If you’d like to learn how to make this little watercolor galaxy butterfly using Tombow Dual Brush Pens keep reading…they’re out of this world. ;)

If you’d rather paint with me via video in real-time check out my Skillshare class. Otherwise, keep reading!

Here’s what you’ll need to get started.

Supplies:

Step 1: Draw Your Butterfly

Start by sketching out your butterfly shape in pencil, and once you’re happy with it got over the pencil lines with your MONO Twin Permanent Marker. This marker won’t bleed or run when you add water so you can paint right over the top of it. If you don’t feel confident drawing your own butterfly you can download my template below, print it and trace it onto your watercolor paper.

Download Butterfly Template

Step 2: Add Color

Use your Dual Brush Pens to add color to the segments you’ve drawn on the wings. You can choose any colors and combinations that appeal to you, but here are a few of my favorite combos from the Galaxy Palette.

You don’t have to be terribly neat or worry about staying in the lines too much because we’re going to cover up the white space with black at the end anyway.

Step 3: Blend the Ink

Using your Medium Water Brush, or a wet paintbrush, blend the ink on your butterfly. Start with the lightest color and work your way to the darkest. Clean your brush in between segments so you don’t just spread your darkest ink over everything. I tend to keep a piece of folded paper towel handy for this purpose.

Step 4: Fill in the White Space

Once your ink is completely dry you can either use the bullet tip of your MONO Twin Permanent Marker or the brush tip of your darkest Dual Brush Pen to fill in all of the white space of your butterfly. Be careful to leave the colored segments visible.

Step 5: Add Stars

Once everything is completely dry it’s time to add your stars and make your butterfly truly galactic! Squeeze a small amount of white gouache or acrylic paint onto your palette and use your small Water Brush to add little dots and starbursts to the colored areas of your butterfly. Once they are all dry you can go back over any that aren’t as opaque as you’d like them to be. And voila, you have a watercolor galaxy butterfly!