How to Color Trees and Leaves in Every Season: Trunks, Leafy Tops and Autumn Colors (Easy Steps for Kids 6–12)

To color a tree, give the trunk long up-and-down strokes in two browns, color the leafy top in two or three greens instead of one flat color, and leave small gaps where the light comes through. For single leaves, color from the middle vein outward and darken one half slightly. For autumn, mix yellows, oranges and reds in the same tree. Any colors work, because the child chooses every color; these steps simply make a tree look alive.

Below: trunks and branches, leafy tops, single leaves, a tree in each season, and the mistakes that turn a tree into a green lollipop.

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Why trees end up looking flat

Most children color a tree the way they color a ball: one brown, one green, pressed hard and evenly. Real trees are never one color. The side facing the sun is lighter, the underside of the leaves is darker, and the bark has lines running up the trunk. Two small habits change everything: stroke direction and more than one shade.

Trunks and branches

1. Light base first. Color the whole trunk in a light brown, tan or gray, with strokes going up and down, not side to side.
2. Bark lines. With a darker brown, add long, slightly wavy lines up the trunk. Leave gaps between them.
3. One shaded side. Darken the side away from the light, and the place where branches leave the trunk.
4. Roots and branches follow the same direction as they grow: strokes run along each branch, out toward its tip.

Birch trees are a nice change: leave the trunk white and add short dark dashes across it. The same long-line trick that makes wood look like wood is in how to color fur, wood, water and stone.

The leafy top: not one flat green

1. Pick two or three greens: a light yellow-green, a middle green and a dark green.
2. Light green on top, where the sun hits, in small circles or short scribbles rather than straight lines.
3. Middle green across the rest.
4. Dark green underneath and in a few hollows inside the leaves, so the top looks round and full.
5. Leave a few gaps white or sky-blue, where light comes through the branches.

Small circles are the secret: they look like clusters of leaves without drawing a single leaf. For large leafy areas that won't streak, see how to fill big areas when coloring.

Single leaves, close up

Many coloring pages have big leaves on the ground or on a branch. They look best with a little care:

• Color from the middle vein outward, following the direction the side veins run.
• Darken one half of the leaf a little: it looks folded along the vein.
• Keep the vein lighter, or leave it white.
• Autumn leaves: start yellow in the middle and blend into orange or red at the edges, or add a small brown spot or two.

Blending one color into the next takes practice with crayons; the techniques are in how to blend with crayons.

The same tree in every season

A four-seasons sheet makes a nice weekend project: fold a page into four, draw the same simple tree in each part and color one for each season. Children notice for themselves how the same shape changes with a few different colors.

Evergreens and pine trees

Pines and firs have needles, not leaves. Color them in a dark green with short, sharp strokes pointing down and outward along each branch, and leave thin lines of white between the layers. In winter, keep the tops of each layer white for snow and color the undersides a little darker.

Which tool for which part

Tools for trees and leaves

Pick	Best for	Good to know	Buy
Many greens and autumn colorsCrayola Crayons, 64 Count	Plenty of in-between shades	Not washable	Currently unavailable on Amazon.com As of Oct 28, 6:55 PM UTC Details Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Check price on AmazonView on Amazon Paid link
Sharp pencils for bark and veinsCrayola Colored Pencils, 50 Count	Good detail control	Needs a sharpener	$13.99 on Amazon.com Price as of Oct 28, 6:55 PM UTC Details Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Check price on AmazonView on Amazon Paid link

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Common mistakes

• One flat green: the tree looks like a lollipop. Use two or three greens.
• Side-to-side strokes on the trunk: bark runs up and down.
• Pressing hard first: dark green can't be lightened again. Start light, darken underneath at the end.
• No gaps in the leaves: a few holes of sky make a tree look real.
• Every autumn leaf the same orange: mix yellow, orange and red.

For younger and older colorers

Ages 6 to 8: two greens and up-and-down strokes on the trunk are plenty. Crayons work well for big trees. Ages 9 to 12: try a shadow on the ground on the side away from the light, a third green inside the leaves, and blended autumn leaves with colored pencils. Older children often enjoy going outside to look at one real tree before coloring it.

Free printable · 2 pages

Pico and the First Tree

Pico discovers the little doorway between a great tree's roots.

Print it free →

The one thing to remember

A tree is never one color. Strokes that run the way the tree grows, two or three shades of every color, and a few gaps of sky make any tree, in any season, look alive.