Fluttering Wildlife Drawings

by Pat Faulkner
(British Virgin Islands)

Hardly anyone I know thinks of butterflies when it comes to wildlife drawings. And that's what got me started on this decoupage project in the British Virgin Islands. As I was traipsing over to the library on my island speck a butterfly flitted by inspiring me. Originally from New York City, now I live cooled by the Trade Winds year-round.

The result of that encounter wound up as a decoupage piece of wall art. And in case you were wondering, no living creatures were hurt in the making of my art.

Sketching out a design is always my first step. With the butterflies I wanted to create a light feeling. At one point I questioned whether to use another medium. Changing back to decoupage was mainly because I hadn't done such a fragile subject before and thought it would be an interesting learning experience.

Working from a sketch makes the whole decoupage process more organized. I like to tinker with the paper layout based on the pictures at hand. Then it's easier to decide if I need any props to create a three-dimensional finished piece.

For this project I recycled wood into a plaque, used colored pencils to create some flat line work and then started building with paper butterflies cut from magazines.

Brushing on the decoupage glue took longer than usual because the work was more delicate. It took more patience because of having to work with smaller detail brushes. I had to be extra careful not to tear off a wing while propping them for that dimensional effect.

Let the decoupage glue dry completely before applying the finish. To fix and protect the surface I applied many coats of varnish waiting for each to dry throughly before adding another. If it's humid weather drying times will be longer.