I tried another experiment, too. I want autumn leaves around in my scene, but I want them to be realistic. I ended up using regular printer paper, markers in various reds, browns, oranges and yellows, and a Fiskars leaf corner punch to get some great results.
I cut strips of paper wide enough to give me two good corner punches. I colored the paper on both sides with the markers and let it dry almost completely. I then went over the paper a second time with the same color, again on both sides, and let it dry completely. I wanted a variety of colors as you can see. :]
I also made two strips of browns only.
Using all three leaf shapes, I punched out leaves from both corners at the end of the strip and then cut the paper above the holes left behind. I then punched the next section and so on. The markers had curled the paper a bit, which added some nice texture to the punched leaves.
Nice little pile of leaves with good variegated color and thin texture. :D
I have more in store for these leaves to add to the realism, but it’s a good start!
As you can see, I’ve been making all sorts of colors, some deep in hue and some faded. I absolutely love the way they turned out!
I used a ball stylus to create veins in the leaves. The stylus not only curled them but it made the top side shiny.
It also left raised veins on the backs.
The only thing that gives them away up close is the large stem. I could cut each one down and color it darker, but really? I have to draw the line of sanity somewhere. I’m already adding veins to each one individually.
Besides, they are very convincing when viewed as a group. :D
