Nancy Burrill Birch Trees
1st Grade Art Project
West Mercer Elementary Art Enrichment Program
Birches Robert Frost
“When I see
birches bend to
left and right
Across the lines
of straighter
darker trees,
I like to think
some boy’s been
swinging them.”
What does the
poet mean?
Forest by Gustav Klimt
Today’s Project
• Birch tree bark
• Masking
• Watercolor background
• Salt texture
Birch Tree Bark
Step 1- How to make a mask
Step 2- Trees in Perspective
• Close trees = bigger
• Farther away trees = smaller
Step 3- Painting the Land
Step 4- Painting the Sky
Step 5- Salt the sky
Step 6- Peeling up the mask
Carefully peel away the tape to reveal the white trees.
Step 7- Painting the shadows &
highlights
Step 8- Sponge in shrubs