Are you interested in learning how to paint a Christmas tree for your upcoming acrylic painting project?
Christmas trees can be painted in a wide variety of ways. Using various brushes and stroke techniques will change how the tree appears depending on the style you want to achieve.
This blog post tutorial is designed to guide you step-by-step through learning how to draw a tree using three different straightforward techniques (one with a fan brush, another with a round brush, and a third with a bright brush).
How to Paint a Christmas Tree
Step 1: Paint your background white to start. You can skip this step if you’re painting on white paper, white canvas, or drop cloth.
Step 2: On your canvas, lightly sketch the outline of a bare Christmas tree. Draw the tree’s trunk as a tall, slender triangle first. The tree’s body should then be drawn as a large triangle. When painting, these are to serve as crucial guides.
Step 3: Paint the tree trunk a dark brown color using the foam brush.
Step 4: The palette should now have the two green paints on it. But don’t overmix them. Just a little. The brush’s tip should pick up various shades of green when it is dipped into the paint, as this is what you want to happen.
Step 5: The Christmas tree’s leaves should then be painted. In order to apply the green paint, wet a large paintbrush. Only a small amount of paint should be on the brush’s bristles’ tips. After that, dab the paint on the leaves rather than brush it on. Simply dab the brush’s tip inside the triangle you’ve drawn with a pencil.
Step 6: Continue dipping the brush and painting the leaves onto the tree until the entire triangle is covered. Next, apply white paint to the tree with the small artist’s brush. These white areas are meant to resemble snow.
Step 7: For the tree’s top, create a star. Draw a circle around a star-shaped cookie cutter, paint it yellow, and then cut it out. Attach the star to the tree’s summit.
Step 8: You could use push pins to hang miniature ornaments from the tree if you painted this tree on a canvas or in a picture frame like I did.
Suggested reading: One of the best ways to quickly improve the appearance and ambiance of a space where you probably spend a lot of time is by updating your kitchen cabinets. So, how much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets?
How to Spray Paint a Christmas Tree
It can get pricey to decorate Christmas trees! The majority of artificial trees are very expensive, and if you buy fancy ornaments, you’ll end up spending a lot of money.
We’re here to help you save money while still giving your Christmas tree the appearance of being expensively and expertly decorated, though.
Step 1: Find an inexpensive artificial Christmas tree
We bought fake trees, which were only $20 each. When we first start, you’ll notice that the tree is sparse, bare, and rather unimpressive.
But the secret is to locate the most reasonably priced tree in the desired size. It won’t matter if the Christmas tree is spindly with wide gaps between the branches because you’ll be spray painting it and adding lots of spray painted decorations. You’ll fill it with the painted ornaments you made.
Step 2: Pick a color scheme for your tree and other decorations.
If you want your painted tree to look a certain way, plan it out beforehand. It will take more spray paint to change the tree’s color entirely the way we did with our rose-gold tree.
You won’t need to completely cover the branches in paint if you just want the appearance of a white flocked tree. Additionally, you are free to use any amount of accent color you like.
Step 3: Spray-paint the tree white, and then, if you’d like, add an accent color like rose gold or silver.
When spray painting, work in a well-ventilated area, and place something on the ground to shield the area from overspray. For these things, I utilize a tent.
We used Rust-Oleum 2X Ultra Cover Primer Spray to paint the tree white and mimic “flocking”. Next, we applied Silver and Rose Gold spray paint to our second tree, respectively.
Cover and tape off the tree trunk or any other parts of the tree that you do not want painted before you begin spray painting. Include covering the light bulbs if your tree is pre-lit.
The Christmas tree can be painted with aerosol spray before being put together.
Prior to spray painting your accent color, allow the white paint to dry completely.
Step 4: To match the color scheme of your tree, spray paint ornaments.
By spray painting used ornaments, you can recycle them and keep your ornaments’ colors consistent with your theme. If you don’t have any old ornaments, you can buy some inexpensive dollar store ornaments and spray paint them.
Painting our ornaments required the use of Testors Craft White Foam Primer. It is not the best choice for painting the tree white because, as we discovered, it has a slightly creamed color.
Additionally, we used the Testors Craft Metallic Antique Copper paint to decorate a number of our ornaments and tree decorations. I also used it in our homemade photo ornaments because I really love it.
We utilized Champagne Pink Rust-Oleum Universal Pearl Metallic spray paint to create our pink ornaments.
Step 5: Spray-paint the tree and ornaments with Testors Craft Glitter to give them some glitz.
Before hanging the ornaments, you can spray the tree branches with glitter paint, and then separately spray the glitter on each ornament.
Alternately, you could wait and apply glitter spray paint to the tree and its ornaments all at once.
To make our trees sparkle, we used Testors Craft Aerosols Glitter Spray Paint in Silver and Gold.
- SHOW OFF YOUR PAINTED CHRISTMAS TREE
I will use the two small Christmas trees that we spray painted as decorative Christmas trees in my daughter’s room and my office. Of course, you can use our Christmas tree painting tutorial to decorate a tree of any size if you prefer a full-sized tree.
(We actually bought two more trees, and I’m going to assist Susan’s daughters in decorating their own spray-painted Christmas trees for their bedrooms.)
These Christmas trees are small enough that we can store them already decorated and ready to use the following year.
- STORE YOUR SPRAY PAINTED CHRISTMAS TREE
Simply cover your painted tree to keep it from gathering dust if it is small enough to be stored standing up and still decorated. Next Christmas, you’ll be completely prepared.
You’ll need to carefully remove and store your decorations and lights as usual if you don’t have enough space to store your spray-painted tree in its entirety.
When the tree is disassembled and stored, some of the paint may chip or rub off the branches in that case. But don’t worry; you can easily make any necessary touch-ups for next year by simply using a little more spray paint.
FAQs
What Kind of Paint Do You Use to Paint a Christmas Tree?
There are various types of spray paints you can use to paint your tree, but Testors and Rust-Oleum brands have been shown to work. It’s best to spray paint outdoors on a surface that has been covered. You should also cover areas of the tree you don’t want painted such as the trunk.
How Do You Paint a Real Christmas Tree?
Use masking tape to conceal the lights if your tree has any. If your tree doesn’t have lights, all you need to do is dust it off if it gets dirty. Spray as much paint as you can onto the tree using the sprayer. Remove the tape, let the tree dry completely, and then begin to decorate.
Can I Paint a Fake Christmas Tree?
You can spray paint your Christmas tree! Maybe the reason white artificial Christmas trees aren’t as popular as they were a few years ago, is because people are figuring out that they can turn yellow!
Will Acrylic Paint Hurt a Tree?
One should never use acrylic or oil based paint, which could harm or even kill the tree. You can ensure that your tree will grow strong and healthy by protecting the trunks of the young trees.
Read about:
