Easy Watercolor Apple Basket Tutorial: The Apples of Autumn

Some of my favorite memories of fall seem to have apples in them, which made this week's easy watercolor apple basket tutorial feel just right for September.

Growing up in Michigan, apples were simply part of fall. The air turned cooler, the leaves began changing, and by Thanksgiving, there were always pies.

My mother made four of them every Thanksgiving - two apple, one pumpkin and one pecan.

That ratio tells you something about our family. Apple was clearly the favorite.

And then there was her homemade crust. It was perfection.

Apples, Autumn and Michigan Memories

I grew up in Michigan, where the change from summer to fall was impossible to miss.

There was something about that first coolness in the air after summer that made it feel as though a completely new season had arrived.

Apples belonged to that season.

I don't remember thinking very much about it as a child. They were simply one of those familiar things that appeared every fall, right along with changing leaves and cooler days.

But those Thanksgiving apple pies are something I remember.

My mother always made her crust from scratch, and somehow she managed to make enough pies for everyone - with two apple pies because apparently one was simply not going to be enough for our family.

Funny how food can become so connected to a season that years later, just thinking about it can take you right back to a particular kitchen and time in your life.

Finding Apple Season in Southern California

Years later, we moved to Southern California.

Fall there was very different.

We didn't have the same dramatic change of seasons I'd grown up with in Michigan, and it was simply too warm where we lived for apple trees.

But we happened to live only a few miles from Oak Glen, an area higher in the mountains where the elevation makes it cool enough for apple orchards.

So almost every fall, we took our children up there.

Oak Glen was definitely more of a destination - apple orchards, cider, pies and all the other things that make people want to spend an autumn day in apple country.

But for me, I think there was also something familiar about it.

For a little while, we could leave Southern California behind and go find fall.

And Now, Fall in Idaho

Now that I'm living in Idaho, autumn feels much more like the season I remember from Michigan.

You can sense the change coming.

After the heat of summer, the mornings begin to feel different. The air gets cooler. The landscape starts changing.

And there are apple orchards here again.

Perhaps that's why painting a basket of apples felt like such a natural choice for this September edition of the Creative Heart Journal.

Apples have somehow followed me through quite a few autumns.

Painting With Our Fall Watercolor Palette

I'm continuing to use the same five colors for every painting in my Fall Collection, although I give the palette a different seasonal name each week.

This week's palette is called Orchard Glow:

Sunlit Gold - Hansa Yellow Light
Rust Orchard - Transparent Red Oxide
Fallen Bark - Raw Umber
Evergreen Hush - Sap Green
Dusty Bloom - Quinacridone Rose

I'm using Daniel Smith professional watercolor paints, but you don't need these exact paints to follow along.

Choose a yellow, warm rust, earthy brown, green and berry or rosy pink from the paints you already have.

And that's where this week's painting became especially interesting.

How Do You Paint a Red Apple Without Red Paint?

When I looked at my Fall palette, I realized I didn't have what most of us would think of as an obvious apple red.

I could have added one.

But part of the fun of creating this collection has been seeing what I can make with the same five colors, so I decided to experiment.

I started combining Sunlit Gold and Dusty Bloom.

And I was surprised by how many different apple colors I could create.

More Sunlit Gold gave me warmer golden and orange-red areas. More Dusty Bloom gave me deeper rosy reds. By changing the proportions and layering the colors, I could make each apple a little different. That's exactly the discovery I included in this week's Journal.

And it was fun!

Sometimes working with fewer colors makes me experiment more than I would if I had every possible color sitting in front of me.

An Easy Watercolor Apple Basket for Beginners

Although the finished painting has quite a few little details, the basic shapes are simple.

We begin by lightly sketching or tracing the apples, basket and flowers. Then we build the apples in layers, beginning with yellow and adding warmer orange-red and rosy colors. The leaves get their layers of green, the basket gets its warm beige and brown details, and I finish with some of the little pen details that are becoming part of my whimsical painting style.

Don't worry about making your apples - or your basket - look exactly like mine.

Make one apple more golden. Make another one rosy red. Simplify the flowers. Leave something out. Add something of your own.

That's part of the fun.

You can view the entire recorded tutorial here on YouTube:

A Little Creative Heart Practice

Today I notice the little things that make a season feel familiar.

Maybe for you it's apples.

Or perhaps it's the first cool morning, a particular flower, the smell of something baking, the changing leaves or a recipe that appears in your kitchen at the same time every year.

So many of our memories are attached to very ordinary things.

We just have to slow down enough to notice them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this watercolor apple basket suitable for beginners?

Yes. The design is built from simple shapes, and you can use the traceable outline rather than drawing the entire design yourself. The painting is created gradually in layers, so you don't need advanced watercolor skills.

What colors do I need for this watercolor apple tutorial?

I'm using five colors from my Fall Collection: Hansa Yellow Light, Transparent Red Oxide, Raw Umber, Sap Green and Quinacridone Rose (all Daniel Smith paints). You can substitute similar colors from whatever watercolor set you already own.

How do I mix red for watercolor apples?

Try starting with a warm yellow and adding a berry or rosy pink. For this painting, I used Sunlit Gold and Dusty Bloom. Changing the proportion of each color gave me everything from golden-orange to deeper rosy red.

How can I make my watercolor apples look less flat?

Rather than painting the entire apple one solid color, allow several colors and values to appear within it. Leave some lighter areas and gradually layer deeper color where you want more dimension.

Do all the apples need to be the same color?

Not at all. In fact, varying them makes the basket more interesting. One can be predominantly golden, another more orange-red and another deeper rose.

Do I need to use a black pen?

No. I like adding selective permanent fine-tip black pen details because they work with my whimsical, hand-drawn style. You can leave your painting entirely in watercolor if you prefer.

Do I need Daniel Smith watercolor paints?

No. Those are the paints I'm using, but the tutorial will work with similar colors from another brand. Use what you already have.

Is there a traceable outline for the apple basket?

Yes. I've created a traceable outline so you can concentrate on the watercolor rather than worrying about drawing the design perfectly. You can find it in the description of the YouTube video tutorial above.

Come Paint an Apple Basket With Me

Ready to paint?

We'll work through the project one step at a time, from the first light sketch through those colorful apples and all the little finishing details.

Watch the Easy Watercolor Apple Basket Tutorial on YouTube

You will find a traceable outline you can print in the description of the YouTube tutorial.

And remember - you don't need to make yours look exactly like mine.

Use the colors you have. Experiment with your mixtures. And make your basket of apples your own.

Join Me at the Kitchen Table

If you'd like a new beginner-friendly watercolor project each Friday, you can get the Creative Heart Journal delivered free to your inbox.

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The Apples of Autumn

It's funny how something as simple as a basket of apples can bring back memories from so many different seasons of life.

My mother's apple pies in Michigan. Fall trips to Oak Glen with our children. And now the changing seasons and apple orchards here in Idaho.

The places have changed, but some of those little signs of autumn have followed me through the years.

And now there's another one to add to the list - a little watercolor basket filled with apples in all the reds I didn't know were hiding on my palette.

I'll be back at my kitchen table next week with one more September painting for our Fall Collection.

Until then, I hope you'll notice one of those little things that makes this season feel familiar to you.

With heart and color,
Donna
Mind Your Heart Studio