Stained Glass Fall Leaf Art
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Celebrate the colors of autumn with this beautiful stained glass fall leaf art project!
This easy fall art activity uses black glue and watercolor paint to create bold, colorful leaves that look a little like stained glass when you hang them in a sunny window.
It’s simple enough for kids, but the finished artwork looks really striking. You can make just one leaf or create a whole collection in different fall colors to display together.
Supplies for Stained Glass Fall Leaf Art
You’ll need:
- School glue
- Black tempera paint
- Thin paper or lightweight white paper
- Watercolor paints
- Paintbrushes
- Popsicle stick or other small tool for mixing
- Optional leaf templates
How to Make Black Glue
The black outlines are what give this project its stained glass look.
Start with a partially used bottle of school glue so there is room to add the paint. Add some black tempera paint to the glue bottle and mix it well.
I used a popsicle stick to stir ours together.
You want the glue to be dark enough that the lines show up clearly once they dry.
Draw the Fall Leaf Designs
Use the black glue to draw leaf shapes directly onto the paper.
You can draw the leaves freehand, trace real leaves, or use printable leaf templates if you want more uniform shapes.
Add the leaf veins and other details with the black glue, too. Don’t worry if the lines aren’t perfectly even. The handmade look is part of what makes the finished art so pretty.
Let the glue dry completely before painting.
Paint the Leaves With Watercolors
Once the black glue is dry, fill in the spaces between the lines with watercolor paint. This is where the project really comes to life.
Try using a mix of:
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Gold
- Green
- Brown
We had fun blending several colors together instead of making every leaf a single color.
You can even look at real fall leaves first and notice how many different colors appear on one leaf.
Turn It Into an Autumn Observation Activity
This makes a beautiful art project on its own, but it also pairs really well with a little fall nature study.
Before you paint, take the kids outside and look closely at the leaves around you.
Ask:
- What colors do you notice?
- Are all the leaves the same shape?
- Where are the veins?
- Do the edges look smooth or jagged?
- Are there several colors on one leaf?
Then bring those observations back into the artwork.
For an easy companion activity, use my Leaf Shape Scavenger Hunt to look for different leaf forms before you begin painting.
Hang Your Stained Glass Leaves in a Window
When the paintings are dry, hang them in a sunny window.
The lighter paper lets some of the light through and gives the watercolor leaves a stained glass effect.
You can display them individually or group several together to create a colorful autumn window display.
This is one of those simple art projects that works especially well during the fall because the colors outside give kids so much inspiration.
More Fall Leaf Activities
Keep the autumn learning going with these related activities:
