When painting landscapes, you seldom have one without trees. The symbol for a tree is straight and angular. As an artist, paint the symbol vs. too much detail…simplify. Trees are not symmetrical, use lots of variety when painting them. The directional pattern of branches are….twigs are short and straight up or at angles; branches are horizontal 2/3 of the way down; below this point, there are fewer branches and they slant toward the ground.