Rainbow Wings - Faux Stained Glass Butterfly Mobile

Butterflies. Color. Life. Movement.

Some people hang dreamcatchers above their beds. I now have rainbow-colored butterflies fluttering above mine — and when I shine a light on them, they project magical shadows on the walls and ceiling. Sometimes, I can even create a glowing color wheel with the reflections. This is a project full of light, colors, and play.

Design, Fabrication and some tools:

1. Autodesk Inventor (or any 3D modeling software)
2. 3D printer with 0.4 mm nozzle
3. UV lamp for curing resin
4. Disposable mixing cups and stir sticks
5. Third hand tool or helping hands (to hold parts while gluing)

Materials:

1. UV resin (transparent)
2. Resin dyes or alcohol inks (in rainbow colors, ideally light and dark tones of each)
3. White school glue (washable type)
4. Cyanoacrylate glue (nail glue)
5. Nylon thread or fishing line
6. Thick transparent tape (to hold parts in place while working)
7. Soft cloth and water (for cleaning)

In Autodesk Inventor, using the 2D sketch mode, I started by drawing a shape that was somewhat triangular. I extruded it to 3 mm, then created a second, different shape below it and extruded that as well to 3 mm. Afterward, I used the fillet tool on several corners until I was satisfied with the shape — it began to resemble the contour of a butterfly wing.

I used the shell or thin wall tool to hollow out the shape and keep only the wing’s outline. I chose a wall thickness of 0.8 mm, since I usually print with a 0.4 mm nozzle, making it just right for structural strength. I also added a small rectangle at the inner edge to serve as the connection point to the butterfly body.

Inside the wing, I began drawing lines and shapes. I offset those lines to 0.8 mm as well and extruded the resulting areas. I also added a small internal loop — this would later serve as the anchor point to tie the nylon thread.

Using curves and fillets, I created the butterfly body. I added a rounded head, small antennae, and created two rectangular holes where the wings would be attached later on.

To hold the mobile, I rotated a circular shape 7 times to create a flower-like base. I also added small circular holes around it to tie all the threads — both the ones that go to the ceiling and the ones that go to each butterfly.

I also designed some diamond-shaped pieces with a hole at the top and another at the bottom. These don’t serve a structural or connecting purpose — they’re purely decorative and are used later between the butterfly and the base to enhance the visual rhythm of the mobile. I also made a simple ring that would be used to tie the top of the base to the ceiling.

I printed 14 wings, 7 butterfly bodies, 7 diamond pieces, one base, and one simple ring.

To prepare for the resin work, I placed strips of thick transparent tape directly onto a wooden board, only in the areas where I planned to attach the wings. These would hold the printed pieces in place temporarily while I worked on filling them.

Using regular white school glue (the kind typically used by children and washable with water), I carefully glued each wing frame onto the thick transparent tape. I repeated this process for all the wings and the diamond pieces, making sure they were firmly attached and ready for the resin work.

I mixed UV resin with color dye. For each color, I used two disposable cups — one with a light tone and the other with a darker tone of the same color. I poured both into the wing segments, varying the proportions to create subtle gradients and tonal variations across the sections.

I worked in thin layers, letting them rest each time for a while, and finally finished each layer by curing it with the UV lamp.

Once everything was completely dry and hardened, I gently removed the pieces from the tape. I cleaned off the remaining glue using a damp cloth and water. Then I applied cyanoacrylate glue (nail glue) to the edge of each wing where it connects to the body.

I held the wings in place with a third-hand tool for several minutes until they were fully set and secure.

At this point, all 7 butterflies were fully assembled — ready and vibrant, each one in a different color.

I began by tying 7 pieces of nylon thread to the inner loops of the base structure. Then I tied those threads to the central ring that would hang from the ceiling.

I tied nylon thread to each butterfly, securing it through both wings. Then I added the diamond-shaped piece above the butterfly.

Finally, I tied each butterfly to the base, hanging them at different heights to create the effect of movement, like they’re rising in a soft spiral.

I mounted the mobile on the ceiling, directly above my bed. Now, when I shine light on them, the colors come alive and dance on the walls and ceiling.

Happy making!

I'm passionate about AI and love learning and experimenting with it, so I decided to add an extra step to tell you that I took one of the images I used in the process and uploaded it to ChatGPT's Sora.

I chose the "create a video" option, set it to 10 seconds, and started testing with the models available there (the GIF I'm adding here was made using the "Balloon world v1" model). It didn’t really follow the prompt I gave — I asked for "the butterflies to fly, multiply, and create a rainbow" — but I feel like it’s still learning, and it's fun to see what it comes up with.