How to draw trees with colored pencils

Instructions
1
Choose a smooth paper to prevent the background from showing through the way it
will on a textured paper. If you want to create an instant background without co
louring the entire page, choose a light-coloured paper to work on instead of a p
ure white. A pale blue works well for creating the sky. Don't choose a dark colo
ur or the pencils won't show up as well.
2
Draw the outline of the tree and any areas of the background you want to include
. Make your marks lightly so the outline doesn't show through in the final drawi
ng. Colour in each area lightly with a base colour. Use lighter and darker shade
s for highlights and shadows. On the tree itself, colour in shaded areas with da
rk greens, and add yellows to the lighter areas. These light yellows will show t
hrough at the end to give the tree a glowing look, according to Practical Painti
ng.com.
3
Choose a colour, typically a green, that matches the tree's leaves, and use shor
t, choppy strokes to create lines covering the areas you shaded in. Random, cont
rolled lines give the tree texture and help the coloured areas blend together. U
se a lighter green-yellow for the light areas you coloured yellow in Step 2.
4
Repeat that technique for any grassy areas in the background. Keep your drawing
proportional by making the strokes for the grass shorter than those for the leav
es of the tree.
5
Fill in the light and dark areas using small, controlled strokes and both light
and dark colours. Step back several feet and squint your eyes. Notice which area
s blend well and show highlights and shadows, and which areas do not. Add more d
etail to the areas that are lacking. The tree itself needs lots of detail while
the background needs little and should appear to fade away.
6
Sketch in soft, long strokes to create the bark of the tree. Make sure to darken
one side of the tree trunk and lighten the side in the sun. For the background
of the picture, simply blend the colours slightly and leave it. The background c
an show mountains or hills in the distance---too far away to show any real detai
l. Finish blending in the different areas of the tree as desired to create your
finished picture.