Beetles are the jewel of the insect world.
These charming creatures have been crawling around Earth for around 295 million years, so why not take a few minutes to paint them?
Step 1:
Fill a page with swatches using any material. I used gouache and watercolor, but use whatever any materials you like. Neocolor II’s, paint sticks, pastels, and markers also work well for this activity.
Step 2.
Add legs, patterns, and fun textures. You can draw from references, imagination, or mix the two like I did!
All the cool artists are trying it!
Kelcey Ervick painted these beautiful beetles.
And this stunning selection is from K. Woodman-Maynard.
Nicole Kelner created this lovely collection.



Thank you, Kelcey Ervick, K. Woodman-Maynard, & Nicole Kelner for being part of the beetle-painting fun with me!
Let’s swarm Substack with beautiful paint swatch beetles! 🪲
I’ll start a chat thread so we can all share our swatches, materials and inspiration!
Now is THE best time to join. You’ll get invites to all four live sessions, a bonus month of access to all session recordings, workshops, color studies, guided drawing videos, and a special bonus surprise! 💝











Looking forward to working on these!!!!!
I had already tried doing this exact thing- how weird a coincidence. I don’t think I have rights to post my art in comments or I’d show you. Anyway: yes you can make cute things out of swatches.