Tree Sketches and Etchings I'm Loving Lately (FREE art downloads!)

We’re taking a break from the Poplar Cottage siding today to talk about a current obsession of mine: tree artwork! I’m completely enamored with tree sketches and etchings and have big plans to hang some at Poplar and our new house. So today I thought I’d share some of my favorite pieces from the public domain that are totally FREE TO DOWNLOAD in case any of you love them too. Let’s get into it…

the Farmhouse guest bedroom, paint: F&B Light Blue (color matched by Shwerwin)

I found the artwork shown above on eBay for $115 a couple of years ago and fell hard for tree sketches. Isn’t it fun?! I can’t wait to hang it in our new house! I’ve sourced some other beautiful tree sketches and etchings (and tree-centered landscapes) from the public domain for some of our other projects.

If you don’t know, artwork usually enters the public domain 70 years after an artist dies, assuming no other copyrights. Then the artwork is free to be used by anyone - you can copy it, alter it, print it, sell it, etc… In fact you’ll find many of these pieces reprinted and sold by big retailers and small Etsy shops (often without attribution).

Tree artwork Roundup

1. Little Pitch Pine, Ernest Haskell, 1876-1925

2. The Moss Trees, Ernest Haskell, 1876-1925

3. Baby Sequoia, Ernest Haskell, 1876-1925

4. Tree top, Ernest Haskell, 1876-1925

5. Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch, 1650–55

6. Mother and Children at Rest, Antonie Waterloo, French, 1609-1690

7. Birkengruppe im Park von Schloss Seebenstein in Niederösterreich, Joseph Martin Höger, 1801-1877

8. Large Linden Tree Before an Inn, Antonie Waterloo, French, 1609-1690

9. Man and Woman Crossing a Stream, Antonie Waterloo, French, 1609-1690

10. A Plane Tree, Jean Victor Bertin, French, 1787–1842

11. Landscape with a Poplar and a Willow Tree at the Edge of a Pond, Jean Victor Bertin, French, 1787–1842

12. Study of Coniferous Trees, Jan Novopacky, Czech, 1821-1908

And of course this is barely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Public Domain tree art. To find more beautiful art, dig around on the sites linked above (like the MET and WikiCommons) and check out the Public Domain Print Shop for a curated collection.

My favorite way to print art downloads

I shared these steps on this post a couple of years ago but thought I’d share again here for convenience…

Save the download to you computer and then upload it to a printing service. I’ve been using iPrintFromeHome.com for years and love the quality (tell them the Grit and Polish sent you!). But wherever you print, I recommend either unstretched canvas for prints of paintings or Somerset Velvet Giclee for prints of sketches like the ones shown above. The goal with vintage prints is to make the art look as real as possible and the good paper or canvas adds texture and more authenticity.

I’ll walk you through the printing steps and products I use at iPrintFromeHome.com for vintage downloads like these (btw, not sponsored!, but wouldn’t that be cool?!)…

Printing at iprintfromhome.com…

Click ‘Add photos’ on the top bar.
You can select ‘new album’ or ‘existing album’ and then click “Proceed to upload photos from my computer”
Click ‘+ Add photos’ and then navigate on your computer to the saved download. Repeat this step to add any additional pieces you want to print. And then click ‘Start upload’
Once the images are uploaded to the site you’ll be directed to a screen titled Order Prints. Check the box under the image you’d like to print. And then on the right side of the screen select quantity of prints you’d like, select your print surface (I recommend ‘Unstretched Canvas Giclee’ or ‘Somerset Velvet Giclee’) and then select your print size. The print will be automatically uploaded to your cart. Repeat this step with each image you’d like to print.

I printed three of Ernest Haskell’s tree sketches on Somerset Velvet Giclee for our Seattle Airbnb, the Dexter House (our last home in Seattle) and I’m so pleased with how they turned out.