Easy Acrylic Tree Artwork With Layered Colors

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canon PIXMA, but all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

When my mom and I were cleaning out my storage units, I came across two huge pictures that I had purchased several years ago.

They’ve been in storage ever since I started decorating the condo in teal, orange, and green, because obviously they really fit with the colors I had chosen. But I didn’t dare get rid of them because these things are big — each picture is 32 inches square, and each one has a mat with decorative trim, glass, and a big fat frame.

Obviously the one on the right had some issues after being in a non-climate-controlled storage unit for several years, and the artwork itself just wasn’t doing anything for me any more, but I brought them to the house in hopes that I’d find some inspiration for some new DIY artwork.

And I found that inspiration while at Pier 1 when I came across this…

Now y’all know how much I love trees (and birds). After all, I had a huge one painted on the wall in my condo kitchen. I don’t know why, but I love just about anything with trees on it, and the quirkier the better.

What really caught my eye about this mosaic glass artwork was the layered colors. I love how that looks. What I didn’t necessarily love (especially not particularly for my house) was the really bright colors and the shiny aspect of the glass. It’s just a very “loud” piece. But I thought I could easily use it as inspiration for my own artwork, so I snapped a picture and sent it to my printer at home using Canon PIXMA MG7120 printer and the PIXMA Cloud App.

When I got home, I grabbed my inspiration piece off of the printer…

And gathered my art supplies (a large piece of watercolor paper, various art brushes, several small cups of water, a rag, and some Delta Ceramcoat craft paints in Midnight Blue, Light Foliage Green, Brown Iron Oxide, Trail Tan, Straw, and Magnolia White).

I made a misstep right off the bat, thinking that I wanted to make some sort of grass in the foreground, with water just behind it.

I didn’t like it. I thought it looked like a child’s artwork, but I pressed on. I started creating my layers of color, starting with the brown, and working up the paper.

I really liked how the top layers looked, but I hated the “grass” and “water”, so I decided to redo those areas using the same swirling, swooshing motions that I used on the top layers.

Must better.

Then I used a round craft brush to add the tree trunk and limbs. I free-handed it, trying to follow the inspiration picture as closely as I could.

Then I put it in the frame. I’m no artist, but even so, I like my new picture so much better than the originals. The colors (especially the blues and greens) are just more “me”.

When I painted this a few days ago, I had originally planned on putting it on the wall between the two small windows in the living room. But I think that wall need something non-square, so I’m actually working on a decorative mirror to go on that wall. So now I have to find a new home for this painting. Perhaps I’ll use it in the hallway.