Fall Leaf Chalk Art Project For Kids

Are you looking for a fun, simple chalk pastel drawing idea for Fall? Leaves are the perfect subject matter for creating exciting drawings!

leaf chalk drawing with orange, red and yellow chalk pastels on the drawing.

Whether you want to draw multiple leaves to complete your Autumn scene or just one leaf, this easy drawing project is fun for all ages!

Why You Will Love This Art Idea

KID FRIENDLY – These materials are suitable for any age child, but we recommend this project for grades two and up.
COULD DRAW FROM OBSERVATION – Go collect leaves and draw them by looking at them!
CAN MODIFY SUPPLIES – If you don’t want to use chalk pastels, regular oil pastels or construction paper crayons are great options for working on black paper.

Supplies you’ll need

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Black Construction Paper*
Oil Pastels, Construction Paper Crayons or Chalk Pastels
Bottled Glue
Pencil

*After years of experience with all sorts of black construction papers, this brand is a must. You can do this project with any size. Some examples in this lesson are 6″ x 9″ and 9″x 12″. For younger children (1st graders and younger might even do best on 12″ x 18″ paper).

Fall Leaf Chalk Art Tutorial With Glue Outlines

4 images showing how to draw a leaf in glue on black paper.

Step 1: Sketch With A Pencil

This is an optional step. Sometimes, it is better to draw with glue, as this forces children to avoid adding too much detail.

Keep your leaf drawing simple, or better yet, draw from observation.
You can also trace multiple leaves on a larger paper for fun composition.

Step 2: Outline The Drawing With Glue

Carefully use a glue bottle to outline the drawings and main lines with glue. Keep the tip of the glue bottle touching the paper and draw quickly.

Step 3: Let Dry

Depending on the thickness of the glue line, it may take a few hours to completely dry.

Step 4: Add Chalk Pastels

Our favorite way to add color to glue drawings on black paper is with chalk pastels. The glue resists the chalk and acts like an outline.

4 steps showing how to put yellow, orange and red chalk pastels in leaf drawing.

You can add Fall colors however you like, but we used yellow on the inside, followed by orange and red. When you have completed the warm colors, blend them with a clean finger.

RELATED ART IDEA – How To Make A Fun Pumpkin Chalk Art

Step 5: Spray Drawings

If you are using chalk pastels, it is best to spray them with a workable fixative.

leaf chalk pastel drawing and set of chalk pastels on a table.

Tips

School glue works well but may not have as much relief as you would like.
Glue-All is a thicker glue that doesn’t spread out as much. This is an excellent option for older kids because it is not as washable.
Make sure to lay your glue drawings completely flat to dry. Most drying racks have a tilt, and the drawings will drip or smear.
Practice blending warm-colored oil pastels or chalk pastels before working on this Fall drawing project.