Oak trees are some of the longest-living trees on Earth — some specimens in Europe and North America are more than 1,000 years old. A single mature oak can support over 500 species of insects, birds, and mammals, making it one of the most important wildlife trees in temperate forests. The strong, dense wood of oaks has been used to build ships, barrels, and furniture for thousands of years. Oak leaves have that distinctive lobed shape you can see throughout this picture.
Coloring ideas: color the tree trunk and branches in warm brown with lighter tan where the light hits. Give the oak leaves varying shades of green, from yellow-green at the tips to deep forest green in the shadows. The treehouse boards can be a weathered grey-brown with a red or green roof. Make the birds a soft grey or brown.
Tip: try coloring the sky first in a pale blue and the clouds white, then work from the background trees forward to the trunk and finally the treehouse itself. This layered approach helps avoid accidentally coloring over areas you have already finished.
