Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Preserving Autumn's Beauty

Has it really been the best autumn ever?


Have the leaves been brighter? 
The skies bluer?


I decided to preserve the leaves as best I could so I could enjoy them after they'd blown off the trees and vanished.


Janelle and I gathered the most vibrant leaves we could find and preserved them simply.
It was lightning fast and so easy we decided to share a little tutorial with you here:


But that wasn't enough. I sketched and painted and snipped a bit...
Here's how you can do that, too.

First I did a very pale pencil line, simple as could be.
Then I used a pen to ink it in, refining and adding more detail.

Then paint and calligraphy and a layer of cut paper under the main sheet on a matching watercolor completed the piece.


Two ways to remember the foliage of autumn...

What fun!