Some subjects are perfect for painting without drawing and this is one of them. It is sometimes great just to look at a blank piece of paper and make your decisions as to How To complete the painting. This was worked from a photograph I took in Raphaels Park in Romford two weeks ago on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon when the weather was absolutely glorious.  

Palette:- Primary blue 80% mixed with pthalo blue 20%, Lemon Yellow, Primary Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Light Green, Medium Green and Dark Green (use a medium green and make your other colours by mixing medium green/lemon and medium green/brown), Crimson Red, Chromatic Black and Ivory Black. 

You will also need: a wide variety of brushes, from large to fine, including a hake brush and a rigger brush, plenty of clean water, natural sponge (optional). 

We the area of the tree trunk and paint that yellow with a medium sized round headed brush.  

Use a hake brush to wet the area around the trunk down to the horizon line. Let the water soak in to the paper and then use a chisel brush to paint the whole of that area blue. 

When both colours have dried start painting the tree trunk. I used a fine brush and left some of the yellow showing through, this takes some time as you have to work in glazes, letting the layers dry and working light to dark and finally applying your darkest tone of chromatic black. Use a rigger brush to paint in the branches and twigs.  

Wet the foreground with clean water and let that soak into the paper and then use your hake brush to paint yellow. Let it soak into the paper and then over paint that with your light green, when that is nearly dry go over with the medium and then use the dark green to paint in the cast shadows.  

Use a natural sponge to paint in the yellow blossoms, or a small round headed brush. 

The part that took me the longest to complete was the background. There are lots of trees, buildings and leaves to paint, I used three small to large sized round headed brushes and used all the colours in the palette. At the end of the process I added a few “blobs” of red to lead the eye to the back of the composition.