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Hey everyone! Today we are going to paint a vibrant how-to watercolor painting of fall leaves!
This tutorial is super simple, perfect for anyone who is either new to watercolor or just someone who just loves seasonal paintings.
So, let’s get started!
Full Video at the End of This Post!
You may also like, How to Paint Fall Trees with Watercolor.
Supplies Needed:
Watercolor Paper
Watercolor Round Paintbrushes
Watercolor Paint
Two Cups of Water
Paper Towel
Pencil (optional)
If you would like to see all the art supplies I recommend, check out, “My Supply List” page. Click HERE to check it out!
Colors Used:
Burnt Sienna
Payne’s Gray
Alizarin Crimson
Yellow Ochre
All of these colors can be found in this perfect beginner set of watercolor paints. This is the exact set I am using in the video above to create this painting. I highly recommend this product to you if you are looking for a beginner set of paints.
Optional Step:
If you would like before you begin painting, look at all the leaf shapes and sketch out a very light outline of each leaf.
This will provide you with the structure, size, and placement of your fall leaves.
If you prefer to keep your paintings as loose as possible or just feel confident enough to move on without sketching then you can feel free to skip this step.
First Leaf:
Start by dipping your round brush into your Alzarian Crimson paint and fill in our paint the entire shape of your first leaf.
While your leaf is still wet, and without cleaning your brush, dip your brush into the Burnt Sienna paint. Begin tapping in the color in random spots around your leaf. This will give your leaf an imperfect look that all fall leaves seem to have.
Using the Alizarin Crimson paint on the tip of your brush, paint in a short curved stem onto your leaf.
Wait for this layer to completely dry before adding some veining to your leaf with Alizarin Crimson paint.
To add veining, apply a light wash of your paint to the tip of your round brush. Then with a light hand paint in thin veining lines.
Before you go check out, How to Paint Pumpkins using Watercolor.
Second Leaf:
Dip your paintbrush into the Burnt Sienna paint mixture and begin painting in three ovals for the leaves.
While the base coat is still wet, tap in Alzarian Crimson paint mixture to the top of the bottom part of each leaf. This gives it a beautiful and natural blend between these two colors.
After your first layer dries, add the stem and veining to these fall leaves.
Dip the tip of your round brush into the Payne’s Gray paint mixture and paint in the stem using the tip of the brush. Connect the three leaves to the center stem.
For the inside of the leaves, use Alizarin Crimson to lightly apply veining to the leaves as we did before.
Third Leaf:
Dip your brush into the yellow ochre paint mixture and begin painting in the center leaf. This leaf has two bumps on either side of the stem and one bump on top.
Wait for the first leaf to dry before moving on.
Next, paint in the same shape leaf off to the right side of the middle leaf using a thick wash of Burnt Sienna.
Now to add some berries to this combination of leaves. Dip. your brush into the thick wash of Burnt Sienna and add dots where you would like the berries to be.
Once the berries have dried, connect the leaves and berries with a Payne’s Gray stem.
Add veining to the inside of each leaf using Payne’s Gray paint.
Fourth Leaf:
Let’s dive into our last fall leaf!
To start, I recommend having a light sketched-out line of where you would like your stem. This will make it so much easier to know where to put your leaves.
Now we can dip our brush into a thick mixture of yellow ocher and start painting in the leaves alongside our stem.
These leaves have a pointed tip and become circular at the bottom.
Wait for the leaves to dry before moving on!
When your leaves are dry, we can now paint in our stem and veining. Dip the tip of your round brush into a thick paint mixture of Payne’s Gray and begin painting in the stem, then add veining to the leaves. Paint using light pressure so your stem and veining aren’t too thick.
That’s it! You’re Done!
I really hope you enjoyed painting these gorgeous fall leaves with me today. I enjoyed walking you through this how-to watercolor tutorial.
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If you want to keep painting, check out, Fall Watercolor Doodles | Fall Must-Haves
Full Painting Process Video
