20 Butterfly Drawing Ideas
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If you’re looking for something cute to draw this spring you’re in luck! These simple butterfly drawing ideas will have you doodling beautiful insects all over your sketchbook, art projects, and papers.
The best part? All my butterfly drawings are super simple to recreate and most are beginner friendly too.
These butterfly drawings go beyond the basics; they’re meant to be inspiration for you to create your own artwork of butterflies doing all sorts of different things.
You don’t need a lot of supplies to draw these doodles but paper, a pencil and sharpener, good quality eraser, pen or marker, and ruler will make things easier. Feel free to add color with pencil crayons, markers, or even paint once you’re done!
Need the basics? Learn how to draw a butterfly here.
Panda Head
This is a fun way to incorporate a butterfly into another cute drawing. I did a panda because they’re super easy to draw (and adorable), but you can replace it with whatever animal you like best.
Baby Elephant Smelling a Butterfly
One of the classic butterfly drawing ideas that always looks so cute!
Heart Cutout
Leave a gap when you draw your heart, then add some small butterflies in the same shape to fill it up. This would be a pretty drawing idea for a card or thank you note.
Space Wings
After you draw a simple butterfly (I did a curly line drawing style in this example) add some little space themed drawings inside the wings. It looks best if you use a mix of stars, planets, and ships.
Don’t want to draw space? Swap it out for another theme!
Small Butterflies in an Envelope
This would be adorable on a card or thank you note. Try drawing your butterflies facing different directions so they look like they’re flying away.
Landing on a Dog’s Nose
The trick here is drawing the dog’s face and nose slightly upturned so it looks like it’s ready for the butterfly to land. Once you’ve created the dog, add a simple side profile butterfly with outstretched feet to complete the drawing.
Easy Butterfly Line Drawing
Copy this drawing idea if you want a really easy butterfly line drawing that still looks pretty.
Cartoon Style Butterfly
Everyone loves a cute cartoon butterfly! This is your classic “kids” butterfly drawing but with a few extra details (like the kawaii cheeks) to make it extra cute. It looks even better colored in!
Butterfly Wings With a Word in the Middle
In this drawing the butterfly’s body has been replaced with a word. I did “create” for mine but pretty much anything will work! Tip: turn your paper sideways and use a ruler to make a straight line to write on, then erase it after you ink the rest of your drawing.
Butterfly Whispering a Name
To make the butterfly look like it’s whispering start with a butterfly drawing then add the name above it with a curved line connecting the two. Don’t forget to add an ellipsis at the end of the name to make it look like it’s trailing off.
Sunflower and Breakaway Butterflies
I just love this drawing idea so I wanted to include it to inspire you too. The sunflower can be tricky to get right first and there’s a lot of details in this drawing but trust me, it’s worth the effort.
Simple Butterfly Sketch
Doodling butterflies on notebooks and agendas is always fun so I recommend having a super simple go-to drawing that you can quickly sketch. To make it more unique, add a motion line coming from the bottom of the butterfly that turns into a shape—in this case a heart.
Butterfly on a Mushroom
This one has cute cottagecore vibes! Try experimenting with different mushroom shapes and designs or turn it into a forest butterfly scene.
Butterfly on a Flower
Butterflies feed on nectar from flowers and what better flower to draw yours landing on than a daisy? You could easily swap the flower in this drawing out for your favorite bloom but I like how easy it is to add a butterfly to the daisy’s shape.
Butterflies in a Jar
This drawing reminds me of catching butterflies as a kid. To make it look like they’re flying around try drawing all three butterflies at different angles; it’s also a good way to practice perspective.
Pretty Floral Butterfly
I think this pretty floral butterfly would make a beautiful card or even a tattoo idea! To recreate it in your sketchbook start by drawing the butterfly’s body then work on the wings one at a time. Tip: sketch your designs lightly in pencil first then go over them in ink once you’re happy with your drawing.
Nighttime Cat and Butterflies
Butterflies aren’t really active at night but there’s no reason you can’t draw them that way! (Or maybe it’s a moth?) To make this simple drawing more detailed I added a cat watching the butterflies along with the moon and stars.
Simple Sunrise Behind a Butterfly
Another one that’s super easy to draw! After you create a simple butterfly sketch, connect the sun in an arc between the wings and add the rest of the details.
Side View Monarch Butterfly on a Letter
Butterflies are so pretty on their side and it’s an easy way to draw one without having to worry about creating symmetrical wings. The flat side of the letter becomes the butterfly’s body. Add it to a “B” (for butterfly) or try it with other letters!
Butterfly Music Drawing
I think the hardest part of this drawing is probably mastering the treble clef, not the butterfly! Practice that part first then add the butterfly body landing on it. When you do the wings make sure to double them up for a more realistic side-view drawing.
