A shift in season is upon us, Autumn - ushering in a world turned copper, scarlet and gold; and so what better way to celebrate the beauty descending on our trees than with a class devoted entirely to autumn leaves!

Together we will observe real examples of leaves foraged from my community, studying them closely for all their rich colors and intricate details, before we rely on intuition to guide us through creating them. The thing to keep in mind will be resisting the urge to include every little detail, which, as we've learned in previous classes, can quickly overwhelm our subject matter. Instead we will approach our leaf structure loosely, inviting play and movement into the mix and allowing US to enjoy the process. I promise to walk you through each step, helping you gain confidence and familiarity with each leaf so that you will feel at ease when we move into our class project.

This is going to be a FUN class. Break out of those watercolors and get ready to rummage around for the colors that give you all the autumn feels.

SUPPLIES:

Legion 140 lb cold-pressed paper or any cold-press paper I'll be using 9 x 12 sheets)

Princeton Aqua Elite or Heritage Round Brushes: Four Size 6 brushes and Two Size 10 brushes

Watercolors: below is a suggested range of colors to use. Please note these are not absolutely mandatory; you do not need to buy more paint prior to the class for best results. So long as you have a range of yellows, greens, reds and browns, you will have wonderful results!

MaimeriBlu:

Green Gold, Yellow Ochre

Daniel Smith:

Naples Yellow, Undersea Green, Quinacridone Scarlet, Quinacridone Fuchsia, Bordeaux

Winsor and Newton Cotman:

Sap Green

Vandyke Brown

Sepia

B Pencil to sketch leaves

Kneadable Eraser

Sketched Leaves: you can use the scans provided to freehand or trace. You can find the sketch PDF files in the class project.

Palette

Cup of Water

Paper towel to blot

Optional: autumn leaves for inspiration

Introduction & Observing Autumn Leaves

We will take a few minutes to study the leaves gathered from my community and notice their colors and details.

Supplies

Going through everything we will need to create our beautiful autumn leaves.

Painting a Hazel Leaf

Here I will show you how to prepare your palette with several colors and pre-load your brushes for easier maneuvering as we lay the groundwork for the leaf.

Adding Details to the Hazel Leaf

Once the leaf is dry, we will continue working by adding pertinent details to allow the leaf to stand apart as unique while remaining mindful not to overwhelm it.

Panting a Sugar Maple Leaf

Tackling our largest leaf, and continuing to use the wet-into-wet technique, I will show you how to prepare your palette with several colors and pre-load your brushes for easier maneuvering as we lay the groundwork for the leaf.

Adding Details to the Sugar Maple Leaf

Once the leaf is dry, we will continue working by adding pertinent details to allow the leaf to stand apart as unique while remaining mindful not to overwhelm it.

Painting Eucalyptus Leaves

These long, slender, snake-like leaves come in many colors and shapes. We will use this variety to our advantage. I will show you how to prepare your palette with several colors and pre-load your brushes for easier maneuvering as we lay the groundwork for the leaf.

Painting a Tulip Poplar Leaf

Leaning into orange and gold tones, I will show you how to prepare your palette with several colors and pre-load your brushes for easier maneuvering as we lay the groundwork for the leaf.

Adding Details to the Poplar Leaf

With an emphasis on veins and freckles, once the leaf is dry, we will continue working by adding pertinent details to allow the leaf to stand apart as unique while remaining mindful not to overwhelm it.

Painting Rowan Leaves

Variety is key here as we create these tiny leaves that pack a powerful punch. I will show you how to prepare your palette with several colors, pre-load your brushes for easier maneuvering as we lay the groundwork for the leaf.

Adding Details to the Rowan Leaves:

With an emphasis on veins, once the leaf is dry, we will continue working by adding pertinent details to allow the leaves to stand apart as unique while remaining mindful not to overwhelm them.

Painting a Gingko Leaf

One of my favorite leaves for its playful shape, again I will show you how to prepare your palette with several colors and pre-load your brushes for easier maneuvering as we lay the groundwork for the leaf.

Adding Details to the Gingko Leaf

Once the leaf is dry, we will continue working by adding pertinent details to allow the leaf to stand apart as unique while remaining mindful not to overwhelm it.

Painting a Sweet Gum Leaf

Finishing off our exercise by painting another large leaf using one of my favorite color combinations from "The Sunset Series" Color Guide. Here I will show you how to prepare your palette with several colors, pre-load your brushes for easier maneuvering as we lay the groundwork for the leaf.

Adding Details to the Sweet Gum Leaf

Once the leaf is dry, we will continue working by adding pertinent details to allow the leaf to stand apart as unique while remaining mindful not to overwhelm it.

Tonya Thornton

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