Oak Leaf Watercolor Painting

“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. – by Albert Camus’

Autumn /Fall season has begun. Mornings have started getting pleasant. How about taking out the box of colors and brushes & start painting something that will go well with the fall colors while sipping a cup of hot tea/coffee? Or maybe just spending a relaxing but yet colorful weekend with your kiddo? Let’s make ‘Oak Leaf Watercolor Painting’.

Are you wondering what’s so special in this Oak leaf painting? Have a second look at the background closely. Does this look like a textured paper? Or some free hand strokes? Using this easy method, you can create as many paintings or wall pieces in no time. You will find almost all the material at your home. The painting that you see, I made it a long time ago. But I like this technique a lot so thought of sharing it with you.Let’s paint…

You will need:

• Pencil
• Paper (ideal for water coloring)
• Watercolors
• Water
• Couple of brushes (Flat, Round – 0 number, 1 number, 4 number)
• Plastic sheet or Bubble wrap
• Blow dryer
• Few Oak leaves (for reference)

Ready-set-go:

1. First of all, decide the colors you want to use for your background. I used shades of yellow and orange since they were pretty much close to the Oak Leaf.
2. Don’t color the background too dark. It should have subtle shades so that the main design will pop out. You have to take a little bit of paint on your flat brush and more water. Start with some free hand crisscross strokes as if painting on a blank paper. Do not over paint.
3. Here begins the fun part: Take your plastic sheet/bubble wrap, crush it. Open it and spread it over the wet paper. Don’t try to press it too much. We want the creases. Let it air dry or use a blow dryer to make it faster.

4. Admire your textured paper: Now, peel off the plastic sheet. There you have it -a textured paper. Lightly draw your design on it (Leaves in our project)

5. Now start coloring the leaves. Use darker shades for the leaves. Do not over blend the shades. They should look natural.

6. Use your 0 & 1-number brush for highlighting the inner lines. Give finishing touches. Let the painting dry. Decorate your living room, hallway, or wherever you want to take these fall colors. It’s up to you.

Receive more such useful articles on DIY by following me on Google +, Twitter, Pinterest or liking my Facebook Page My Little Moppet

If you like this article, Subscribe to our Newsletter here to receive regular updates. We Promise not to spam your inbox!!

Article by AlpanaDeo

Founder, Writer, and Editor at Mothers Gurukul

(www.mothersgurukul.com)