How to paint trees – Adebanji Alade
Landscape artist Adebanji Alade shares his love of greenery and foliage as he takes us through his process of painting trees’
Reference Image
Materials:
Canvas (Primed brown)
Set of acrylic paints
Brush Pen – Burnt Sienna or similar
Paint Marker pen – White
Selection of brushes
Palette
Water
Priming your Canvas
To begin, prime your canvas with an acrylic wash. Mix Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna and a blue to create a brown tone to wash your canvas with. You do not want to start with a stark white canvas as white will not complement the colours of the tree you are about to paint.
Mapping out the tree
Using a (Windsor and Newton Burnt Sienna) brush marker pen, roughly mark out the overall shape of the tree. At this stage you are not adding detail, you are simply sketching the outer angles of the tree.
Once you are happy with the angles, start drawing in the curves and nuances of the outline. When you have established a detailed outline, draw your attention to the internal shapes of the tree and begin sketching them with the same technique as the outline.
As you go along, fill up the darker areas of the tree with broader marks of the pen. This will help make the tree feel more 3D.
Top tip – You can choose to ignore the house behind the tree in the reference photo. Use your artistic licence when establishing your composition.
Adding tones
To add the shadows and darker tones of the tree, use a brush marker pen in a dark brown and continue with the same brush strokes going over some of the shading you have already done.
Next, use a white acrylic (Posca) pen to map out the areas of the tree that are lighter in colour. Then, use a black brush maker to note where the darkest darks are on the tree. This will leave you with a sketch with dark tones, mid tones and light tones which can be used as a tonal map when you start to paint.
Top tip: Take your time at this sketching stage. Once you get the feel for the tree, the painting stage will be far easier.
Adding paint to your sketch
Prepare your palette by having two shades of the same colour next to each other. For example, a warm yellow and a cool yellow, a warm brown and a cool brown. This will allow you to easily mix your paints. You should mix your paints as and when you need them.
Begin by painting the sky. This is a backdrop to your tree so is best to paint first. Try using a one-touch brush stroke so you don’t overwork the paint.
With the sky in place, you can now move onto the tree. Mix your paints so you have a light, a mid-tone and a dark green on your palette. You have already mapped out where the tones of the tree differ, so this will help where to apply the paint from dark to light. As you move painting from dark to light, reduce the size of your paintbrush to get the finer details.
Top Tip- Try and match your brush strokes to the direction of the leaves. This will add character to your painting. It may help to squint when you are painting, this will allow the key features of the tree to stand out to you.
Finishing touches
Once you are happy with the body of the tree, you can tie up the bottom of the painting, including the grass, path, or building if you wish.
The final step is to add in any air pockets in the body of the tree. This is where you can still see the sky through the branches of the tree. Ensure you use a darker blue tone than that of the sky as these areas look shadowed in contrast to the plain sky.