Painted Christmas trees are an odd kind of subject: everyone knows what a pine looks like, and almost nobody has painted one. The good news is that a tree is mostly repetition. Once you find the stroke for a single branch, the other four hundred follow. This guide sorts our winter canvases into three moods and then covers the brushwork that makes pines look like pines.

Quick picks

• Snowy forest, calm and quiet: Forest Snow or Winter Snow Landscape.
• Sunset: Snowy Cabin at Dusk.
• Starry night: Northern Lights over the Pines.
• A gentle first kit: Cardinal on the Snowy Pine.

Snowy forest canvases

A snowy forest is the easiest of the three to live with. The palette stays cool, the shapes are repeated, and there is no single detail that has to be perfect. Forest Snow is tagged intermediate and built around trees under snow, so expect a lot of small branch areas in the same few greens and whites. Winter Snow Landscape is also an intermediate kit, with a wider view of the scenery.

If you want an animal in the scene, Sleigh Through the Pines adds a horse and a sleigh on a forest track. Tagged Christmas, it carries the season with nothing but snow, a horse and pines.

Sunset and dusk trees

Dusk is where a tree canvas gets warm. Snowy Cabin at Dusk puts a cabin in a snowy landscape at the end of the day, which means pine silhouettes against a changing sky. Dark shapes on a light background are forgiving, because the eye reads the outline first. Christmas Eve Train through the Pines sits between dusk and night: a steam train running through the pines.

Starry night trees

Night skies are the slow, satisfying option. Northern Lights over the Pines is tagged aurora and night sky, so the pines act as a dark frame for large bands of colour overhead. Fill the sky first, while your hand is fresh, and leave the trees for a second evening. Indoors, Tree by the Window keeps the night outside the glass and the tree inside it, which suits a living room better than a hallway.

Prefer something small and bright? Cardinal on the Snowy Pine is tagged beginner, and one red bird against a snowy branch is a lot less intimidating than a forest.

Brush strokes for painted Christmas trees

A numbered kit already tells you where each colour goes, so what you control is how the paint sits inside the shape. A few habits help on pines.

• Z strokes: on a branch area, move the brush in a short zigzag, not in one straight line. The zigzag leaves tiny gaps that look like needles.
• Flat brush: use the edge for the straight trunk, and the flat side for snow lying on the top of a branch.
• Round brush: the tip is for small numbers, tight corners and the thin tips of branches.
• Fan brush: a clean, nearly dry fan tapped lightly over a dry area softens it into feathery needles. It is an extra tool you may already own, not something we count on. Skip it if you prefer to stay inside the numbers.

Let each colour dry before you paint beside it, and wash the brush between greens. Dark green over a wet light one turns muddy.

Size, colours and time

For trees, 40 x 50 cm with 36 colours is the usual choice: large enough that the small branch areas are comfortable, small enough to finish. A 30 x 30 cm canvas with 24 colours suits a first project or a shelf. For a dense forest, 50 x 65 cm with 48 colours gives each number more room. Plan a few evenings for a mid-size canvas. The canvas ships unframed, and you assemble a frame yourself.

A pine tabletop easel lets you tilt the canvas toward you, which saves your neck on long sessions.

Ordering in time for Christmas

We ship within 1 to 3 business days, with the delivery time for your country shown at checkout. To be safe for Christmas, order by Friday 27 November. The Christmas collection has the full range, and the landscapes collection has more winter views. For dates by country, see our order-by dates, and for more themes, Christmas painting ideas.