As the new school year settles in and everyone begins to adjust to their routines, it seems like a good time for a dose of creative stimulation. With the loss of summer’s freedom, it can be tough to find time for scribbling, but fear not! Your next scribblin’spiration is here and this time it is… autumn leaves!

 

What better time to embrace the change in seasons and use them for our artistic gain? The beautiful changing foliage is all around you, providing inspiration each day. You might take this inspiration literally and focus on drawing trees and leaves. Go to a local park or look in your backyard for a great landscape sketch. Collect leaves to study, press, or trace. Or use them as a starting point to create something different, abstract, or even unrelated.

photo by Pantone, via Plenty of Colour

 

The beauty of inspiration is that it can take you anywhere—different qualities of the leaves can stimulate your mind, perhaps even an image or association you have with them may arise.

 

There are so many elements within changing foliage to find inspiration; one of the most noticeable is certainly color. The rich greens, golds, reds, and oranges create a glowingly warm palette for the season. Try using these hues as a jumping off point for your project or picture.

 

photo by Corbis, via The Guardian

 

Another interesting quality of leaves is their shape—each type of tree’s leaves boasts a different figure and you can find all shapes and sizes on the ground. Experiment with the scale and design of leaves to inspire your creation. Also consider large-scale shapes, such as whole trees or forests. How are trees’ shapes affected as the leaves begin to fall?

 

photo via Fermilab Today

 

Finally, don’t overlook texture. The green leaves emerge from summer smooth and supple. As autumn advances, those leaves become dry, brittle, and crunchy. Play with surface and touch in your work to explore this element.

 

What images or ideas to changing leaves bring for you? See how they influence your art all season long. All you have to do is peek outside your window for a dose of inspiration!

 

 

 

 

 

Being born in autumn, I think I have a predisposed love for the season: the crisp air, the beautiful warm colors, and of course all the leaves slowly drifting down to the ground. Some people say autumn is sad because everything is going bare, dying before cold winter. I disagree. After months of blooming and flourishing in spring and summer, nature gives a magnificent final performance before a much-deserved nap. Then it starts all over again!

 

One of the most iconic signs of autumn has to be the changing and falling leaves. While people always notice their vibrant colors—red, orange, yellow, gold—their varying shapes are quite lovely as well. Why not capture the beauty of the leaves by painting them?

photo credit: Katie Brown Blog

 All you’ll need is paper, paint (however many colors you like), a brush, and of course—some leaves! Try to find some that aren’t too crinkled or crunchy and that are big enough to paint a few colors on.

 

Take a leaf and paint on whatever colors you like—I’d recommend a few on the same leaf, just for fun and visual interest. Once a whole side of the leaf is covered in paint (out to the edges and all), press it paint-side-down on a sheet of paper. Gently pat it down all around the periphery and middle so you get the whole shape. Then lift the leaf up and presto! You have a beautiful leaf print. You can make a few and frame them for lovely autumnal decorations.

photo credit: Kleas

What’s your favorite part of autumn? Do you think of this time of year as gloomy or joyous? Any other autumn babies out there?