Fall Doodles: Pumpkins, Acorns, Leaves and Cozy Details

Autumn is an easy season to draw. Its shapes are round, chunky and familiar, so fall doodles come together from ovals, curves and a few short lines, with no fine detail needed.

This set starts with a pumpkin built one segment at a time, then runs through thirteen more small drawings for planner pages, cards and notebook corners. Each takes a minute or two.

Worked example: a pumpkin in four stages

The trick to a pumpkin is that it is not one outline. It is a center oval with curved segments stacked on each side, which gives it ribs without any extra lines.

1. Draw the center oval. Make a tall, narrow oval, a little wider at the middle than at the ends.
2. Add one segment on each side. Start at the top of the oval, swing a curve outward like a letter C, and bring it back to the bottom of the oval. Mirror it on the other side.
3. Add two outer segments. Repeat with a wider curve on each side, again starting near the top and ending near the bottom. The pumpkin should now be wider than it is tall.
4. Finish with a stem and vine. Draw a short, slightly bent rectangle on top of the center oval. From its base, add one loose spiral for a curly vine.

For a second pumpkin, change the oval. A short, wide center oval gives a squat pumpkin, and a very tall one gives a long gourd.

Acorns, leaves and other finds from the ground

• Acorn. Draw a U shape with a small point at the bottom. Close the top with a shallow dome that overhangs slightly on both sides, fill the dome with tiny crisscross lines, and add a short stalk.
• Maple-style leaf. Draw a stem, then three lines fanning from its top like a bird’s footprint. Outline around the three lines with a pointed, jagged edge so each line becomes the center of a spiky lobe.
• Oak-style leaf. Draw a center line. Outline it with a wavy edge of three or four rounded bumps down each side, narrowing toward the stem.
• Mushroom. Draw a half circle for the cap and close the bottom with a slightly curved line. Add a stalk that widens toward the base and three or four spots on the cap.
• Pinecone. Draw an egg shape with the narrow end down. Fill it with rows of small U shapes, each row offset from the one above, like scales.
• Corn. Draw a long oval and fill it with a grid of tiny rounded squares. Wrap a pointed leaf shape up each side, starting from the base.

The two leaves above are the quick versions. For more shapes and a slower walk through the veins, the step-by-step leaf doodles go further.

Apples, pie and warm mugs

• Apple. Draw a circle with a small dip at the top and a shallower dip at the bottom. Add a short stem in the top dip and one pointed leaf beside it.
• Pie slice. Draw a long triangle lying on its side. Put a wavy line along the short end for the crust edge, add a thin strip below the triangle to give the slice some height, and dot the top with three small steam holes.
• Warm mug. Draw a rectangle with rounded bottom corners, a C-shaped handle on one side and two wavy lines of steam rising above. A leaf or a row of dots on the front makes it seasonal.

If the mug is your favorite of the set, there are teapots, saucers and cafe treats to go with it in the guide to coffee and tea doodles.

Scarves, boots and rainy-day gear

• Scarf. Draw a wide, flattened ring, like a donut seen from the front. Hang one long rectangle from its lower edge, add a row of short lines at the bottom for fringe, and stripe both parts.
• Sweater. Draw a square body with a shallow curve cut into the top for the neck. Add a sleeve slanting down from each shoulder, then a band of short vertical lines at the hem, cuffs and neckline. A zigzag across the chest finishes it.
• Rain boot. Draw a tall rectangle for the leg, then extend its bottom forward into a rounded toe so the whole thing looks like a capital L. Add a thin strip along the bottom for the sole and a band at the top.
• Umbrella. Draw a half circle. Replace its flat bottom edge with three or four small scallops. Drop a straight line from the center and finish it with a small hook like a letter J.

A two-color fall palette

Two accent colors are enough to make a page feel like autumn: orange and mustard yellow. Keep the outlines black and add color sparingly.

Arrange a corner cluster

A cluster fills the corner of a planner page or a card without getting in the way of writing.

1. Draw the largest doodle, the pumpkin, about two finger-widths in from the corner.
2. Tuck a medium doodle on each side so they slightly overlap its outline: a mushroom on one side, an acorn on the other.
3. Let two leaves poke out from behind the group, pointing away from the corner.
4. Scatter four or five dots and one tiny leaf drifting toward the middle of the page.

A simple fall border

For the top of a page, draw a gently wavy line from margin to margin. Along it, repeat three motifs in the same order: leaf, acorn, dot. Tilt each leaf a different way so the row looks windblown.

When the season turns

Several of these carry straight into the colder months. The scarf, the sweater and the mug need only a color change, and the pinecone belongs to both seasons. When the pumpkins come down, the winter and holiday doodle set picks up with snowflakes, trees and mittens.