HOW TO PAINT TREES

"Can you teach me how to paint trees?"  That's a question I am asked a lot. The simple answer is, “Yes, of course I can!”.  And since I love to teach, I created this page to do just that for you.

Learn to paint these trees.

As you will learn on this page, there are many ways of painting a tree. Different brushes and techniques help in creating different kinds of trees. And the style in which you paint will also influence how that tree will look when you're finished.

Well now, that brings me to brushes.  Ever wondered what brushes to use when painting trees?  I have provided resources at the end of this tutorial to help you select the right brushes to paint trees. 

Of course using a line drawing to help lay out your tree design is always very useful and makes the learning experience even more enjoyable. So I have included a free guide which includes a line drawing.  You'll find it at the end of this tutorial as well.

I’ll teach you how to paint 4 different trees right on this page.  I have step-by-step tutorials for you below.  All you have to do is read on.  You’ll be painting trees in no time. 

Are you ready?

Let's Get Started

Evergreen Tree Using A Flat Brush

You can learn this free hand technique

Let’s start with a simple evergreen tree using a Flat brush.  All of the information you need about the correct brushes and sizes is provided at the end of this tutorial.

Load a Flat brush with green paint. Blend it on your palette and then use the chisel of the brush to create the trunk. Clean the brush and blot it.

Sideload your brush and blend it on your palette. Place the corner of the brush down at the tip to create the top of the tree. Now drop the clean side of the brush down and apply the paint horizontally from side to side. Re-load the brush with paint as needed.  Need help in understanding how to sideload?  It's all in the Tree Painting Guide I provide at the end of this tutorial.

Here is the progression of steps as your tree comes to life.

This is a very simple technique that delivers great results.  I know you can learn how to do this.

It's time to apply finishing touches to suggest snow.  I lay out all of the details in my Free Guide on How To Paint Trees.

Simple Evergreen Using an Angle Bristle Brush

Time for a change and a new lesson.  Let's learn how to paint trees with the Angle Bristle Brush, also known as a Foliage Brush. This brush creates wonderful texture when used in an up and down pouncing motion.  We refer to this pouncing motion as “stippling”.  You'll find more info on this brush at the end of this tutorial.

Let's start by drawing a pyramid shape with a straight line down the middle. The line in the middle represents the trunk of the tree.

Your first step is to put the brush in water to plump up the bristles of the brush.  A 10 minute soak will do the trick.  Blot it well.

Now load the brush with dark green paint, pounce the bristles on your palette until you see there’s nice texture.

From the base of the tree...

To the very tip... this tree is ready for snow. 

And here are the finishing touches that bring it all together.  Using my step by step guide, I know you can do this.  It's all explained in detail in the Guide, as you'll see at the end of this tutorial.

Folk Art Tree Using A Round Brush

Here’s a fun way to learn how to paint trees using the Round Brush. This folk art tree is made up of comma strokes.  Not sure how to paint comma strokes?  Here’s a tutorial for learning how to do these pretty strokes.

You'll need a line drawing for this tree.  I have supplied one in the FREE Guide, so go get it now, and trace out the design. We’ll paint this tree starting at the wide base and up the treetop. In order to paint this tree you’ll have to turn your surface upside down.

To paint this tree successfully, you have to paint the brush strokes in a specific order.  All the details you need are in the free guide on How to Paint Trees.

Load a round brush with dark green. 

Remove the paint from the tip using the edge of your palette.

Then load the very tip of the brush into White. Tap the brush once or twice on your palette to re-shape the tip.  If you need more help with this technique, I provide detailed pictures in the guide to really let you see how it's done... Step-by-Step.

Use the line drawing to show you the order in which each stroke is applied.  You will find that line drawing and all of the brush techniques in the FREE Guide.

Place the brush tip down, apply pressure and pull the stroke toward the middle of the tree while releasing the pressure. You should see a nice streaky blend of green and white. Repeat in the order provided in the line drawing.  Don't forget to reload the brush for each individual stroke.

I know you are going to enjoy painting this tree as much as I do.

Pine Tree Using A Flat Brush

And now we’ll learn how to paint trees in a slightly more realistic way. In this demonstration I used a Flat brush.

You will find a pattern for this tree in the resources at the end of this tutorial.  Trace on the pattern for the bare tree. Use a #1 Liner brush to paint the tree with a dark brown.

Let’s make some easy pine needles, shall we?  We’ll start by double-loading the flat brush.   Load one side into dark green and the other into White.  Do you need additional help with this?  The finer points of this technique are in the Guide with detailed supporting pictures to help you. 

Position the chisel of the brush with the green side touching the branch and the white side pointing out. Start at the base of the branch. Press the brush down leaving a chisel imprint. Move up the branch and as you near the tip pivot the angle of the brush so that the tip tapers. Make your way down the other side.

Now is the time to put the finishing touches on the tree.  This is where it really comes alive.  Additional details are provided in the Free Guide on How To Paint Trees.  You'll find it at the end of this page.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to paint trees.  My free guide is bursting with additional details.  In addition, it has detailed instructions for even more trees.  I was so excited to create it for you, and I know you will love what you learn in it, so help yourself to your free copy now.

Check out my short How To Paint Trees video below.

Download this short but powerful Guide and take it shopping with you. 

It's like shopping with a trusted friend. 

Get only what you need.

Remove the expensive guesswork.

Save time.  Save Money.

Get Your FREE Brush Guide

Paint Brush Pocket Guide For Trees

Plus Free Bonus Guide on

How to Paint 7 Different Trees

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Additional Resources

Here are the additional resources I promised.  I have a package of goodies for you.  It includes:

• A Paint Brush Shopping Guide with information about all of the brushes I used for these trees.
• Line drawings for the trees in this tutorial.
  
• A How To Paint Trees Guide with additional details and additional trees to paint.
• A subscription to my newsletter, The Creative Chronicles, to keep you up to date on Decorative Painting.
  

It's all free and available to you right here.

Thanks for taking my tutorial.  I do hope you enjoyed it.  If so, please leave a comment below.  You can also pin a few pictures and share with your friends on Facebook.

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