Autumn Leaves Art Project for Kids
The gorgeous New England leaves inspired this easy and colorful art project for kids.
Because the actual leaves I found don’t have the same range of colors on the trees, I thought it would be fun to just outline a leaf. I provide several shapes as suggestions but the actual leaf can be a simple oval.
Once the leaf is outlined in pencil, use any kind of paint you want but for we’re going to use watercolor because I like how the colors run together just like the colors in the fall trees!
Using a wet brush, paint directly onto the paper, mixing and moving around the color. You can try to copy the colors in one of the trees below, or just do your own thing.
Paint fast or slow — you’re the artist!
If you want, try different leaf shapes.
Pick a Leaf Shape
Three different Maple leaf shapes. You don’t have to get all the pointy corners if you don’t want to.
This leaf can be drawn with the ridges or without. You can just draw an oval if you want!
A cluster of leaves for either color inspiration or for a more challenging leaf drawing.
Paint in Leaf Shape with Colors from a Tree
Not all the Autumn leaves are shades of red and orange. This tree’s leaves are yellow.
These two examples start with red at the top of the tree with oranges and yellows in the middle until we hit green at the bottom.
Do you picture Fall leaves as more reds and oranges? If so, try these!
Autumn Leaf Watercolor Paintings
You can paint wet or dry, as you please. These are meant to be quick studies. Try two or three different leaf shapes or color variations if you want.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Art with Kids on Pinterest.
Learn more about chlorophyll, carotenoids, xanthophylls, and anthocyanins with this autumn DIY experiment: Leaf Color Chromatography with Alex Dainis via @ScienceChannel.
My books:
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Great idea! I have one question: What does it mean that “You can paint wet or dry, as you please”? I have not heard this before. Thanks!
Hi Sunny,
Sorry for the confusion. I meant that you can paint wet or dry with regard to the paper. If you put water on the paper first and then add paint from the brush, it will make a lovely blurry color colision especially if you dab on different colors. Or you can apply the paint to dry paper and add water via the brush to swirl and combine colors if you wish. Or just use a dry- ish brush to dry paper to make a more patchwork of color. Anything goes. Have fun exploring how to mix colors in different ways using more or less water on the brush as well as on the paper. That is the fun of watercolor!!
Ah, thanks for the clarification! We recently did a leaf study with rubbings, so the kids will have fun with this. Thanks again! 🙂
So beautiful! I’ll be pinning this to my autumn/fall activities board. 🙂
Hi Maryanne,
Thanks so much for meeting with me today! So great to spend time with you! And thanks for pinning to your board!
Great idea! Love the watercolor effect!!!
Hi Ann,
Thanks so much! Watercolor painting is pretty much the only art and craft that I can do. 🙂
Oooh, I really love this project! Watercolor is so pretty running all together.
Hi Jeanette,
Thanks so much. Watercolor is pretty much the only thing I can do. I’m so bad at arts and crafts.
What a cute project! I grew up in the Midwest, but moved to Florida to get out of the cold. I don’t miss winter, but I really miss the brisk mornings and beautiful colors of fall. Definitely going to give this project a whirl!
Hi Beth,
Thank you so much! The one good thing about a New England winter (brrr!) is the beautiful fall foliage and it’s so fleeting that I wanted to share it. It’s just the trees in my town … at my elementary school and along Commonwealth Avenue (also part of the Heartbreak Hill of the Boston Marathon). I’m sure the leaves in the forests are more spectacular but I never seem to get out that way.
The colors are so gorgeous. I’d love to post your artwork so if you email me, I’d add it! pragmaticmomblog@gmail.com
Love It!! I would love for you to link this, and any other of your great posts, to my weekly Mom’s Library Link-Up.
http://heymommychocolatemilk.blogspot.com/2012/11/co-hosting-moms-library-link-up-6-for-me.html
Hop over and check us out!
Hi Julie,
Thank you! I definitely will!
Wonderful. Simply beautiful. We LOVE Autumn colours and your leaves are gorgeous.
Thanks for sharing on Kids Get Crafty!
Maggy
Hi Maggy,
That really means a lot to me coming from you! Thank you so much. You totally made my day!
It’s wonderful, Autumn season have beautiful color .I really enjoyed .thank you for your great blog . 😉
Thanks so much Fariba! I really appreciate your kind words and taking time to come to my blog!