Falling Into Autumn
Autumn has a way of slowing everything down doesn't it? The air cools, the light softens, and the ground fills with treasures waiting to be gathered. Inside the studio, this season becomes a celebration of change. I always think of rich colours layered over each other, textures that feel both crisp and soft, and experiments that echo the way nature transforms around us. At Smudge, we love how autumn invites curiosity. Branches can be paintbrushes and leaves become stencils and pinecones become the start of sculptures. It is a season that reminds us that creativity doesn't need to stay still!
Art Forms
Here are the process art form activities we have used to bring this theme to life at Smudge!
Curtain of Colours
The Set Up
Lay the curtain or large fabric sheet flat on the floor or a long table before you hang it up. This is the moment to cover it with simple leaf outlines using a permanent marker. Sharpies work beautifully because the ink stays put once the spray hits. The outlines are loose guides, not colouring-in shapes because they give artists something to spray into, around, or completely over.
Once your drawing is done, hang the curtain across a wall or fence and protect the floor with a painter’s canvas or drop cloth.
Fill spray bottles with liquid watercolour, about ten drops per bottle to begin with, then adjust if you want softer washes or bold, glowing colour.
At Smudge we often set this up indoors, which feels wonderfully bold. Just check your fabric first. Thin curtains let colour spray through to the wall, which I secretly love, though it may not be ideal on a fresh white wall at home! Outdoors against a fence works just as well and can be easier to set up.
The Making
The first spray is always the most exciting isn't it! A cloud of colour hangs in the air before sinking into the fabric. Drips run down like rain and spread into shapes you could never plan. Reds bleed into yellows and suddenly a patch of orange glows across the curtain. Aim a bottle right at the middle of a leaf outline and the veins start to stand out, or spray across the whole sheet and watch shapes disappear under a flood of colour. The more the bottles are passed around, the faster the curtain transforms. What began as a blank sheet quickly feels like a wild autumn wall, shifting and growing with every layer of spray.
Variations
If fabric feels too big, tape together sheets of cardboard or paper and let the colours soak into those. Sponges and wide brushes change the marks completely, giving you heavy streaks and drips instead of mist. Once the curtain is dry, cut it into smaller pieces to save as collage paper. They always turn into the most beautiful scraps for later projects!
Materials
Curtain or large sheet of fabric
Permanent marker (Sharpies work best)
Spray bottles
Liquid watercolours
Painter’s canvas or drop cloth
Brushes or sponges (optional)
Curtain of Colours
The Set Up
Lay the curtain or large fabric sheet flat on the floor or a long table before you hang it up. This is the moment to cover it with simple leaf outlines using a permanent marker. Sharpies work beautifully because the ink stays put once the spray hits. The outlines are loose guides, not colouring-in shapes because they give artists something to spray into, around, or completely over.
Once your drawing is done, hang the curtain across a wall or fence and protect the floor with a painter’s canvas or drop cloth.
Fill spray bottles with liquid watercolour, about ten drops per bottle to begin with, then adjust if you want softer washes or bold, glowing colour.
At Smudge we often set this up indoors, which feels wonderfully bold. Just check your fabric first. Thin curtains let colour spray through to the wall, which I secretly love, though it may not be ideal on a fresh white wall at home! Outdoors against a fence works just as well and can be easier to set up.
The Making
The first spray is always the most exciting isn't it! A cloud of colour hangs in the air before sinking into the fabric. Drips run down like rain and spread into shapes you could never plan. Reds bleed into yellows and suddenly a patch of orange glows across the curtain. Aim a bottle right at the middle of a leaf outline and the veins start to stand out, or spray across the whole sheet and watch shapes disappear under a flood of colour. The more the bottles are passed around, the faster the curtain transforms. What began as a blank sheet quickly feels like a wild autumn wall, shifting and growing with every layer of spray.
Variations
If fabric feels too big, tape together sheets of cardboard or paper and let the colours soak into those. Sponges and wide brushes change the marks completely, giving you heavy streaks and drips instead of mist. Once the curtain is dry, cut it into smaller pieces to save as collage paper. They always turn into the most beautiful scraps for later projects!
Materials
Curtain or large sheet of fabric
Permanent marker (Sharpies work best)
Spray bottles
Liquid watercolours
Painter’s canvas or drop cloth
Brushes or sponges (optional)
Curtain of Colours
The Set Up
Lay the curtain or large fabric sheet flat on the floor or a long table before you hang it up. This is the moment to cover it with simple leaf outlines using a permanent marker. Sharpies work beautifully because the ink stays put once the spray hits. The outlines are loose guides, not colouring-in shapes because they give artists something to spray into, around, or completely over.
Once your drawing is done, hang the curtain across a wall or fence and protect the floor with a painter’s canvas or drop cloth.
Fill spray bottles with liquid watercolour, about ten drops per bottle to begin with, then adjust if you want softer washes or bold, glowing colour.
At Smudge we often set this up indoors, which feels wonderfully bold. Just check your fabric first. Thin curtains let colour spray through to the wall, which I secretly love, though it may not be ideal on a fresh white wall at home! Outdoors against a fence works just as well and can be easier to set up.
The Making
The first spray is always the most exciting isn't it! A cloud of colour hangs in the air before sinking into the fabric. Drips run down like rain and spread into shapes you could never plan. Reds bleed into yellows and suddenly a patch of orange glows across the curtain. Aim a bottle right at the middle of a leaf outline and the veins start to stand out, or spray across the whole sheet and watch shapes disappear under a flood of colour. The more the bottles are passed around, the faster the curtain transforms. What began as a blank sheet quickly feels like a wild autumn wall, shifting and growing with every layer of spray.
Variations
If fabric feels too big, tape together sheets of cardboard or paper and let the colours soak into those. Sponges and wide brushes change the marks completely, giving you heavy streaks and drips instead of mist. Once the curtain is dry, cut it into smaller pieces to save as collage paper. They always turn into the most beautiful scraps for later projects!
Materials
Curtain or large sheet of fabric
Permanent marker (Sharpies work best)
Spray bottles
Liquid watercolours
Painter’s canvas or drop cloth
Brushes or sponges (optional)
Pinecone Sculptures
The Set Up
See a pinecone, pick it up!
They are already little sculptures in their own right, aren't they? Rough, spiky, perfectly balanced one moment and rolling away the next. The grooves make them brilliant for wrapping wire. Set out a pile of pinecones along with florist wire (18 gauge works well), beads, tape, and a collection of leaves ready to paint. Goggles are worth adding here. They keep eyes safe and, even better, they make the whole process feel like very serious sculptor’s work (in the best possible way).
The Making
Start by wrapping wire tightly around the pinecone until it feels secure, then leave a stem of wire standing tall. Thread on beads so the stem begins to shimmer with colour. Attach a painted leaf at the top and twist the wire into arcs and loops, watching how the sculpture shifts as it grows. Some lean delicately, others shoot upwards, and every adjustment changes the balance. Wire is very forgiving so you can bend and re-bend until it feels just right.
There is always a moment when a pinecone wobbles, tips over, and everyone bursts out laughing before bending the wire again to find a new way for it to stand tall.
Variations
Paint leaves in autumn shades of red, orange, yellow, or pink using watercolour, paint sticks, or tempera. Drizzle paint directly over the pinecones for extra texture and colour. Build a whole cluster of them and display together like a forest of tiny sculptures.
Materials
Pinecones
Florist wire (18 gauge)
Beads and sequins
Painted paper or real leaves
Tape
Goggles
Paint and brushes
Pinecone Sculptures
The Set Up
See a pinecone, pick it up!
They are already little sculptures in their own right, aren't they? Rough, spiky, perfectly balanced one moment and rolling away the next. The grooves make them brilliant for wrapping wire. Set out a pile of pinecones along with florist wire (18 gauge works well), beads, tape, and a collection of leaves ready to paint. Goggles are worth adding here. They keep eyes safe and, even better, they make the whole process feel like very serious sculptor’s work (in the best possible way).
The Making
Start by wrapping wire tightly around the pinecone until it feels secure, then leave a stem of wire standing tall. Thread on beads so the stem begins to shimmer with colour. Attach a painted leaf at the top and twist the wire into arcs and loops, watching how the sculpture shifts as it grows. Some lean delicately, others shoot upwards, and every adjustment changes the balance. Wire is very forgiving so you can bend and re-bend until it feels just right.
There is always a moment when a pinecone wobbles, tips over, and everyone bursts out laughing before bending the wire again to find a new way for it to stand tall.
Variations
Paint leaves in autumn shades of red, orange, yellow, or pink using watercolour, paint sticks, or tempera. Drizzle paint directly over the pinecones for extra texture and colour. Build a whole cluster of them and display together like a forest of tiny sculptures.
Materials
Pinecones
Florist wire (18 gauge)
Beads and sequins
Painted paper or real leaves
Tape
Goggles
Paint and brushes
Pinecone Sculptures
The Set Up
See a pinecone, pick it up!
They are already little sculptures in their own right, aren't they? Rough, spiky, perfectly balanced one moment and rolling away the next. The grooves make them brilliant for wrapping wire. Set out a pile of pinecones along with florist wire (18 gauge works well), beads, tape, and a collection of leaves ready to paint. Goggles are worth adding here. They keep eyes safe and, even better, they make the whole process feel like very serious sculptor’s work (in the best possible way).
The Making
Start by wrapping wire tightly around the pinecone until it feels secure, then leave a stem of wire standing tall. Thread on beads so the stem begins to shimmer with colour. Attach a painted leaf at the top and twist the wire into arcs and loops, watching how the sculpture shifts as it grows. Some lean delicately, others shoot upwards, and every adjustment changes the balance. Wire is very forgiving so you can bend and re-bend until it feels just right.
There is always a moment when a pinecone wobbles, tips over, and everyone bursts out laughing before bending the wire again to find a new way for it to stand tall.
Variations
Paint leaves in autumn shades of red, orange, yellow, or pink using watercolour, paint sticks, or tempera. Drizzle paint directly over the pinecones for extra texture and colour. Build a whole cluster of them and display together like a forest of tiny sculptures.
Materials
Pinecones
Florist wire (18 gauge)
Beads and sequins
Painted paper or real leaves
Tape
Goggles
Paint and brushes