- 1). Locate some nearby pine trees and draw them in a sketchbook with a pencil. Closely observe the anatomical details of the tree's leaves. Practice drawing the cylindrically shaped leaves. Observe how the pine needles are organized into clusters and arranged on the branches. Make small thumbnail sketches of the pine foliage. Draw an overall composition for the painting, integrating the sketches into a unified pictorial design. Photograph the trees for later reference if you'd rather not work outdoors.
- 2). Choose a type of watercolor paper to fit the style of the painting. Buy 140-pound weight or heavier to prevent buckling. Use smooth hot-pressed paper for a realistic, highly detailed painting of pine foliage. You can depict individual needles on smooth paper. Paint on cold-pressed or rough paper for a looser style of painting. Suggest the needles instead of realistically defining them. Tape the paper to a drawing board to hold it securely and provide a nice, clean edge to the picture.
- 3). Draw the composition using your reference drawings and photos. Place clusters of pine leaf foliage in the foreground for a closeup view of the needles. Draw the outlines of leaf clusters to be filled in with painted details later, as you complete the painting. Emphasize patterns in the leaves as a compositional device for a pleasing picture. Contrast the positive space occupied by the leaves with the negative space around them to create visual interest.
- 4). Thin the watercolors with water for the initial layers of paint. Use a large flat or pointed brush. Block in the sky, general forms of the trees and other landscape elements with large washes of diluted color. Use graduated washes to vary the tonal values as you work to suggest sunlight and shadow. Paint the underlying structure of the branches before painting the leaves. Brush in dark blue or purplish washes around leaf clusters for shadows.
- 5). Choose your hues to match the local color of the pine trees. Use a dark green such as Hooker's Green or Sap Green for the deep tones. Paint the leaf clusters with feathery strokes describing the foliage's growth patterns. Fill in the details of the pine needles making up the clusters with a small pointed brush. Leave the tops of the clusters white or light green for the highlights. Tint them with yellow to imitate sunlight reflecting off the needles.