Faber Castel Polychromos pencils, 21×15 cm

Butterflies are one of my passions, I have photographed a lot of them. So why not draw a butterfly? That’s why I took one that everyone knows: the Common blue (Polyommatus icarus)

The Common blue is the most common and most widespread blue in the Netherlands and Belgium and can be observed from April to October. You will find these mainly on herb-rich grasslands and roughs.

Although very common, they are also just very beautiful. The males are bright blue at the top with a white border separated by a black line, while in the females the top is usually brownish colored with a blue glow and orange spots and also a white border. The females can also just be brown, without that blue color. The underside is the same in both sexes: brownish with orange and black and white ringed spots. Often the underside of the wings near the wing root is pollinated blue.

A fun fact about the common blue (in Dutch called ‘Icarus blauwtje’) is that this butterfly owes its (Latin) name to the Greek mythological figure Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and crashed into the sea. The common blue prefers warm and sunny places, where it feeds on nectar from flowers.

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