Australian Painted Lady, 4 footed butterfly

I'm enjoying taking photos of butterflies to paint them. Not easy to capture them by a camera. I walk/run around in an open field! When I was sneak peaking after butterflies in a public cemetry, council cleaning ladies were looking after grasses on a ground. They smiled at my hard work with pity, "Oh, finally you made it after 1.5 hour running." Yep. A very good leg exercise under sunshine. Btw, did you know "four legs butterflies"? When I closed up photos, I noticed ALL the butterflies I took photos were four footed. "Whaaaat? Where were their third feet gone?" "Why?" Then, I came to know that, in fact, they have six legs, BUT their "front feet" are very small and useless. Two brushed foot are tucked in. So, all Nymphalidaes stand on four feet. Sadami has learned the facts from primary shcool kids's website. Aw, I get a little bit smart like a primary school kid!  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalidae

This is an Australian Painted Lady. Wow, I did not know this little butterfly migrates! I knew some butterflies do migrate and always wanted to see it. I did not know this beautiful painted lady, just a next door to me, does it! (*NOTE : I do not know a gender of the sketched one). My sketched painted lady could be a travelling woman on the way to north? Or where are her friends? I can imagine lot of her stories. 
http://australianmuseum.net.au/australian-painted-lady

Australian Painted Lady stands on four legs!

In behaviour, obviously, Painted ladies try to defend territories and chase after others and another Nymphalidae, Meadow Argus. (*I could take a good photo of Meadow Argus. Later, I'll make a watercolour painting.) Their chasing is quite elegant and quick, as if it were dancing tango high in the air. It is very eye pleasant. The panted lady comes back to its favourite spot again. They seem to like rest on a ground rather than flowers. I tried to capture it though, it only for a seconds stayed there. Good photos are results of a great patience, guts and energy. Or I might be too poor at taking photos. I have to confess that sketching is much quicker and more accurate than taking photos. That's why I do not use a camera. But small butterflies fly away from me before I come close enough to them. I have to use a camera.  

Technically, painting a butterfly was very tricky. It needs lots of washes and good skills to depict delicate patterns. The most I wanted to paint is her colourful orange areas in an upper wing. As I did not want to change my loose style, I tried to find a compromised ground between accuracy and blur brush strokes. 

We may have overlooked lots of beauties around us, I've felt. Such a relatively small butterfly has a brave story of migration and lovely colours. I should open up eyes wide and look around! 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

Australian Painted Lady, 4 footed butterfly