Three-D Watercolor Leaves

These watercolor leaves are a great fall project. They make nice decorations or gifts.

We drew or traced a leaf shape on watercolor paper. Cut out two identical leaves. Cut a piece of wire long enough to run the length of the center of the leaf plus enough to make a nice stem. (Jewelry wire or florist's wire work fine. About 20 gauge is a good weight.) Glue the two leaves together, sandwiching the wire between them. Let dry.

We used watercolors to paint the leaves. Paint both sides. Curve the stem wire and wrap the very end in a curl. (See detail in picture.) The dark red and green leaf was splatter painted with white (acrylic) and dusted with clear glitter while paint was still wet.