Royal Icing Diana Fritillary Butterfly

Tonight's project is the official butterfly of Arkansas, the Diana Fritillary butterfly. I should specify, this is the male; the female is black with blue and white markings. All you'll need is stiff consistency royal icing in orange and black, a brown food-safe marker like the AmeriColor Gourmet Writer, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, petal tip #104, and round tip #4 and #2. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Hold the #104 tip almost flat against the surface, and pipe 4 round petals in classic "butterfly" formation. 

 Allow this shape to dry. Use the dark brown marker to paint in a sort of "inkblot" in the middle…

 …with lines radiating outward…

 …and dots in between them.

 Using the #4 tip, pipe the body. Hold the tip at a 45 degree angle, and pulse your hand in and out as you pipe so the body will appear segmented

 Rotate the nail around and pipe a ball for the head.

 Switch to the #2 tip and pipe the antennae. Definitely a good butterfly for fall!