“…like a frosty rim around the tree.”

Watch how Bill highlights this tree, and how loose he keeps the details. You need an open brush to make this happen and a very light touch. Most cheaply made brushes won’t stay open and you end up with mud around your trees instead of this delicate lace-like highlighting.

Pay particularly attention to what Bill says right at the very end of the clip when he says “we walk into the inside”. As he moves to the interior of the tree, he loses the white paint on his brush which is exactly what he wants to do. The inside of the tree will be darker…more in the shadows. So Bill’s technique automatically creates this effect.