I have been noticing several yellow butterflies in my yard lately. So when one landed in my oak tree the other day, I decided to take a photo of it so I could identify it:
I couldn’t get real close to it before it flew away. Yet, I was able to identify it as a Western Tiger Swallowtail.
It is considered an active butterfly, rarely seen at rest. I was thrilled that I was able to see this one land!
I needed to look at a better photo in order to draw it in my sketchbook. I was so excited to see that Kathy at Backyard Bird Nerd recently posted several AMAZING photos of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies on her blog! Be sure to check them out here: https://backyardbirdnerd.com/2016/06/21/ten-tiger-pictures/
Kathy generously gives me permission to use her photos in my artwork – Thank you Kathy! 🙂 I used her first photo to paint this butterfly in my art journal using gouache and color pencils:
I added a little collage to the bottom of the page with matte medium and watercolor on top.
Whenever I see a butterfly, I am reminded of the song, “I Hope You Dance,” by Lee Ann Womack:
I hope you will dance like a butterfly this weekend!
Cheers! 🙂
Jill's Art Journal 