Home » Painting Ideas » Fall Leaf Watercolor Painting For Kids (With DIY Black Glue)

Fall Leaf Watercolor Painting For Kids (With DIY Black Glue)

Watercolor paints are so much fun for kids to explore, especially in this fun black glue & watercolor leaf art idea! Learn how children can create beautiful Fall leaf art projects with our foolproof painting tutorial.

watercolor leaf painting with Fall leaves around it.

Why You Will Love Kid Painting Idea


  • KID-FRIENDLY – Since you are drawing in glue, we recommend this art idea for grades 2 and up!
  • EASILY CHANGE SUBJECT MATTER– You can draw anything in the black glue.
  • ADD AN EXTRA NATURE ELEMENT – Start this project in your yard with a fun leaf scavenger hunt.

Supplies You’ll Need

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  • Elmer’s Bottled Glue
  • Watercolor Paint
  • Heavy Drawing Paper or Watercolor Paper
  • Black Acrylic Paint*
  • Water and Paintbrush
  • Large Paint Brush

*Cheap craft paint will work just fine.

Looking for more nature-inspired art lessons? Check out how to do creative leaf printing with markers or this fun clay leaf art idea perfect for young children.

How To Make A Fall Leaf Watercolor Painting

Before You Begin

Make your DIY black glue beforehand. We recommend mixing this in a glue bottle that is less than half empty. Slowly add your black craft paint to the glue. We mixed our glue and paint to about a 1:2 ratio. Test your mixture on a different piece of paper as you mix it.

collage of images showing how to make a black glue leaf art project.

Step 1: Trace Your Leaves

Draw out your composition by tracing real leaves with a pencil.

Step 2: Outline In Black Glue

Carefully use the black glue to trace your leaves. It is easier to get one continuous line on the edges.

Step 3: Let Your Projects Dry

When drying, make sure that the art is completely flat. Depending on the thickness of the glue, it may take up to 24 hours for your black glue drawing to be ready to paint.

Step 4: Add Watercolor Paint

Start by painting the background. If you are worried the children will not be able to mix the colors, wait for the background to dry before painting the background.

watercolor leaf painting on table with watercolor paint pallette.
This was created only using a cheaper scholastic watercolor paint palette.

Kids can even experiment with various watercolor techniques, such as wet-on-wet, dry brushes, or adding plastic wrap to wet paint.

plastic bag on top of leaf watercolor painting.

Follow us on Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook & Flipboard for more free art and craft ideas!

Tips

  • Your lines do not have to be perfect when outlining with black glue.
  • Trace your leaves lightly so that the pencil lines are not showing.
  • Having the tips of the glue bottle touch the paper may make it easier to draw.
  • Decide on a color scheme with contrast before painting.
  • You can make larger drawings or smaller Fall cards.
orange, red and yellow painted leave drawing no white paper.

More Easy Painting Projects

The hardest part of this Fall painting idea is waiting for each step to dry. Have fun and be creative with your nature-inspired watercolor paintings.

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