It’s definitely summer here in Georgia, but spring is a recent memory and I’m still obsessed with the season’s designs! Here’s a delicate butterfly design, great for any time of year.

What I used:

• a super fine round brush
• a medium round brush
• a small-pore sponge
• Diamond FX purple and sea green
• Paradise white
• Wolfe white (here are some great alternatives)
• Diamond FX black
• Wolfe metallic silver

Start out with a clean slate. With your super fine brush and Paradise white, paint the outline of your butterfly. Don’t worry about details just yet; just make sure you’re happy with the general shape before you move on.

Sponge in your two colors, blending them into one another. It’s alright if you go over your white outline–you can clean up the edges with a baby wipe or dampened cotton swab. Leave the outer margins of your outline blank.

With your medium brush, begin outlining your butterfly. Create an irregular pattern in the blank margins, and begin painting the main veins. Then, use your fine brush to create smaller, tapered veins connecting to the larger ones, two antennae, and some fuzz on your butterfly’s belly, if you like.

Use the hard edge of a sponge to add some silver around the outside of your design. This is optional, but I think that having this color on both sides creates uniformity. Blend the silver outward to soften your edges.

Fill in the irregular design with your Wolfe or other highly-pigmented white, and add some small dots near the body to tie it in.

Make some designs using swirly, tapered lines and other motifs that you find within your main design. Don’t overdo it, though–your accents shouldn’t steal the spotlight!

Highlight your accents with white, just as you did on the wings.

There you have it! A “big-kid” butterfly mask for any occasion. Enjoy! <3