This piece was created as a special gift for a friend’s mum who was always incredibly kind and welcoming to us constantly driving us around, sorting out food, and hosting legendary games nights. Knowing she loves butterflies, I wanted to create a dedicated piece just for her. Rather than going for a traditional, hyper-realistic look, I wanted this design to feel structural and graphic, using sharp lines to frame the heavy stippling contrast.

The layout focuses on thick, clean geometric outlines filled with thousands of tiny, dense ink dots to give the wings a massive amount of punch and texture. Hand inked by first laying down a bold, stylized framework, then using fine-liners to pack heavy gradients into the wing panels to make the monochrome contrast stand out from across the room.

Roughly 10 hours of mapping out the bold patterns and layering the stipple gradients.

It’s a piece built purely on appreciation. The last time I visited, it was framed and hanging up on her wall. Seeing something I drew holding a permanent spot in a home that hosted so many great memories is the best feeling.