Autumn Colours- a Gouache Painting

A beautiful old tree in autumn colours,  next to St. Mary's church in churchyard.
St. Mary’s

Hello everyone. Don’t you think the autumn colours have been beautiful this year ? Happily, this charming church in its tranquil garden churchyard is about five minutes walk from my house. To be honest, you wouldn’t think it was right in the middle of a busy town . Yes, I know it isn’t as busy as usual right now. But even when there are no restrictions, it still has that air of peace and quiet.

In fact, there are some glorious trees in the garden , each with its own unique character and shape . Of course, I can enjoy the sight of them all year round, in every season. However, the trees in their autumn colours have to be the most impressive sight of all.

The Dancing Leaves in Autumn Colours

The Dancing Leaves

So, in this closeup of my gouache painting, I really tried to show how the subtle yellow green leaves flickered and gleamed in the autumn sunshine. Well, I tried but it was an impossible task really.

More Autumn Colours

A basket of ripe, red apples in a basket - autumn colours in the harvest.
The Apple Harvest

As it happens, this is an oil pastel drawing of last year’s harvest. But the tree is very reliable and we usually get to eat these delicious fruits all winter ! Actually, this painting was on display for a few months in the Rotherham Art Cafe here .

A bright, impressionistic sketch of a tree in a beautiful garden, full of autumn colours.
View from the Glasshouse Window

Finally, something completely different. To explain , I went to a printing workshop in the elegant Victorian conservatory at Wentworth Castle Gardens last year . It was part of our Inktober 2019 activities. And, this is my impressionistic painting of the show of autumn colours in the garden, through the window. And, if I remember correctly, I used some acrylic inks to do a quick sketch, while my print was drying !

In my opinion, this time of year is truly beautiful. And, the display doesn’t last so long. So, get out and enjoy it while you can !

12 Replies to “Autumn Colours- a Gouache Painting”

  1. That painting titled “The Dancing Leaves” is beautiful. I read you struggled to capture the light, but I can see a special luminosity in it. Wonderful 🙂

    1. Thank you so much, Olga. I’m glad that you could see the bright colours. I think the colours are muted sometimes on my laptop.

  2. Ah yes, Autumn colors. I am drenched in them. This weekend, I saw two people stop and take selfies by the trees on our street. I have tried to catch the yellows and golds in watercolor, and I hope to give it a go in gouache this week.

    1. Yes, I saw your photo . I imagine that would be difficult in watercolour. I look forward to seeing the gouache version !

  3. Those acrylic inks look so much like brilliant watercolors, nice, Margaret! And the shimmer in your autumn leaves close up work well I think 😊 We here in Central Texas are hoping we’ll still get fall colors, usually do some, in November! 😊

    1. Thank you so much, Felipe. I’m glad you think that I’ve captured the light effect . I must do a bit of research into the Impressionists to find out how to use more colours to create the illusion. It sounds like your autumn leaves will be out after ours have all fallen off the trees !

  4. If you’d like more shine on leaves, it’s better to go with cool sky or background, cold blue or blue-grey. Then with medium like gouache, you can have darker shade of the chosen color underneath and applying lighter on top makes them not transparent, but shiny on the background. It’s mostly play of colors and warm and cold hues. Gouache is opaque, that should work.
    basically any medium can be layered and that helps.
    Inks are strong and the definitely have sparkle, looks good.

    1. Thank you, Inese. I shall definitely try some of the techniques you’ve explained for me. Starting a new medium from scratch really makes you feel like a beginner. But, it’s all good fun !

  5. Beautiful. Specially the dancing leaves. I scrolled up and down to see that painting many times. I can feel the autumn breeze is passing through the leaves and can hear the sound.

Let me know what you think !