Diva Challenge 186: Leaves

I love Fall! It's hard to bid goodbye to summer - perhaps even more than usual this year as I think about how much benefit it's been to both me and the older two kids to have them outside whenever the whim takes them. But the colors we get here in Oregon from late August clear through early November make up for it in the end. Usually I enjoy the season primarily through the lens of my camera, but it's fun to give it a try with pen, paper, and a little color!

I'm rarely much for poetry, but I always think of these lines from Elizabeth Barrett Browning this time of year:

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries

Alone the verse wonderfully captures Autumn, but I read it in context for the first time today and found even more to love. If time permits, take a moment and do so yourself!

Anyway, onto the challenge!

Like the Diva, I found a leaf in my yard to trace for my tile. We have a couple of beautiful small maples in our yard, but unfortunately they're far too intricate for these purposes. I'm not even sure what tree the leaf I chose comes from, but it hit the sweet spot of interesting enough to be a focal point but simple enough to actually tangle inside of.
For my pattern I chose "Vano" by Hanneke Sieben, just posted to TanglePatterns.com this week. My old favorite N'Zepple is in the background, and a couple of Bronx Cheers crept in as well.
I used watercolor pencils - Faber-Castell and Ikea's - for the color.

Honestly, I am having trouble getting a good photo: it really looks better in person color-wise. So here's the original version prior to adding color

It's still early in the week so there may be more leaf tiles before it finishes. Either way, enjoy the season, and may the blessings of its Creator be on you!

UPDATE:
Yup, I needed to do a few more leaf tiles!

More watercolor pencil, a brown Micron, and finally sparkly black and white gel pen highlights. 

Not perfect, but I like it! 

And finally, 

OK, a little busy! :)
My inspiration was the leaf piles that will be decorating our sidewalks here in about 3 more weeks. I've taken many beautiful photos of the same, so I wanted to see if I could "ZIA" something like them. I started with the paint this time, then free-handed the leaves, and finally tangled them with grid-based patterns. As per usual, it looks better in person!

I have a feeling a few more of these may pop up before the season is done. Very fun stuff!