Folks,
Good morning! Can anyone pls explain their techniques for painting trees on a backdrop? The more detail you provide, the better! I have seen some fantastic backdrops and wanted to replicate that effort. I am not an artist and might roll over my failed attempt at trees to just have rolling hills. Kinda boring, but better than what I have now. Anyone care to help this newbie get something half-way decent?
TIA!
Lee
You have already answered my question that I put in your other post.
There are a couple of good videos in the Dream-Plan-Build series from MR that show the technique. Unfortunately they belong to a friend and I can't remember which ones they are. One of the first ones had a good section if I remember correctly.
Basically he used an earth tone for the background hills, stippled in some distant trees using various greens. Only when he got to closer trees did he put in trunks and branches. For those trees he started with some dark foliage, then an upward swished or two in a quick stroke of gray, grayish brown line or two to create the trunk and larger limbs. Then he stippled on a lighter green, covering some of the trunk and limbs and darker green. Appeared quite simple and fast, I haven't gotten to that point quite yet, so can't comment on my experience. Though he used brushes, I would think that for the furthest trees a small rounded chunk of sponge could make a lot of tree tops rapidly, just remember to vary your greens mixed together so that as you dab there will be lighter and darker spots on each tree representing shadows and sunlight.
Sorry I can't tell you which video it is on. Maybe someone else can.
Dave Biondi offers some good instruction on this in his series of videos. I have the California Foothills edition and it covers tree painting in depth. Excellent video.
Dave also recommends checking out several landscape painting books for basic techniques. Perhaps a trip to the library would be a cheap way to get some info.
And of course there is always my favorite: landscape painter Bob Ross on PBS with his "happy little trees". Not sure if he is helpful in the long run... This guy could make brain surgery look easy....
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site