- Assemble your art supplies including watercolors, brush, pencil and paper.
- Collect a variety of colorful leaves. If you can’t pick any of your own leaves, you can download the Autumn Leaves Practice Page I created for you (as seen below).
- Sketch a leaf or save time by simply tracing a leaf onto your paper.
- Take some time to observe your leaf before you start painting. Notice and name the colors you see and how they blend together.
- Paint loosely in a wet-in-wet technique starting by wetting the leaf you’ve outlined on your paper with clear water.
- While your paper is still wet, paint the lightest color in your leaf , then quickly add darker ones, such as in this order: yellow, green, orange, sienna, blue.
- Be bolder with your colors than you think you should, since watercolors always dry paler than they look when wet.
- Don’t get too fussy or perfectionist by overworking the paints on your paper, just quickly drop colors in and move on, or else you risk over-mixing the colors and making mud!
- Let painting dry then feel free to add emphasis with additional layers of watercolor, pencil, pen, or opaque white gelly roller pens.
- Most importantly, have fun! I always encourage my students to enjoy the process over the product and progress over perfection!
Beginner’s Tips for Painting Autumn Leaves
Does the thought of painting in watercolor intimidate you? Is it even harder for you to imagine how you might do it outdoors, in a park or meadow? Let me help get you started! Fall leaves are a great subject to start your painting journey with, since they come in so many different colors which softly blend together making painting a breeze.
With Autumn in full swing here in central Oregon where the sagebrush meets the pines, I was inspired to take a hike and do some watercolor painting. I brought along my camera so I could show you just how easy it is to incorporate watercolor painting into a nature sketching practice.
This is just a casual, unscripted tutorial I was inspired to make in the beauty of the moment, so please forgive the sound of the creek in the background, I couldn’t find a picnic table in a quieter part of the forest! And as wise folks like Confucius, Shakespeare, and Voltaire have said, in one form or another, “perfect is the enemy of the good”.
Before you watch the video, you may like to download my Cheat Sheet for Painting Autumn Leaves, which includes the tips and leaf photo practice page as seen below the video.
A quick note: In this video, I dip my palette in the stream water, which certainly isn’t the best practice. I would recommend that instead, you wet your palette with a spray mister since some paints, like Cadmiums, can be harmful to wildlife if ingested. You should then pour any excess onto a paper towel instead of the ground.
Let’s review the painting tips from the video
- Assemble your art supplies including watercolors, brush, pencil and paper.
- Collect a variety of colorful leaves. If you can’t pick any of your own leaves, you can download the Autumn Leaves Practice Page I created for you (as seen below).
- Sketch a leaf or save time by simply tracing a leaf onto your paper.
- Take some time to observe your leaf before you start painting. Notice and name the colors you see and how they blend together.
- Paint loosely in a wet-in-wet technique starting by wetting the leaf you’ve outlined on your paper with clear water.
- While your paper is still wet, paint the lightest color in your leaf , then quickly add darker ones, such as in this order: yellow, green, orange, sienna, blue.
- Be bolder with your colors than you think you should, since watercolors always dry paler than they look when wet.
- Don’t get too fussy or perfectionist by overworking the paints on your paper, just quickly drop colors in and move on, or else you risk over-mixing the colors and making mud!
- Let painting dry then feel free to add emphasis with additional layers of watercolor, pencil, pen, or opaque white gelly roller pens.
- Most importantly, have fun! I always encourage my students to enjoy the process over the product and progress over perfection!
Now It’s Your Turn
Now it’s your turn to try your hand at painting leaves in watercolor. Download my Cheat Sheet for Painting Autumn Leaves, which includes the tips above and the practice page below.
Want to learn more about watercolors?
If you enjoyed this tutorial I bet you’d love my introductory online course on watercolor painting. It includes videos and downloadable guides that you can study in the comfort of your own home. Learn more about the course HERE!
News & Data
Don’t think of the fall as that time of year when you have to do a lot of raking. Rather, consider it a free bounty of nature’s décor, generously splayed across your yard for the taking! Check out these easy DIY décor ideas that will have your home looking cozy and festive.
Frames
Autumn leaves are a natural work of art – why not frame them? Flatten an array of different colored leaves by pressing them between heavy books. Display them on the mantle or on your office desk, using bold black frames with white backgrounds.
Centerpieces
Place an autumn-themed bowl or plate in the center of your dining room table or on the console table in your entryway. Fill it with dry leaves, acorns and candles for an elegant centerpiece. Be sure to use electric candles, which are safer around dry leaves than regular candles.
Glass Hurricane
Why go out and buy an expensive glass hurricane, when you can go to the dollar store and make one yourself? All you need is a glass vase, glass candlestick, and a white candle. Superglue the glass candlestick to the base of the vase, and place the candle inside. Then fill the bottom with a mixture of beautiful fall leaves.
Autumn Wreath
Make your front door explode with beautiful fall colors. All you need is a wicker wreath, a hot glue gun and an assortment of fall leaves. Spread leaves out and used different, contrasting colors when affixing them onto the wicker wreath.
Leaf Bouquets
Clip branches with orange and yellow foliage, and place them in a tall vase. A leaf bouquets work great for coffee table displays and mantle pieces.
Leaf Printed Linens
All you need is paint, a paint roller, newspaper, leaves, and linen. It’s best to use three or more different shaped leaves to create a contrasting leaf pattern. Place leaf vein-side up and apply paint roller. Then, place the leaf on the cloth and apply pressure. Repeat until complete! You can also add extra paint marks with a round sponge for contrast.
The great part about fall decorating is that nature provides most of the work! It’s just a matter of combining beautiful fall leaves into an assemblage that accents your home.
