Easy Watercolor Tree Painting In Fall Colors For Beginners

Contrary to popular belief, watercolor painting can actually be done pretty easily and quickly. We love watercolor paint due to the fun that can happen naturally. Learn how to paint easy watercolor trees in beautiful Autumn colors.

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Yes, you can buy the most expensive watercolor paints, brushes and watercolor paper. The paper is probably the most important part. Make sure you are getting heavy paper meant for watercoloring. If not your colors will not blend as nicely.

But to enjoy watercolor painting, you really don’t have to. I used scholar brushes (super cheap brushes meant for kids, but surprisingly pretty good quality) and a paint set. Check out the video at the end to see the easy it is to paint trees using watercolor paint.

Helpful Watercolor Painting Techniques

• Wet on Wet Technique: The colors will blend more when the paper is wet. This is great for the Fall colors or even skies
• Wet on Dry Technique: You will get crisper lines and be able to paint layers without the colors mixing. 
• Drybrush Technique: Use the texture of the brush to stamp the leaf like look. Again the warm colors (orange, yellow, red will naturally bend).
• Wash: Dilute part of the color with water. This can help things look more realistic by getting different tones of color.
• Resist: when something such as glue, masking fluid, or even tape blocks the paint from showing.

Tips

• Don’t overwork the area. There are many times we have added more thinking it would be better and it wasn’t. 
• Loose areas are a style and look great when you paint watercolor trees.
• For these easy fall painting ideas, stick with warm colors (yellow, orange, red)
• For your next tree painting, you could always try to use a similar technique but use green and other Spring-like colors for a completely different look.

Watercolor Tutorial

Step 1: Paint A Light Oval With Water

Put a wet wash down in an oval shape. It doesn’t need to be perfect and is better if it looks more organic.

Step 2: Add Warm Colors In A Wet-on-Wet Technique

For your first layer, add some light yellow, and yellow-orange paint to the wash. Let the colors mix naturally. If you try to be perfect or overwork the watercolor you will be sad. Dab in a little wet orange watercolor paint.

Step 3: Let dry.

Step 4: Add Branches and Trunk

Once dry, begin to paint part of the trunk and a few branches. Try to create organic lines and they do not have to be complete lines. It is best if they are broken up a little.

Step 5: Add A Highlight On The Trunk

In the tree trunk, add a little water to the brown paint to make one side darker and one side lighter. Let dry.

Step 6: Dab Extra Texture For Leaves

Take a larger brush and dab more saturated reds, oranges and yellows. The saturated colors are achieved by having less water in your brush. Using a paper towel and testing it on a side paper may be helpful.

If desired, you can even add a more saturated color to the edges or underside of the branches to try to create a more 3-dimensional feel.

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Related Ideas

• 27+ Fun Fall Crafts For Adults
• Easy Valentine’s Watercolor Painting Idea
• Can You Use Watercolor Paint On Clay?

Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously painting a Fall tree with watercolor paint!

Do you like this art project? Be sure to give us 5 stars below 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 and have fun being creative with your family.

Printable instructions here!

Easy Fall Tree Watercolor Painting For Beginners

Learn how to paint a simple Fall tree using watercolor paint in under 10 minutes.

Print Tutorial

Prep:5 minutes mins

Creating:10 minutes mins

Additional Time:20 minutes mins

Total Time:35 minutes mins

Supplies

• Watercolor Cards Strathmore Cards or Thick Watercolor Paper
• Synthetic Brush we used cheap brushes for this
• Watercolor paints

Instructions

• Put a wet wash down in an oval type shape.
• Add some light yellow, yellow-orange to the wash. Naturally let the colors mix. If you try to be perfect or overwork the watercolor you will be sad.
  Dab in a little wet orange watercolor paint.
• Let dry.
• Once dry, begin to paint part of the trunk and a few branches. Try to create organic lines and they do not have to be complete lines. It is best if they are broken up a little.
• In the trunk, take a little water to make one side darker and one side lighter.
• Let dry. Take a larger brush and dab more saturated reds, oranges and yellows. The saturated colors are achieved by having less water in your brush. Using a paper towel and testing it on a side paper may be helpful.
• If desired, you can even add a more saturated color to the edges or underside of the branches to try to create a more 3-dimensional feel.
  

Video

Notes

• Don’t overwork the area. There are many times we have added more thinking it would be better and it wasn’t. 
• Loose areas are a style and look great in watercolor paint.
• Stick with warm colors (yellow, orange, red)

Author: Erin