Five winter squash in five shapesRound, long-necked, ribbed, warty, striped. The round orange ones are the ones we call pumpkins.
A grey squirrel descending a tree nose firstGrey squirrels turn their hind feet backward to grip the bark. Body in an S, bushy tail up the trunk behind.
A November calendar page with a tiny drawing in every boxThirty boxes. Give each one a subject you can finish in ten lines: a leaf, a mug, a mitten, a moon.
A back-to-school pencil case spilling outAn open zip pouch with pencils, a ruler, a rubber and a sharpener fanning out. Add curls of shavings.
A bowl of soup with a swirl of cream and a hunk of breadAn oval in an oval, a loose spiral of white, and torn bread with a rough edge on the side plate.
A butternut squash cut in half lengthwaysWinter squash are picked mature, once the skin has hardened to a tough rind. A long neck swelling to a round base.
A chunky sweater with one cable down the frontA cable is two ropes crossing. Draw a column of stretched S shapes, then ribbing at the cuffs and hem.
A conker half out of its spiky green caseThe seed is a shiny nut-brown, with a pale scar at its base. Leave one white highlight to make it shine.
A crayon rubbing of a leaf, inked overLay a leaf vein side up under thin paper and rub with the side of a crayon. Then go over the veins in pen.
A crow on a scarecrow's shoulderA cross of two poles, a stuffed shirt, a sack head. The crow is a black teardrop with a wedge of beak.
A family of mushrooms with faces, tallest to smallestFive domes on stalks in a row, stepping down in height. Give the smallest one the biggest smile.
A fly agaric with a red cap and white wartsThe warts are scraps of a veil that wrapped the young mushroom, and rain can wash them off. Poisonous: draw only.
A giant puffball beside a football for scaleA white ball with no cap and no stem, often 10 to 50 cm across, found in meadows in late summer and autumn.
A hedgehog rolled into a ball in dry leavesA circle of brown and white spines, up to 6,000 of them. Leave a gap for a nose and one eye.
A leaf changing colour from the edge inwardYellow and orange sit in the leaf all summer, masked by green. Red is made fresh toward the end of summer.
A leaf with legs running away from a rakeOne maple leaf with stick legs at full stretch and a worried face. The rake's teeth enter from the corner.
A maple leaf built on its main veinsMaple leaves are palmate: the veins fan from one point and each leads to a lobe. Draw the veins first.
A mouse under a toadstool umbrellaA dome on a stalk, and a small mouse under it holding the stem like a handle. Three raindrops.
A mug of hot apple juice with a cinnamon stickA cylinder, a handle, a rolled stick leaning on the rim and one floating slice of apple.
A pressed leaf taped into a sketchbookDraw the leaf, then two strips of tape across the stalk, then a date written underneath.
A pumpkin still on the vine in a fieldRibs are curved lines from stem to base, closer together at the sides. Add one big leaf and a curling tendril.
A scarf, a hat and gloves on a row of hooksThree hooks on a board. Let the scarf hang longest and pair the gloves with a string between them.
A single ginkgo leaf, fan-shaped and notchedThe veins radiate from the stalk and fork in two. In autumn the whole leaf turns a deep saffron yellow.
A snail on a toadstool in the rainA dome on a stalk, a spiral shell on top, two eye stalks. Slant the rain and bounce it off the cap.
A snail wearing a leaf as a rain hatA spiral shell, a soft body, and a small curled leaf balanced on the eye stalks.
A squirrel with full cheeks holding one more nutA pear-shaped body, a question-mark tail, and cheeks as wide as the head. It is considering the nut.
A steaming mug held in two mittened handsTwo mitten shapes wrapped round a cylinder, thumbs at the front. Steam is two loose S lines.
A sweetgum leaf like a five-pointed starUsually five sharply pointed lobes, like a star with a stalk. It turns yellow, orange, red or purple.
A teapot in a knitted cosySpout and handle poke out of a striped dome with a bobble on top. Add one cup and a plate of biscuits.
A toffee apple on a stickA circle on a flat stick, a bright highlight, and a skirt of set toffee pooled round the base.
A woolly bear caterpillar crossing a pathBlack at both ends, rusty brown in the middle, bristly all over. Folklore reads the brown band as a winter forecast.
An acorn sitting in its cupThe cup is called a cupule. Draw an egg shape, then a cap of overlapping scales and a short stalk.
An acorn with a face and its cap as a beretAn egg with two dots and a smile. Tilt the scaly cap to one side and leave the stalk as the beret's stem.
An apple cut across the middle to show its seed chambersThere are usually five chambers round the core, each with a seed or two. A circle, then a small flower of five.
An apple pie cooling on a windowsillA shallow dish, a crimped edge, three slits in the lid with steam rising. Gingham cloth underneath.
An apple with one bite out and a worm wavingA heart-shaped circle with a dip for the stalk, a scalloped bite, and a small worm leaning out of a hole.
Boots kicking through a drift of leavesDraw from the knee down. One boot forward, leaves thrown up ahead of it in a loose arc.
Geese flying south in a long VEach bird is a flat M. The V is thought to save energy, as each bird rides the upwash from the one in front.
Maple keys spinning down in pairsThe winged seeds are samaras, also called helicopters. Each is a nutlet with one papery wing, shaped to spin.
Pears ripening in a row on a windowsillA small circle on a bigger one, joined smoothly. Tilt each pear a different way and vary the blush.
Raindrops racing down a window paneEach drop is a teardrop with a bright dot and a wobbly trail above it. Blur whatever is outside.
Roasted chestnuts in a paper coneEach nut ends in a tufted point and often has one flat side. A cone of rolled paper holds them.
Rose hips on a thorny stemRose hips are usually red to orange and ripen from late summer through autumn. Small ovals, each with a dark tip.
Slippers waiting by an armchairTwo bean shapes with fluffy cuffs, toes pointing at the chair. A throw trails over the arm.
Swallows lined up on a wire before they leaveForked tails with long streamers hang below the wire. Barn swallows that breed in Europe winter in Africa.
Walnuts, one cracked openA wrinkled oval with a seam round it. The kernel inside is two lobed halves, all folds and bumps.
Wellies by the door with an umbrella drippingTwo tall boots, one flopped over. The umbrella leans in the corner with a small puddle under its tip.
Cute 12
A blanket fort lit by a torchTwo chairs, a sheet sagging between them, and a triangle of yellow light at the opening with feet sticking out.
A bus stop in the rain, everyone under one umbrellaA pole, a sign, and five pairs of legs under one large dome. Only the dog at the end is getting wet.
A cat curled in the last patch of low sun on the floorA slanted window shape of light on the boards, and a cat fitted exactly inside it. Long shadow behind.
A dog in a raincoat refusing to moveDog sitting square on the pavement, lead pulled taut off the edge of the page, rain bouncing round it.
A dog leaping into a raked pile of leavesCatch it mid-air: ears up, legs tucked, shadow on the pile below. Leaves already lifting at the edge.
A fox in a scarf posting a letterFox on hind legs, scarf ends flying, one paw up at the slot of a pillar box.
A fox trotting along a hedge at duskA long low body, a tail as long again held straight out, black socks. Keep the hedge a dark band behind.
A scarecrow in a borrowed coatA cross of poles, a coat too big for it, straw at the cuffs, a sack face with stitched smile.
A squirrel pretending to bury a nutGrey squirrels fake a burial when they feel watched and keep the nut in the mouth. Draw the shifty look.
An owl in a knitted jumperA rounded owl with big eye discs, wings poking from short ribbed sleeves. Put a leaf motif on the front.
Square straw bales with a cat asleep on topStack boxes like bricks, two strings round each. Short dashes for straw ends, and a loaf-shaped cat.
Two conkers on strings, ready for a matchIn Britain and Ireland children play conkers with the seeds. One knotted string through each, one already chipped.
Leaves and trees 17
A chestnut burr split open to show the nutsThe spiny burr splits into two or four sections. Each nut ends in a point with a little tuft.
A ginkgo standing in a circle of its own yellow leavesGinkgo leaves can all fall within days, so the ground turns yellow at once. Bare branches above, carpet below.
A horse chestnut leaf with seven leafletsFive to seven long leaflets fan from the end of one stalk, like fingers from a palm. Start with the middle one.
A larch twig with tufts of needles and small upright conesLarches are among the few conifers that drop their needles in autumn. The needles sit in dense clusters.
A leaf identification page: six species, labelledMaple, oak, ginkgo, sweetgum, aspen and tulip tree. One outline each, the name in small capitals underneath.
A leaf skeleton with every vein showingOne midrib, side veins at a steady angle, then a net between them that gets finer toward the edge.
A spiky sweetgum seed ball on a long stalkA hard round fruit about an inch across, bristling with paired spikes. It hangs on the branch into winter.
A stand of aspens with pale, black-scarred trunksSmooth whitish bark marked with thick black horizontal scars and knots. A whole stand is often a single clone.
A tree drawn four times as it loses its leavesSame trunk and branches in four boxes: full, thinning, a last few, bare. Let the pile underneath grow in step.
A tulip tree leaf with its squared-off tipFour lobes, and a tip cut almost straight across so the top looks square. It turns a clear, bright yellow.
A white oak leaf beside a red oak leafWhite oak lobes are usually rounded. Red oak lobes end in sharp tips with a bristle. Same plan, different ends.
A young beech holding its brown leaves into winterBeech, oak and hornbeam often keep their withered leaves until spring. The word for it is marcescence.
Chinese lantern pods on a bare stemA papery orange-red husk covers each fruit, like a paper lantern. By spring it thins to a net of veins.
First frost on a fallen leafOutline the leaf, then edge it and every vein with tiny spikes. Leave the paper white for the ice.
One pine cone drawn twice: open when dry, shut when wetPine cones open when dry and close when wet. Flare the scales in one drawing and clamp them tight in the other.
Quaking aspen leaves on their flat stalksThe leaf is nearly round with small rounded teeth. A flattened stalk lets it twist in the wind. Golden in autumn.
The three leaf shapes of a sassafras on one twigUnlobed, two-lobed and three-lobed leaves can share a branch. In autumn they turn yellow tinged with red.
Nature 12
A chanterelle seen from underneathFunnel shaped and egg yellow, with forked folds, not true gills, running well down the stem.
A fly agaric in four stages, from button to flat capA white-wrapped egg, a red dome, an umbrella, then a flat plate. White gills, a ring on the stem, a bulb below.
A grey squirrel descending a tree nose firstGrey squirrels turn their hind feet backward to grip the bark. Body in an S, bushy tail up the trunk behind.
A harvest moon rising orange behind a barnHarvest moon: the full moon nearest to September's equinox. Any moon low in the sky looks orange.
A jay burying an acornJays hoard acorns hardest in autumn and help oaks spread. Pinkish brown, a blue barred wing patch, a black moustache.
A mushroom-spotting notebook pageFour fungi, each drawn from the side and from below, with where you saw it. Drawing is the safe way to collect.
A shaggy ink cap dissolving into black inkA tall white cylinder covered in shaggy scales. The gills go white, pink, then black, and melt into inky liquid.
A stag roaring in the rut, breath steamingRed deer stags roar to hold their hinds together, and many grow a short neck mane in autumn. Head up, mouth open.
An orb web between two seed heads, beaded with dewSpokes first, then one spiral worked from the outside in. Dew is a row of tiny circles along each thread.
The equinox sunrise, due east down a straight roadAt the September equinox, which falls between 21 and 24 September, the sun rises due east and sets due west.
Monarch butterflies clustered on a fir branchEastern monarchs fly up to 3,000 miles to winter in Mexico, roosting on oyamel firs until a tree is covered.
Turkey tail fungus in tiled rows on a logThin fans in tiled layers on dead wood, zoned in rust brown and darker brown. Named after a wild turkey's tail.
Cosy 9
A basket of kindling and a box of matches by the hearthA woven basket of split sticks at all angles, one matchbox half open. Log ends are rough circles with rings.
A lit window at dusk with someone reading insideA dark wall, one warm rectangle, a lamp, the back of a chair and the top of a head. Everything else stays dim.
A November calendar page with a tiny drawing in every boxThirty boxes. Give each one a subject you can finish in ten lines: a leaf, a mug, a mitten, a moon.
A rainy street seen through a window, one lit house oppositeFrame first, then the street in soft grey shapes, then one warm yellow window. Streaks of rain go on last.
A sampler of four knitted textures in four squaresRopes, ribs, bumps and a honeycomb, each filling one square. Pattern drawing is slow and soothing.
A stack of books, reading glasses and a candleSpines at slightly different angles, one bookmark ribbon, glasses folded on top, a short candle beside.
Cinnamon buns in a tin, seen from aboveNine spirals in a square tin, squashed together. Each bun is one line coiled from the middle outward.
Jars of jam and chutney with handwritten labelsDifferent heights, cloth tops tied with string. Letter each label, and misspell one on purpose.
Soup on the hob with the lid rattlingA deep pan, lid tilted, steam escaping at one side. A wooden spoon rests across the rim.
Harvest and food 6
A cider press with juice running into a bucketA slatted tub under a screw with a long handle. One thin stream runs from the spout at the base.
A harvest stall with an honesty boxA trestle table, crates of apples and squash, a chalked price board and a tin with a slot in the lid.
A wheelbarrow of windfall apples under a treeA tray on one wheel and two handles, heaped with circles. Scatter a few more in the grass, some bruised.
Apples in a crate, no two the sameSlatted box in perspective. Give each apple its own lean, stalk angle and patch of red.
Blackberries on a bramble, ripe and unripeEach fruit is a cluster of small round drupelets. Unripe ones are red, and the stems carry sharp curved thorns.
Five winter squash in five shapesRound, long-necked, ribbed, warty, striped. The round orange ones are the ones we call pumpkins.
How it works
Holidays have their own lists, so these fall drawing ideas keep to the season itself: leaves, fungi, migrating birds, rain on the window and the harvest. Each of the 100 subjects has a hint for the first lines, and every leaf and animal fact was checked. Deal three, or narrow the list to Leaves and trees or Cosy.
Read the full guide
Fall things to draw, starting with the leaves
Leaves and trees holds 28 subjects, and most are one species drawn by its shape. A maple leaf built on its main veins starts at the point where the veins fan out. A white oak leaf beside a red oak leaf sets rounded lobes against bristle tips. As autumn drawing ideas go, a leaf you can name beats a leaf from memory.
Fall art ideas for wet days indoors
Cosy holds 25 subjects for days when the weather wins, such as Raindrops racing down a window pane and A blanket fort lit by a torch. September drawing ideas sit here too: A back-to-school pencil case spilling out is one. November calendar drawing ideas get one subject of their own: a calendar page with a tiny drawing in every box.
Cute fall drawing ideas sit under Cute, from An acorn with a face and its cap as a beret to An owl in a knitted jumper.
Draw fungi where they grow and leave them there. Nothing on this page is advice about picking or eating them, and the fly agaric is poisonous.
Bring one pine cone home. Cones open when dry and close when wet, so the same cone gives two different drawings.
Questions and answers
What are cute fall things to draw?
Choose Cute for 24 subjects. A mouse under a toadstool umbrella is a dome on a stalk with a small mouse holding the stem. A squirrel with full cheeks holding one more nut is a pear-shaped body and a question-mark tail.
Why do some autumns have brighter leaves than others?
Weather decides the reds. Red pigment is made toward the end of summer, and the brighter the light then, the more a leaf makes. The best displays come when autumn days are bright and cool and nights are chilly but not freezing. Yellow and orange are in the leaf all year, masked by green until it fades.
Which fall subjects suit a beginner?
Start under Easy, which holds 44. An acorn sitting in its cup is an egg with a scaly cap. Geese flying south in a long V is a row of flat M shapes. A toffee apple on a stick is a circle, a stick and one bright highlight. None of them needs shading to read.