A simple tree

I wanted to explore using a particular colour as a shadow colour.  I decided to paint a simple tree and use a blue / grey mixture for the shadow.  So I mixed up some green, some grey/ blue and some of the same grey / blue with a little green in.  The green mixture I varied as I painted adding yellow  for highlights and then blue to darken it down.

I began by painting the main body of the tree with a basic green and then adding a lighter yellow/green to the left side and a blue green to the right:

Then I just built it up.  One of the hardest things was knowing when to stop.  The most fun part of the painting though was the trunk and branches.  I especially enjoyed putting in the shadows for this (although my control still wasn’t what I hoped and I had to do some bits several times).

Here’s the finished study.