Blog October ’26 - Autumn and all its beautiful gems

Autumn remains one of the most beautiful seasons for me.

During a walk in the woods, I saw these beautiful little mushroom jewels hidden under golden leaves.

The contrast of the green moss with bits of bark and small twigs here and there, the red caps finished with a white stitch along the edge—a beautiful scene to capture in pastel.

After sketching the mushrooms with an HB pencil, I first draw the white dots or dashes on the mushroom caps; only then are the caps colored with a range of different orange, red, and brown shades.

During the coloring process, both shadows and depth are drawn.

The bark and twigs are likewise a range of gray and brown tones; I add highlights using various white, French light gray, and beige shades.

Here and there, I finish the stem with a touch of red.

I finish with the fresh green of the moss, which is also a range of different green shades. Between the mushrooms, I apply a fine mist of white to my drawing sheet, which creates depth.