Hello, painting friends!  Have you seen them?  They’re everywhere!  Butterflies are taking center stage in the design motifs of everything from fine art on canvas to home accessories, from garden art to clothing to tableware, from carved candles and soaps to bed linens.

If you are a designer or artist looking for new trends and ideas, take a long and serious look at butterflies and moths. They add a touch of nature to almost any design and can range from photo-realistic to really out there. I think the tremendous interest in butterflies is part of a larger picture — the growing popularity of all things natural, from organic food to chemical-free cosmetics to all-cotton clothes. 

But if you’ve never painted a butterfly before, where can you find some helpful instruction? Funny you should ask — there’s a brand new book out called Painter’s Quick Reference: Birds & Butterflies. It was put together by the editors at North Light Books and features over 40 step-by-step demos on painting birds and butterflies of all kinds.  Eleven well-known artists contributed their work to this book, so you’ll find instruction in several mediums including watercolor, oils and acrylics. Just click on the MyCraftivity Shop, keyword: butterflies.  Enjoy!

MC Kathy