Painting a butterfly and Black-eyed Susan Flowers

Today let's paint the Black-eyed Susans that are incredibly still blooming in a garden down the road from me even at this late date.

Though I have not seen butterflies recently as it's early October, I'm going to add a pretty one that I saw in my yard a few weeks ago.

Normally I begin a painting with the background, but this time, I just want to dive in and do those pretty flowers.
Using a wet-into-wet technique and red, yellow and blue, all the colors I need can be mixed right on the paper. Click the image to see it closer.

Next, I add the leaves. Some are in shadow and some in the sunlight.

Those that are facing the sky in the sunlight get a wash of pale blueish green since they reflect the blue sky. The leaf colors are mixed from yellow and blue. I used Winsor Blue, French Ultramarine and Cadmium Yellow.

I like the effect of dappled sunlight on flowers so I  brushed in some shadows on the petals.

Yellow has to be the most difficult of all the colors to paint in shadow. It has a very short value range so it's not possible to get it very dark.
Sometimes the yellow is more greenish in shadow and sometimes more orange. The trick is to look very carefully to see which it is.

These flowers have both green-yellow and orange-yellow in the shadows, so I add blue and red to my yellow depending on how it appears to me.

 For the butterfly, I painted it almost entirely  blue first, then when dry, added the darks and details. Now the painting is complete. I hope you enjoyed this short demo.
Butterfly and Black-eyed Susans is sold, but you can contact me to have one made just for you.


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Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Pink Buddleia Flowers - watercolor painting

All the Buddleia are blooming in my garden. They really live up to their common name of Butterfly Bush. All day, there are various types of butterflies attracted to their sweet-smelling blooms, especially the lovely Tiger Swallowtail. Can't blame them. A heavenly scent wafts from the flowers each time I walk past.

The contrast of the yellow swallowtail against the magenta pink bloom was delightful, so I decided to paint the scene. I used wet-into-wet watercolor washes in the background to keep all that soft and out of focus so the foreground would pop out.  You can maybe see the wet paint dripping from the paper in the demo picture. Click the images to see them enlarged.

The original painting is sold. If you would like to order a print, please contact me. Thanks for stopping by. Have a beautiful day!

Pink Peony and Butterfly Watercolor Painting

 

A pink peony is visited by a small black and white butterfly. Peonies don't need extra decoration being quite lovely in their own right, but this pretty insect adds a special touch, alighting for just a moment before it flutters away.

The original watercolor is 5"x7" and is on sale now in my Etsy shop: Pink Peony Flower watercolor painting. Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoy the painting!

White Peony and Butterfly Watercolor Painting

A Red Admiral butterfly alights on a white peony in this new painting. Peonies, though they have complex petals are one of my favorite flowers to paint, especially when they are sunlit as in this piece.

The original watercolor is sold, but you can find more of my flower paintings my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks for stopping by!

Monarch Butterfly and Hydrangeas

Sunlight coming from behind lights up this beautiful Monarch Butterfly and the white petals of the hydrangeas.

These hydrangeas in my garden attract many types of bees and wasps along with butterflies. There are a couple of honey bees in the painting too!

• The original has been sold, but you can find the fine art print of Monarch Butterfly and Hydrangeas in my Etsy shop. Thanks for stopping by today.

Purple Cone Flowers and Fritillary Butterfly

Whenever the cone flowers blooms, there are butterflies on them, tiny one, larger ones and sometimes even large swallowtails.  They must find something particularly attractive about these flowers.

Here in soft pastel colors, I've painted them along with a Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly that is common in my garden and a frequent visitor to cone flowers when they are in bloom.

• You can find my original flower paintings and prints for sale in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks for stopping by and have a delightful day!

Hydrangeas and Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly - watercolor

The tall hydrangeas in my garden are blooming very early this summer. I do not know the name of this variety, but I cut them down to stumps every fall or spring and they grow up to seven feet tall and bloom in a few short months.

Many types of bees, wasps and butterflies are attracted to their large blossoms. One of their visitors every year is a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly. It makes a nice contrast to the white flowers.
I've painted it here among blossoms that are just beginning to turn pink at the edges. That is when this hydrangea is at its loveliest!

• This painting has been sold, but you can contact me for a print if it's one that you'd like.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Butterfly on a Purple Buddleia Flower

If you like butterflies flitting about your yard, you should have a few Butterfly Bushes or Buddleia.

These lovely shrubs bloom from mid-summer through August and attract many varieties of butterflies as well as hummingbirds. The flowers come in various shades of purple, pink or white and they grow to about 7 feet high. Here I've painted a butterfly visiting a deep purple buddleia in my garden. I like the cast shadows on the leaves giving the impression of soft, early morning sunlight.

• You can find my small watercolor paintings for sale in  my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks for stopping by today!

Pansies and Blue Butterfly watercolor painting

Pansies again! I just love these bright little flowers with their happy faces nodding in the spring breezes. The new palette is perfect for them. A soft blue butterfly flits about among the blossoms.

• This 5"x7" watercolor painting is done using a palette of three colors: rose red, yellow and deep blue. The original is sold, but you can find more of my small watercolor flower paintings at JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

Rhododendron and Butterfly Flower Painting Demonstration

Today I was working in my garden which is humming with bees and butterflies flitting about. A tiger swallowtail was especially interested in my rhododendron which is in bloom. This would make a nice painting especially because it was in dappled sunlight. So, let's paint it!

I have been working on highly detailed pet portraits and botanicals a lot lately and want to loosen up and just have some fun. So I decided to do this one with wet washes, not worrying much about detail.

The entire first layer of paint is done wet-into-wet, meaning I wet the paper first in sections and then drop the color into it letting the paint flow as it will. I am using a palette of three colors: bright yellow, deep blue and rose red.

Monarch Butterfly and Marigold Flowers - Oil Painting

A monarch butterfly alights upon bright marigolds. Morning glories bloom in the background. Their blue hue makes a nice contrast to the foreground colors.

Coneflowers, Echinacea - Acrylic Painting

This painting of cone flowers has a dancing movement to it because of the background brushwork and the sprightliness of the flowers. Amidst the activity, a Fritillary butterfly has calmly alighted on the foremost cone flower. This makes for a reversal of how we normally see things. Usually, the butterfly is the active one!

Monarch & Purple Asters

These are wild asters, the kind that bloom along the roadsides in fall. The monarch butterfly is stopping on its long journey south to take a few sips of nectar for much needed energy. I like the contrast of colors in this painting - purples, yellows, oranges and greens. You can imagine the butterfly slowly opening and closing its wings as it moves from one flower to another.

Pink Chrysanthemums & Sulphur Butterfly

Yesterday in the late morning sun while I was on my way back from the mailbox, I saw a tiny lemon yellow butterfly fluttering about the chrysanthemums. Looking it up, I found it's called an Orange Sulfur. Some have more orange coloring in the wings than others, hence the name. The pink mums are pretty on their own, but this sweet little butterfly added the perfect touch! So here is the scene for you.

• This painting has been sold.

Monarch on Butterfly Bush

Don't you love the airy lightness of this painting? Here a beautiful monarch butterfly visits one of its favorite flowers - a butterfly bush, or Buddleia. These deciduous shrubs are wonderful for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. In fact, while mine were blooming, I saw a hummingbird "bump" a monarch butterfly off one of the blooms and claim it for itself! But normally, the butterflies are left undisturbed to enjoy the flowers. The butterfly bush blooms during the monarch's late summer migration and provides a welcome feeding and resting place for these lovely butterflies on their long journey south.

Spicebush Swallowtail & Hydrangea

This black butterfly with the bright red, white and blue spots is so lovely, I had to paint it again - on my hydrangeas. It seemed to love these flowers when they were in full bloom. Now, with autumn here, the hydrangea flowers have turned dark pink, and the swallowtails are. But I will look forward to seeing them again next year!

Swallowtail Butterfly & Purple Coneflower

It's hard to believe the purple coneflower is still blooming. The trees are turning yellow and red and the leaves falling to the ground. I have some raking to do. But there are still some butterflies around and they love this flower. The tiger swallowtail is one of my favorites - large and striking with its black on yellow stripes and pretty blue spots on the lower tail. I love how it swoops and glides and sits on the cone flower slowly opening and closing its wings.
This painting seems almost to be dancing as the butterfly lands light as fairy breath on one of the flowers.

• This painting has been sold.

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly

Yesterday, this beautiful dark Swallowtail butterfly flitted and sailed around my hydrangea bushes landing here and there with slow wingbeats to sip nectar from the many flowers. I thought it would make a stunning painting because of the contrast between the while blossoms and the black butterfly.
Spicebush swallowtail caterpillars feed on spicebush plants, sassafras, and bays. The adult butterfly's markings are a protection. They are similar to the markings of the foul-tasting pipevine swallowtail, making predators hesitant to attack them.

• This painting has been sold.

Coneflower & Fritillary Butterfly

A pretty garden-in-July painting. Here is my purple coneflower in front of Annabelle Hydrangeas. I always hestitate to call it "Purple" Coneflower because it's pink. Still, that's the common name, the botanical name being Echinacea. Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies are ever present while the coneflower is blooming so I've painted one atop one of the flower heads.

Monarch on a Butterfly Bush

I painted this monarch butterfly on a Butterfly Bush or Buddleia. If you like butterflies but don't have one of these shrubs in your garden, it's a good idea to get one. At least one! I have three. The one that is in full sun grows the largest. I cut it back to the ground in fall or spring and it will grow to seven feet tall by August. That's when the blossoms come out and the butterflies swarm to it!