Painting the foreground gum tree

With the rest of the painting done I can now concentrate on how to painting the gum tree in foreground.

I start by painting the trunk with a light mixture of Cobalt Blue and Burnt Sienna. In parts I used more Cobalt Blue and in others more Burnt Sienna.

While this was wet I dropped in stronger consistency mixes of Burn Sienna and French Ultramarine near the bottom of the truck. These trees are often quite smooth higher up and have rough bark near their ground.

Now I quickly mixed my foliage colors. This time I used some Cobalt Turquoise, Aureolin, Raw Umber, and some French Ultramarine in different proportions to create a variety of greens. I wanted some light and some dark tones. Using the side of my size 12 watercolor brush, I started with the light tones and then moved to the stronger ones. As the trunk was still wet I was able to produce a slightly soft edge for some of the foliage which appears in front of the truck. In some places I also used a touch of Burnt Sienna to warm the foliage up and bring it forward.

Before the foliage dried I painted in the small branches to either side.

Painting the green hillsides

The green hillsides are painted with varying mixes of Cobalt Turquoise, Aurelion, Raw Umber and French Ultramarine. The right side is slightly brighter than the left which has more shadow on it.

The hillsides were painted primarily with the side of the brush to allow me to take advantage of the texture of my Arches watercolor paper. I used Cold Press paper, but if you are just starting out then Rough textured paper would be easier for you to use in this painting.

Continue to: Reflections on the road and finishing this watercolor painting demonstration