Leaf Scavenger Hunt: Fall Doodling Activity

November has come upon on us, with our nights darkening and a crisp breeze cooling the air! Undeniably, fall has well and truly come! It’s a great time to get artistic inspiration from this colourful time of year, and what better way to do so than by observing the fallen leaves?

In this fun activity, we’ll be learning to identify the leaves you see outside your home, and from these, use our creativity to make a fun drawing inspired by its shape! This is a great way to practice our skill of perception, which is crucial when making art, as well as allowing you to develop your artistic flair. So what are you waiting for? Grab a pencil, some paper, your seeing eyes, and let’s get started on this leaf treasure hunt!

Maple Leaf scavenger hunt

Maple trees are some of the most common in Canada, so you are more than likely to see this outside your front door. In fact, you may already know what this type of leaf looks like! To identify it, look for a hand-shaped structure, which has between 3 or 5 lobes. It will have smooth edges that look a little ribbed, and be wonderfully coloured in the fall. Did you find one? Here is what it might look like!

Now, what image does this shape inspire you? When looking at the leaf, I immediately think of a peacock! If you’re looking to draw this as well, here is how!Begin by tracing the outline of your leaf. From here, draw a circle going off the bottom middle part of the leaf. Coming out the circle, create a kind of looped structure, like so.

For the eye, draw an almond shape with a thin oval in the centre, and a half-circle going off the top. Also draw a beak; you can achieve this by drawing a triangle with a line in the middle.

Now, it’s time for the details! Draw a curved triangle shape at the bottom of the stem, with a line in between for the feet. Little semi-circles higher up will create the knees. Around the top of the leaf, add ovals with smaller ovals within it, and a curved line on top of this. Finally, draw two dots with lines connecting to the top of your creature’s head, and a few circle on its belly.

Colour it in and you are done!

Oak

Oak trees are also very common. To identify its leaf, look for an elongated shape that is longer than it is wide, with often rounded or spiky lobes. There are a great many different type of oak leaves based on the variety of tree, but they generally look something like this:

Take a good look at the image and ask yourself what comes to mind. For me, I instantly think of a fluffy squirrel! If you want to draw this as well, here’s how.

Take your outline of the leaf. Then, start by drawing the outline of the creature. We’ll begin by a curved shape at the bottom of the stem, which goes harshly upwards to look like a kind of cut-off speech bubble. Also draw a small curve a bit higher up, like so.

Draw the head by going off your last curve and adding a triangle. From there, make an oval curve, and draw another shortened triangle off of it.

Finally, finish the body. From the half-oval, crave a small curve. At the same height as the head, start a line, with three small lobes at the end, which curves up to the back leg again, for the arm. Add another little leg as you did in the first step.

Now we can draw the details! Draw an almond shape for the eye with a slight glimmer in it. A little oval will create a button nose. Finally, draw the acorn by making an oval shape for the cap, with the bottom flat. Draw lines of it, and a small triangle on top. From this, draw another oval with the bottom perking. A line will create a sense of shine.

Colour it in, and you have your new furry friend!

Elm

Elm leaves are unique in their shape. They can be identified for being oval with a pointed tip opposite to the stem. In addition, it had a ribbed exterior, with many small teeth traversing the outside. If you found one, it might look like this!

There are many things this could look like, but I immediately thought of a strawberry! If you want to follow along, here is how to achieve this fun and easy doodle.

Begin by outlining your leaf. From there, we’ll draw a variety of other leaves, by drawing a variety of curves with lines in the centre. At this point, it might look something like this:

The last step (already!) of this quick doodle is the seeds, which you can achieve by drawing tear drop shapes all around the leaf.

Colour everything in to get your final drawing!

While fall may not be the brightest of the seasons, it's a great time to look around you and see what inspiration you can get! This leaf scavenger hunt is a great way to get started on this endeavour, and with the multitude of possibilities, you're sure to create something wonderful, no matter what you decide to make! If you try this out, don't forget to share your results with us, and have fun on your magical exploration!