Marcus Chen
Painting trees and their leaves can be a great subject for a landscape painting. Before you begin, it is recommended to do some pencil sketches to plan your composition. Start by mixing your colours on your palette, including dark brown or black, dark green for leaves, medium green for lighter leaves, and a medium yellow with a hint of green for highlights. You can then begin to outline the trunk and branches of the tree, starting slender at the top and increasing pressure as you move down the trunk to make it wider towards the bottom. Next, you can add the leaves using a layering technique with a flat brush and black paint, dabbing lightly on the canvas to create a fuzzy effect. Remember to add more layers of leaves to create depth and make the tree pop. Finally, add some highlights to the glossy leaves by mixing titanium white with a little cadmium yellow and phthalo green.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Painting surface | Canvas, 8" x 10" linen panel |
| Painting medium | Oil paint, acrylic paint |
| Brushes | No.1 round brush, No.3 filbert brush, No.6 flat brush, No.8 flat brush, dagger brushes, No.0 round brush |
| Colors | Burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, titanium white, yellow oxide, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, phthalo green, quinacridone crimson |
| Techniques | Plein air painting, layering, sketching composition beforehand, painting shadows first, painting background to foreground |
| Details | Suggestion of detail for clumps of leaves, light touch for fuzzy leaf effect, darker values for trees than surrounding landscape |
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What You'll Learn
- Start by painting the shadows in the tree's crown
- Paint the sky and fill in the gaps between the clumps of leaves
- Use a layering technique with a flat brush to create a fuzzy effect
- Add more layers of leaves to create depth and make the tree pop
- Finish by adding highlights to the glossy leaves reflecting the sun
Start by painting the shadows in the tree's crown
Painting the shadows in the crown of a tree first is a great way to establish the dark values and shadows in your painting. This method helps to quickly establish the tonal range and dynamic of the painting. Trees are some of the darker values in a landscape and are generally darker than the grass, depending on the species.
When painting the shadows in the crown, it is good to start with the background and work forward. Begin with the sky, mixing ultramarine blue, a little phthalo green, and titanium white. You can also add in some burnt sienna to the cloud shadows.
After the sky, you can start adding colour to the tree itself. Mix a very dark brown, almost black, a dark green for leaves, a medium green for lighter leaves, and a medium yellow with a hint of green for highlights. Using a flat brush, dab the black paint onto the canvas, following the outline of the branches. Get denser and darker with your dabs towards the tree trunk to account for the branches growing straight on.
Once the shadow areas are dry, you can start adding the clumps of leaves in full sunlight. Mix yellow oxide, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, and titanium white, with a little cadmium orange and phthalo green. You can add some final highlights where the glossy leaves reflect the direct sun, using titanium white, a little cadmium yellow, and a small amount of phthalo green.
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Paint the sky and fill in the gaps between the clumps of leaves
Now that you have the basic silhouette of your tree, it's time to paint the sky and fill in the gaps between the clumps of leaves. Start with the sky as it is the furthest zone in the painting. Use a No.6 flat brush to paint the highlights of the clouds with titanium white mixed with a little burnt sienna. For the cloud shadows, mix ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, quinacridone crimson, and titanium white. The sky itself is a mix of ultramarine blue and titanium white, with a touch of phthalo green.
Once the sky is done, you can fill in the gaps between the clumps of leaves. Mix yellow oxide, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, and a little cadmium orange for the areas in full sunlight. You can also add a little phthalo green to this mixture, but don't mix the colours on your palette too thoroughly—you want some variation in the colour of the greens.
Remember that trees have more leaves on the branches further down, so get denser and darker with your dabs towards the tree trunk. You can also add final highlights where the glossy leaves reflect direct sunlight by mixing titanium white with a little cadmium yellow and a small amount of phthalo green. Apply this with a No.0 round brush.
Finally, step back and assess your painting. You can add a few subtle highlights to the trunk of the tree with a mix of titanium white, burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue.
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Use a layering technique with a flat brush to create a fuzzy effect
To paint leaves on a tree using acrylics, you can use a layering technique with a flat brush to create a fuzzy effect. This technique can be used for any acrylic forest painting. First, grab a #8 flat brush and get some black paint on the ends of the bristles without adding any water. If you're painting larger trees, you can save time by using a 1" flat brush. Practice this technique on a piece of paper first by dabbing the ends of the bristles lightly on the canvas. This will create a fuzzy effect that resembles leaves. It's important to use a light touch to maintain the texture and avoid a flat appearance. Follow the outlines of the branches with your paint dabs, increasing the density and darkness of the dabs towards the tree trunk to account for the branches growing straight on.
Next, add more layers of leaves to create depth and make your trees pop. Using your #8 flat brush, dab some dark green over some of the black leaves you previously laid down. Choose the side of the tree from which you want the light to appear and apply more green to that side. Repeat this process with a medium green, again adding more colour to the sunnier side of the tree. Finally, use a yellow-green shade sparingly, applying it only to the edges of the existing leaves to create highlights where the sunlight catches them.
This layering technique with a flat brush creates a fuzzy, textured effect that brings your tree leaves to life. Remember to practice and adjust your technique as needed to achieve the desired result.
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Add more layers of leaves to create depth and make the tree pop
To add more layers of leaves and create depth, you can use a layering technique that will make your trees pop. First, grab a dark green and dab it over some of the black leaves you already painted on the canvas. You can use a #8 flat brush for this. Remember to pick a side of the tree that will be the light source and apply more green to that side.
Next, grab a medium green and repeat the process, again applying more colour to the lighter side of the tree. You can also add some yellow-green to the edges of the leaves, where the sunlight will catch them and create a highlight. This technique will make your trees look more realistic and vibrant.
Additionally, you can add some final highlights where the glossy leaves reflect direct sunlight. For this, mix titanium white with a little cadmium yellow and a small amount of phthalo green. Apply this with a small, round brush to the negative spaces within the tree to further define its shape.
Remember that trees have more leaves on the branches further down, so make sure to add more leaves to the lower branches. You can also use a mix of colours for the leaves, such as yellow oxide, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, and a little cadmium orange. You can also add a little phthalo green to this mix to create variations in the colour of the leaves.
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Finish by adding highlights to the glossy leaves reflecting the sun
To finish by adding highlights to the glossy leaves reflecting the sun, you will need to mix a combination of titanium white with a touch of cadmium yellow and a small amount of phthalo green. Apply this mixture with a No.0 round brush to the negative spaces within the poplar trees, helping to further define their shapes. You can also use this opportunity to refine the trees by restating some of the shadows, if necessary.
When painting tree foliage, you don't need to be overly detailed. A simple suggestion of detail goes a long way in communicating clumps of leaves. Keep in mind that trees are some of the darker values in a landscape and are generally darker than grass, depending on the species. Edge your greens on the darker side. Using dagger brushes is ideal for painting realistic tree foliage, as you can use both the broad side of the brush and the tip for finer details.
Before you begin painting, it is recommended to do some pencil sketches to plan your composition. A painting is much more likely to be successful if it has a solid foundation. You can then sketch out your composition with a No.1 round brush and burnt sienna on an 8" x 10" linen panel, which has been toned with a thin wash of burnt sienna to warm up the painting and help with colour and tone.
When painting the leaves themselves, you can use a layering technique. Start by painting the branches of the tree with a No.8 flat brush and black paint, using no water and a light touch to create a beautiful fuzzy effect that resembles leaves. Then, grab dark green on the same brush and dab over some of the black leaves you've already laid down. Pick a side of the tree that you want the light to be coming from and apply more green to that side. Repeat this process with medium green and then a yellow-green mixture, adding the yellow more sparingly and just to the edges of the existing leaves to represent where the sunlight catches them.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use a combination of dark green, medium green, yellow with a hint of green, yellow oxide, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue, titanium white, and cadmium orange.
You can use a No.3 filbert brush, a No.1 round brush, and a No.8 flat brush.
Start by painting the shadows in the tree's crown first. Then, add colour to the background and work your way forward. Use a layering technique with your brush to create a beautiful fuzzy effect that looks like leaves.
