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Paint an Evergreen Pine Tree in Watercolor Paint: Step by Step
Painting an evergreen pine tree in watercolor paint is so much easier than you think! This is a great subject for beginners and With this tutorial I know you can do it! These easy watercolor trees are fast and you only need one brush! You can also watch the fast video tutorial with the post!
You’ll just need a few supplies to paint the evergreen trees. Set of watercolor paints (grab you kids set, it’s ok!) that has a dark green paint and brown paint in it. A skinny liner small brush, Mixed media or watercolor paper ( either hot or cold press is fine). Water and paper towels. That’s it!
Tip: to start painting with watercolor paints, put a little water (just a few drops) on your dried watercolor paint and let it sit a few minutes for a watercolor paint to become saturated and easy to mix a bit.
Grab a little brown paint on the brush and paint a line onto the paper.
Use the same brown paint to make little downward sloping vertical lines from the tree trunk to create branches.
Want to learn how to paint just a pine branch? See this easy tutorial here.
Continue down both sides of the trunk of the tree . I like to let a little of my trunk show at the bottom, but you could also go all of the way to the ground with your brown branches, especially if you are adding these to a landscape painting.
Once all of the branches are painted, start making smaller green marks on both side of the branches almost like little bristles. This pine tree painting is so easy because it basically uses short lines through the entire thing. If you are feeling brave, you can add some lighter green marks between the darker green ones as well.
Once you’ve painted along all of the branches, add a few pine needles down the middle of the trunk at different angles. This creates some inner tree foliage.
And that is basically it! See I told you this was a super easy way to paint evergreen pine trees! You
can get creative with these and use them to make gift tags, or your own wrapping paper! You can also experiment with different shades of green and darker shades of brown to vary your trees up!
For more painting tutorials see how to paint a winter scene.
How to Paint Pine Trees
To paint pine trees, start with the basic shapes of the tree. Draw a simple triangle for the trunk, and then add elongated ovals for the branches. Once you have the basic shapes in place, begin to fill in the details. Add texture to the bark of the tree trunk with short, vertical strokes. Paint each branch with a mix of long and short strokes to create the illusion of depth. Finally, add some highlights to the tops of the trees to create a realistic effect.
Getting Started
Before you start painting pine trees, it’s important to understand the different types of pine trees and their features.
The four types of pine trees are the white pine, the red pine, the jack pine, and the Scotch pine.
The white pine is a tall tree with a slender trunk and long needles that grow in bundles of five. The red pine is shorter than the white pine and has short needles, and cones that point downwards. The jack Pine is also shorter than the white pine and has short needles, but its cones point upwards. The Scotch Pine is the tallest of all the pines and has dark green needles that are grouped in threes.
How to Paint Pine Trees Step by Step
1. Prepare the Paints
To paint pine trees, you will need dark green, light green, and brown colors. It is also helpful to have a darker shade of green and brown for adding depth. Also, have a small brush for adding fine details. If you want to add snow on the branches, white paint is necessary as well.
2. Start with the Trunk
Using your brown color, paint the trunk of your tree. Don’t worry about making it perfect – trees have natural imperfections and irregularities. If you want to add texture, use a small brush and dab it onto the trunk to create bark.
Also, make sure to vary the thickness of the trunk as you go up.
3. Add Branches
Using your dark brown color, start adding in the branches of the tree. Use a light hand and vary the thickness and length of each branch. Remember to add some small twigs as well. If you want to add snow, paint the branches white before adding in the dark brown.
4. Fill in with Needles
Next, using your dark green color, start filling in the branches with needles. Again, vary the length and thickness to make it look natural.
Don’t forget to add some needles to the trunk as well.
5. Add Depth and Highlights
Using your light green color, add highlights and depth to the needles. Add some lighter green clusters of needles and make sure to leave some blank spaces for a more realistic look.
6. Add Final Details
Using a small brush and your dark green and brown colors, add in any final details such as smaller branches and bark. You can also add snow on the branches if desired.
7. Stand Back and Admire Your Work!
Now that you’ve completed the steps, stand back and admire your realistic pine tree painting. And don’t forget to sign and date your masterpiece!
How to Paint Pine Trees with Watercolors
1. Sketch in Pencil
To start, lightly sketch the outline of your pine tree onto watercolor paper using a pencil. This will serve as a guide for the painting process. I like to start with the trunk and branches, adding in smaller details such as pine needles later on.
2. Prepare the Watercolor Paints
Before diving into painting, mix your desired shades of green on a palette or mixing tray. I recommend using a combination of dark and light greens to add depth to the tree.
3. Paint the Trunk and Branches
Using dark brown or black watercolor paint, begin filling in the trunk and branches of your pine tree. Remember to vary the pressure on your brush to create different shades and depths.
4. Add in Pine Needles
Using a fine-tip brush and green watercolor paint, begin adding in the pine needles. To create a more realistic look, vary the length and thickness of each needle as well as their placement on the branches.
5. Add Shadows and Highlights
To add dimension to your pine tree, use light green watercolor paint to create highlights on the needles. Then, using a darker green or even a blue shade, add shadows to the trunk and branches.
6. Final Touches
Finally, go back with a small amount of brown or black paint to add in any final details and define the outline of the tree. And voila, you have a realistic-looking pine tree!
