How to Paint a Tree: 5 Acrylic Tree Techniques

Video byWild Creates

Difficulty: Easy
About 45 minutes
5 steps

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Steps written out by Crafting Step by Step from Wild Creates' video (opens YouTube) (10:29). Published May 9, 2026.

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Trees are one of the first things beginner painters try and one of the first things they get frustrated with. The trick is using the right brush. The fan brush is built specifically for this kind of texture - the splayed bristles create natural leaf and needle patterns that would take ages to paint stroke-by-stroke.

This walkthrough from Wild Creates and his friend Tally covers four different tree types using the same fan brush: a pine tree, a tree with lots of leaves, a slim canopy tree, and a tree leaning off the side of the canvas. Master these four and you can drop a tree into almost any landscape. To put a whole grove of them together, try the forest pathway painting next.

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Paint 4 different acrylic trees - pine, leafy, slim canopy, and side-leaning - using fan-brush techniques. An easy project: about 45 minutes. Materials cost about $10 to $18. You need 13 things, including Dark sap green acrylic, Mid-tone green acrylic and Yellow acrylic. The 5 steps: set Up Your Palette and Brushes, paint a Pine Tree (Zigzag Method), add Mid-Tones and Highlights, paint a Leafy or Slim Canopy Tree and paint a Side-Leaning Tree (Off-Center).

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Step 1: Set Up Your Palette and Brushes
Watch this step · 0:30
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The fan brush is the workhorse for all four trees. Get one in size 4 or 6. You'll also need a small round brush for trunk details. Put dark sap green, a mid-tone green, yellow, burnt umber (for trunks), and white on your palette.
Tape off four squares on your canvas so you can practice all four tree styles on one panel. The painter's tape gives you clean white borders between trees so you can compare techniques side by side.
Tip:
Don't dilute your acrylic too much for trees. The thick paint loaded onto the fan brush is what creates the natural texture - watery paint just smears.
Used in this stepAcrylic Fan Brush Set Stretched Canvas Panels Acrylic Painters Tape
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Step 2: Paint a Pine Tree (Zigzag Method)
Watch this step · 2:10
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Load the fan brush with dark sap green. Working from the SIDE of the brush (not flat-on), dab in a downward triangle zigzag motion - widest at the bottom, narrowing to a point at the top.
Open the bristles slightly as you go to expose more of the brush - that's what creates the pine-needle texture on the outside edges. Reload the brush often. One brushload won't fill a whole tree, and trying to make it stretch makes the tree look thin.
Tip:
Don't be afraid to make the tree patchy. Real pines have gaps where light shows through - a perfectly filled triangle reads as fake.
Used in this stepSap Green Acrylic Paint
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Step 3: Add Mid-Tones and Highlights
Watch this step · 3:35
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With a clean fan brush, mix a mid-tone color - green plus a touch of yellow gives you a marbled lighter green. Use the same zigzag motion over the dark base, focusing on the side of the tree facing your light source.
Add small dabs of pure yellow on top for highlights. Don't blend them in - the unblended bits read as light catching individual needles. Keep the highlights only on the lit side; the shaded side stays dark.
Tip:
Leave the mid-tone color marbled on your palette. Don't fully mix the green and yellow - the variation in color shows seasonal change in the tree.
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Step 4: Paint a Leafy or Slim Canopy Tree
Watch this step · 7:20
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For a deciduous tree, use the corner of the fan brush to dab clusters of leaves in a rough oval shape. Build with darks first, then mid-tones, then highlights on the light-facing side.
For a slim canopy tree (like an African acacia), paint a thin trunk first with a small round brush in burnt umber. Then build a wide flat canopy at the top using horizontal sweeping strokes - the bristles fan outward to create the foliage texture.
Used in this stepBurnt Umber Acrylic Paint Small Round Detail Brush Set
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Step 5: Paint a Side-Leaning Tree (Off-Center)
Watch this step · 9:50
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The last tree leans in from the side of the canvas. Start the trunk near the edge, curving back toward the painting. Build the canopy on top using whatever method fits the tree type (pine zigzag or leafy dab).
Side trees feel natural when they lean TOWARD your light source - it suggests the tree is growing toward the sun. Painted asymmetry that looks intentional is the hardest part of this whole tutorial.
Tip:
Once you've painted all four, leave them taped overnight. Pull the painter's tape carefully when dry - the clean white borders make each tree look like a tiny finished study.
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Products Used

Acrylic Fan Brush SetView Stretched Canvas PanelsView Acrylic Painters TapeView Sap Green Acrylic PaintView Burnt Umber Acrylic PaintView Small Round Detail Brush SetView

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Question 1 of 5

Which brush is the workhorse for painting these four acrylic trees?

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Key takeaways from How to Paint a Tree: 5 Acrylic Tree Techniques

5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.

1.Which brush is the workhorse for painting these four acrylic trees?
Answer: A fan brush in size 4 or 6
The fan brush handles all four trees. Its splayed bristles create natural foliage texture you can't easily fake with other shapes.
2.Why does the tutorial say not to dilute the acrylic too much when painting trees?
Answer: Thick paint on a loaded fan brush is what makes natural texture
The fan brush needs body in the paint to leave the textured marks that read as needles and leaves. Watery paint just smears.
3.What motion makes a believable pine tree shape with a fan brush?
Answer: Side-of-the-brush dabs in a downward triangle zigzag
Working from the side of the brush in a downward zigzag triangle gives you the wide base, pointed top, and natural needle texture.
4.Why keep the yellow highlights on the lit side of the tree only?
Answer: It suggests light catching needles on one side and leaves the rest dark
Highlights only on the lit side imply a light source, giving the tree real dimension. Highlights everywhere flatten it back out.
5.A side-leaning tree feels natural when it leans which direction?
Answer: Toward your light source
Trees grow toward the sun. Leaning the trunk toward your painted light source makes the asymmetry read as intentional, not crooked.