- 1). Draw a very small circle to create the butterfly's head. Draw a long, vertical oval immediately beneath the head. Draw a longer, tapered oval immediately beneath the previous shape. This is the full body of the butterfly.
- 2). Draw a curved, gradually diagonal line radiating from each side of the butterfly's head. Begin each line from the point where the head and midsection meet. Curve the line up and out. Make the line horizontal just before it ends. This is the top of the upper wings.
- 3). Curve the endpoint of each line and draw downward to create a short line that angles slightly inward. Draw two horizontal lines radiating directly from the meeting point of the mid and tail sections of the butterfly. Join each short, diagonal line to a horizontal line to finish the shape of the upper wings.
- 4). Place your pencil on the bottom line of an upper wing. Position the pencil a short distance inward from the lower, rounded corner. Draw a very short, diagonal line that goes down and away from the body. Repeat this on the opposite side of the butterfly.
- 5). Place your pencil in the side of the butterfly's tail section, directly in the middle of the line. Draw a line down and away from the body. Join the two diagonal lines with a curve to create the lower wing. Repeat the process on the other side of the body.
- 6). Draw an elongated teardrop shape hanging off the middle of each lower wing. Position the shape so that it appears diagonal in relation to the butterfly's body.
- 7). Draw two short lines radiating up and away from the head of the butterfly. Draw a small, filled circle at the end of each line. These are the antennae of the insect. Draw around the interior of the wings, mirroring the edges to create a narrow border on the wings. Shade this border or color it black if you're coloring your illustration. These are the black edges of the swallowtail's wings.
- 8). Fill in the rest of the wings with lines or patterns of dots to complete the detail of the butterfly's wings.
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