MY TREE BARK TUTORIAL AND MISS DAISY STAMPS DT..

Hello Everyone...

Time for my tree bark tutorial and sorry there is a lot of photos and steps..

                                      

This is what I started out with..my supplies..

                                        

Layer strips of masking tape onto canvas or whatever you want to make your tree on to form a base for the scrunched up tape to stick to..

                                                   

Now add strips of tape and squish it up as you stick it down - not neat - just do it as it comes...

and keep layering the strips until you think you have enough and you can make" knots" for the tree too..

                                                  

I placed my "Knot"in the centre and will add another later...

                              

Once I'm happy with the tape -'[  it keeps sticking up a bit and wont stick down tight, but we are gonna fix that]..we come to modge podge or any medium that dries hard..

                                            

While it is drying bits still pop up so just press them down while drying with a heat gun and they eventually stick down ....and when

dry we cover the whole tree and page with Gesso...this makes a non porous background for whatever your colour medium is..

                                                       

Now for the fun part....PAINT.....

First layer - Burnt Sienna or any light reddy brown colour..

                                            

Second Layer - Burnt Umber or any darker reddy brown paint..

                                              

Third layer - Raw Umber - or any shade of a darker brown.

Use the brush really lightly and you get those strokes showing which gives it the natural texture of bark..

                                                 

Fourth Layer - A light splattering of black..

All these coats were added while paint still wet..you can wait for each layer to dry if you want...I just don't have a lot of patience..and I really think it works better while the layers are still wet.

                                       

NOW..I let it dry - be back after lunch..

                                                       

Two ham,cheese and onion sandwhiches later..I'm back..

Have coloured the background with Geltos and used baby wipes to help wet and spread.. then used my fingers on the rest....

Back to the tree...this time a bit of shading with a black pastel crayon and add any more black and brown paint to the trunk and branch just in case it needs it...as it dries it sometimes leaves too much white showing..

                                 

Punch out a gazillion leaves and stick them down..only on the stalk ends so they pop out..

                                

Then I added my "Sweet Blooms" image from Miss Daisy Stamps

Little cutie has even made diamonds grow in the centre of her flowers...

                                

Now that was supposed to be the end of my tutorial...but the more I looked at this project over the last fews days.. the more it rattled me and I was not happy that I place the branch so low down the page and made it so thick...So I added another branch and leaves...and a Marianne watering can and wheelbarrow die...

Some leaves in the join of the branch and then added a birdhouse tied on the branch with string..now I'm happier...

          

Thanks so much for stopping by and hope my tutorial showed you just how easy it really is..I love doing these trees and I feel a forest coming on in the near future..with a Deer..and snow..you just never know..

See you tomorrow..

luv CHRISSYxx