In his final video of a four-part painting series on ‘Acrylic Painting for Beginners’, professional artist and art painting tutor Douglas Matthews introduces a fresh subject: how to paint trees and a forest scene in acrylics, shifting focus from earlier topics like skies, water, and horizons.
The key message from Douglas is to enjoy yourself and don’t be intimidated by detailed drawing.
Watch the video below but remember to get yourself a fresh cup of tea before you start watching – it’s a 19-minute video and you’ll learn lots from Douglas if you stay until the end : )
Key Insights and Techniques from the video lesson
1. How to Paint Trees in Acrylics – use a Simplified Tree Structure
Douglas uses an analogy help simplify tree shapes for artists. Trees are described as broad at the base, tapering towards the top. Branches behave like fingers on an arm – thicker near the trunk and tapering upwards.
2. Approach to Painting Trees and Woodlands:
- Use loose brush strokes (“twiddling the brush”) to block in shapes quickly.
- Paint trunks and background in broad strokes without worrying about neatness to mimic rough bark and natural texture.
- Use a flat brush to create broken, irregular marks that suggest foliage and light filtering through trees.
- Use a variety of green shades to add dimension and realism to moss and foliage, mixing blues and yellows in different proportions for light and shadow effects.
- Introduce dark shadows and light highlights to provide contrast and depth.
3. Colour Mixing:
- Trees are not simply brown and green. Mix white, blue, yellow, and red to create a grey tone for the trunks, reflecting the natural variation in tree colours such as mossy greens and greys.
- Background colours include blues, greys, and various greens, mixed from ultramarine, cerulean blue, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, Prussian blue, and white.
- A peachy tone (cadmium red + cadmium yellow + white) is used to suggest bare ground or paths through the forest.
4. Stylistic Inspiration:
Douglas references the Fauves, early 20th-century painters known for their wild, raw use of colour, encouraging artists to embrace “fun colours” and a primitive, expressive approach rather than strict realism.
5. Final Notes:
The demonstration is about blocking in basic elements within 20 minutes. It’s meant to inspire artists to build upon the initial layers and enjoy the process without pressure. The forest is portrayed as a dynamic scene that is alive with the interplay of light, shadow and colour.
Conclusion and Your Next Adventure?
Douglas Matthews’ forest painting tutorial is a practical, encouraging guide for artists seeking to explore painting with acrylics in an enjoyable manner. It demystifies tree structure and colour and offers useful tips on brushwork. Douglas says “Remember to have fun!”
Have you ever thought about going on an inspirational Painting Holiday where you and a small group can learn from experienced art tutors like Douglas? A painting holiday allows you to focus on your art whilst away from all the normal daily distractions of life back home. You’ll have time to sketch, paint and create to your heart’s content and also have time to relax, go on excursions and make new friends.
Previous Lessons in this series:
More information on the earlier lessons in this series can be found at:
Part 3 – Painting the sea and shore in acrylics
Part 2 – Painting the sky and clouds in acrylics
Part 1 – Choosing paints, brushes and materials
One last question for you!
If you’ve enjoyed this 4-part course on ‘Acrylic Painting for Beginners’ then please do leave us a comment below! What type of course would you like to do next?
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