Preparing to Paint Trees
by L. Diane Johnson

SPRING IS BEGINNING TO BURST in my locale – a signal that it will be time to paint blooming trees once again. For the artist, trees have always been a grand backdrop for or focal point for drawings and paintings. They are among the most interesting things to paint and a never-ending source of inspiration and challenges for the artist.

Most landscape painters I have observed forge ahead and paint trees – any trees – without really knowing anything about them. I am guilty doing of the same.

When I studied life drawing and subsequently became a portraitist, it was so wonderful to explore the ins-and-outs of anatomy, color, shapes and all aspects of the figure. It became more pleasurable to paint and more accurate after having studied for so long. I had become familiar with the figure; it's nuances and structure that it became second nature to render. The fundamental goal of capturing the character of an individual person. It was not enough to render a subject technically correct, there had to be life and something that looked Joe Jones or Joanne Jones not just a generic person.

Even in caricature work, figures do not look like the person technically; nevertheless, it really embraces the personality of the person. I remember political cartoons of President Jimmy Carter - always drawn with a wonderful set of teeth. Yes, it was a play on what he looked like, but it was unmistakably Jimmy Carter!

So, what does all of this have to do with trees?? Everything. Many artists today immediately go out and paint or paint from photos without ever studying any tree. Yes, if you can draw well you can draw anything. I believe this to be true. However, how much better could you render a tree if you knew the anatomy of a tree?

I found that once I took a bit of time to study basic tree types, about their canopies, their leaf size, whether they flowered or not, their color range, their trunk and branch structure, it became increasingly easier to paint convincing trees.

I once illustrated a children's picture book. The last spread had rabbits, squirrels and other animals living in the hair of the character, Loretta Littlefield. At first, I simply drew the animals from my knowledge of seeing them over the years. A fair job, but not the best – they were "symbolic" animals, not real ones. I had never actually drawn or painted any of these animals before. I then realized that if I proceeded down that path invariably someone would say, "That's not what a rabbit really looks like", or "She can't paint squirrels."

[From "If I Had Long, Long Hair" by Angela Hunt, Illustrated by L. Diane Johnson.]

Therefore, I went to the library (no internet at the time;) and checked out books about the different animals. I learned so much. With confidence, I set about painting real animals even though they had a cartoon appearance; the structure, personality and character of the animals came through. If I had not taken the time to learn about them, the book would not have been as successful!

When I became a landscape painter, my trees were ok but not great. They looked like trees, but "symbols" of trees – not this tree or that tree – just a general tree. I am not advocating becoming an arborist. As a painter, there is so much to paint and so little time. However, I am advocating a bit research to familiarize you with the subject you paint, whatever that subject might be.

In this case, it is trees. What can you do to paint better trees? Here is my list of easy ways to explore the wonder of trees that will not only make them more accurate when you paint but increase your enjoyment as well:

1. Observe
If you have winters when deciduous trees are bare, study them without their leaves. Observe how tall a tree is, the way the branches come out from the trunk, whether the branches grow upward or downward, study the texture, study the color, whether it is a strong or delicate tree, etc. Sketch winter trees, all kinds of trees. How do they differ? How are they alike?

Then in spring, summer and autumn, observe again and paint the same trees. See how they've changed – how the light affects their color. Do this particularly when you are painting in your own locale.

2.Read
I recommend several books for studying trees:

On Drawing/Painting Trees:
The Artistic Anatomy of Trees, Their Structure and Treatment in Painting
Eyewitness Handbooks: Trees
The North Light Pocket Guide to Painting Trees

Tree Field Guides:
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region
Fall Color Finder

I would choose one anatomy book (arbor identification book) and one about painting trees.

What is the result of all this study? Your paintings will be stronger than ever before. They will have more life, more power, and more accuracy. The two bonuses will be that you will have captured the character of individual trees and wherever you go, wherever you paint, you'll be able to paint any tree with a greater degree convincingly.

Case in point: last summer I participated in a paint out in Hawaii with the Plein Air Painters of Hawaii of which I'm a member. I had not painted but a couple of palm trees in my life. But after all the trees I've painted, I was better equipped to paint the palm which is more unfamiliar tree than North or Southeastern ones. Certainly, if I painted as many as other people have I could do it even better. However, I was happy with the result.

3. Paint
As you are doing one and two, incorporate number three. Draw and paint the trees!! Paint individual trees, groups of trees, distant trees, any trees. Judge for yourself if your trees improve after even a bit of effort.

Then after you've painted, enjoy a cool drink and sit under one of those glorious, beautiful, friendly and shady trees!