Blue Butterflies

I was too heavy-handed with my paint and lost detail. The colors would have been better lighter, especially for the light blue butterfly. I was able to lift some pigment from the darker butterfly, but the light blue was staining.

Gonepteryx rhamni - Yellow Butterfly 

butterfly anatomy helped me to see the details in the photo that my eyes would otherwise have passed over. I am rarely pleased with my watercolor skills, so I draw in my sketchbook and then transfer the drawing to watercolor paper (since I don't currently keep a nature journal). By doing this, I can paint a subject more than once without redrawing it, in order to improve my skills, or to try a different technique. These are my first paintings of these butterflies.