Painting a birch tree trunk is a good exercise in learning paint a subject that is almost totally black and white. Birches often grow in clumps along the waterways and lakes of the north woods throughout of the northern hemisphere. These handsome trees make attractive additions to a landscape painting.
Preliminary Drawing
Look for live birch trees growing near where you live. Be aware that there are many species of birch, but the paper birch---with its nearly pure white and black bark---is what artists so often like to sketch and paint. If the birches do not grow naturally where you live, you might find one growing at an arboretum or a nature preserve. Hopefully, you can find some birches growing near your home, where you can make direct sketches from the actual tree.
Begin by drawing on plain paper with a hard graphite pencil. First, concentrate on getting the shape of the trunk as it twists, turns and reaches for the sky. Then study the way the branches attach to the main trunk. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, study the precise shape and location of all the different black lines and splotches. Most likely the pattern and shape of the black markings will be more varied than you realize. Make as many drawings as you feel necessary, until you are satisfied that you've captured the shape and the markings of the birch bark and the trunk of the tree.
Color
Beginning painters should start with using an opaque paint. Acrylic is nice because it can be mixed with water or used with a special medium. Before you paint, study the tree trunk closely for color. Notice that nature seldom displays a pure white, but instead your bark and tree trunk will pick up reflected hues from surrounding sources. This could be the green from the tree leaf, a gray from a cloudy sky or a slight ocher tint if the trunk is exposed to pure sunlight. Also note that if there are shadows, shades of blue will be revealed in places out of the direct sunlight. Then check the dark areas; you'll find those places are not pure black, but often contain shades of a deep umber, a rich brown or a steel gray.
The Actual Painting
Begin by putting down the light colors first on your paper or canvas. Make a detailed drawing first. Use a predominantly white paint mixture with some color added to match the lighting conditions. Then work in the darker area of the dark lines and design of the trunk of the tree---and finally add shadow to the trunk to give it shape and form. Beginning painters will probably want to let each separate area of color dry completely before moving on to the next place, but veteran painters should feel free to experiment with letting adjacent areas of paint mix together, while they're still wet.
