Butterfly Symmetry Study
Symmetrical Balance in Art Examples
What is symmetrical balance in art? Symmetrical balance in art is when each half of the artwork is identical or very similar. Draw a line through the artwork with your eye and compare each side.
- Cutout of Animals, 19th Century, American
- Georgia O’Keefe, Oriental Poppies, 1928, American
- Diego Rivera, Flower Day, 1925, Mexico
- The Parthenon, 447-438 B.C.E. Ancient Greece
- Budja Facemask, Mid-late 20th century, Mongala Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Portrait sculpture of a Zen priest, 14th–15th century, Japan
- M.C. Escher Symmetry, 1937 – 1967
- Salvador Dalì, Mae West Lips Sofa, 1938
Objective
In this Monarch Butterfly Art lesson, students will create a symmetrical monarch butterfly.
Materials
- Paper
- Pencil
- Paint Brush
- White glue or black glue if you have it
- Black Acrylic Paint
- Watercolor or Acrylic paint; black, blue, orange
Directions for glue
To make black glue mix about 2 tablespoons of white glue with a 1 tablespoon of black acrylic paint. You can use a paint brush, a Q-tip or your finger to apply the glue to your paper.
Directions for art
Take one piece of paper and fold it in half. Open it back up. You now have a line going right down the middle. Look at an illustration of a monarch from a book or picture online. Here’s a good website: National Geographic for Kids.