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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

I am Renee. Welcome to my studio and welcome to my Living Landscapes pathway.

You know, there are many elements that make a successful landscape painting, but it's trees and forests that really bring them to life.

This journey is packed with skills that will give you the confidence to paint trees that are full of movement and form and life and that are vibrant and free.

At the end, you're gonna have a number of beautiful paintings and the motivation to keep going. In the description below this video are all the links to the lessons that are in this pathway, and information about the materials that you're gonna need and other bits and pieces. And you'll find a link to the Facebook group, our private Facebook group, where you can share your work and ask any questions that you like.

Some of my favorite lessons are in this pathway, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what you create. So come on, let's get started.

The living landscape

Bring your landscapes to life.

In this pathway of 6 lessons, you'll gain confidence in painting trees and forests that are vibrant, loose and free, and truly bring your landscapes to life.

Join my $12 Painters Group on Patreon to get started!

Join me on Patreon

IN THIS PATHWAY...

1. Mixing greens & painting summer trees

  • let’s take the mystery out of mixing fresh, believable greens
  • we'll create a number of swatches for useful, believable greens
  • then we put those greens into practice by painting three different summer trees

2. Let's paint: a lavender meadow

  • this one’s all about letting go and letting watercolour do its thing
  • we paint the entire scene wet-in-wet, from sky right through to the foreground
  • once it’s dry, we layer a vibrant summer tree on top
  • a joyful, expressive lesson

3. Distant trees & forests

  • how to paint forests that feel rich and atmospheric without painting every tree
  • we practise with a distant conifer forest and a soft orchard
  • then bring those skills together in a small autumn scene
  • a great companion to the summer trees lesson

4. Autumn trees

  • let’s paint loose, lively autumn trees bursting with colour
  • we focus on feature trees close to the foreground, full of movement and character
  • paint a red maple and a golden poplar using wet, expressive washes
  • no individual leaves here — just vibrant colour and energy

5. Let's paint: an almond orchard

  • inspired by almond blossom in full bloom in Valencia, Spain
  • I’ll break down how to plan and paint white trees step by step
  • packed with useful skills: perspective, edges, reserving white paper and shadows
  • lots of soft pastel colours and gentle spring atmosphere

6. Put it all together: a summer vineyard

  • a scene from a painting holiday in France — sun, vines and an old stone barn
  • we look at simple one-point perspective to draw the vineyard rows correctly
  • the background trees framing the barn are full of life and vibrancy
  • and, of course, the barn anchors the whole scene

 

In these lessons we don't paint every single leaf (thank goodness!). You'll learn how shapes and colour work and trust watercolour to do some of the heavy lifting — so your paintings start to feel more alive.

MATERIALS YOU'LL NEED

Here’s a quick summary of the materials to help you get ready. Under each lesson you’ll find the exact materials you need, plus the reference photos and drawings to trace.

Suggested papers

100% cotton, cold pressed, 300gsm
Fabriano Artistico watercolour blocks or full sheets torn down to size OR
Etchr watercolour blocks OR
Etchr Sketchbooks

Paints

Here's a list of what's on my palette. No need to go on a shopping spree! Just use whatever's on your palette that is similar. And any brand is fine too.

Paynes grey, indigo, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, permanent violet, cobalt turquoise, sap green, green gold, hansa yellow medium, hansa yellow deep, pyrol orange, quinacridone rose, natural sienna, quinacridone sienna, burnt umber, sepia

Plus white gouache

Brushes

1 inch flat, Escoda Versatil 16, Escoda Perla 12, Escoda Prado 4, Escoda Prado Rigger 4

Pens

Lamy Safari EF nib, Rohrer & Klingner sketch ink 'Lily'
White gel pen

Other

Pencil, eraser, ruler, masking fluid, table salt, old toothbrush, old credit card

Join me on Patreon

Join my Painters Group for $12 on Patreon for access to this pathway and all other journeys plus my library of 100+ deep-dive videos and step-by-steps.

Join here