Fall is the most perfect time of year as far as I’m concerned. The weather cools, the sun is bright, and low and the colors are magic! We are very fortunate to live in an area that is surrounded by hiking trails, ponds, a historic main street and beautiful century homes that are drool-worthy!

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and it’s the one weekend that I make sure to be outdoors as much as possible. Walking in nature and around my neighbourhood is a must, as I gather inspiration and soak in the last few days of warm-ish weather before our long, cold winter arrives.

It’s also when I am most inspired to paint as many leaves and use as much color as possible. I use what I gather as reference and loosely paint what I see as I interpret colors, shapes and lines. If you haven’t played around with watercolor yet, it’s a very simple practice to help you learn how watercolor behaves and how you can easily, in a few minutes, add some interest to your sketchbook or journal pages!

I recorded this quick time lapse video for you to see how to sketch out a rough shape, loosely interpret what you see and play with color and water flow.

I will most likely go back to this loose painting and play around with adding a few lines and details. The beauty about this quick impression is that you can always add to it weeks later and see how it transforms depending on what you decide to do with it. Marks with a pencil, a thin brush or even a fine marker can change the entire look of your painted leaf.

But for now, just enjoy a loose, flow of color and style making this very simple leaf, modern and unique.

If you enjoyed this quick post, let me know in the comments below! I have something special that I am working on and I’d love to hear what you thought of this very simple painted reference.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nicki x