Watercolor Aspen Leaf Tutorial
In this tutorial, we’ll paint a colorful watercolor Aspen leaf step by step together. If you want the look and feel of watercolor without pulling out a full palette, water based brush pens are a fantastic shortcut!
Fall is one of the most inspiring seasons for painting. The transitions in leaf colors from vibrant greens to warm yellows, oranges, and deep reds make for gorgeous watercolor art. Check out my master guide on How to Paint Watercolor Leaves for more ideas.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- Watercolor Sketchbook / Paper: Thick, textured watercolor paper works best.
- Tombow Dual Brush Pens: Yellow, Orange, Red, and Green (Tombow Dual Brush Pens or similar).
- Round Paintbrushes: Size 6 and size 12.
- Jar of Clean Water
- Paper Towel / Rag (for dabbing excess water)
watercolor aspen leaf Step by Step Tutorial
You can browse these fall leaves images to use as reference photos and this leaf drawing tutorial has many step by step examples for your preliminary pencil outlines. The aspen leaf has a heart like round shape.
In this tutorial, we start by laying down color directly from your brush pens onto dry watercolor paper.
Step by step tutorial showing how to paint golden aspen leaves
1. Layer the Warm Autumn Colors
Begin with an orange pen to draw the leaf stem and add a few organic dots and vein lines. Real leaves have natural splotches of color, so don’t worry about making it perfect!
2. Blend with Water
Dip your round brush in clean water (tap off any excess so it’s damp, not dripping wet). Start painting over the yellow areas first, gently guiding the water into the darker colors. Lightly brush across the red, orange, and green strokes so the ink dissolves and blends seamlessly across the paper. Stop blending once the colors begin to meld together naturally, and let the first layer dry.
3. Final Touches
If you notice any of your colors (like the green) getting washed out during blending, simply layer a little more pigment from your pen over the damp or dry areas and softly blend the edges with a wet brush.
Watercolor Aspen Leaf Video
Hop on over to Youtube and enjoy this watercolor aspen leaf video. Or click the video box below
Keep Painting: More Easy Leaf Tutorials
If you enjoyed this watercolor aspen leaf tutorial, building a full autumn leaf collection is a fun next step. Here are a few step by step guides to help you practice different leaf shapes
- Watercolor Maple Leaf Tutorial – Learn how to blend vibrant reds and golds on multi-pointed leaves.
- Easy Watercolor Oak Leaf – Practice painting rounded lobes and deep, earthy autumn tones.
- Watercolor Ash Leaf Branch Tutorial – Learn how to paint compound leaves with smooth colors
