In this free art lesson, you'll learn how to draw a Monarch Butterfly (Side View) step-by-step. Each fall Monarch Butterflies migrate upwards of 3,000 miles from their summer breeding grounds in northeastern U.S. and Canada to overwintering grounds in southwestern Mexico!

 

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All of the tutorials on How2DrawAnimals.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw animals step by step. Each animal has a video drawing tutorial option, as well as step-by-step photos and written text to follow.

 

The Time-Lapse (Speed Drawing) video:

 

To draw a Monarch Butterfly step by step, follow along with the video tutorial below and pause the video after each step to draw at your own pace. You may find it easier to follow the step-by-step drawings below the video. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you'll know exactly what to draw next. You may want to open the video in a new tab and use both drawing methods. Take your time and draw at your own pace.

 

The Written step-by-step video tutorial:

 

For the first few steps, don't press down too hard with your pencil. Use light, smooth strokes to begin.

 

 

Step 1: Draw a big shape as a guide for the monarch butterfly's hind wing. First draw a short, sloping line. On the left side of the sloping line, draw a big, curved line that's similar to the letter C. On the right side, draw a bigger curved line for the other edge of the hind wing. Draw this line farther down than the left side. Draw another sloping line at the bottom to close off the shape and finish the guide for the butterfly's hind wing.

 

Step 2: On top of the hind wing, on the right side, draw a curved, vertical line as the guide for the monarch butterfly's forewing. Now draw a long, diagonal line from the left side of the hind wing, to the top of the vertical line. This completes the shape of the guide.

 

 

Step 3: To the left of the wings, draw a small circle as a guide for the monarch butterfly's head.

 

Step 4: Draw a couple of curved lines that connect the head to the wings to create the guide for the butterfly's body.

 

 

Step 5: Under the body, draw an angled line as a guide for the first leg. Pay attention to how the line bends. To the right, draw another line that curves slightly to the right as a guide for the monarch butterfly's other leg.

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That's it for the guides! From this point on, press harder with your pencil for a more defined drawing.

 

Step 6: Inside the head, draw a small oval for the eye. The butterfly's eye should be almost as big as the head.

 

 

Step 7: Draw a series of short strokes along the path of the small circle to create the monarch butterfly's fuzzy head.

 

Step 8: On top of the head, draw a long line that curves to the left for the monarch butterfly's first antenna. Make the tip of the antenna slightly thicker than the rest of it.

 

 

Step 9: Draw another curved line below for the butterfly's other antenna.

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Step 10: Draw a small circle under the head for the monarch's rolled-up proboscis.

 

Step 11: Use the big shape on the right side as a guide to draw the butterfly's hind wing. Follow the basic path of the guide but make the shape a bit wavier as you darken the lines. The shape doesn't really connect on the left side. This is where the monarch butterfly's wing is attached to the body.

 

 

Step 12: Add the detail inside the monarch butterfly's wing. First draw a long, horizontal line. Pay attention to the oval-like shape. It has a small point on the top. Draw a series of short lines to the right of this shape. Begin drawing short, curved lines near the top of the edge of the wing to close off the top shape of the pattern. Close off the remaining shapes using curved lines. Follow the curve of the hind wing as you close off the shapes.

 

Step 13: Draw a couple more of the small shapes on the bottom half of the butterfly's hind wing. The shapes are basically made up of curved lines. Below that, draw two shapes that are longer and thinner. Make these longer shapes parallel to the lower edge of the hind wing.

 

 

Step 14: Use the shape at the top as a guide to draw the monarch butterfly's forewing. Follow the path of the guide but make the shape wavier as you darken the line.

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Step 15: Add the detail of the forewing by drawing a few shapes at the top. Draw a couple of thin ovals along the edge of the monarch butterfly's wing. Then draw three more oval-like shapes toward the bottom. The shapes should be flat on the left side.

 

Step 16: Continue drawing the pattern on the lower half of the forewing. Below the oval-like shapes, draw two rectangular shapes. These should be partially covered by the butterfly's hindwing. On the left side, draw a sloping line to create a thin, long shape.

 

 

Step 17: Use the angled line under the body as a guide to draw the monarch butterfly's first leg. Draw the leg around the guide. Keep the shape of the leg thin.

 

Step 18: Use the other line under the body as a guide to draw the monarch's other leg the same way. Draw the shape of the leg around the guide. Keep the leg thin and make sure the tips of both legs are on the same level.

 

 

Step 19: Draw a series of short strokes along the guide in the middle to create the monarch butterfly's fuzzy thorax.

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Step 20: Use the first set of legs as templates to draw the legs on the other side the same way. The monarch butterfly, along with other species of butterflies, has a pair of tiny vestigial front legs, but they're not really visible.

 

 

Step 21: Carefully go over the final sketch lines with a pen, marker or any other type of permanent ink. Don't smudge ink on your drawing with your hand. Place a piece of paper between your hand and your drawing to avoid this. After inking, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser for a cleaner drawing.

 

Final Step: Color your monarch butterfly drawing! Use black to draw small circles on the outer edge of the wings. The circles on the right side should be somewhat arranged into two columns. The circles near the top edge of each wing should be slightly bigger. Add some circles to the butterfly's head and thorax too.

Now color the edges of the monarch butterfly's wings, the head and the thorax black , except for the small spots. Not coloring the inside of the small circles and veins can be tricky, so color carefully. Push down on your pencil to get a rich black color but don't over do it or you may tear your paper. Push down on your pencil to get a rich black color but don't overdo it or you may tear your paper. Add black to the veins as well and make the lines a bit thicker.

Start to lightly add some orange to the inside of the monarch butterfly's wings. Add different shades of orange and yellow right on top of each other, mixing them as you color. Add the colors lightly at first and slowly build up to the mixture that you like. Use orange, yellow- orange, yellow, red- orange and other similar shades together to get a good blend. Be careful not to smudge some of the black into wings. It will dull the color. The butterfly's forewing should be a little more orange, and the hindwing should be a bit more yellow. Coloring can be time- consuming, so be patient and take breaks.

Use gray with a bit of blue under the butterfly to create a shadow. It's always a good idea to use reference as you draw. Don't forget to pause the video to draw at your own pace.

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