In this blog post I will demonstrate how to paint autumn poplar trees and give you tips on painting broadleaf trees and mixing autumn colours. This painting is inspired by the willows and poplars in the Glenorchy area of New Zealand. The tree in the painting is a Lombardy poplar and it is the main area of interest in the composition.
Reference Photos
Here are a couple of reference photos I took and used in this painting. Please feel free to use or copy these photos if you would like to have a go at painting this art work.
Colours
The colours I used in this painting are as follows:
- Titanium white
- Burnt sienna
- Yellow ochre
- Cadmium yellow
- Cadmium orange
- Alizarin crimson
- Ultramarine blue
- Phthalo green
Brushes
Here is a list of the brushes I used in this painting:
- No.5 flat
- No.3 flat
- No.2 flat
- No.3 filbert
- No.0 round
Painting Demonstration
I am painting on an 8” x 10” linen panel. The panel is pre made with a medium weave linen that is oil primed. These panels are perfect for creating small art works, studies and are also great to use for painting en plein air.
I sketch the composition using a No.1 round brush with burnt sienna mixed with Liquin Original (Liquin). I am using Liquin as a medium to thin the paint and it also has the advantage of speeding up the drying time.
Paint Your Dark Values and Shadows First
Whenever I start a painting I always identify where the dark values and shadows are first in the scene I am painting. Value refers to how light or dark a subject is and by painting in the dark values first it is much easier to create atmospheric perspective in your painting. It also makes it easier to add the areas in light and to get the saturation of your colours correct once you have painted your dark values.
I paint the background mountain using a mix ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson and titanium white. I also use the same colours for the cloud shadows but with more titanium white in the mix.
I mix yellow ochre, alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue to paint the shadows in the tree foliage of the Lombardy poplar. As yellow is a light value colour the shadows in the tree canopies are also likely to be lighter in value than if the foliage was still green.
The shadows in the vegetation in the foreground is a mix of ultramarine blue, yellow ochre and burnt sienna.
Now that the main areas of shadows have been established I work back in the scene starting with the zone that is furthest away, the sky and clouds. I paint the cloud highlights with a mix of titanium white and a little burnt sienna.
The sky is a mix of ultramarine blue and titanium white.
Art Tip: Skies and clouds are often some of the lightest values to be found in the landscape.
I paint the foliage of that is in the full sunlight on the Lombardy poplar and willow trees using a mix of yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange and titanium white. For the willow trees I have used a little more cadmium yellow and titanium white in the mix.
I paint the shadows in the willow trees using a mix of yellow ochre, ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. I also use these same colours for the grass and vegetation in the foreground.
So far in this painting I have been using No.5 flat brushes as these help to produce painterly gestural marks that are great for grass, vegetation and leaves.
I paint the suggestion of a network of stems and branches in the Lombardy poplar tree using a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.
I add some more details to the tree canopy where I mainly paint some lighter tones within the shadow areas to communicate some reflected light. I also add some more details to the grass and vegetation in the foreground.
At this point I allowed my painting to dry so I can add some more details to it later on.
Completing the Painting
Now the painting is dry I add further details and tidy up the painting overall. I add fresh layers of paint to the sky and clouds using the same colours that I used during the blocking-in stage. I also paint some sky holes within the tree canopies, these are gaps within the trees where the sky and background mountains are visible.
Art Tip: Always save your lightest values until the end of the painting.
I add my lightest values to the tree canopies using a mix of yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange and titanium white. I have used more cadmium yellow and titanium white in the mix to create lighter values for the tree foliage highlights.
I paint a little more reflected light in the shadow ares of the foliage in the Lombardy poplar tree using a mix of yellow ochre, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue and a little bit of cadmium yellow.
I finish up the painting by adding some details to the grass and vegetation in the foreground using a varying combination of yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and titanium white.
Thanks for reading 😊
