Fall Wreath Coloring Page

This fall wreath coloring page looks like a real door on a crisp October morning. Three rings of leaves wrap around a thick vine: maple, oak and plain pointed ones. Tucked between them you will find pumpkins, pine cones, acorn pairs and bunches of red berries. A burlap bow hangs at the bottom, and a small sign in the middle says Hello Fall.

We drew this one for teens and adults, or careful kids of 9 and up. There are well over a hundred small spaces, so give yourself about an hour. It is a nice page to work on with a cup of something warm.

Where to start on a busy wreath

Do the big accents first. Color the three pumpkins in the ring, then the two pine cones and the acorns. These anchor the design, and you will see right away how the colors sit around the ring. After that, move on to the leaves, working from the inside ring out.

The sign is a good place to end. The letters are open, so you can fill them with any color. Shade the board around them a shade darker and the words will pop forward.

Fall wreath coloring page color ideas

A classic wreath mixes rust, gold and deep red, with brown pine cones to calm it down. Keep green rare. A few leaves next to each pumpkin are enough to make the orange glow.

Prefer a modern farmhouse look? Try cream pumpkins, sage leaves and a soft tan bow. The door can stay a pale gray for a clean finish. For something bolder, go with a deep navy door and let the orange wreath stand out against it.

• Harvest set: burnt orange, mustard, barn red, chestnut
• Soft set: cream, sage, dusty rose, wheat
• Bright set: tangerine, lemon, cherry, leaf green

Tips for layered leaves

When leaves overlap, the ones behind should look darker. Add a little brown or dark red where one leaf slips under another. This simple trick makes the whole wreath look thick and round, even though the paper is flat.

Each leaf has thin veins. Color pencils let you stay on one side of a vein and change the shade on the other side. Try a yellow base with orange brushed in from the tip, the way a real maple turns.

Pine cones reward patience. Color each scale from the outer edge in, pressing harder at the base. The rows will start to look deep. Sharpen your pencil often, because a dull tip will run over those tiny lines.

The bow is drawn with a loose weave. Short lines in tan and brown over a light base will make it feel like real burlap.

Why we hang wreaths on doors

People have used wreaths for a very long time. The word itself comes from an Old English word meaning a band. In ancient Greece, a harvest wreath was treated as a sacred charm and was often hung by the door all year, in the hope of a good crop. So the fall wreath on your neighbor's porch has very old roots. Laurel wreaths took another path and became a sign of victory.

Make something from your finished page

Cut around the outer leaves and the bow, then glue the wreath to a piece of cardboard. Punch a hole at the top, add a loop of twine, and you have a paper wreath for a bedroom door or a classroom wall.

Hosting Thanksgiving? Print several copies at a smaller size and let guests color one while the food finishes. Trim them into round place cards and write each name on the sign.

More wreaths and leaves

When the season turns, the Christmas wreath coloring page makes a good follow up. To keep the leaf theme going, try the leaf mandala coloring page, which is full of fine repeating detail.

Questions