Activity
Watercolour Leaf Study
A slow, satisfying art lesson in colour mixing and close looking. One leaf, painted well, beats a page of rushed sketches.
Ages
7-9, 9-11, 11-14
Level
Lower KS2, Upper KS2, KS3
Subject
Art
Duration
50 min
What you'll need
- Watercolours
- Paper
- Brush
- A collected leaf
What the learner will explore
- Colour mixing
- Observation
- Tone and shape
How to do it
- 1
Collect one interesting leaf.
- 2
Mix six different greens and swatch them.
- 3
Sketch the outline lightly.
- 4
Paint from lightest to darkest.
Make it easier
Do leaf rubbings with crayons instead.
Make it harder
Add a botanical label and paint a second leaf from memory.
Try it differently
Try printing with the leaf rather than painting it.
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Voleio activities are ideas and planning support, not educational or medical assessment.