This was my first try at a realistic water color painting (after having started using watercolor some 6-7 weeks ago).
Marc went out and collected some specific leafs for me (my health kept me indoors). I wanted them to have warm fall colors, but also some green left in them. And I remembered that a couple of streets away from us there is an American Oak (or that is what it is called over here).
Our local oaks don’t have those pointy bits on the leaves, but have rounded lobes instead.
On my request Marc photographed the leaves he had collected, on a light background, making sure to include shadows. I then picked my favorite picture, did a bit of photo editing and downloaded it onto the tablet that I will use in my studio for reference pictures.
I also changed the picture to black & white, in the size I wanted it to be, and printed it. Then I fuzzy cut the leaf and traced around it on my (dirt cheap) watercolor paper (from Action) with pencil.
I also drew the main veins with pencil.
I painted the leaf with my student quality watercolor paints.
Then I used a black fineliner for the pointy bits and parts of the outline, and a white colored pencil for the highlights and for toning down the sharp edges (back washes) of the shadows (that were a result of the cheap paper I used).
(In the meantime Marc and I have been to an art supplies store and I bought myself some professional paints and expensive paper, so I might give this Autumn Leaf painting another try with those some day.)
I apologize for the tinted background. I could not make it whiter in the picture without disturbing the colors of the painting and without loosing the texture of the paper.
Wow! I love that you’re doing a portrait of sorts of an individual autumn leaf. They are impressive en masse, but can be exquisite individually, too, and you’ve captured that.
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
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Great job! I like how you blended the browns into the greens and yellows, just like real leaves look! So happy that your “assistant” Marc is able to help you with this new endeavor!
Stunningly gorgeous and so delicate and perfect. Your watercolor work is a joy to see. Imagine how amazing your work will be in another 7 weeks! You’re already so talented.
Aaw, thanks everyone for your wonderful compliments!
They really mean a lot to me.
I watch a lot of watercolor videos for beginners on YouTube and learned a lot from them.
And I practiced and learned how to use my materials just by playing around with them.
I got this effect by building up layers of color (glaces).
I started with shades of yellow (on the entire leaf), then green, then orange, a light brown (more water), a darker brown and an even darker brown (mixed in some grey).
And then, like I said, a black fineliner marker and a white colored pencil.
And finally I added some ‘blemishes’, with brown paint and that black fineliner.
I posted this watercolor painting on Reddit yesterday, in the Water Color subreddit, and to my surprise had 800 upvotes and over 20 compliments within 24 hours.
(I posted a couple of drawings in the past, in other subreddits, and they disappeared into oblivion within minutes, so I sort of had given up on it.)
Oh, looky here! Your great craft is one of this week’s Featured Projects! Congrats!