Who doesn’t love fall? It’s an exciting season, full of warm, rich colors and change. Everything outdoors emanates a golden glow, and leaves on trees are more diverse than ever. If you want to hold onto the feelings and colors of this time of year, get out your watercolor paints and get ready to paint these fall painting ideas!
Here are six easy fall painting ideas for you to try:
Autumn Trees by Bluprint member pelewis206652692
1. Fall forests and landscapes
Let the color of changing leaves, golden sunlight and crisp clean air inspire your paintings. Head out to the mountains or fields with your paints and brushes, and spend some time painting outdoors.
Forests of Aspen trees are an easy subject to paint. They let you practice masking techniques, leaving the white of the tree trunks bare while you fill in yellow and orange foliage behind them.
If you don’t have any forests nearby, find a wheat field of any natural landscape that inspires you. You can incorporate an old barn or building into your painting too!
Autumn Barn Watercolor via Bluprint member Jackie-SpiceTre
2. Fall harvest fruit
Pears by Bluprint member Rick50
If you enjoy still life painting, why not paint the fruit of the season? Pears, peaches and apples are fresh and readily available this time of the year. They make excellent fall paintings that you can display around your home as part of your fall decor.
Pears in particular have beautiful and simple shapes that let you hone your watercolor painting skills in one neat package. You can practice creating smooth layers from light to dark easily with these subjects.
3. Sunflowers
Yellow Faces by Bluprint member parishcyn10562600
Capture the brilliant yellows of fall by painting sunflowers! These beautiful flowers seem to be everywhere this time of year, so take advantage of their wild, organic shapes and bright colors. Paint them outdoors or pick them and bring them home to use for a still life painting. Think Vincent Van Gogh in watercolor.
4. Pumpkins
Head out to the pumpkin patch or pick up some pumpkins in your favorite colors and shapes from the grocery store. Then set up a still life and paint away!
Pumpkins and gourds have such vibrant colors and pleasing shapes. You can paint many variations of the same subject because no pumpkin is the same. And you don’t have to just paint orange pumpkins — there are green, white and even pink pumpkins to inspire your fall paintings.
5. Leaves
Leaf by Bluprint member SFBayou
One of the the simplest fall painting ideas can be found right in your own yard. Colorful leaves are everywhere, and you can find different shapes and colors to paint. Group them together in threes to make a nice watercolor composition.
6. Sunsets
African Sunset via Bluprint member Shelly SLC
Autumn provides us with many warm, richly colored sunsets. Sunset paintings are a fun way to use fall colors without having to worry too much about painting everything perfectly or realistically. You can paint in the colors of the evening sky and then add the dark silhouettes of trees and grasses after.
The light can change quickly with the setting of the sun, so if you want to take your time, snap some photos with your camera and then paint from your photos.
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