Discover the joy of watercolor painting with this easy-to-follow tutorial on painting trees! This guide breaks down the entire process into simple, manageable steps (tree leaves and trunk), from blending colors to creating realistic textures, and you’ll see your tree come to life on paper. 🌳
Hope you have fun!
Supplies list
Watercolor Paper: Arches Cold-Pressed Watercolor Paper
Brushes: Escoda Perla #8 / Escoda Versatil #10
Watercolors: For this beginner step-by-step watercolor tutorial series, I use Schmincke Horadam 24 Half-Pan Set. You can choose any brand and find similar colors.
Colors:
Yellow Ochre
May Green
Cobalt Green Dark
Permanent Olive Green
Burnt Sienna
Sepia Brown
Tree Leaves
First, I used Yellow Ochre + Cobalt Green Dark to mix a yellow-green color for the upper part of the tree. There are many ways to get a similar color. I personally prefer not to use overly bright or vivid greens.
Use dabbing or the side of your brush to create irregular shapes for the foliage.
Next, I started adding different shades of green using May Green + Cobalt Green Dark + Sepia Brown. To create a sense of volume for the tree, the greens at the bottom are generally slightly darker than those at the top.
Allow the different shades of green to blend naturally on the paper.
While the previous layer is still wet, I added darker green tones using Cobalt Green Dark + Permanent Olive Green + Sepia Brown.
Experiment until you find a green shade you like, then apply it to the base of each cluster of leaves.
Tree trunk
For the tree trunk, I prefer mixing a little green into the brown. I used Permanent Olive Green + Burnt Sienna + Sepia Brown to paint the main, thicker trunk first.
Switch to a smaller brush to paint the finer branches. Don’t forget to add a few thin branches peeking through the gaps in the foliage.
If needed, you can add some leaf-like brushstrokes to create more depth and layers in the tree.
At the base of the tree, I painted an oval shape and added some grass details. And with that, the tree painting exercise is complete!
Painting trees with watercolors is a fun and relaxing activity.
With the simple steps in this tutorial, you can create beautiful trees on your paper. Remember, the more you practice, the better you’ll get. So keep painting, enjoy the process, and have fun with your watercolors!
Thank you so much for following this tutorial, and I hope it brought you both guidance and joy in your watercolor journey.
If you have any suggestions or requests for future tutorials, feel free to let me know.
See you in the next tutorial!
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