If your kids like picking colorful autumn leaves – they should try this project! Ask children to pick various leaves (maple, oak, birch and whatever trees or bushes they can find). The leaves should have different shapes and colors. It is better to pick the leaves the same day or day before the project – otherwise they lose color vibrance and become brown. We used both freshly picked leaves and dried in a book leaves – fresh leaves look and feel better.
This is a project for 6-10 years old.
Materials: paper, oil pastel, soft brushes (like squirrel or soft synthetics), watercolor paints (yellow, red, orange, green, brown, blue, pink)
Project takes about 45 minutes
- each child chooses 5-7 leaves he/she likes most of all
- start with the biggest leaf. Place it on a paper and trace. Don’t forget to add a stem.
- repeat it for all other leaves. Leaves can overlap each other. Kids can position the leaves as they wish since our leaves are blown by wind.
- ask kids to look closely at leaf veins. Point out that some leaves have radial veins and some have “ladder” veins. Draw leaf veins for each leaf. Make only 5-7 veins for each leaf and avoid doing more (making too many veins make it look like a spider web).
- outline every leaf and its veins with oil pastel. Kids can use different colors for outline and veins of the very same leaf.
- draw wind with white oil pastel (waves and spirals)
- start painting with watercolors. Begin with the brightest color (yellow). Paint a part of the leaf. While the paint is wet quickly add second color (orange, green or red) to the closest areas. Watch the magic of second paint flowing into the area of the first paint.
- students can add third color if they want. Repeat the process for all leaves.
- paint the sky with shades of blue and purple. Paint over the wind but not the leaves. The leaves should be painted around.
- place the artwork carefully on a horizontal surface and let it completely dry (otherwise the watercolors can leak)