
If you ever found a dead butterfly and wanted to preserve it in a frame, this is the tutorial for you. I will give step by step instructions on how to prepare an insect so it can be used in a shadow box frame or other taxidermy art. Let’s get started!
DIY How to Pin a Butterfly for a Shadow Box
Things you will need to get started
- Butterfly specimen (already deceased)
- Tweezers
- Pins (dress pins or mounting pins)
- Spreading board ( made with foam core or cork board)
- Exacto knife or box cutter
- Ruler
- Cutting Mat
- Scissors
- Double sided sticky tape
- Glassine or Wax paper
- Plastic container with lid (large enough to nest the other one inside it with some space)
- Smaller plastic container (Large enough to loosely fit the insect inside)
- Paper towels
- Water
Step 1: Rehumidify your insect specimen
If you find a butterfly, more than likely it will be hard and dried out but don’t worry. You can still reposition it. You just need to soften the joints again using a humidity chamber. ( Before you begin working with a specimen, place it in a lidded container and stick it in the freezer for 24hrs. This will kill any mites or other things that might be on the insect. ) After 24 hours it is ready for the humidity chamber.
- Take your larger tupperware container with the lid and put the smaller container inside of it. Make sure there is a bit of space between them.
- Next, dampen a paper towel with a bit of water. Squeeze most of the water out so the towel is not dripping wet, fold or crumple it up and place it on the side, between the two tupperware containers. Make sure you do not get any water into the smaller container.
- Place your butterfly inside the smaller container making sure there is plenty of space around it
- Close the larger tupperware container with the lid and place near a warm place.
Check on the container daily. Press gently on the specimen to see if wings or legs relaxed and are easy move. If they do not move, leave in the chamber for another day or two. Make sure to check each day! Mold will begin to grow on the specimen if you leave it in the chamber too long. Once the insect is pliable, it is ready to pin.

Step 2: Pin the Butterfly on a Spread Board
Now that the butterfly is relaxed, you should be able to move the wings into a more natural position on a spread board.
- Use scissors to cut glassine/ wax paper into 1/4″-1/2″ wide strips. Strips should be long enough to extend past the top and bottom wings of your insect
- Use Exacto knife or box cutter to cut foam core or cork board. Place the ruler and use it as a straight edge guide to cut the board so you have 1 large piece and 2 smaller pieces about 4″-6″ wide
- Secure the strips with double sided tape to larger board leaving space wide enough for the body of your insect in between.
- Take a pin and gently push it through the center of the thorax of the insect.
- Pin the butterfly in the space between the strips on the board.
- Take 1 strip of glassine/ wax paper and secure it to the board above the center of the wing with a pin.
- Under the glassine/ wax paper, use tweezers to gently move the forewing upwards until the bottom of the wing is 90 degrees. Be careful not to touch the wing too much because the scales will come off and leave imperfections on the wings. Once it is in the correct position, secure the glassine/ wax paper tightly across the wing by pinning it just below the edge of the forewing. Adjust the bottom wing into position and secure with glassine/ wax paper tightly with a pin to hold it down.
- Repeat the same steps for the other wings.
- Move antenna so they are straight and in a v shape. You may use pins to keep in place.
- Let it dry on the board.
Keep the pinned butterfly on the board for a week or so in a place where it will not be disturbed. It can take a few days or a week depending on your specimen. Once it is dried out completely, you can use it in a shadow box frame or for electroforming.

Step 3: The 3rd step of the project
