When we travel to different places we fall in love with food, trees, people, skies and so many more things. I always struggle to get good souvenirs for everyone back home, that reminds us of the beautiful time spent in another part of the world.

During my travel to Japan, I happen to find autumn leaves very fascinating. The beautiful yellow, red and orange leaves scattered along the pavement. I picked a few and safely pressed them in my sketchbook.

When I got back home, I decided to make custom postcards with the pressed leaves as a souvenir.

Material used: postcard size watercolour sheets, water colour tubes (Camel) and drawing ink(Camel), brushes

Timeline: 2 weeks

Things to remember

It took me a few trials to make the final postcards. If you too are willing to give it a shot, I have a few things that might help you:

• Define the designs: Draw the background design in a rough paper until you are satisfied before starting on the postcard paper. You can also use a tracing paper if you are afraid to draw directly. (Too many eraser marks would create difficulty while painting, as it pulls out the paper.)
• Decide colours: Define your colour scheme and try it out on a piece of paper. It would change with the choice of leaves or flowers you plan to use.
• Use liquid glue: Use a tube glue or liquid gum instead of stick glue. I ended up tearing my leaves while applying pressure on the leaves. So, always liquid glue.
• Let it dry: If you are planning on painting more intricate designs, let the wet parts dry completely before starting another section.
• Be patient: When you are done with the watercolour, wait patiently before using an eraser to rub all the pencil marks.

Keep reading to see the full process with images !

Process

I started with creating a composition by creating the leaf at the centre of the postcard with pencil.

The color of the leaves was so striking that the background had to be very neutral and pale, so that the leaves stood out. I chose a combination of Naples yellow, Payne’s grey, permanent orange and light red (you can use Indian red too).

Now starts the fun part of actually colouring each postcard.

Once the watercolour backgrounds are ready, it’s time to place the leaves carefully.

Hope you enjoyed the process.