The Tree - painting completed

July 2, 2012
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I had considered carving bark texture into the putty but decided it was probably more work than it was worth. Instead, I did a quick sanding over the main trunk with 60 grit sandpaper. This removed the obvious smoothness and provided a nice texture. I also cleaned up any excess putty from around the roots.

The tutorial indicated that most trees are more grey than brown, so I started with an undiluted mix of Neutral Grey and Traditional Burnt Umber, both by Americana. I stippled the paint on to create additional texture which you can see here on the branches.

I then did a second coat of paint in a slightly darker mix followed by two paint washes. All these layered washes bring out a depth not achieved with a single application of regular paint.

The tree will remain dormant for now, until I get to the landscaping part.