How to Paint Trees.
***master-course-leftnav.shtml***
Today, I want to go over some tips on how to paint trees.
Here is the example I will be using:
Let's look at the main tree in this painting and analyze it.
The first thing we want to look at is volume.
Trees tend to look flat in photographs and sometimes even when looking straight at them in life. We need to remember that they have volume. This will help us get them to look right in our painting.
How to Paint Trees Part One, Volume:
Here is a simple illustration that will simplify the volume.
When looking at it from the front, it looks flat. However, when looking at it from the top, the leaves go off in all sorts of directions. This means that it is similar to a round form.
At the bottom of this illustration, I show a tree compared to its simplified shape, a cone. In other cases it could be a cylinder or sphere. This will help you see the actual volume.
When you start treating your trees like they have real volume, you will notice that they have a great feeling of depth and dimension in your paintings.
Let's move on and talk about color.
How to Paint Trees Part Two, Color:
The worst thing you can do is think in terms of light green and dark green. Leaves have all sorts of colors. Even in the summertime, you might see some blues, reds, or yellows.
So, let's look at that painting again and look for colors.
I like to put colors in two categories: highlights and shadows. There will be both highlights and shadows for the leaves and for the trunk.
Don't just mix your highlight color with black to get the shadows. Think about what colors you could put in there. Let's say the highlight is yellow. Well, for a shadow color you could use orange, red, brown, or any "warm" color. Try mixing some colors together to see what types of shadow colors you can make.
Don't be afraid to use cool colors like blue or purple for your shadow colors as well.
Trunks are the same way. They are brown but can also have a bit of gray in them. You can see some cool colors like blue if the trunk reflects the sky, and some warm colors like red on other parts. Look at the example above and compare the colors.
I use my standard color palette as always. I already talk about which colors I use in other articles, so there is no need to go over it again.
Now, let's simplify the shapes.
How to Paint Trees Part Three, Shapes:
With all the complex shapes in a tree, we want to simplify everything and look for dominant areas.
I outlined some simple shapes that caught my eye. Just look for "groups" where leaves blend together to form a shape. You can include limbs in the shape as well.
Go back and look at the original picture to see what shapes you notice.
Looking for shapes will make it easier to paint since you won't just be haphazardly painting leaves. It will give everything a bit of structure.
To help give more structure, we can look at negative space.
How to Paint Trees Part Four, Negative Space:
Negative space can help you paint trees with more precision. It gives you one more tool you can use to get the tree to look natural.
I went back and highlighted the main negative space areas.
Look at the variation in the negative space. There are small areas and large areas. There are areas of different angles and lengths as well. Start looking for these little shapes, and you will find painting trees to be easier.
Finally, I want to talk about the actual painting process.
How to Paint Trees Part Five, Painting Process:
When learning how to paint trees, it's important to have an idea of where to start.
You don't have to paint the back leaves then move on to the front.
What I do is start with a middle ground. I get a color that isn't as dark as the shadow but is a little darker than the highlight. I then paint in some general shapes.
Later on, I put the full highlights and darkest shadows in key areas. By painting the mid color first, I can now make judgments of where I want the lightest and darkest areas. Be selective. Don't get carried away with your highlights. Use them sparingly.
I like to take a loose, painterly approach when I paint trees, but if you do a more photo-real style, you may have to adjust how you paint a little.
I like to put down thick paint and sweeping strokes.
Just think about the overall shape of the tree first. Simplify everything. You can add in details as you go. Try to keep it natural looking by varying the shapes here and there.
Have your sky color or background color ready. You can use those to modify the tree. For example, you can go back in after you have painted some leaves, take your sky blue, and put in some sky showing through the leaves. Just don't put the blue down too thick. You want it to sink back into the leaves, not pop out in front of them. If it does pop out too much, go back with the leave color and build the leaves up a little more to push the blue back.
Well, that should be enough to get you started anyway. I hope you enjoyed the lesson.
Read articles related to: How to Paint Trees.
| ***copyright.shtml*** | contact | privacy policy | about |
Home | Need Art Supplies? | Art Books and Videos | Build a Website
