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It’s that time of year again! Time to come up with some super easy fall painting ideas so we can celebrate the most wonderful time of the year in style.
As an artist, it’s hard to beat the beautifully vivid colors of leaves against a deep blue sky. It’s the one season where the motto is “the brighter the better”.
Having a gallery wall full of fall paintings that you created is such a personal way to decorate for the season and, if you happen to know a fall lover who was lucky enough to be born in the fall, what a beautiful gift a painting of Autumn in all of her glory would be!
There are so many autumn painting ideas out there but I want to stick with easy beginner friendly tutorials so you can relax and have fun playing with all of the bright colors. I tried to add images of each finished piece but, if not available, I’ve linked the video so you can get a feel for each painting.
Be sure to check out all of the easy fall painting ideas listed below. Each one is different and equally stunning. So relax with a cozy blanket, grab a pumpkin spice latte, and start planning your seasonal gallery wall!
Let’s go!!!
In This Article...
- Floating Fall Leaf – The Art Sherpa
- Shades of Autumn – Joni Young Art
- Vibrant Autumn Tree – Painting with Jane
- Easy Autumn Forest Landscape – Angela Anderson
- Turn the Page to Autumn – Michelle the Painter
- Autumn Waterfall – Colors by Feliks
- Painting an Autumn Pumpkin Patch – Stay Creative Painting
- Color Walk Forest – The Art Sherpa
- How to Paint a Lamppost in Autumn – Joni Young Art
- Pumpkin Spice – Eevee Maria
- Harvest Garden Gate – Painting with Jane
- Final Thoughts On DIY Autumn Paintings
Floating Fall Leaf – The Art Sherpa
This is an excellent tutorial that shows you how to paint a fall leaf up close and personal. It’s a re-creation of a popular image by Bernie Kasper (you can enjoy more of his amazing photographs on his Flickr account).
I thought this would be a pretty easy fall painting idea for you because it focuses on painting the fall leaf. In my experience, painting something on a larger scale helps to cement the process in your mind. You can easily see the different shapes that make up the actual subject, in this case the leaf, and it kind of connects the dots on how you go from a bunch of willy-nilly shapes to an actual thing (leaf). Plus, for some reason, I find painting the different shapes of leaves challenging. Anyone else?
Cinnamon Cooney has a ginormous YouTube playlist of what she calls “one hoot” paintings, and this tutorial is included in the list. One hoot tutorials are meant for absolute beginners so they’re easy and fun. In fact, this tutorial is just shy of 43 minutes so it’s the perfect length for a chilly autumn Sunday afternoon.
Shades of Autumn – Joni Young Art
This is an absolutely magical autumn scene and I would expect nothing less from Joni. She has a way of making the “everyday” look like you’ve stepped through a secret portal where everything is bright and full of mysterious enchantments.
In this easy fall painting tutorial, Joni shows you how to create a gorgeous pathway through a brightly colored forest. She uses easy techniques to get the job done while introducing a unique method of removing paint to achieve a subtle glow.
It’s hard to narrow down what my favorite part of this step-by-step autumn painting is but I am a huge fan of Joni’s use of neons and metallics, not to mention, the colors she chooses to paint shadows. I’m pretty sure that’s where some of her magic comes from.
Tips:
- If you don’t have the brush she uses to paint in the background, you can use a large flat brush to get the job done
- The trick to painting in the glow is to use more paint than you really need so you can strategically remove some of it and keep it from drying too quickly
- You can use small pieces of sponge to dab on the leaves
- You could also a round, flat, or angle brush to paint the leaves (a palette knife would work too)
- One of the colors Joni uses is Quinacridone Blue Violet but you could also use Quinacridone Magenta if you don’t have it
- If you don’t have gold metallic paint you could use yellow ochre/oxide (although, I do recommend you give metallics and neons a try. They’re so much fun to paint with!)
Vibrant Autumn Tree – Painting with Jane
Jane Font has a lovely way of making you feel relaxed while learning a new skill and this beginner fall painting tutorial is no exception to the rule.
“Vibrant Autumn Tree” is a classic fall painting of a tree in full autumn splendor, on a grassy hill, with blue skies in the background. As well as being an amazing fall painting for beginners, Jane does some experimenting with cadmium-free paint. So, in case you’ve wondered how well this type of paint works, make sure to check this video out.
Jane also has a YouTube playlist dedicated to beginners filled with level one paintings where you’re sure to find even more easy painting ideas for future artwork. Let me warn you now, your painting “todo” list is going to be huge!
Easy Autumn Forest Landscape – Angela Anderson
This fall painting idea by Angela Anderson is a long one but so, so worth it! One look at this gorgeous painting will have you imaging a long walk through the brightly colored forest, crisp air on your cheeks, and a hot drink in hand.
In this video, Angela teaches you how to paint a misty wooded landscape. This is a great video to practice creating the illusion of depth. I’ll give you a hint: the mist can help push objects back.
There’s nothing too defined in this tutorial so I think the hardest part might be painting the branches on the trees.
Tips for Painting Branches:
- Use more pressure near the trunk of the tree and lighten it as your branch moves out from the trunk
- Don’t get too precise with your branches. You want them to have angles as opposed to gentle curves
- If you make a mistake, cover it with a clump of leaves! No one will know the difference 😉
- To learn more, take a minute to look at my article that talks about painting thin lines (it’s excellent for helping you with branches)
Turn the Page to Autumn – Michelle the Painter
Guys, this one is so whimsical! Michelle the Painter is going to show you how to paint an old open book with a fall tree sprouting from it and leaves floating through the air. I love the surreal quality of this painting as well as the book and the falling leaves. I mean, it’s like she put my favorite things all in one tutorial (the only things missing are the coffee and the cat, haha).
Tips:
- If you want to save yourself some time, instead of adding the dots near the end of the tutorial, I would consider flicking paint on the canvas before adding the falling leaves. To learn more, take a peek at my article that shows you how to quickly paint hundreds of small snowflakes/stars
- You can paint leaves on the tree with many different brushes (round, angle, flat, fan) or you can use a sponge or a palette knife
Autumn Waterfall – Colors by Feliks
If you’ve been searching for some easy fall painting ideas, that have some type of water feature, Colors by Feliks has a beautiful one called “Autumn Waterfall”.
In this video, you’re going to see how Feliks blends his sky and clouds, giving it an almost mystical effect. Feliks uses soft blending brushes to make his clouds but you can use makeup brushes, as I’ve heard they shed less than actual mop brushes. Just look for a soft domed makeup brush and that should do the trick.
If you’re too intimidated to try the blending technique that he uses, just make sure that your background is well blended, even if you just use gentle horizontal brush strokes and muted colors. Blending is all about a gentle hand. Your mantra should be “ninja touch”, haha. You might also want to take a look at my article that shows you how to blend acrylic paint four different ways.
This easy autumn painting tutorial features a waterfall surrounded by fall foliage. Most people find water challenging but this is the perfect opportunity to learn how to add movement to water. Once you see how it’s done, future water paintings should be a bit easier.
Painting an Autumn Pumpkin Patch – Stay Creative Painting
Let’s be real, nothing screams fall more than a pumpkin patch, am I right?! Ryan O’Rourke has created this fun painting tutorial to really get you in the mood for fall.
Sometimes, easy painting ideas are great but there are times when you want a bit of a challenge. We’re not talking Mt. Everest-sized challenge here. More of a gently rolling hill where you have a bit more creative freedom to make a painting unique.
This painting tutorial will require you to do a bit of sketching and some guesswork because it is a condensed version of an hour-long tutorial available, along with a gridded sketch, on Ryan’s Patreon.
Even without these perks, don’t be afraid to give this one a try. Just be prepared to make it your own when it comes to object placement and placement of highlights and shadows.
You might be wondering why I would include this particular tutorial in an article about easy fall painting ideas but there are a few great reasons.
- Ryan is a fantastic teacher who is so good at explaining what he’s doing without wasting time on it
- This beginner fall tutorial has a limited four color palette (plus black and white
- It is made up of really easy shapes and techniques that won’t take a lot of experience to perfect
My favorite part about this pumpkin patch tutorial is that it’s so moody and symbolic of the season. I could totally see this one on a larger canvas or even done on a piece of wood to put on your front step with a few pumpkins! Just don’t forget to seal it for the weather.
Color Walk Forest – The Art Sherpa
Next up on our list of easy fall painting ideas we’ve got a gorgeous, yet simple, impressionistic autumn landscape. Cinnamon (The Art Sherpa) will walk you through this easy tutorial, which is her nod to Leonid Afremov (my favorite painter).
Although this painting is meant for thick paint to create texture, you can absolutely do this with student grade or even craft paint. It’s more about using simple shapes to create a lively composition.
Not only will you get to use all of the best fall colors, but you’ll also learn how to paint negative space, which is basically just painting in between already painted parts of the composition. You wouldn’t think it but it actually gives the painting a really interesting look.
My favorite part about this step-by-step autumn-inspired painting, besides being a tribute to my painting idol, is how bright and painterly it is. You really can’t make a mistake here!
Tips:
- You could use a palette knife for this entire painting
- This painting would make a fun finger painting!
- If you do use a brush, use short tap-like strokes
- Use lots of paint and a light touch
How to Paint a Lamppost in Autumn – Joni Young Art
You guys are going to love this one! It uses a really interesting perspective of a frosty lamppost with lots of colorful leaves in the background. Joni also loves to use some unexpected colors to create shadows and other elements which naturally gives the painting a lot of personality.
What I really like about this painting is that it has a very loose and blobby background. Literally, the entire background is covered in blobs of paint! Super fun and easy, right?!
Joni loves to use neons in her painting tutorials but if you don’t have any you can still do this easy painting with the substitutions that Joni provides.
When I was trying to think of easy fall painting ideas for you, I wanted to make sure that I included a lot of different elements for you to practice but still stay within the fall painting theme.
This video has a lot of different techniques for you to learn but in a way that’s really easy to understand. Because of the looseness of this painting, you can relax and enjoy the process.
Some of the techniques you can learn from this painting tutorial are:
- How to paint a loose background
- How to create a misty effect
- How to paint branches
- How to add a frosty effect to metal
- How to create lamp glow
Just as a side note, as I was watching the tutorial, I was thinking of how I could add my own artistic flair (which I typically do) and I’d love to see this done on a black canvas, where the colors melt into the background somewhat…… Sorry, got stuck in my imagination there. Back to our easy fall painting ideas!
Pumpkin Spice – Eevee Maria
Next, we’ve got a whimsical pumpkin with a hot mug of pumpkin spice coffee/tea and a few leaves blowing around in the background.
I love this easy painting tutorial because it’s loose and painterly and rustic. It also features all of the beautiful colors of fall with a bit of pale blue for contrast. Plus, it’s called “Pumpkin Spice”. With a name like that, it wouldn’t be right to leave it out of our list of easy fall painting ideas. I think there’s some kind of a rule about that type of thing.
This painting tutorial is great for learning how to blend but also incorporates lots of brush strokes and stronger lines to give it that rustic look that is perfect for this time of year. It also focuses on the pumpkin and how to add a ton of layers to give it a more realistic look.
The other thing that makes this painting idea so great is that it’s easily customizable. If you didn’t want to add the mug you could just make your pumpkin larger and centered. Or, change out the shape and color of the mug, if you like. I think it would look fabulous in the kitchen!
If you want to add a bit more whimsy to this painting, add a few vines, in the same color as the stem, that curl up and/or down from the base of the stem. You could even add some lettering, with a paint pen, to the mug.
If you want to make it even more rustic looking, try out my weathered wood background tutorial and paint the pumpkin and mug on top of it. It would be so fun to make it into a “Pumpkins and Coffee $1” sign.
Harvest Garden Gate – Painting with Jane
Next, Jane Font gives us this fantastic step-by-step tutorial of an old iron gate set into a rock wall with a path leading into a deep forest of brightly colored fall foliage. This tutorial perfectly embodies the feel of fall on a crisp overcast day.
In this tutorial, you’re going to learn so many useful things:
- An easy way to create distant trees
- How to paint easy rocks
- Super simple brushstroke to paint grass
- An old iron gate that embraces the wiggly line (shakiness is your friend!)
- How to paint a pumpkin
- How to place objects to create perspective
My favorite part of this tutorial is the pumpkin. With the stone wall acting as the backdrop and surrounded by muted dead grass, the colors really pop!
Tips:
- If you don’t have Napthol Crimson you can always use Cadmium Red Medium
- If the leaves are showing well against the dark branches paint over them with white, let it dry, and reapply the color on top of the white paint
- If you need more help with painting grass, check out my article on how to paint grass with different brushes
Final Thoughts On DIY Autumn Paintings
This is just a small sampling of easy fall painting ideas but I think you’ve got a nice selection to start with that will teach you a ton of different skills that you can use in your future paintings.
Whether you’ve decided you’d like to create a seasonal gallery wall, have a fall-inspired piece of art for each room in your home, or give all of your fall-loving friends a little celebratory gift, you’ll be surrounded by all of the sights and colors of the most wonderful time of year!