Preparation:
1. Gather your materials. You’ll need the following paint colors (or recommended substitutions) to complete this project: Ultramarine Blue (or Phthalo Blue), Dioxazine Purple (or Deep Violet), Titanium White, Hooker's Green Hue (or Phthalo Green), and Bright Aqua Green (or mix three-parts Titanium White with one-part Hooker's or Phthalo Green).
2. Using an ink-jet or laser printer, print one copy of the template on regular, letter-sized paper.
Instructions:
1. Brush the entire canvas with one light coat of Purple or Blue paint. Don’t worry if brushstrokes are visible or if coverage is uneven, as the background will be mostly covered. Start by painting the edges of the canvas, or wait until the final step of the painting session to clean up any overstrokes.
2. While the background dries, prepare your stencil. Tape the printed template to a piece of palette paper, folding tape so that it wraps around both sheets and tree outline is still visible.
3. Starting at the edge of the stencil, cut out the tree stencil in one continuous line. Cut only on the outline so that the stencil is two-parts: top and bottom. Once your cut is made, remove the tape and discard the printer paper. Keep only the stencil.