This fall leaf chalk pastel art for kids is just gorgeous! The chalk pastels on black paper look like they are glowing and using this simple technique makes this art project perfect for kids of all ages.

Kids love using this simple pastel technique, it makes a great lesson on positive and negative space in art, lets kids explore drawing and smudging with chalk pastels and it also produces wow-worthy art kids will be proud to display!

Pastels are so fun for kids to explore! Take a look at my collection of chalk pastel art for more creative ideas kids will love. 

For this project, I created 2 printable leaf templates to make this craft even easier for you. This template is available to my email subscribers as part of my free printable resource library. Sign up to my email list below to gain instant access.

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Create your own fall leaf chalk pastel art

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Supplies

• Leaf printables
• Chalk pastels in autumn colors
• Black drawing paper, pastel paper, construction paper or scrapbook paper (we used black drawing paper for this project)
• Scissors
• Painter’s tape
• Paper towels
• Workable fixative (optional)
• Q-tip or blending stick (optional)

Instructions to make your own fall leaf art

1. Print and cut out your leaf templates. Printing them on white cardstock will make them easier for kids to use.

2. Using painter’s tape, tape down a leaf template onto black paper. We used black drawing paper for this project, but you could also use black pastel paper, scrapbook paper or even try black construction paper.

3. Choose your fall chalk pastel colors, I love how these colors look against the black paper! We used red, 2 shades of orange, yellow, 2 shades of green and brown.

Have lots of paper towels on hand. Chalk pastels can be very messy, but also fun! Having paper towels ready and being able to blow off the dust outside helps keep the mess down.   

4. Draw around your template with chalk pastels in fall colors, switching colors as you go. Drawing thick lines will give you the best results.   

5. Using your first 2 fingers or your first finger, smudge around your drawing in an outward motion. Remind kids not to smudge back and forth, but in one direction.

Some kids don’t like using their fingers to smudge pastels, using a q-tip or blending stick would also work.

If there is a lot of dust created by the smudging, try carefully taking the paper outside and blowing off the excess. If you can’t do this, using a damp paper towel to wipe up the dust on your work surface will also work.

6. Carefully remove your leaf template, and blow off any excess dust outside. If there is a lot of dust on the inside of your leaf, try using a q-tip or eraser to clean up the dust.

You can spray your picture with a workable fixative if you like to help keep it from smudging, but I find this isn’t always necessary. This should be done by an adult only in an outside area.    

This fall leaf chalk pastel art makes such a great fall art project that kids of all ages will enjoy doing!

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More pastel projects kids will love

Pumpkin Chalk Pastel Art Project – 2 Ways

5 Essential Chalk Pastel Techniques for Beginners

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