The cooler weather of autumn brings brilliant foliage to inspire us artists. These are the days I can't help but pick up a fist full of colorful leaves on my walks.
A great way to start sketching or painting a leaf is by finding the vein structure. It maps out the shape of the leaf from the inside out.
Beginning with a wash of cool yellow brightens the colors to come. When the yellow layer is dry, you can add reds, like this Alizarin Crimson mixed with a little Burnt Sienna.
Taking each section of the leaf and working wet-in-wet allows the many hues within each leaf to merge gracefully, and prevents hard edges.
Working wet-in-wet with complimentary colors Alizarin Crimson and Sap Green can become a playful dance. Keeping the two colors from touching prevents muddy browns, and the bold contrast of red against green catches the viewer's eye.
Mixing Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue created rich dark brown and black to add the crumpled, bruised bits in. The little details of bug-chewed, spotted and damaged bits is one of my favorite parts. And those details brings the leaf to life.
Ultramarine Blue mixed with a touch of Burnt Umber created a wonderful shadow color to land the leaf on a flat surface.
If you like, you can add more details on top of your watercolor leaf with colored pencils once the watercolor is dry.
If you love details, a single fall leaf provides a limited subject to dive into, letting yourself explore every splotch of color, every bug bite and every nuance.
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