Tree Paintings – How to Make a Huge Impact for Less
These birch tree paintings were a cheap and easy way to make a huge impact on our large, blank wall.
A few weeks ago I posted about the very first things we’ve put on our walls (even though we’ve been here six months)!  I did this gallery wall, with the promise of a tutorial on how I did the birch tree paintings.  All the details of the gallery wall, including how I built the little half console table, can be found HERE. This post is chalked full of fun stuff for you guys, so let’s get to it. I posted my gallery wall a few weeks back and had a lot of requests on how to do the birch tree paintings.  Let me tell you, they were sooo easy.  I’m not kidding. In the above post, my inspiration wall had birch tree drawing, but I wanted them to have a little more impact.  So, I started looking around and found THIS project from Persia Lou.
I loved this idea! Â Instead of using a canvas though, I just painted directly on the wall. Â But first, I built two large frames out of scrap 1x4s I had in the garage. Â I just cut the corners at 45 degrees and put them together with a staple gun. Â I wasn’t too worried about them staying together, because I was going to nail each individual piece into the wall.
My helper, in a bathing suit, doing a little sanding. Â Since my goal in the gallery wall post was to do the whole wall with just stuff I already had and spend no additional money, I painted these with leftover trim paint.
Then I had my husband hold them in place while I traced out the inside.
I’m not usually a fan of blue painters tape, but I had some lying around so I used it. Â This is easy, because you don’t have to be so precise. Â No leveling or measuring, just sort of put it up in a way that looks natural.
Make sure the tape lines extend past where you marked out for your frame. Â Then paint! Â I used the leftover paint from the doors. Â My walls are a light grey, which worked for the tree bark, but if you have a different color wall you’ll want to paint white or grey before adding the tape.
The reason I don’t much like painters tape is because it always seems to “bleed” a little bit. Â But here, I wanted it to bleed, so it worked perfect. Â I peeled the tape off and used a credit card like in Persia Lou’s tutorial to scrap the paint across. Â I wasn’t sure it would work on my textured wall, but it actually turned out even better than I expected. Â I did have to add a little more paint down the side of the branches to have some to scrape over, but I just added where I needed.
If you don’t have textured walls, it works too! Â It’ll just look a little more like the inspiration photo. Â You can always add texture, too! Â But that’s a whole different game :).
Then I just added the frames. Â The frames were so large that they weren’t very sturdy, so I just made sure and nailed each piece into the wall.
Then I added the other stuff and done! Â Again, you can find all the other details on the wall HERE.
I collaborated with some other awesome bloggers and got a bunch of Wall Art inspiration. Â Check out the hosts below to see everybody’s projects and find some inspiration for your walls!
10. Casa Watkins
11. Domicile 37
Thanks for stopping by!!
April
Birch Tree Paintings
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Hi, April ~ I love birch trees! And this project seems totally doable! Now I just have to figure out where to put them… :0) Thanks for sharing and enjoy your new art!
Thank you Tiffany! You certainly don’t have to make them this big, I was trying to cover space with a little amount of money ;).
I love how you made these! When looking for inspiration I saw the same post about making the birch trees! I love how bold and huge yours are! What a great tutorial!
Thanks Ruthie! I need space filler, haha. I can’t wait to sit down and go through everybody’s posts later :).
Love love love this! Such a good idea to paint right on the wall then frame it out, awesome idea for when you want a unique size art piece.
Thanks Katy!!
Wow! I love how you scaled them up and painted right on the wall! It looks amazing. I will be sharing on my facebook page. Thanks for the link back. 🙂
Thanks so much Alexis, and thanks for sharing! I’m glad I found you (via Pinterest).
You did a great job on those branches!…and it is easy to do. What, a great way to add a rustic feel to the room.
Thanks Jess!!
April. I LOVE THEM. I was clueless on how you pulled it off and I would have never guessed how you did it. What a cool and easy concept. The white frames rock. Easy on the wallet too!!! Awesome job.
Thanks Sara!!
I can’t believe how good the trees look on your textured walls. They turned out amazing and fit perfectly with your gallery wall. Persia Lou is awesome inspriation. 😉
Thanks Kathy! I’m so glad I found her site, it’s awesome!
FINALLY!! April I have been waiting for this tutorial since you posted a peek of this wall weeks ago. I love how easy the tutorial is. I will have to keep this in mind when I finish my office/craft room. This could be a faux wallpapered wall technique!!! Love it.
Thanks Stephanie!! It really was super easy, and that’s a great idea for an office!!
I love this! I have a big blank textured wall that I may try this on!! My walls are plastered and then textured…are yours like that? just trying to compare how it will come out!
Thanks Amanda! I’m not sure actually, but I really think it will work on any texture. I just kept extra paint and my brush nearby, so if I needed extra to “scrap” across I would just ad it down the side as I went.
This is such a fun idea! I love that you painted it right on the walls!
Thanks Meg!
Wow April! They really look like birch trees! Love the interest and texture they give to your walls! Thanks so much for the party too:).
Thanks Tara!! I was kinda surprised they turned out too, haha!
That is beautiful!!! Even more amazing is the fact I think I can do it after reading your post. We’re getting ready to move and I’m looking for inspiration.
You can – it really was so easy! Good luck on your move and thanks for stopping by!
I love birch trees, and that looks amazing.
Thanks Leslie!
I have seen your blog and loved those paintings of the birch trees. So glad you shared how you did it! I was totally off on my assumption.
Thanks! It was super easy :).
Love this idea and your blog. Every time I click, I am inspired. 🙂
That is very sweet, thank you so much!
This looks amazing! I love that you used the painter tape not sealing perfectly to your advantage. This is such a beautiful feature in your home!
Thanks Emily :).
This is beautiful, April! Just as Meg and some others mentioned, I love how you painted directly to the wall and added the frame afterwards.
Thanks JcCee! It was way easier that way 😉
Awesome! You did a beautiful job on the wall art.
Thands Adrienne!
Love that you put Charlie to work!! Congrats on getting the tutorial up. Awesome to see how it all came together
Thanks girl!
This is such a cute idea! I wish I had more talent to DIY projects like this.
Thanks! I wish I could travel more ;).
I love the way that turned out! You make it look so easy I’m tempted….
I’m not an artist, it really was so easy! Go for it!
I love this! All of those fantastic DIY art projects are amazing!!
Thank you Kaitie!
I love the paintings, and how cool is it that you get your kids involved in these projects?
Thanks Amy! I always want my daughter more involved, but she has no interest, haha! My son is a mini me, so he loves it. THanks for stopping by.
Where do I sign up to follow your blog and/or sign up for your newsletter? I am entering giveaway but can’t sign up to follow.
Hi Deborah! Thanks for entering! There is a little icon under “let’s get social” in the top right sidebar that looks like an envelope. It should take you to a sign up page for the email. Please let me know if it doesn’t work. Thanks!
This is beautiful! I have too much art as it is, but these are beautiful!
Thank you so much! I have to much empty wall space and not enough art! Maybe one day :). Thanks for stopping by!
Lovely inspiration! Thanks for linking up to the Blogger Brags pinterest party. I have pinned your post to the Blogger Brags pinterest board.
Thanks so much!
I love birch trees and I really love how your wall art turned out!
Thank you Stephanie!
This is really wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you!