More Autumn Color

"Fall Maple," wc on paper, about 5x11

This giant maple has suddenly caught fire. I pass this tree nearly every day while walking with my dogs. Until only a few days ago it was dark green, thriving in its wide open spot on a corner. But then, beginning at the edges and progressing almost like slow fire, the leaves went orange-to-red in a couple of days. It's not really possible to capture the actual colors we see (the science is complicated) but I did the best I could in a small watercolor sketchbook a day or two back. 

I began as always with a graphite sketch. Although I sometimes make an ink sketch before beginning a watercolor, most times graphite works well if you're sparing with it. After that it's a matter of seeing the variety of shapes and colors in the tree. I started with sky and then worked top left to bottom right with a wide variety of yellow/red mixtures and a fine pointed synthetic watercolor brush. The fine point enables very thin lines and tiny dots of color.