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How to paint a butterfly on a Daisy

... using the negative painting technique

IMG_4645 2.jpg
Aim of the session

In this gentle watercolour project, we’ll paint a loose floral butterfly using soft colour blends, negative painting and simple, expressive brushstrokes. This piece is all about letting the paint do the work — creating movement, lightness and atmosphere without over-detailing. It’s a relaxing, confidence-building painting that’s perfect for exploring colour, flow and knowing when to stop.

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What is Negative Painting?

Negative painting is a watercolour technique where you paint around a subject, rather than painting the subject itself.
In this workshop, we paint the dark background so the white snowdrops are created by the paper.

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Why It’s Good to Learn

  • It helps you see shapes and spaces, not just outlines

  • The white paper gives a fresh, glowing light that paint can’t match

  • It creates strong contrast, making your subject stand out

  • It encourages loose, expressive painting (perfect for watercolour!)

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✨ Trust the paper – it does a lot of the work for you.



Materials
 

  • Watercolour paper, 300gsm cold pressed, A4

  • Tube watercolours

  • Cocktail stick

  • Brushes (medium round + small detail brush)

  • Black fine liner or black biro

  • White gouache (optional)

  • Tissue / kitchen roll

  • Water pot

  • Watercolour pencils and sandpaper (optional)

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Colours
 

Cerulean blue, Deep Green, deep cad yellow, purple, indigo, white (gouache or bleed proof white)

Sketchable flower and butterfly.jpg

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1. Trace or sketch lightly the drawing above

  • Use a soft pencil and keep your drawing minimal.
    Focus on:

  • Simple petal shapes

  • The butterfly wing outline

  • A gentle curve in the stem

  • Avoid adding detail — the paint will do the work.
     

2.  Background - first wash

  • Split this into two sections, left and right side of stem.  This is the first pass, you're not aiming for the finished background yet, we will add more later

  • Carefully paint a very light wash of  deep cad yellow in the centre cone,  around the petals and over the stem.  Keep all edges softened with water, so that they blend away into the white paper rather than dry with harsh lines

  • While the yellow is wet,  add a  concentrated dark green to the area underneath the petals.  Depending on how wet the surrounding yellow is, it will either blend out softly into this area or you'll need to help it.  Encourage it by introducing a little water with a slightly damp brush , or work that water into the green paint gently with your brush

     

  • You're aiming for a  variety of greens and yellows in the background.  Darker around the stem and under the flower and lighter as you move away.
     

  • Cover the top half of the paper and add some splashes of colour while the paint is wet. You can even add white splashes or just water.   

  • Remember, you always have a tissue to soften out here and there​

  • Let it DRY

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3. Butterfly wings (key technique)

  • You're aiming for translucent wings - so keep paint very light at the ends of the wings

  • Paint one wing at a time.  Let each wing dry before moving on to it's neighbour

  • Place juicy colour at the base of the wing, then use a clean, damp brush to add water ahead of this paint.  Now push that water into the paint and the paint will move into the wet area.  Drop in extra harmonious colours as you move to the edge of the wing.  I added cerulean blue and a little yellow. 

  • Allow the colour to fade naturally towards the edge.

  • Use a cocktail stick to add veins

Butterfly on a daisy LR_edited.jpg
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4. Flower centre

  • Using neat paint tube paint and the opposite end of the brush, stipple yellow, then green, then indigo.  You need to wait for each colour to dry before moving onto the next

Close up daisy softened petals.png
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5. Butterfly body & veins

  • Paint the body once the wings are dry.  use a couple of colours to add interest and let them blend.  Add the antennae with a fine liner, right at the end of the painting
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7. Petals - Push back to the feel part of the background

  • Remember to leave some white areas on the petals as daisies are white

  • Add a touch of weak grey/green to the centre side of the petals.  Use clean water to partially blend it out across each petal.  Cocktail stick for veins

  • With a slightly damp brush, encourage the paint around the end of the petals to wash across here and there

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Daisy Steps 1-4.jpg
8. Background & Final touches

  • Assess your painting, does the background need anything else?  Are the shadows under the petals enough?

  • Add a few soft splatters or background marks if you wish, including white.

  • Use a fine liner and dark green to make some abstract leaf and reed shapes

  • Step back often — stop early to keep the painting fresh and airy.

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If you give this a go, I'd love to see it.  Please tag me on instagram @kerryslackart

Butterfly on a daisy LR.jpg
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