A bird in a tree makes a beautiful picture.
Trees and birds can be a popular item to paint. There are many different kinds of trees as well as many kinds of birds. This allows one simple theme to be painted in many different ways. Painting a bird in a tree can create a beautiful piece of art that can be displayed in your home or given to someone as a gift. This painting can be achieved with a little concentration and some careful planning.
Instructions
1. Do some research to find photos of various birds and trees. Find pictures in books or on the Internet and select which ones you would like to paint.
2. Prepare a work station on a flat surface. Lay down some newspaper to protect any areas the paint might touch. Set out paint, paintbrushes and a cup of water to rinse brushes in. An easel can also be used to hold the canvas if necessary.
3. Prepare the canvas by lightly sanding it with fine-grit sandpaper. Remove any dust or debris with a tack cloth. Apply one coat of water-based varnish.
4. Copy the picture of the tree onto a canvas using graphite and tracing paper. Place the tracing paper over top of the picture and use a pencil to trace the tree. Place a piece of graphite paper face down on the canvas. Hold it in place using tape. Place the tracing paper with the image on it over top of the graphite paper. Use a stylus or pointy object to trace over the tree image and imprint it on the canvas. Use firm equal pressure when drawing. When the paper is lifted, the image should be transferred onto the canvas.
5. Use the same method as step three to trace and transfer the image of the bird onto the canvas. Position the bird in the tree before tracing.
6. Paint the tree trunk with a medium brown acrylic paint. Apply two coats and allow to dry. Mix a small amount of black paint with the medium brown to create shadows on the trunk. Paint highlights by adding white paint to the medium brown. Use a liner brush and a dark brown paint to paint lines in the tree trunk creating the illusion of textured bark.
7. Create the illusion of many leaves by dry-brushing them onto the branches. Use a large dry brush and dip it into two or more shades of green. Tap any access paint off the brush onto a paint palette leaving a minimal amount of paint on the brush. Stamp the paint onto the tree using a stippling or dry brush technique. Continue to stamp the paint on until the desired amount of leaves are achieved.
8. Base-coat the bird using the main color of the feathers. Apply two coats and allow to dry. Apply the details using a small paint brush. Paint finer details using a liner brush and stylus. Refer to any pictures of the bird often to ensure the colors and proportions are the same.
9. Apply one coat of water-based varnish to the entire canvas to seal in the paint and add protection to the surface.
