Fall Nature Studies: Leaf and Animal Watercolor for Teens

True North Academy  ·  For Homeschooling Families

There’s a week every fall when the maple out front turns a red so bright it almost hurts to look at. The air smells like woodsmoke and wet leaves, a squirrel races across the yard with something in its cheeks, and for a few days the whole world seems to be showing off.

Then it’s gone. The leaves come down, the rain turns them brown, and the moment passes.

This weekend, before it slips away, hand your teen a brush. A fall nature study is one of the simplest, most restful art projects you can do at home, and it asks for nothing more than a walk outside and a few basic supplies. “The heavens declare the glory of God,” the psalmist wrote (Psalm 19:1), and so, it turns out, does a single oak leaf when you really look at it.

Why nature study is good for teens

Teens spend much of their day looking at screens that move fast and ask for very little attention. Nature study flips that. A leaf won’t scroll away. A sleeping cat won’t refresh. Drawing from life slows a student down and teaches them to notice: the way a vein branches, the way color fades at the edge of a leaf, the way a bird’s weight shifts when it lands.

That habit of careful looking is valuable far beyond art class. It’s the same attention a good scientist, writer or craftsman needs. And for many teens, an hour with a sketchbook in the backyard is simply restful, a quiet space where nobody is grading anything.

A weekend fall watercolor project

1. Gather on a nature walk

Take a slow walk around the yard, a park or a wooded trail. Have your teen collect three or four leaves with interesting shapes and colors, plus a pinecone, an acorn or a seed pod. If a bird, squirrel or the family dog will sit still long enough, snap a photo to work from later. Living things rarely hold a pose.

2. Look before you draw

Set one leaf on a white sheet of paper. Ask your teen to study it for a full minute without drawing. What shape is it, really? Where is it darkest? Where does the color change? This minute of looking is the most important step.

3. Sketch lightly in pencil

Start with the big outline, then add the main vein and a few smaller ones. Keep the pencil light so it won’t show through the paint. For an animal, begin with simple shapes, a circle for the head and an oval for the body, before adding detail.

4. Layer the watercolor

Watercolor works from light to dark. Start with a pale wash of the lightest color across the whole leaf, perhaps a soft yellow. Let it dry. Then add the next layer, orange or red, leaving some of the first layer showing. Finish with the darkest tones along the veins and edges. Patience between layers is what makes watercolor glow.

5. Label and date it

Add the name of the tree or animal, the date and where it was found. Over time this becomes a nature journal, a record of seasons your teen will treasure.

A simple supply list

You don’t need a studio. For this project, gather watercolor paints, two or three brushes in different sizes, watercolor paper (regular printer paper will buckle and tear when wet), a sketchbook, pencils and an eraser. A jar of water, a paper towel and a sunny table complete the set.

A tip from experience: buy the best watercolor paper you can and save money on the paints. Good paper makes a beginner’s work look far better and is much more forgiving.

What this can look like in a True North Academy class

If your teen loves this kind of project and wants to keep growing, a teacher and a class of fellow artists can make a big difference. Here’s an example of the kinds of things families see in our art classes.

For example, Animal Drawing and Watercolor is a live, beginner-friendly elective with a special emphasis on animals, built for students with less experience in drawing and watercolor painting. Families might see students working on shading, perspective, anatomical drawing, shape dissection, blending, color theory and watercolor techniques, including layering, then photographing their finished assignments to share.

The class treats art as both a physical skill and a way of communicating, a way to express experience and to understand others through what they create. The supply list will look familiar: watercolor paints, brushes, watercolor paper, a sketchbook, pencils and erasers.

Recommended resources for parents

• The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws:
  a beautifully illustrated guide to sketching leaves, birds and animals from life. A wonderful book to leave on the coffee table.
• A pad of cold-press watercolor paper:
  the one supply worth spending a little more on.
• A student watercolor set with brushes:
  plenty for a beginner, and easy to toss in a bag for a walk.
• A pocket tree field guide:
  so your teen can name and label what they found.

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