Fall Flowers in Watercolor: 5 Colorful Blooms for the Cozy Season

There is something about fall flowers that feels extra special. Maybe it’s the richer colors, the last bursts of blooms in the garden, or simply my refusal to say goodbye to flowers just because summer is packing her bags.

For this little celebration of the season, I’m sharing five of my favorite flower watercolor paintings in shades of purple, yellow, pink, and golden orange. From delicate asters and cosmos to cheerful sunflowers and wonderfully fluffy mums, these are the flowers bringing a little garden color into fall.

Purple Asters

Purple asters are one of those flowers that seem made for September. Their daisy-like petals and rich violet color add the prettiest pop of purple just as the garden begins shifting into its autumn palette.

My watercolor aster artwork celebrates those delicate petals and happy little yellow centers. They are also the September birth flower, making aster art especially lovely for a September birthday or a meaningful botanical gift.

Pink Cosmos

Cosmos have such an easy, carefree personality. Their delicate petals seem to dance above their stems, which makes them especially fun to paint in watercolor.

Pink cosmos bring a softer side to a fall color palette and pair beautifully with deeper purples, oranges and golden yellows. And for October birthdays, there’s an extra reason to love them: cosmos are an October birth flower.

Orange Chrysanthemums

Now we are officially entering sweater-weather territory.

Chrysanthemums, or mums, are quintessential fall flowers, and their layers upon layers of petals make them gorgeous subjects for watercolor. I especially love them in warm orange, bringing all the color of autumn leaves without requiring anyone to rake the yard afterward.

Mums are also the November birth flower, making them a beautiful choice for November birthdays and fall-inspired spaces.

Sunflowers

Is there a happier flower?

Sunflowers carry that golden late-summer warmth beautifully into fall. Their oversized blooms, sunny yellow petals and deep centers add instant cheer to a room, whether displayed alone or mixed with other botanical artwork.

My watercolor sunflower art is especially lovely for kitchens, breakfast rooms, sunrooms and anywhere that could use an extra dose of sunshine.

Pink Carnations

Carnations sometimes get overlooked in the flower world, and I think they deserve a little more attention. Those wonderfully ruffled petals are full of personality, especially painted in shades of pink.

While carnations aren't exclusively fall flowers, their deeper pink tones mix beautifully with an autumn floral palette. They're also the January birth flower, so this is one watercolor that happily carries you well beyond fall.

A Garden That Doesn't Have to End

That's one of my favorite things about painting flowers. The season may change, but the garden doesn't have to disappear.

A watercolor flower print can bring those blooms indoors all year long, whether you love the rich purple of asters, delicate pink cosmos, warm orange mums, cheerful sunflowers or ruffled pink carnations.

Mix several together for a colorful botanical gallery wall, choose your birth flower for something more personal, or simply pick the flower that makes you happiest. I am firmly in favor of choosing art using the highly scientific method of "that one makes me smile."

And when the last petals outside finally call it a season, the painted ones are just getting comfortable.

xoxo, Michelle Mospens