Painting Simple Winter Trees in Watercolour
Winter trees are a wonderful subject for watercolour. Stripped back to their bare structure, they allow us to focus on line, movement, and subtle colour rather than foliage. In this post, I want to share a simple and effective approach to painting winter trees, perfect for beginners but equally enjoyable for more experienced painters.
For this demonstration, I’ve kept the palette deliberately limited. I’ve used a simple mixture of Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. Together, these two colours create a beautifully natural, neutral tone that’s ideal for tree trunks and branches. By adjusting the balance slightly, you can achieve warmer or cooler variations without ever leaving this pairing.
Painting the Tree Structure
One of the most important things to remember when painting trees is to paint them the way they grow. Trees grow outwards and upwards, and your brushwork should follow the same logic.
Always paint away from yourself, starting at the trunk and moving outward to the tips of the branches. This ensures that the finest, most delicate lines are at the ends of the branches, where they naturally taper. If you paint back towards the trunk, you’ll end up with the fine line in the wrong place, which can make the tree feel stiff or unnatural.
When painting branches, avoid straight or overly wavy lines. Instead, try using soft zig-zag movements. These gentle, broken angles are much closer to how branches grow in real life. The added benefit of zig-zags is that they naturally create small junctions, making it easier to add secondary branches without overthinking the structure.
Adding Interest and Texture
To enhance the overall effect, you can introduce subtle texture using a natural sponge. With a very light wash of the same Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine mixture, gently dab in a few areas around the branches. This adds softness and visual interest without overpowering the painting.
Think of this texture as a suggestion rather than a statement, as though there are still a few persistent leaves clinging on, or perhaps just a hint of background growth catching the light. Less is definitely more here.
Final Thoughts
Winter trees don’t need a lot of detail to be effective. A limited palette, thoughtful brush direction, and confident, simple marks can say far more than overworking ever could. Take your time, let your brush move naturally, and enjoy the quiet elegance that winter trees bring to your watercolour practice.
Happy painting
To download my free pdf all about tricks and techniques in watercolour, click here.
To download my free pdf all about colour mixing in watercolour, click here.