Fall Painting Tutorial

This tutorial will teach you how to make a beautiful fall painting. Before starting, be aware that you must wait for the paint to dry. Make sure to clear around two hours for this painting. Take it slow, and don’t rush the process or panic if something goes wrong. Mistakes can always be fixed or incorporated into the final design. 

Supplies Needed:

• Red, orange, black, yellow, and (optional) white acrylic paint. If not readily available, you can use crayons, colored pencils, and markers. 

• A canvas, preferably 9 x 12 inches or any rectangular shape. Thick cardstock paper, or normal paper if paint is not used, is also acceptable.

• A paint palette. If you wish to preserve any excess paint, use something that you can put a lid on so the paint doesn't dry.

• Good brushes of various sizes. If the brush’s bristles fall off easily, or if it is rough to the touch, don’t use it. For acrylic paint, sturdy and soft bristle brushes are optimal. Use brushes of smaller size for better accuracy when working on finer details. 

• A cup of cold water and a paper towel. These are used for washing your brush off, and drying it before using different colors. If you have multiple brushes, you can set the brushes aside on a paper towel to clean after finishing. 

Step 1: 

Once you’ve gotten your supplies ready, grab the orange and red paint. Mix them in equal parts until the color is a burnt orange. Cover the entire front of the canvas with the color. Wait until fully dried. You can tell whether it is fully dry by holding it up to the light and seeing if any areas are still shiny. Once completely dried, put another layer of the burnt orange paint. Wait till it’s fully dry. 

For other options, divide your canvas into equal horizontal sections. Find a burnt or dark orange and color the middle section with it. Make sure it is completely covered, and no white is showing. 

Step 2: 

Mix black with exactly three drops of orange paint. Paint the bottom two inches of your canvas with the paint haphazardly. This will be your ground so having the paint look haphazard will mimic overgrown grass and foliage that is wilting. 

Alternatively, use a dark gray color and draw your foliage underneath the orange. To make other steps easier, do not color the blank spaces with the previous orange yet. 

Step 3:

Mix equal parts yellow and orange paint. Paint the 2-3 inches at the top of the canvas, with the yellow-orange. Let it dry before adding a second layer. If the burnt orange still shows underneath the yellow-orange once dried, paint a third layer. Once the yellow is done drying, mix orange paint and three drops of red paint. Make sure the orange-red is lighter than the burnt orange. Paint it underneath the yellow, about 2-3 inches. Let dry before adding a secondary layer. 

Alternatively, color the top section with a yellow-orange color and orange underneath. 

Step 4:

Flip the canvas the right way and mix equal parts black and orange paint. Use this to paint on your plantlife. You can paint a tree, cottage, mushrooms, bushes, or wilting flowers. For added details, mix the black-orange paint with more orange to make it lighter and have a good contrast. On this step, creativity is key. If you want, mix white with three drops of black for clouds at the top. 

Alternatively, use a dark gray to draw on the details. For the lighter color, a normal or light gray. For the clouds, use a white or very light gray. Color in the leftover white spaces with the burnt or dark orange.

 Now you are all done with your fall painting. Art is subjective in nature and practice, so as long as you believe it looks good, then it’s a true work of art. Have a wonderful fall season!