Everyone likes trees. They are pretty and?áuseful things. So why not paint up a little stand of trees to call your own?
Each Sunday, artist Natasha Henderson will guide you through some simple “How To” tips for painting. Having been (honestly) inspired at a young age by the oft-spoofed televised artist Bob Ross, Natasha would like to offer some simple tips on How To Paint Stuff.
Before we begin, a few notes on what I’m using to paint. I chose a simple, broad flat brush. I used black acrylic paint. I used a piece of paper. I smudged some white acrylic on the paper first, so that the paint and any water in it would not bleed into the paper. I could have used the paper alone, and the texture of the paper would have had more effect on the paint, and I could have treated it more like a watercolour. But I chose not to.
Once the white acrylic base had dried, I used a small amount of paint on the tip of my brush to draw?áa line. This would be the trunk, the centre of the first tree I would paint.
Then, I simply dotted and dabbed little marks across this line, to make a tree. Simple.
After that I added more lines, and the dabs to create?áthe four trees that followed these lines. I had my stand! I was naughty, and didn’t follow the Law of Odds, but life’s about taking risks.
The final touch was a sweeping mark that suggested land. The trees needed to be situated in some sort of environment, and I felt that this would suffice.
Paint on! Paint on.
Natasha Henderson, Montreal
Comments
9 responses to “How To Paint: a small stand of trees in silhouette”
If anyone has special requests for other things they’d like to be painted, please mention it in the comments!
Otherwise, I’ll just plow ahead with a completely random selection of “Stuff” every Sunday.
Thanks, Natasha – I don’t know who Bob Ross is, but my generation’s equivalent was Jon Ngagy. I got one of his painting kits as a kid, and clearly learned nothing from it. I just checked – can’t believe they’re still selling them. Nothing against the kits – I take full responsibility for my lack of artistic blossoming. Better late than never…
Yes, indeed… painting is good for you, if you have the time to do it. It’s also good to just read about the activity, then when you’re ready (have time/inclination/etc) you will have an idea of a simple place to start. Hope you get a chance to try some stuff, if you’re so inclined! You are quite right, it is NEVER too late!
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[…] like last week, this?átime I started with a piece of paper that I’d smudged some white acrylic paint on. […]
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