Downloadable PDF lesson
Painting masses of green trees and foliage can test any watercolorist’s skills. What appears at first glance to be a solid mass of green, on closer inspection, contains a wide range of colors, textures, and values. But how much of that detail should you include in your painting? And how do you even begin to portray thousands of trees without ending up with an overdone mess and driving yourself crazy in the process?
The trick is to find a balance between simplification and variation. Suggest diversity without getting caught up in unnecessary detail. With my step-by-step approach, it’s easier than you might think!
Painting distant trees requires only two steps; add just one more for midground trees and foliage. Once you learn these simple steps, you’ll be ready to tackle any green summer landscape with confidence.
Using my approach to painting distant and midground trees…
- you'll be able to capture a scene quickly, with fewer steps in the painting process.
- your paintings will look "sketchy" but still have enough detail to convey the rich diversity of the scene.
- you'll learn to notice value contrast in a scene and use it to add depth to your landscape paintings.
- you'll see how easy it can be to create sketches that are fresh and colorful using techniques like variegated washes, blending, glazing, and spattering. All is takes is a little practice!
Two lessons in one!
This lesson includes two full-length tutorials. The first focuses on painting distant trees and foliage where details are less defined.
The second one shows how to paint trees that are a little closer, in the midground of a painting.
What you'll learn...
In these PDF tutorials on painting distant and midground trees and other foliage, I’ll show you…
- How to look for areas of contrast in a scene
- How to paint a base wash that has a range of colors and values
- Hints for drawing with a loose, sketchy style
- Blending techniques for soft, diffused edges
- Glazing techniques for adding shadows and making highlighted areas stand out
- Options for mixing warm yellow-greens and deep, rich evergreen colors
- How to paint a grassy field simply and quickly
- Techniques for indicating texture
What's included...
This downloadable PDF lesson offers clear, easy-to-understand, step-by-step written instructions for drawing and painting two sketches of distant and midground trees and foliage PLUS…
- a materials list that explains exactly what you'll need to paint the example sketch
- specific color recommendations for each step of the painting process
- high-resolution reference photos
- additional information about my favorite sketching tools and materials
(Please note that these tutorials focus primarily on painting trees. The skies and water shown here are included as part of the painting process but are not explained in detail.)
This lesson is 26 pages long.
PDF lessons may be viewed online or downloaded and saved to your computer for printing. View them again and again – they’re yours to keep forever!
Build a personal encyclopedia of painting instructions by collecting all of these comprehensive tutorials, one subject at a time, and watch your skills grow with each one!
BONUS: Get 20% off Watercolor Essentials!
My Watercolor Essentials video course has been designed to help you get more out of my written tutorials. When you purchase any step-by-step watercolor lesson, you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off this valuable resource that includes demonstrations of all the techniques mentioned in lessons like How to Paint Trees and Foliage.
FAQ
Purchased lessons are yours to keep forever. You can view them in the course player or download them to your computer.
Anyone who wants to learn easy techniques for painting trees in a landscape. The lessons are suitable for all skill levels, but some basic experience with drawing and painting will be helpful.
The tutorial includes a complete list of materials for painting the example sketches, but feel free to use whatever drawing and watercolor supplies you already have on hand.
Yes! My Watercolor Essentials video course was designed for just this purpose. In it I demonstrate all the techniques that are referenced in my written lessons.
