Painting Green Bushy Trees and Shrubs - Painting & Drawing Tips

Here on the West Coast, ‘green’ is a year round colour in Nature. 

But painting ‘green’ things is a challenge that can bring any artist to their kneels.

View Off Bold Point Trail, Quadra Island - Matted 14 x 18 $340 

I love the colour green.  But I also, have been humbled when trying to paint my dream. 

I have discovered a few things that really help.  I would love to share them with you.  Maybe you could share a few of your secrets too. 

Wendy’s Secrets to Green Trees & Bushes

(I decided to demo with the shrub as it was smaller and easier to see the steps I follow.  This is an ink and watercolour painting.  You can omit the pen work if you wish. )

 

Note the pattern of the shrubs running along the rocks

1.     Try a find a pattern in the shape - When it came time to painting this shrub that trailed along the rock, I first captured the movement with loose pen strokes.  Notice there are two rows.  The second row of line work was to capture the change in value.

I first painted the water behind the shrub - note the looseness around the pen work.  

2.    Focus on the Colour temperature - As I blocked in the colour of the shrub, I was mindful that the colour green in the sun was more a bright cool yellow, top right side.  So I blocked it in with a cool yellow.  For the remainder of the shrub I painted a more neutral midtone green.  This of course blended at the edges with the yellow.

Blocking in the colour for the shrub

      I danced my brush strokes across the area to get the feel of the bouncy foliage in my strokes. 

3.    Add a darker layer - Looking at the foliage I noted the colour and value changes as it moved right to left - Olive green to blue green.  And also in waves of light green backed with a darker value green for the upright branches and darker closer to the rock.   Again the brush strokes danced like leaves rather that just one big stroke.  Some of the ‘dabs’ of green were on the yellow. 

4.    Dropped in the Very DARK - Using my darkest green, almost dry brushing, I added the greens where they fitted in.  This was really the same areas and in step 3 but not covering as much.  Thus creating another value layer of green.    At the same time I also added a bit of warm yellow under the upright branches and to the patch behind the trees to indicate some branches were slightly shaded. 

   Throughout the process I was working wet on dry with each layer and using short brush strokes to mimic the pattern and movement within the shrub itself.    I have found that creating full bushy trees and shrubs is very much like painting fur.  There is a need for different values, attention to the pattern of the values and attention to the colour temperature.  

Close up of the trees from the painting 

When you look at the trees and other shrubs in the whole painting you can see I followed the same process.  

I know there are other ways to paint trees and get that fullness but I prefer to glaze with my colours and so this is my favourite way to proceed.  I would love to know some of your secrets.  

Taking Registrations for my Spring/Summer Events: 

•  Join me in the Shuswap for a 4 Day Outdoor Sketching Art Retreat hosted by Joanne Denis, June 20-23, 2025.  I will be the instructor.  This is an all inclusive: food, instruction, accommodations and drive from Lower Mainland.  $350-$600 depending on the room choices.  www.aventurasbc.ca
  
  
• Come Outdoor Sketching with me in local parks.  2.5 hr $65.  This is small group instruction, max 3.  Dates to be determined as weather warms up, contact me to get onto my call list.
  
  
• Save the Date:  next set of 3 Zoom classes Thursdays, October 9, 16 & 23.   Enhancing Your Drawing & Painting Skills.  New focus for each set of classes

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy