The Splatter Trick for Vibrant Watercolor Autumn Trees! 🍂✨ (Easy Fall Painting Tutorial), by Watercolor Tips on YouTube. 3 min 51 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 51 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Tape your watercolour paper to a board so it stays flat. Mix three or four warm autumn colours in your palette, each with plenty of water so they flow easily.
Wet the foliage area of the paper with clean water using the large soft brush. Keep it damp, not pooling, so the splatters spread softly.
Load an old brush or toothbrush with paint and flick it over the wet paper with your finger. Tap the handle to release fine droplets across the foliage zone.
Splatter each warm colour in turn, overlapping them. Let the wet paper blend the drops into a soft, luminous base for the leaves.
Cover nearby areas you want to keep clean with paper towel or scrap paper before each splatter. Work in light layers and stop before the paper gets muddy.
Let the splatter base dry completely. Do not touch it while damp or the soft edges will smear.
Paint the trunk and branches with the small detail brush using a darker brown or grey. Vary the thickness and add a few twigs for movement.
Add a handful of small accent leaves on and around the branches with the detail brush. Place them loosely so the tree still looks expressive.
Step back and check the balance. Add a few more splatters or leaves in gaps, then let the painting dry flat before removing the tape.
Tips and common mistakes
Test your splatter on scrap paper first to judge how much water and paint you need.
Keep the paper damp but not soaked, or the colours will run into puddles and lose their glow.
Mask the sky and ground with paper towel so stray droplets do not land where you do not want them.
Let each layer dry fully before adding branches, or the dark lines will bleed.
Questions
Do I need special paint for splattering?
No. Any watercolour works. Just mix it thin enough to flick off the brush and test the consistency on scrap paper first.
How do I stop splatters going everywhere?
Cover the areas you want to keep clean with paper towel or scrap paper. Keep the flick low and close to the paper to control the spread.
Can I use this technique for other seasons?
Yes. Swap the warm autumn colours for greens in summer or soft pinks for spring blossom, and keep the same wet splatter base.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
