God’s creation is amazing! Butterflies are among the most beautiful and marvelous creatures in all of nature, and a perfect picture of a spiritual truth God wants us to learn. Did you know that a butterfly goes through a physical transformation from a caterpillar to a chrysalis, and then (through a process called metamorphosis) emerges as a butterfly? This creature of change gives us a picture of what God does in our heart and life as we submit to Him as Savior and Lord. God tells us in the Bible:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
So while we begin life as sinners whose hearts are controlled by selfish desires, when we come to Christ through salvation, God gives us His Spirit and gives us the ability to be controlled by His Spirit. So the butterfly experiencing a transformation inside the chrysalis is a picture of what Christ does in our hearts – gives us a new heart and makes us new creations in Christ!
But back to butterflies in Latin America……Tropical Central and South America is the richest region in the world for butterflies. Did you know there are over 20,000 species of butterflies in the world? Costa Rica alone has over 1300 of these species! In addition, Mexico is known for an amazing mass migration of Monarch butterflies that occurs every winter! Each year, butterflies that are born in the late summer or early fall make a journey of thousands of miles to hibernate during the winter in the Oyame Fir trees of Mexico.
Pictures of some of these breath-taking creations can be found HERE.
One way this beauty can be captured is through the medium of watercolor. Watercolor can reflect the delicate and gentle nature of a butterfly while also providing a vivid pallet to display the bold colors and patterns of butterflies.
What you will need:
- Download butterfly watercolor templates Monarch, Blue Morpho, and Empress Maria
- Print on water-absorbent paper such as watercolor paper, multi-media paper, or tag board, all of which can be found at your local craft store. Note: many of these papers are sold in a 9″ x 11″ size format. If you do not have the ability to print on larger paper, you may need to cut your paper down to 8.5″ x 11″ paper size.
- Watercolor paints: we used tubes of concentrated water color as they provide much more vivid color, but it is also fine to use the palettes of watercolors that are readily available
- Paint brush; one per child
- Paper plate
- Small plastic cup of water
- Paper towel
- Smock or old shirt (optional)
- Completed samples of butterfly watercolor paintings:
Begin by adding a small amount of water into the watercolor paint, gradually adding water to paint until the desired consistency is reached. The more water you add, the thinner and lighter the color. The less water that is used, the thicker and darker the paint color will be.
By varying the amount of water added, you can vary the shading of the painting. Be careful not to add too much water and over-saturate the paper.
Also, experiment with mixing colors to create various shades of a color to add interest to your painting.
Taking the time to paint one or more of these projects is a wonderful way to slow down and truly see the beauty in God’s amazing creative powers!