Birch trees have a wonderfully unique bark, and depending on the species of birch – this unique bark has a wide range of color and texture. For example, River birch (Betula nigra) may have brown, gold, white, and even reddish hues. This type of bark flakes off in large chunks as the tree grows older. In contrast, Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) – the type of birch tree featured in this post, has mostly smooth white bark, but there are subtle browns, as well as, dark colored blotchy spots and horizontal lenticels.

What are lentilcels? I’ll explain in the video below. This tutorial covers easy techniques for painting one of the most interesting tree bark – birch tree bark!