Butterfly drinking from an orange sliceOrange, yellow, blue, black. An orange slice on the cheek, segment lines inside; a small blue butterfly on its rim.
Rainbow wings in bands from the nose outwardRed, yellow, green, blue, purple. Each wing is striped in bands that follow its outer edge; the nose stays bare.
Brush-press butterfly: two teardrops a sideAny color, black. Press and lift a loaded round brush twice on each side for four teardrops; flick a body between.
Butterfly with long tails down the cheeksYellow, black. Upper wings on the brow bones; each lower wing ends in a tail that runs down the cheek to the jaw.
Heart wings: each side makes a tilted heartRed, pink, white. On each side the upper and lower wing join into one heart tilted outward; white edge dots.
Leaf wings with a vein up the middleGreen, yellow, brown. Each wing is a leaf shape with a brown middle vein, the upper pair on the brow bones.
Night butterfly in deep blue with white dotsDeep blue, purple, white. Blue wings shading to purple at the tips, small white dots scattered like stars.
One-eye butterfly with a swirl across the foreheadPink, white. Wings on one brow bone and cheekbone; a white swirl trails from the top wing across the forehead.
One-eye butterfly, body at the templeTeal, purple, black. Body along the temple; one wing opens over the brow bone, one over the cheekbone; lid bare.
Pointed wings swept up to the hairlineBlue, teal, black. Upper wing tips sweep from the brow bones to the hairline at the temples; small lower wings.
Rainbow wings in bands from the nose outwardRed, yellow, green, blue, purple. Each wing is striped in bands that follow its outer edge; the nose stays bare.
Rounded wings with a white dot borderPink, purple, white. Upper wings on the brow bones out to the temples, lower wings on the cheeks, white edge dots.
Scalloped wings with a row of teardrops inside the edgePurple, lilac, white. Wavy-edged wings on the brow bones and cheeks, white teardrops in a row inside each edge.
Small mask that stops at the ends of the browsLilac, pink. Short wings that end where the brows end, so the temples and most of the cheeks stay bare.
Sunset wings, yellow at the nose and red at the tipsYellow, orange, red, black. Color blends outward across all four wings; thin black vein lines on top.
Wings in outline only, bare skin insideBlack or white. Four wing outlines with a few vein lines and nothing filled; a feeler above each brow.
Wings with feelers that spiral up the foreheadOrange, black. Small wings beside the nose; two long feelers rise above the brows and end in spirals.
One cheek 13
Butterfly bending a blade of grassGreen, blue, black. One long grass blade rises from the jaw and bends over under a small butterfly sitting on its tip.
Butterfly drinking from an orange sliceOrange, yellow, blue, black. An orange slice on the cheek, segment lines inside; a small blue butterfly on its rim.
Butterfly landing, wings half shut in a VBlue, black, white. Seen from the front on the cheekbone: two wings raised in a V, a small body where they meet.
Butterfly net swinging at a butterflyBrown, white, yellow. A net near the jaw, a yellow butterfly getting away toward the temple on a dashed path.
Butterfly sitting on the tip of a paintbrushAny color, brown, black. A paintbrush lies along the cheekbone; a butterfly in the paint's color sits on its bristles.
Butterfly with a gray shadow under itYellow, black, gray. A butterfly on the cheek and the same shape in pale gray just below, so it seems to hover.
Butterfly with ribbon tails curling to the jawLilac, white. Open wings on the cheekbone; each lower wing trails a ribbon that ends in a curl near the jaw.
Caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly in a rowGreen, brown, orange. Three stages along the cheekbone from the nose side to the temple, the butterfly last.
Five tiny butterflies across the cheekboneAny colors, black. Five butterflies of two dabs and a tick each, turning different ways toward the temple.
One big folded wing from cheekbone to jawOrange, yellow, black. A butterfly in side view filling the cheek, one large wing, the body along its front edge.
Paper-cut butterfly with holes showing skinAny one color. A flat butterfly shape on the cheek with teardrop holes left bare in each wing.
Polka-dot butterflyRed, white, black. Plain red wings open on the cheek with large white dots, a black body and curled feelers.
Small butterfly beside the corner of the mouthAny two colors, black. A small open butterfly just outside the mouth corner, wings tilted toward the cheek.
Wing patterns from real species 16
Apollo: white with black spots and red eyespotsWhite, black, red. Black spots on the upper wings, two red eyespots on each lower wing, on a white butterfly.
Blue morpho: bright blue wings with black edgesBlue, black, white. Plain bright blue wings as a mask or on a cheek, a black edge with a few white dots in it.
Brimstone: sulfur yellow with an orange dot on each wingYellow, orange. The male's plain yellow wings, open on the cheek, one small orange spot in the middle of each wing.
Clouded yellow: golden wings with a broad black borderGolden yellow, black. A broad black border on all four wings, one black spot near the middle of each upper wing.
Common buckeye: brown with eyespots and orange barsBrown, orange, white, black. Two orange bars and a white band around a black eyespot on each upper wing.
Eastern tiger swallowtail: yellow with black stripesYellow, black, blue. Four black stripes on each upper wing, a black border, a few blue dots on the lower wings.
Glasswing: clear wings drawn as a brown outlineBrown, orange. Wing outlines in dark brown tinted with orange, nothing inside: skin shows through as the clear wing.
Monarch: orange wings, black veins, white-dotted borderOrange, black, white. Open on the cheek: black veins and a black border with two rows of small white dots.
Mourning cloak: dark maroon with a pale yellow edgeMaroon, pale yellow, blue. Dark maroon wings on the cheek, a ragged pale yellow edge, blue spots just inside it.
Orange tip: white wings with orange tipsWhite, orange, black. A white butterfly on the cheek, the tip of each upper wing bright orange, as on the male.
Painted lady: orange with black tips and white spotsOrange, black, white. Upper wing tips black with white spots; a row of five black dots on each lower wing.
Peacock butterfly: rusty red with four eyespotsRust red, black, blue, yellow. One eyespot of black, blue and yellow at the tip of each of the four wings.
Red admiral: black wings, red bands, white spotsBlack, red, white. A red band across each upper wing and along each lower edge; white spots at the upper tips.
Small tortoiseshell: orange with blue edge spotsOrange, black, yellow, blue. Black and yellow marks on the upper wings, a ring of blue spots around the edges.
Zebra longwing: black with thin white and yellow stripesBlack, yellow, white. Long narrow wings on the cheekbone, thin pale stripes running across them.
Zebra swallowtail: white, black stripes, long tailsWhite, black, red, blue. Black lengthwise stripes, a long tail on each lower wing, two blue spots and one red.
Quick, two colors 13
Black outline with three dots of color in each wingBlack, any color. A plain butterfly outline on the cheek; three dots of one color inside each wing.
Brush-press butterfly: two teardrops a sideAny color, black. Press and lift a loaded round brush twice on each side for four teardrops; flick a body between.
Butterfly from an M over a WAny color, black. An M on top and a W under it on the cheek, a body line through the middle, feelers above.
Butterfly from two letter B's back to backAny color, black. A B and a mirrored B share one upright line on the cheek; that line becomes the body.
Butterfly in cotton-swab dotsAny color, black. Wing outlines made of dots from a cotton swab, a short black line for the body.
Butterfly with three bars across each wingAny two colors. Open wings in one color on the cheek, three short bars of the second color across each wing.
Fat X butterflyAny color, black. Paint a fat X on the cheek, round off its four ends and lay a body line over the crossing.
One-color wings with a white dot rowAny color, white. Four plain wings on the cheek, a row of white dots along the outer edge of each.
One-line butterfly: four loops without liftingBlack, any color. One continuous line makes four loops on the cheek; a dot of color inside each loop.
Sponge-dab wings with a brushed outlineAny color, black. Dab a sponge corner four times for the wings, then run one black outline around them.
Tiny temple butterfly: two commas and a dashAny color, black. Two comma-shaped dabs facing each other at the temple with a short black dash between.
Two-heart butterflyPink, black. Two hearts tilted with their points together as wings, a thin black body and feelers between.
White-line butterfly on a patch of colorAny color, white. Sponge an oval of color on the cheek and draw the butterfly over it in white line.
How it works
These butterfly face painting ideas are 56 designs sorted by where the wings sit: 14 with wings around the eyes, 13 for one cheek, 16 that copy the wing pattern of a real species, and 13 quick, easy ones in two colors.
Read the full guide
Butterfly face paint ideas from real wings
Sixteen designs take their pattern from a species. The monarch, among North America's most familiar butterflies, is orange with black veins and a white-dotted border. The peacock butterfly has an eyespot at the tip of each rusty red wing, and the glasswing is a brown outline with bare skin for its clear wing.
Kids butterfly face paint ideas in two colors
Quick, two colors holds 13 for a line of children. Butterfly from two letter B's back to back, Fat X butterfly and Butterfly from an M over a W each start from a shape a child can already write.
Questions and answers
What are whimsical butterfly face painting ideas?
Butterfly net swinging at a butterfly, Butterfly bending a blade of grass and Butterfly with a gray shadow under it each tell a small story on one cheek. For a mask, Heart wings joins the two wings on each side into one tilted heart.
How do you paint a butterfly around the eyes?
Upper wings go on the brow bones out to the temples and lower wings on the cheeks; the bare nose is the body. Outline last. Small mask that stops at the ends of the brows is the smallest version.
What colors do you need for a monarch butterfly face?
Orange, black and white. The upper side of a monarch's wings is tawny orange with black veins and black margins, and two rows of small white spots sit in the margins.
What face paint is used for a butterfly mask?
Face paint sold for use on skin, whose label does not rule out use near the eyes, since the wings sit around them. The US FDA says to follow all directions carefully. No wing here goes on an eyelid.