The butterfly is one of our most beautiful creatures that also have a huge variety of patterns within the species. The Incredible Art Department website recommends using this inspiration to teach your students painting techniques within the watercolor medium. Encourage your students to free-hand the painting or provide them with an outline of a butterfly. Students can experiment with using different colors, brushes and amounts of water.
Pay homage to the life cycle of the butterfly, also known as metamorphosis, by creating a cocoon or a pupa out of paper Maché. This protective shield creates a safe environment where most of the growing and transformation from caterpillar to butterfly occurs, so it is an important aspect of the insect world to study through art.
Take a cue from the natural trails and art created by the busy-body ant within an ant farm and create your own intricate design out of sand. Use a heavy paper and draw or trace over a drawing with glue. Add natural or colored sand to the top of the glue and allow it to dry before shaking off the excess. The result will be an interesting sand trail work of art.
Challenge your students' artistic skills and their knowledge of insects by having them research and depict bugs that naturally adapt and camouflage to their surroundings. This project will allow the artist to create the backdrop of the ecosystem where the insect thrives and incorporate hidden and camouflaged insects into the work of art. This will present a challenge for both the creator as well as the observer of this work of art.
Encourage your students to experiment with different mediums such as stone and glass mosaics to create a more abstract representation of an insect. Students can use broken glass, ceramics, stones or glass beads to piece together a colorful and three-dimensional insect on a sturdy base such as a brick or an interestingly shaped patio paver. These works of art can stand up to the elements, so the students can display their work in their home yards or gardens.