Folk Art Trees

The picture to the left is an example of Folk Art trees - we can see they're trees but they don't look totally realistic. This is by an English artist named Eloise Renouf. She trained as a textile designer and is a contemporary working artist! You can find some of her prints and other work on Etsy.

Folk Art is typically defined as art that reflects the culture of the people who create it, people who are not usually formally trained artists, who did not study art in school. However, it has become a popular style which even trained artists now like to work in. It is often whimsical and fun.

We will also be reviewing perspective in this project - putting trees in the foreground, middleground and background to create depth or space in our work.

This lesson should take 60-90 minutes.

The lesson...

For our Folk Art trees project, you will need white paper, pencil and eraser, permanent black marker or Sharpie and color. I used watercolor paint but you can also use marker as paint (to review this technique - see Paul Klee Cat & Bird lesson) or crayons or colored pencils. Oil pastels and markers will not work as well as will tend to cover up the lines that represent the branches on the trees.

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