If you love the bold textures of fall, this tutorial is perfect for you! We’ll be creating an easy fall landscape reflection scene, using thick acrylic layers to capture the beauty of autumn leaves.
With a brush technique and impasto-like effects, this painting features trees leaning over a lake, leaves floating on the water, and their reflections shimmering below. By using complementary colors like purple and yellow, you’ll bring out the vibrancy of the season.
This easy fall landscape is beginner-friendly and a great way to practice painting with thick body acrylics for added texture.
If you love autumn paintings, check out Fall Foliages.
Fall Foliages: Mastering Autumn Trees & Landscapes
“The autumn road paintings were my favorite part of the class. Learning to use a palette knife for the fallen leaves opened up a whole new world of texture for me!” — Emily S
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MATERIALS YOU NEED
Acrylic Colors:
- Lemon yellow
- Cadmium yellow
- Cadmiun orange
- Violet
- Burnt sienna
- White
- Black
Surface:
- I painted on an A6 watercolor paper.
Acrylic Brushes:
- I used a size 4 filbert brush which is perfect for this canvas size. If you are painting bigger, then switch to a size that is proportionate with your painting surface.
- Size 1 & 2 round brush
Get my exact supply list for acrylic paintings, with helpful color mixing tips that you can start implementing right away!
painting steps:
- Prepare your canvas by sketching the outlines of the land and trees on either side of the lake.
- Begin with the background, blending purple and yellow hues for the sky and water reflection. Keep the water’s surface soft, but leave room for textured layers later.
- Block in the trees and foliage on both sides of the lake. Use a small brush and layer thick body acrylics to create impasto-like effects on the leaves. Let the trees hang over the water for a natural fall look.
- Paint the reflections by mirroring the tree shapes in the lake. Use softer brushstrokes for the reflection, but keep the color scheme strong with hints of purple and yellow.
- Add floating leaves on the water’s surface using thick layers of yellow and orange acrylic. Use a small brush to layer the paint and create depth in the floating leaves.
- Refine the details by adding texture to both the trees and the water reflection. Adjust the highlights and shadows to enhance the impasto-like effects on the leaves.
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If you enjoyed following along with this step-by-step guide and want even more in-depth guidance, I invite you to join my Fall Foliages masterclass. In the full class, I’ll walk you through this fall landscape reflection painting with a detailed voiceover, providing complete demonstrations from start to finish.
You’ll learn how to layer thick acrylics, master the impasto effect, and create stunning autumn scenes with confidence. Plus, I’ll be there to guide you along the way, offering tips and feedback to help you make this painting your own.
This fall landscape reflection combines color and texture to capture the beauty of the season.
The thick layers of acrylic add a rich, tactile feel to the painting, perfect for beginners looking to explore impasto techniques with a brush.
If you enjoyed creating this painting and want to learn more techniques, join my Fall Foliages masterclass, where we explore a variety of fall landscapes and trees with guided tutorials.
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