Painting Trees in Watercolor

I had a very productive class yesterday in my studio, focusing on drawing and painting trees! Here are some of my demonstrations from my workshop.

 I started with drawing basic shapes and "scribbles" and showing how those shapes could then be arranged to depict trees and shrubbery. I demonstrated shortcuts and tips to help my students remember simple shapes and ways to draw realistic trees with just a few lines and scribbles. We worked with pencils and pen and ink in our drawings.

After my students had drawn several types of trees and were confident in their skills, I moved on to painting and showed how to use and mix a variety of colors that "read" as green, and help keep landscape paintings from appearing too monochromatic and flat. I taught how to create blooms of texture with a wet-into-damp technique, how to use salt to depict the look of foliage, how to create details by lifting paint, and tons of other techniques.
We also had time for me to demonstrate how to use values and color temperature to create depth and visual interest. This class is always popular, so I'll be teaching it again soon!

In the meantime, be sure to check out my other upcoming workshops at my Kennett Square Studio, and if you can't come in person, you can always take my basic watercolor classes on-line at Artists Network University -- where I teach classes year-round and I have a new class starting every few weeks!