Masking Tape Birch Tree Paintings, “Fall Step-by-Step”

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Having seen this lesson done with younger students, I wanted to “take it up a notch” by introducing some more advanced watercolor painting concepts alongside this fun masking tape technique.

We began by planning out our tree shapes with the masking tape, using the torn pieces to create natural and organic forms on white watercolor paper. (Tree reference pictures are very important here!) We used watercolor washes to paint the sky, background, and foreground, —right over the tape! Students used a mixing tray to control the paint tones and a proper watery consistency. Wet-into-wet blending of different colors directly on the paper was encouraged to create a natural look. After the paint was dry, we carefully peeled away the masking tape to reveal the pure white trees.

Students Peeling their tape off carefully after their background painting is dry.

Using a black colored pencil, we added small branches and horizontal textures for our birch bark. Again, reference pictures help! We added pale watercolor shadows on the trees to help give them form, and, —depending on the desired “seasonal” effect,— other personalized details such as splatters, grasses, etc.

These fall themed paintings were 8.5″ by 11″ and done on Arnhem paper. We completed them in four or five 47 minute class periods.

Here’s a breakdown of the fall version of this lesson, class by class:

Day 1: Create your tape trees. (I highly recommend you test tape/paper combos first. Not all watercolor paper will hold up to the taping and may shred or peel when you remove the tape later.)

Day 2: Paint the basic background elements of ground and sky. OPTIONAL: Mist liquid watercolor here and there before putting to dry.

Day 3: Remove tape CAREFULLY. Add bark texture and branches with black colored pencil

Day 4: Add pale tree trunk shadows, thin grass blades and/or leaves on trees. One last optional misting, if you desire!

The students were so proud of these paintings! Watercolor can be tricky, but I encouraged them to embrace its loose and independent personality rather than trying to control it, assuring them it was OK to let the paint “do what it wants to do”!

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Helpful Tips and Tricks!

Tip # 1: I created some project specific videos, instructions and goals which you will find in this GOOGLE SLIDE PRESENTATION. Feel free to make a copy and edit it for you own needs. In my classroom, I supplement this presentation with lots of reference pictures of actual birch trees!

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Tip #2: I used to do this lesson with regular masking tape, or painters tape, and the students would have to rip or tear the tape thinner if they wanted trees less than 1″ wide. This resulted in some “clunky” looking trees. (See examples below.)

This year, I found THIS SET of Painters tape on Amazon that comes in a set of 5 widths! This has made it much easier to create trees of different sizes naturally! Game changer!

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Tip # 3: Have reference pictures available. HERE are some pictures that I print out and place on each table! Included in the packet is the one below, by Dean Crouser, which I use as the inspiration for creating our softly blended backgrounds.

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Tip # 4: My students tend to struggle with creating natural looking branches, when we get to the color pencil step, especially where the tape may have left a “chunky”, chopped off-looking branch end… I use this handout to show them NOT to go immediately to super thin branches, but to “extend and disguise” with colored pencil as needed to make the branches taper and look more natural.

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Tip #5: Another way to make branches look natural is to create the illusion that some branches might be at the front of the tree, while others may be towards the back. I use this little “before and after” handout to show them how to delineate or extend the side branches to create a more 3D effect!