If you’ve ever tried painting a tree and ended up with something that looked more like a green blob on a stick, you’re not alone. Capturing the life, texture, and complexity of a real tree can feel intimidating — but it doesn’t have to be! With a few thoughtful techniques and the right layering approach, you can bring breathtakingly realistic trees to life on canvas. In this guide, we’ll walk through five key steps on how to paint realistic trees that feel vivid and authentic, even if your style leans loose or expressive.
Let’s start by gathering what you’ll need.
Tools and Materials You’ll Need
- Canvas or heavy paper (for acrylics or mixed media)
- Acrylic paints: Various shades of blue, yellow, red, green, brown, and white
- Acrylic ink (optional, for clean dark outlines)
- Selection of brushes:
- Flat brush for base layers
- Small round brush for fine details
- Worn-out or textured brushes for foliage
- Pencil (preferably a soft one like 2B or 4B)
- Palette for mixing colors
- Water cup and paper towels
- Reference images of trees you want to paint
5 Easy Steps on How to Paint Realistic Trees
Step 1: Lay Down a Creative Base Color
Start by choosing a base color that’s different from the colors you expect to use later. Instead of going straight for green or brown, pick something like a muted blue, soft ochre, or dusty lavender. This adds unexpected dimension and prevents your painting from looking flat.
Don’t worry if bits of this base color peek through later — in fact, that’s the goal! Those glimpses will give your final piece more texture and visual interest than starting on plain white ever could.
Step 2: Sketch the Basic Tree Shapes
Once your base layer is dry, lightly sketch the basic structure of your tree with a pencil. Focus on mapping out:
- The trunk: Is it straight, twisted, thick at the base?
- The branches: Do they sprawl outward, reach up to the sky, or droop down?
- The leaf clusters: Instead of trying to draw every leaf, outline the main bunches. Think about their shapes—are they round, jagged, or loose and flowing?
Asking yourself descriptive questions while sketching will make it easier to capture a more natural, believable tree structure.
Step 3: Block in Shadows with Ink or Dark Paint
Next, use dark acrylic ink or very fluid dark paint to mark the deepest shadow areas on your tree. These include:
- The darkest parts of the trunk
- Heavily shaded sections under thick leaf clusters
- Some outlines of major leaf shapes for easy reference later
Don’t worry about details yet—this step is about building a strong, clear roadmap of light and dark that will guide your painting.
Step 4: Create the Background Before Adding Tree Details
Before diving into the tree itself, roughly block in your background. Keep it soft and slightly blurred so the tree remains the star of the scene.
Paint over the sketch lines slightly to ensure you have full coverage, and apply at least two layers for a clean finish. Painting the background now, instead of after the tree, helps keep your edges clean and prevents messy overlaps.
Step 5: Build Layers of Color and Add Final Details
Now it’s time to bring the tree to life:
- Branches and trunk: Start by blocking them in using two shades—one dark for shadows and one lighter for sunlit areas.
- Leaves: Begin with a deep, rich green (mix blue, yellow, and a touch of red). Dab it onto your shadow-marked areas.
- Mid-tones: Mix a slightly lighter green and paint the mid-toned leaf clusters.
- Highlights: Add a lighter green (a mix of blue, yellow, white, and a hint of red) to the brightest spots for a textured, dimensional look.
- Final branch details: Use a fine brush and dark brown paint to “pull” small branches through the leaf clusters, enhancing realism and structure.
Throughout the process, experiment with different brushes—especially older, slightly frayed ones—to achieve the varied, organic textures that real trees display.
If you found this helpful, also try checking out:
An In-depth Review and Buying Guide of the Best Sketchbooks for Artists
How to Paint Realistic Water with Acrylics
Top Picks and Reviews of the Best Oil Paint Sets for Beginners
7 Top Picks Acrylic Paints for Artists
A Beginner’s Guide to Observational Drawing
An Essential Guide to Biro Portrait Drawing for Beginners
Final Thought
Painting realistic trees is less about perfection and more about layering thoughtfully, observing carefully, and letting your brushstrokes stay a little wild. With these five steps, you’ll be amazed at how lively and detailed your trees can look — each one unique, just like in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the tips for painting trees?
When painting trees, focus on building depth through layering. Start with a creative base color to avoid flatness, sketch out the main structure before adding details, and block in shadows early to guide your highlights later. Use a mix of brushes for varied textures, and remember — not every leaf or branch needs to be perfectly outlined; suggestion often looks more natural than precision.
How do you make acrylic paint look realistic?
To make acrylic paintings look realistic, work in transparent layers and pay close attention to light and shadow. Mix subtle variations of color to avoid flat areas, and use glazing techniques (thin, diluted layers) to create depth. Adding highlights and refined details at the very end helps bring the realism to life without overworking earlier stages.
How do you paint real tree branches?
When painting tree branches, start with the larger, structural limbs and work your way toward the finer twigs. Observe whether branches grow straight, twisted, or droop naturally. Use a small round brush to vary thicknesses and break up the lines — branches rarely grow in perfect symmetry. Adding highlights to the sunlit sides and deeper shadows underneath will give your branches a lifelike dimensionality.
Can you paint trees with acrylic paint?
Absolutely! Acrylic paint is an excellent medium for painting trees because it dries quickly, layers well, and allows for both textured and smooth techniques. With careful layering and color blending, acrylics can capture the rough bark, delicate leaves, and dappled light of real trees beautifully.