Month: September 2025

 Life trundles on , and so do the seasons, the autumn colours are a joy to see so I thought you might like to see how I’ve painted some in the past 

 

So on a much calmer note , I am carrying on painting , and taking solace in the autumn colours 

 

Devon is looking glorious today , bathed in autumn sunshine, leaves falling past my studio window. The colours are different and interesting on every single leaf. A recent walk to Fingle bridge was so lovely

So much to see.

Then back home the dahlias are still doing their thing. 

 

 

I try to get out and about as much as I can, walking, looking and thinking. These are as much a part of the process as painting is. I need to understand something before it can form on the page so observing  things and being excited about how they really are can form the beginnings of an idea.

Without realising it I am very much influenced by where I am and what is happening around me, so my paintings change as the seasons do. I feel connected to this place, where I live, and seeing a familiar tree, don it’s autumn foliage, feels like meeting with an old friend again. 

So as it is autumn, I thought I would try and explain ( a bit ) about how I paint leaves at this time of year.

I often have my phone with me and I try to take photos for reference .

I begin to paint a leaf as a whole thing. I paint it in one go, leaving some white spaces for the light to bounce off the surface. I paint all the colours I see on a leaf in one go. From green to orange, to yellow ochre.

There is red in there, is it a warm red or a cool one…I need to really look.

Then I move onto another leaf and leave my first one to dry. I shall return to it.

See how I move around the leaves and really look for the colours in each one..

There is often more green in autumn leaves than you think. Paint what you see, not what you think you see.

 

I may well then go in and add darker patches, where the leaf is folded.

Adding shadows to the leaves.

Some leaves may need stems or branches, thorns or lichen. 

It is also nice to add spots to leaves and many of them have holes in them. 

Try not to be too specific , hit at veins and crinkles, and lights and darks.

Add berries and greener leaves, all plants change at a different pace.

 

Adding leaves to my work grounds it in the autumn, and in my Devon lanes. 

Practice your leaves , try doing them wet in wet and let your brush dance around like the leaves in autumn.

The more you look then the more you’ll see.

Colours used….sap green , yellow ochre, lemon yellow, cobalt blue, alizarin crimson, cadmium red ., cerulean blue, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cadmium orange, sepia, 

We are definitely getting lots of different weather at the moment, grey and mild one day and sunny and bright the next. Things are changing mornings are misty, webs are appearing everywhere. Autumn is here. The liquid amber in my garden is changing colour.

 

I had a very wet walk yesterday around Eggesford, but the trees were magnificent.

Today the sun is shining brightly and there isn’t a cloud in the sky.

I have been busy working on my Christmas cards, and updating my website, I haven’t increased prices, except with postage so do have a look .

So now onto the reason for todays blog, just 3 colours….

Watercolour is a tricky medium, and so anyone who is struggling a bit, maybe it would help to limit your palette , just use these three colours, it cuts out some of the big decisions you have to make while juggling all the other decisions you are making.

 I do enjoy painting with a limited palette and my 3 favourite colours to use are yellow ochre, cadmium red and cobalt blue. I have produced a lot of paintings with just these 3 colours and to my mind they are perfect for this autumnal time of year.

The yellow ochre is a lovely warm tone that is lovely in the sky, and I also use the yellow in the wings to show the flight of the birds, Then the red and blue create so many different purples, from a distant blue for the background hills to a darker purple for the foreground.

I used these three colours again predominantly in this piece. I have added some blue and green but this piece is much more detailed. The yellow ochre produces such a warm feeling in the foreground field and the dark purple is a great contrast under the hedges. I have also splattered some water into the wet paint to produce the random patterns that watercolour is so good at.

In this woodland scene I paint the background trees straight into the yellow ochre of the sky, and use yellow ochre as the light on the trees. The more observant amongst you will see there is a bit of green in this piece too , but by just using a limited palette you can achieve a real atmosphere.

I have learnt that you need to paint what you see and not what you think you see, as I did with the shadows in the tree below

So these are my 3 favorite colours and I find it incredible how versatile they can be , experiment yourself with a limited palette and see what happens x

Something to brighten your day! Four colourful nature and wildlife cards from Tamsin Abbott to add to her already-delicious collection 🙂 Order now or simply scroll and enjoy!