. The new lines in each step is drawn in blue so you can identify the current parts that you will be working on.

Time Needed: 20 minutes

1. Start With The Body

   

   Draw a long vertical oval in the middle of your paper.

2. Add The Head And Antennae

   

   Then, draw a small circle above the body. Add the antennae on the top left and right of the head.

3. Draw The Tail

   

   Add a smaller long oval below the body. Add parallel horizontal lines inside.

4. Outline The Butterfly Wings

   

   The Monarch Butterfly has wide wings. Add the bigger ones above and the smaller ones below.

5. Add Details In The Wings

   

   To finish your line drawing, add the details inside the wings, just like in the demonstration.

6. Complete Your Drawing

   

   Let us color the Monarch Butterfly with shades of orange and black for the body and wings. We should also add white and yellow spots surrounding the wings.

Monarch Butterfly Drawing PDF Download

Click the link below to view or download this drawing lesson. The PDF is a printable drawing lesson for Monarch Butterfly Drawing. The last page of the downloadable PDF includes a coloring book page with just the outlines and an extension exercise for prompting kids to get creative!

Preview Monarch Butterfly Drawing Drawing PDFDownload PDF

About Monarch Butterflies

Monarch butterflies are a type of butterfly that is best known for their annual migration. They fly thousands of miles each year to find a new home.

Monarchs can also be found all over North America, and they prefer to feed on milkweed plants

Monarchs are seasonally active, meaning that they will stop migrating once the temperatures start to cool down at the end of summer. They will spend the winter hibernating, often in groups, until spring when they will return to begin their migration again.

Eggs become butterflies after undergoing a complicated process called metamorphosis, which usually takes about a month.

This incredible life cycle involves four stages:

1. Egg
2. Larva
3. Pupa
4. Adult

The first stage of life is as an egg laid by a female on a leaf or flower bud of a host plant. As soon as it hatches from its egg, it becomes what is called a lar

The first stage of life is as an egg laid by a female on a leaf or flower bud of a host plant after she has been fertilized by a male during mating. As soon as it hatches from its egg, it becomes what is referred to as the larva…this is basically a caterpillar!

The larva would then start to develop into the pupa which is when they form a restful casing. This is the final stage before the butterfly emerges from the pupa and starts to live as an adult with wings.

When you see a butterfly flying around it has reached adulthood.

What are Monarch Butterflies?

The Monarch Butterfly is one of the most well documented and well researched butterflies in the world. This species of butterfly has an average wingspan of 9-11 cm and around the weight of a common household paper clip.

They are commonly found around the United States (except Alaska), Southern Canada, and Australia among others.

Monarch Caterpillars

Before they become butterflies, they are first little caterpillars. Monarch Caterpillars are very strong eaters.

They mostly feed on a toxic plant called milkweed, and grow in size by eating so much of this plant. They molt and shed around 5 times before they enter their pupal stage and turn into the beautiful, orange winged butterflies we know.

Facts about Monarch Butterflies

The butterfly’s wings are covered with scales that help it fly long distances. Their bodies on the other hand are covered with hair-like scales that keep them warm when colder weather draws near.

The Monarch butterfly gets its name from its orange wings because of a monarch named King William of England, who was also called the prince of orange!

A Monarch Butterfly’s Migration

The Monarch Butterfly migrates to the warmer climates of the south as winter draws closer. They travel almost as far as 3000 miles or 4828 kilometers to reach their overwintering grounds. They only travel during the day when it is warmest, and thousands of them cluster together in trees to share heat during cold autumn evenings.

What’s so Special about Monarch Butterflies?

Monarch Butterflies are poisonous to predators and as such these predators usually steer away from this species. Their bright orange wings serve as a warning to any animal who sees them as their next meal.

Unlike most butterflies who either survive the winter or spend the cold winter days as larvae and pupae. The Monarch butterfly is known to have a two-way migration, just like birds who try to flee from the cold and return to their homes when winter passes.