About the Image(s)

The tree in Original 1 is common in our neighborhood and I’ve always thought the leaves look like butterfly wings. So, I finally decided to explore expanding on that idea to make a butterfly using only plant materials for something kind of corny this month.

I used the distort tool in PS to tweak the leaf to get closer to an actual wing. I duplicated the succulent petal a couple times and stacked them on top of each other to make the abdomen, and then shaped the head. Next, I added the eyes and antennae using berries and twigs. I looked at a lot of butterfly photos to figure out what features to use to decorate the wings and then what plants and flowers would work. I worked on only one wing so I could just duplicate it and flip it horizontally for the second one. A lot of struggle was involved trying to get the look I wanted with only plants and it never quite came together, so I ended up deciding to add the black details by painting them in.

Once I had the basic composition, I used PS poster edges and oil paint filters. Then into Nik Color Efex to add grain texture and glow. Lastly, I added the green border.