Butterfly and Insect Scientific Illustration

Butterfly and insect scientific illustration - Lotti Brown's artistic representations of nature...

I love butterflies so I've so enjoyed getting stuck into learning about butterflies and insects - I've gained a new appreciation not just of butterflies but of bees and beetles too...

Red Admiral design art print from watercolour illustration

Red Admiral butterfly watercolour illustration

In the Spring of 2024, I've studied the insect illustration module in my natural history illustration studies at the University of Aberystwyth - and learned lots about making insect scientific illustrations accurately depicting a typical specimen of a butterfly or other insect.

I've been able to examine some of my subjects under a magnifying glass to get a really close-up look at the detail of the legs, antennae, and the beautiful butterfly wings which are surprisingly hairy, which I've tried to show on my watercolour illustration of the Red Admiral in the image above...

Insect Scientific Illustrations

My illustrations below show some of my drawing and painting work, as preparatory drawings and sketches and as finished pieces...

Bee illustration in pencil

Bumblebee drawing in pen (found specimen)

The little bees were fun to work on with all the tiny hairs all over - I noticed the hairless areas too. The bee wings are amazing with a semi-transparent membrane that looks so delicate but works so hard to keep the little bees buzzing!

Wasp beetle study in watercolour

Big Rose Chafer beetle study in watercolour

Stag beetle study in watercolour

Big Rose Chafer beetle final illustration

Drawing the beetles was amazing with all the different shapes, sizes and colours - some, like this Big Rose Chafer beetle specimen, had an amazing metallic irridescent shine that was a real challenge to capture in watercolour - so lots of practice studies were necessary! Like tiny jewels! 

It's certainly made me more attentive at looking for and at beetles when I'm out in the garden or in the fields - so many different ones, and often just so tiny!

Mapping out the veins and patterns on a butterfly's wings

Red Admiral wing study

Spurge hawkmoth illustration

Red Admiral butterfly watercolour illustration detail

Brimstone butterfly wing colour study

Spurge hawkmoth sketchbook study

Dark green fritillary butterfly watercolour illustration

Holly Blue butterflies illustration in watercolour and pen

I've loved, loved, loved drawing and painting the butterflies - they're so delicate and beautiful and then when you get close you see their tiny antennae, the miniscule scales on their wings, and the soft hairs that are quite liberally covering some species - such a challenge to try to capture in paint, but I'm so enjoying spending more time with our miniature winged friends!

Butterfly and Beetle Art Illustrations

Once I'd created my butterfly and insect scientific illustrations in watercolour, I decided to have some fun with them and make them into new colourful artwork illustrations by scanning my watercolours into the computer and using Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to put them together with other drawings of plants and flowers...

I'm pretty pleased with how they came out and they're perfect for these art prints, T-shirts and tote bags - all created with organic and/or recycled cotton and paper in a sustainable way with emphasis on the importance of protecting the environment and eliminating waste.

Holly Blue butterflies art illustration

Red Admiral butterfly art illustration

Spurge Hawkmoth art illustration by Lotti Brown

Women's nature T shirt with Hawkmoth design

Big Rose Chafer beetle art illustration

Blue butterfly tote bag by Lotti Brown

Dark Green Fritillary Butterfly art illustration by Lotti Brown

Red Admiral butterfly art print

If you like my colourful designs, you can buy them as sustainably produced art prints, women's T-shirts and tote bags - all from my online store...

I'm continuing to draw and paint these lovely butterflies and insects as they're such amazing creatures and I love to see them out in nature...

Focus on Peacock Butterflies

Peacock Butterfly nature illustration

Learn more about Peacock Butterflies and take a look behind the scenes of me creating the illustration here...

Focus on Gatekeeper Butterflies

Gatekeeper Butterflies illustration

Take a look behind the scenes of my colourful and contemporary Gatekeeper Butterflies illustration here...

Where to go next...

See more butterflies (in a slightly different artistic style) on my Celtic nature art page here...

You can also return to the main Natural History Illustrations page to follow my journey learning this skill.

And find out more about the absorbing hobby of nature journaling here...

Shop my butterflies and insect scientific illustration art in my store here...

Would you like my FREE 'Getting Started with your First Nature Journal' guide?

Would you like to get started with nature journaling too?

Add your email address below to sign up for my 'Nature Notes with Lotti' newsletter, and I'll send you my free PDF 'Getting Started with your First Nature Journal' guide to help you take your first steps in this fun and absorbing hobby.

I'll also send out regular ideas and nature journal inspiration to help you keep journaling, along with news of my own nature art and illustrations.

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My 'Nature Notes with Lotti' newsletter usually comes out around once each month (occasionally more often if there's a special offer on, to ensure you don't miss out).

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What's New Here

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1. Nature Journaling vs Nature Drawing

   Dec 17, 24 05:54 AM

   
   Understanding nature journaling versus nature drawing or natural history illustration...

   Read More

2. Edith Holden - The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

   Dec 04, 24 05:06 AM

   
   Be inspired by Edith Holden and her Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady - timeless nature journaling inspiration...

   Read More

3. November Nature Journal

   Nov 29, 24 06:53 AM

   
   Browse the pages of my November nature journal and explore Autumn in Yorkshire with Lotti - plus get ideas for your own nature journaling...

   Read More

4. Peacock Butterfly Illustration

   Nov 20, 24 06:52 AM

   
   Beautiful peacock butterfly illustration by Lotti Brown - watercolour and digital - art prints, T-shirts, totebags...

   Read More

5. Book for Bird Lovers - What the Robin Knows

   Nov 11, 24 06:05 AM

   
   Great book for bird lovers who want to understand bird language - What the Robin Knows by Jon Young

   Read More

Explore more recent additions to the site here...

Online Nature Journaling Course

Online nature journaling course

If you'd like to explore nature journaling more, please consider joining me for my 'Imperfect Nature Journaling' online course - I've called it this to remind us to nature journal for the process of connecting with nature to feel good and not to put pressure on ourselves to create pretty pages...

It's a series of 20 lessons or exercises that you can do in your own nature journal to help you try out different ideas and techniques to help you get the most out of your nature journaling sessions and understand what style of nature journaling is the best for you personally.

If this sounds like something you might like, you can find out more about the course here...