Monarch Butterflies with Oil Pastel

Every fall, thousands of Monarch butterflies converge on the eucalyptus grove at a nearby park as they migrate to warmer climates.  What better way to prepare our Kinders for their annual field trip to view this spectacular display than with this colorful Monarch oil pastel project!  Follow the steps below to make your own magnificent monarch!

1. We used 12x18 black construction paper, which I pre-folded in half to give students a guideline for drawing the body.  Start by sketching a basic butterfly shape using the pink eraser on the end of your pencil:  

First draw a long, skinny oval on the fold line.  Then draw a long horizontal line across the middle of your paper.  Use this line to form two large wings on the top half of your paper.  Add two smaller wings below.  Try to make your wings symmetrical (the left side the same as the right side) and don't forget the antennae!

2.  Next, trace over your eraser lines with a black oil pastel.  Go over these lines to make them nice and thick!

3.  Now, fill in your wings by layering orange and yellow together.  Using the side of a broken oil pastel (with the paper removed) makes it easy to fill in large areas quickly.

 4.  Then, add a pattern on your wings using a black oil pastel.  Remember that butterfly wings are symmetrical!   Make sure your design is the same on the left side as it is on the right side!

 5.  Add dots with white, pressing hard to make them really stand out!

 6.  Fill in your background with layers of blue for the sky, or layers of green for the trees, depending on where your butterfly is!  

 7.  Layering your colors is the "secret" to making your oil pastel colors look vibrant and rich... and a finished project that makes people say, "WOW!" 

I love how each butterfly is unique and even has it's own "personality"!