We have cut no corners in the creation of our butterflies. In a nutshell (skipping over all the cleaning, degreasing, rinsing, de-burring etc.), each butterfly outline is cut from 1.5mm-thick aluminium sheets, and powder-coated. This is a process of spraying a special powder which fuses to the metal surface, and then baking it at high temperature to provide the butterfly with a smooth weather-resistant protective coating.

Then our original artwork is printed on the wings. Our first batches were screen printed (you can see a video of the process here), but in going forward we have decided to use digital UV printing, which offers similar quality, is at least as durable, and produces less waste.

We then manually bend the wings to mimic a resting butterfly and add thicker powder-coated layers of aluminium to form the body, attaching everything to a bolt to ensure a strong base for secure mounting.

Finally, we complete each piece by adding powder-coated stainless steel antennae with custom-made tips.

Each butterfly comes with a detailed leaflet explaining how to fix it to a wall or fence. The doing is actually much easier than the explaining. You will need a spanner, a screwdriver, a drill and possibly a hammer, depending on the surface. Everything else is included.

Drill a hole in the surface where the butterfly is to be attached. For masonry, insert the enclosed wall plug (“Rawl plug”) to ensure the screw will be secure. (The wall plug is not needed for wood or plastic surfaces).

Insert the enclosed fixing bracket through the screw and tighten firmly to your chosen surface.

Place the bolt / stud which is affixed to the butterfly into the other hole of the bracket, and tighten with the nut. You can decide if you want the butterfly to appear parallel with the ground or a tan angle before tightening it firmly with a spanner. If you change your mind at a later time, you will only need to loosen and re-tighten this one nut.

The butterflies are roughly the size of a laptop computer, and can be displayed either indoors or out. Due to their size they can be admired from a distance.

The wings extend outwards some 8cm (3inches) from where the base is attached, and, because of the strong metal construction and pointed edges, the butterflies should be fixed with particular care if children are likely to be around them.