Draw a Monarch Butterfly: Scientific Illustration
Ivy Rutzky

My name is Ivy Rutzky, and I'm a scientific assistant at the Museum. I also write and illustrate science books and Web sites for kids. I'm going to show you how to do a scientific illustration of a monarch butterfly in a few easy steps.
 
Scientists prefer to use drawings of their specimens rather than photographs. Why? When you draw you can:

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    		•  remove any distracting background
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    		•  show a lot more detail
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    		•  make sure you get the colors right
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    		•  show your subject from the angle of your choice
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    		•  learn a lot about your subject because you take the time to draw it
    		 What You'll Need
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