Materials:
- 4-5 oz vegetable-tanned leather
- Stylus tool
- Leather hole punch
- Leather dye pens
- White acrylic paint
- Acrylic finish for leather
- Printed pattern
- Cutting blade and cutting surface
- Misting spray bottle or sponge and plain water
- Toothpicks
- Hair stick or chopstick
Instructions:
1) Save the image above and print it. Cut the butterfly out of the leather and punch the holes where marked on the pattern (or put the holes further apart if you need the clip bigger). The size of the hole should be just big enough for the hair stick to fit through easily but not too loosely.
*If you don't have a big enough hole punch cut a vertical slit instead which is big enough for the hair stick to fit through.
2) Evenly dampen the front (smooth) side of the leather with the spray bottle or sponge. Use just enough water that the surface is evenly damp, then let the leather sit until the color just starts to lighten again (usually just a few minutes).
3) Use the modeler end or the edge of the stylus end to smooth and round off the edges of the butterfly on the front side.
4) Trace the lines from the pattern onto the butterfly with the stylus. After tracing the lines go back over them with the stylus if the lines are too light. If you want more texture trace the lines deeper or cut with a swivel knife.
5) Turn the butterfly over and dampen the back (rough) side of the leather as you did with the front side, then let it sit for a minute or two to absorb the water. Do not soak the leather, but add enough water that you can bend the butterfly and it keeps its shape.
6) Shape the butterfly so that the hair stick will fit through, with the center curving up, then curl up the edges of the wings.
7) After the butterfly dries completely, color it with dye markers. In the example, purple, red, and orange were used in that order. For extra detail add small white dots by dipping the toothpick in acrylic and applying it to the wings.
Let the dye and paint dry completely, then apply a coat of acrylic finish to the front of the butterfly to protect the leather surface from moisture.