In this mindful butterfly exercise, we’ll paint some simple butterflies.
Can you press a brush down on your paper? Then, you’re able to do this exercise. It’s as simple as that.
By pressing our paintbrush down in different directions we can create butterfly wings in a very simple way. After we have created our wings we can have some fun decorating them.
A really playful and relaxing exercise. Just enjoy the process!
Have fun with this mindful butterfly exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried this one, I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Watercolor paper 300gr (Fabriano), watercolor (Kuretake Gansai Tambi), gold watercolor paint (Coliro), round paintbrush (Da Vinci and ZenArt), washi tape, and a paper towel.
Alternative supply suggestions:
You can use your kids’ watercolor paints or use other kinds of paint.
Did you know that you can also make the wings using brush pens? Just press your brush pen down on your paper with the tip towards the place where your butterfly’s body will be and you have created a wing.
You can use pens, crayons, colored pencils, or markers to add your details.
If you only have regular paper, please be aware that your paper cannot hold that much water and will probably warp. Try taping it down to prevent it from warping too much.
Instructions:
Step 1
Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to clear your head and get more relaxed. Put washi tape around the edges of your paper. This will create a nice border around your painting. It’s time to choose your colors. I opted for green, yellow, and pink, but you can choose whatever colors you like. Pick colors that make you feel good or calm you. Wet your brush and dip it in your paint. Make sure your brush is filled with paint. Point the tip of your brush towards the place where the body of your butterfly will be. Slowly press your brush down on your paper and lift it. Now you’ve created your first butterfly wing.
Step 2
Next, we’ll point the tip of our brush to the tip of the wing we’ve created in the first step. Make sure your brush is facing slightly downwards and press down again and lift it slowly. You now have completed one side of your wings. Do the same on the opposite side of the body of your butterfly. Leave some space in between for the body. Fill your page with butterfly wings in different colors.
Step 3
Wait until your paint is dry. Now, it’s time to add the body and antenna to your butterfly. Grab a darker color and, if available, a smaller brush, and add a line between your wings. Add two small lines at the top for the antenna.
Step 4
Let’s decorate our butterfly. I added some dots and lines to my wings. I also added some gold stripes to the body of my butterflies. How will you decorate yours? Do what feels good.
Step 5
If you like, you can add some extra details to the rest of your paper. I added a few colored dots.
Slowly remove your washi tape when you’re done. Make sure to keep the tape parallel to your paper when you remove it, this will prevent your paper from tearing.
Now you’re done with this mindful butterfly exercise! Hope you had fun.
If you liked this exercise, you might like my mindful dotted cherry blossom exercise as well.