Cozy Winter Watercolor: Paint a Carolina Wren on Pine Branches

1. Introduction: Hello and welcome to the cozy winter watercolor tutorial. Today we'll be painting a charming Carolina wren perched delicately on a pine twig surrounded by a peaceful blanket of snow. I love the contrast between the little birds warm brown tones and the cool muted colors of the background. I think it creates a very comforting heartwarming scene. Painting captures the quiet beauty of winter mornings, the soft light, the hush of falling snow, and that gentle stillness in the air. Even though the scene is frosty, there is a wonderful sense of warmth coming from the wren itself. We'll use a soft harmonious color palette to bring out that cozy atmosphere. In this tutorial, I'll guide you step by step through the entire process. We'll start by creating a delicate wintry background using the wet on wet technique, perfect for achieving that hazy snowy effect. Then we'll paint the pine twig and add snow resting on them. Finally, we'll bring our little Carolina wren to life, layering warm earthy tones, and adding those fine details and patterns that make this bird so expressive. We'll finish the painting with falling snowflakes to complete the scene, adding that final touch of magic that makes winter painting so special. Tutorial is suitable for all skill levels. So whether you're just beginning your watercolor journey or looking to refine your technique, you'll be able to follow along easily. Feel free to make it your own perhaps by changing the background tones or adjusting the composition to suit your style. This piece could even make a lovely Christmas card if you decide to paint it that way. There are so many ways you can adapt it to your own vision. My hope is that this painting brings you a sense of peace and warmth as you paint along. So gather your supplies, get cozy, and let's create this charming winter moment together. Happy painting. 2. Project and Resources: I've prepared a selection of helpful resources for your project available in the projects and resources section. You'll find a PDF file with the supply list I used for this painting, along with the reference photo and an image of my finished artwork for guidance. Line drawings in various sizes are also provided so you can print and transfer them onto your watercolor paper in the size that best fits your needs. I painted it on a 12 by nine inch size. Additionally, there are working progress photos to help you follow the process and focus on specific areas. Feel free to explore these materials and use them to create your own unique and beautiful painting. Please share your final painting in the projects and resources section. I also encourage you to take the time to view each other's work in the student project gallery. It's always inspiring to see what others create, and the support of your fellow students can be incredibly comforting. Don't forget to like and comment on each other's work. Lastly, I highly recommend watching each lesson before you begin painting. This will give you a clear understanding of what to expect at each stage of the tutorial. If you find this class helpful, I would also greatly appreciate it if you could leave an honest review. Your feedback will help me improve my content and assist other students in deciding whether to join this class. Thank you in advance. 3. Painting Plan and Sketch Preparation: Before we jump into painting, let me tell you a few words about the reference photos, how I prepared the sketch, and how we're going to approach the painting step by step. First, I knew I wanted to paint a Carolina wren with a wintry feel. I've already painted a few birds in winter settings, and I really enjoyed those projects, partly because I love winter myself. So I already had some ideas for creating a nice composition. My latest winter bird painting was the winter chickadee, and I thought that composition worked quite well. This time, my idea was quite similar, but instead of using reds and warmer tones, I wanted to go for a slightly cooler look and include pine branches like in my cardinal painting. I started by making a few thumbnail sketches to explore composition options and to make sure that the idea I had in mind would work well. I used the Procreate app on my iPad for this. These were very simple, quick sketches and studies. Eventually, I came up with something I liked, so I enlarged it and started building a more detailed sketch. This stage, I needed some reference photos. I gathered several images of Carolina ns and a few of pine twigs covered with snow. Then using Photoshop, I removed the background from the bird photo and placed the bird on the twig, which I flipped horizontally to test how it looked visually. Also considered adding a pine cone like in my cardinal painting or even a red bow to give it more of a Christmas vibe. But in the end, I decided the pine needles would already add enough visual complexity and the simple composition would work beautifully on its own. Of course, if you would like to add your own touches, such as a red bow berries, a pine cone, or anything else you think would look nice, feel free to do that and make the painting your own. Once I was happy with the composition, I used the bird photo to trace the pose precisely in appropriate to make sure all the details and proportions were correct. For the pine branches, I didn't trace anything exactly. I took inspiration from the photos but drew the needles by hand, so the twigs set exactly the way I imagined. I had traced the twigs, they might not have looked natural in my composition, so I patiently drew each needle and added snow until the whole drawing felt balanced and pleasing. At first, I made the left twig a bit shorter. Then I decided to extend it slightly. I drew all the needles for those of you who like precision and enjoy following pencil lines exactly. That said, drawing every single needle perfectly isn't necessary. Needles are simple shapes and you don't have to paint them exactly as drawn. You can keep just the brown parts of the twigs and when the time comes paint loose random needles to give a more relaxed look. I like precision, and I know many of you do, too. So I left those pencil lines as a helpful guide. The sketch was ready, I printed it across two sheets. The finished painting will measure 12 by 9 ", and I'm using an arches cold press block. I have a block that measures ten by 14 ", which is perfect. It comfortably fits 12 by nine inch composition and leaves some room around the edges for staples and tape. To transfer the drawing, I taped the printed image to the back of my watercolor paper and turned on my small light pad. After switching of the room lights and placing the paper on the light pad, the lines show through clearly and I can trace the whole image. One important thing I do at the very beginning is mark the four corners of the composition. This makes it much easier later when I place masking tape around the edges. And now the fun part begins. I trace the entire image slowly and carefully. It always takes time, especially with all those middles here, but it's worth it to have a strong, accurate sketch. I use a three edge pencil, which may sound hard, but it's my favorite, even then the drawing can be a bit dark for my taste sometimes. Make sure to get all the details, especially the placement and size of the eye. That's the most important part. And when you finish tracing, check that you can see all the lines before you remove the printed reference from the back of your paper. If the pencil lines are too dark, I like to use a kneaded eraser. It's a soft eraser. You can shape and roll over the drawing to lift excess graphite and lighten the lines without smudging. When the sketch is ready, I mount the paper on a Gator board and attach it with staples. I place the staples around the borders outside the actual painting area, spacing them about 1 " apart so the paper stays taut and secure. And finally, I attach masking tape to all four sides. The purpose of the masking tape isn't really to hold the paper in place. The staples already do that, but rather to create a clean border around the painting and ensure that the final size is exactly 12 pin 9 ". This is where those four corners I marked earlier come in handy. They show me precisely where to place the tape. Now I'm ready to paint. As you can see, I don't wet my paper beforehand. When I use staples, stretching isn't necessary because they hold the paper firmly in place preventing any buckling. We're going to break down the painting process into a few clear steps. We'll start by painting the background, and I'm not using masking fluid for thetorial, so we'll carefully paint around the bird and the snow. It's quite manageable. But if you prefer, feel free to mask out those white areas first. I found the shapes simple enough that masking wasn't needed. Next, we'll apply the first wash to the pine needles. After that, we'll take a little break because after painting hundreds of needles, we'll definitely deserve it, and then we'll come back and add more details and even more needles. At that point, we might feel like giving up, but we won't because we'll be too far along. Then we'll paint the brown parts of the twigs and add shadows to the snow. This is the moment when we'll feel proud. We didn't give up because the painting will really start coming together. Next, we'll give our full attention to the Carolina n. We'll paint it in several stages to make it easier and not too tiring. Finally, we will complete the painting with a magical touch of falling snow and at this point, we'll be very proud of what we've created. I think the final result looks really lovely, especially with the falling snow which always adds that bit of winter magic. I hope you are feeling inspired and ready to start painting. Have a wonderful time creating this piece, and now let's move on to painting the background. No. 4. Background: Our first step will be painting the background. It's the furthest plane in the painting, so it's usually best to start with what's furthest back. Besides, it would be quite difficult to paint around the pine needles if we begin with that element. The background will be a light internal value, so we don't need to paint around every single needle. We'll apply color across the entire background and over the twigs as well. The only areas we will avoid are the bird and the snow on the twigs. The needles themselves are dark in tone. So when we paint the background, we can easily paint the needles over the background color. Later, when we add the darker green of the needles, it will easily cover the light background beneath. My plan for the background colors is to use muted versions of the tones we will use for the main subject. Muted colors in the background will help make the main subject appear more vibrant. Since the ren will be painted in warm browns, we'll use a muted brown in the background. The twigs will be green, so we will also include a touch of green here. In addition, we will also introduce a bit of blue to make the color composition more interesting. I think the combination of soft bluish greens and browns works beautifully together and creates a calm harmonious palette. For the background, I'll be using a round brush size 12. You could also use a larger flat brush if you prefer. Just make sure it's not too small. You should be able to cover large areas quickly without overworking the paper. When mixing colors, I always use a separate flat brush because it's quicker and easier to transfer paint from the wells to the mixing area. The stiffer bristles also help pick up more pigment efficiently. Let's prepare our colors for the background. Burnt Sienna will be our main color for the wren. So using it here for the background helps connect the background with the subject. The ultramarine blue mutes the brown, creating a soft, neutral beige brown that will make the wrens worm tones stand out later. The second mix will be ultramarine blue and a small amount of warm yellow and I'm using Windsor Yellow deep. Keep this mix slightly on the blue side. The goal is a muted, natural green that will connect with the color of the pine needles. The third mix is ultramarine blue and Windsor yellow deep plus a touch of Windsor blue. This one should be more bluish but still subdued. If it looks too similar to the previous mix, add a bit more Windsor yellow deep to the green mix to make a clear distinction between the two shades. These three mixes will be our base colors, and we can adjust them as needed while painting. But we'll paint the background using the wet on wet technique, start by applying a layer of clean water. You don't need to wet the entire background at once. I'm beginning with the upper section on both sides of the bird. This is the area I want to focus on first. Once that's finished, I'll continue wetting the next section as I go. Apply the water carefully around the bird, but don't worry if you go a little over the lines. This wash will be very light and the bird will be much darker later. We will easily cover any small overlaps. Apply water over the twigs and needles, but avoid the snow. We want to keep that pure white for now. When the paper has a nice shen, it's ready for color. I'll start by applying the brown mix on the right side and then move on to the left side with the green and blue tones. The goal is to create a soft, dreamy background with gentle transitions between colors. Wet and wet is perfect for this. I'll also try to keep the area directly behind the bird slightly lighter so that once we add the darker tones of the bird, it stands out beautifully against that soft glowing background. As you apply paint, gently tilt your board to help the pigment flow and blend naturally. This step is very important in my process and one of the reasons why I love using a Gator board. It allows me to move the painting freely, tilting it in any direction to control the flow of paint. If your paper were fixed to a tabletop, for example, this would be much harder to do. Tilting helps create those beautifully soft transitions without visible brush strokes. When I paint the background, I like to think of the brush simply as a tool for delivering paint to the paper. The blending is done by water, gravity, and the paper itself. On the left side, I will add more bluish tones in the upper part and the right side, more browns, and in the lower right, more greens. When I move on to the lower section, I will wet the next area slightly into the one I've just painted, so the two blend seamlessly. Down here, I'm using more of the greenish tones, but I'm still careful not to paint over the snow. Remember that watercolors dry lighter than they appear when wet. Right now, the paint may look just right, but it will lighten as it dries. To get the right final value, I usually paint slightly darker than I want the end result to be. It might look a bit strong while wet, but once it dries, it will be just right. As you can see, the colors are quite muted, not as vibrant as in many of my other paintings. This is, of course, intentional. It helps set the mood and makes the main subject stand out even more. When you place vibrant colors next to softer neutral ones, the contrast increases their vibrancy. Add some of the greenish tones around the snow to create clear contrast between the white snow and the background. We need to visually separate these areas, so the background shouldn't be too light, but also not too dark, especially above the snow. We can also add darker tones under the twigs where there is more shadow and keep the upper area lighter where more light falls. At the bottom, I wet the area again, avoiding the snow and drop in some greens and blues. I'm adding a bit more windsor blue green shade here. I think it works beautifully. Just make sure to use a very diluted mix as this pigment is very, very, very strong. There's also a small area above the snow. I will wet it first and then add soft blues and greens to complete the background. Again, keep the tonal value dark enough to distinguish it from the snow but not too dark that it feels heavy. Once the entire background is covered, I zoom out to check the overall look. While the paper is still wet, I may add a touch more brown or green in a few places to keep those areas from drying too pale. Then I'll wait a moment until the paper loses its high sheen. It should still be damp but not wet. And at that stage, I take a smaller brush size six, dip it in clean water, and lightly spatter a few drops across the background. The droplets push the paint aside, creating soft lighter spots that add texture and interest preventing the background from looking flat. Now the background is finished. Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step, painting the needles. 5. Needles - First Layer: In this part, we'll add the first layer to the needles. There is nothing particularly difficult here, but make sure you have enough time and feel calm and patient because this step involves lots of repetition. We'll be painting the same shape many times. As you can see in this work in progress photo, we'll apply a base layer of green to all the needles. My background is now completely dry. I left it overnight. The paper is perfectly flat. Let me show you this. There are no buckles or warping at all thanks to the staples holding the paper firmly in place. When we paint with watercolor, the paper naturally expands and then shrinks as it dries and this movement can be quite strong. And when I used to rely only on masking tape, it often wasn't enough to keep the paper flat. Since I started using staples and a Gator board, painting has become so much more comfortable and the paper always stays beautifully flat after each layer dries. First, I'll spray a little water over my paint since they have dried overnight. A quick misting softens them and makes them easier to work with. For the needles, our main green will be a mix of Windsor yellow deep, ultramarine blue, and windsor blue. This combination gives a nice balanced green that you can easily adjust by adding more yellow or more blue. Remember, painting isn't math. You don't have to match colors exactly. At this stage, I'm not even looking at the reference photos because my twigs aren't exact copies of anything specific. I only use the photos for general guidance to get a sense of how the needles look overall. Let's also mix a darker, slightly cooler shade by adding a bit more windsor blue and a touch of pains gray. On the other side of the palette, I will keep some burnt sienna and a mix of burnt sienna with ultramarine blue. That gives us a more muted brown tone. For painting the needles, I will start with a size six round brush, but I will soon switch to a smaller size four. Now let's begin. Pick up some of that main green and using the wet on dry technique, start painting each needle one by one. If like me, you have a detailed drawing and enjoy precision. This part can actually be quite relaxing. If you didn't draw every single needle and prefer to improvise, that's absolutely fine. You can even skip this step or the next one and simply follow the reference photo or imagination. Don't feel restricted. Paint in the way that feels most comfortable for you. It's your painting, and you get to make all the creative decisions. I'm just showing you one of many possible approaches. While you're painting the greens from time to time, use a slightly more yellowish or more bluish tone here and there. This will add depth and visual interest. Later, we will add touches of warmth by dropping in small hints of yellow, but even now it's a good idea to introduce subtle shifts in color. You'll also notice that some needles are positioned in front while others sit behind. You might feel tempted to show that depth right away by painting the needles in the back with a darker green tone, thinking they should appear in the shadow. Let me show you an example. Here, the front needle is lighter in tone and the one behind it is darker. You might also be tempted to add extra details, additional layers or even fine shadows at this stage. I'll demonstrate them here. But in truth, none of that is necessary right now. In fact, the needles in the back should actually be slightly lighter in tone, which might sound counterintuitive at first. But if you look at my finished painting, you'll see that most of the background needles are lighter than the ones in front. Create that effect later. This approach helps us achieve a more three dimensional look. Since the needles in the back are farther away, we can apply the principle of aerial perspective, though it's slightly exaggerated here as the distance isn't very large. The idea is that objects further away appear lighter and often have a slightly bluish tone. Because they are further from us, we don't see them as clearly as the ones in front. And that's why the front needles can be darker and more detailed while those in the back stay softer and lighter. At this stage, our only goal is to apply the base color to all the needles. My size six brush is already a bit worn out and the tip has started to curve, which makes it harder to paint precisely. I will switch the smaller size four brush, which actually feels much better for this task. Again, don't worry about details or shadows right now. Simply apply the green evenly across all the needles. Use the wet on dry technique and lay down a flat wash of color, gently shifting it here and there by introducing some warmer or cooler tones. When the needles cross, just paint them as you see them. No need to overthink it. This process isn't difficult or complicated. It just takes a bit of patience. So don't rush, don't stress, and don't put any pressure on yourself. You don't have to finish this in one setting. Paint for 10 minutes, 5 minutes, take a break, and come back later. The worst thing you can do is hurry because as the saying goes, haste makes waste. Just slow down, relax, and paint each needle calmly. There's no need to rush. Also notice that the tunnel value of the needles at this point isn't very dark. It's somewhere in the middle range, darker than the background, but not at full strength yet. In the next part, we will add details and deeper tones and this middle layer will serve as a grade base, leaving lighter areas where the darker shades won't completely cover the paint. When you finish this part, take a break, relax, and let everything dry completely. Once you're ready, come back, and we will start adding depth and dimension to the twigs. 6. Needles - Details: The first layer on the needles has dried and now we are ready to add more details and shadows. After this stage, the needles will already start to look more three dimensional, but the real magic happens in the next part. We'll get there slowly step by step. My process is usually the same for everything I paint. First, we add the basic colors. Second, we add darker tones and shadows. And third, we make adjustments at details and bring everything together. Let's move on to the next step. I'll be using the same small brush size four because I feel comfortable with it and it works well for this. I'll also start with the same color we used before. As I build up the layers, I'll see if the tone is dark enough or if I need to adjust it with a slightly darker mixture. We'll see. Begin with the green mix and start adding shadows. At this stage, we have two main objectives. The first one is what I'm doing right now, adding darker tones to the needles to make them look more realistic. I'm focusing on two areas mainly. The first is near the brown stem of the twig, which should be a bit darker, and the second is along the edge of the needle. By painting a darker line along one or both edges while leaving the middle with the base color, we create that characteristic needle form. Don't overthink it. The idea is simply to add darker tones here and there, which will enhance realism. I'm using a darker mix of Windsor yellow deep, ultramarine blue, and Windsor blue to add shadows to the needles in the back. This creates the illusion of needles tucked behind others. However, as I mentioned earlier, you'll also notice that needles in the back will also have lighter tones to create a soft misty dimensional effect. You can see how the first layer we applied earlier is helping now. That initial layer forms the lighter areas of the needles, allowing us to focus on the darker shadows. The slow process of layering transparent washes is exactly why watercolor looks so beautiful. The interplay between layers and the gradual buildup of colors and tones creates a unique luminous effect. Next, pick up a light, bluish green tone and use it to paint simple silhouettes of the needles in the back. This is our second objective for this part. First, add the darker tones and details, and then second, paint the lighter needles in the background. We don't need pencil lines for this. The shapes are very simple and the goal is to fill in the spaces between the darker needles to create a sense of density. Because this is a very light tone, we don't need to be precise. We can paint over the needles we've already painted as long as they are dry. If overlaps occur, that's fine. It can create a nice effect or we can go over the darker needles again to refine it. Continue adding darker tones to the foreground needles and lighter shapes to the background needles. That's all we need to do at this stage. It's not difficult, but it does require patience since there are quite a few needles. One additional thing to keep in mind is the darker area below the snow. If you look at the work in progress photo or the final painting, you'll see that I darkened these areas significantly. This helps because the twig casts a shadow, and darkening these areas makes the painting more realistic. It has more depth. It also creates a nice contrast with the light snow on the twigs. So while painting the needles, make sure to darken the areas beneath the snow. Don't forget the needle poking through the snow as well. I don't think it's necessary to show every single needle, so I will shorten this part. You can always refer to my work in progress photo or the finished painting for reference. Once the needles are painted, there is one more thing that we can do to make them look more interesting. Pick up some Windsor yellow deep and apply it to a few random needles to warm up their color slightly. This adds a touch of warmth and makes the needles more colorful. You can also mix the yellow with green to get a warmer green tone. This also helps connect the color of the needles with the bird itself, which will have warmer tones. Creating these color connections is important for a cohesive painting and harmonious color scheme. While applying the yellow, take a moment to look at the painting and decide if you want to make any other adjustments. For example, I wanted more blue, so I added a light tone of Windsor blue to the left corner. Now, I think it looks a bit more interesting and fresh. The needles look nice, especially with the lighter shapes in the back. The twigs will become even more beautiful after the next part where we will add the stems and paint the snow. Let's move on to the next step. 7. Stems: The needles are finished. Now, we can always make some adjustments later if we need to darken some areas or add more needles. But for now, let's consider them done. Next, we'll add the brown parts of the tweaks. I'm not sure what the correct term is, so let's call them stems. Adding them will make the twigs look much more complete. We'll use the brown we prepared earlier, burnt sienna and the mix of burnt sienna with ultramarine blue. Since the paint has dried, I will add a little water and more paint to reactivate it. I've also decided to add a touch of Windsor yellow deep to warm up the brown slightly. I'm still using brush size four. Start by applying various shades of brown to the first stem on the left. Begin with a yellowish brown, an ochre tone, and then add other browns in random spots. The goal is to create color variety so it doesn't look flat. This is just the base layer, so don't worry about details, lay down the basic colors. Let's continue painting below the tail and at the bottom at a slightly darker tone. I recommend drying this first layer quickly with a hair dryer. Once it's dry, we can add details immediately. When dry, take the darker brown, burnt sienna with more ultramarine blue and use it to paint the shadows. Focus on darkening the right side of the stem, keeping in mind that the stem has a brown form. In random spots, paint short arc shaped lines to the opposite side to suggest roundness and create texture. This is quite an intuitive process. Simply add darker tones loosely. The goal is to give the stem depth, make it look a bit more realistic, and make the needles appear attached to it. Adding the darker tones to the stem may reveal that some needles are still not dark enough. This is a great moment to adjust them. Use a darker green to deepen parts of the needles, so the whole twig reads as one cohesive piece. We'll repeat this process for all the other stems. First, apply the base layer, a warmer, more yellowish brown, and once dry, add shadows and texture with the darker brown and make any necessary adjustments to the needles. At the tips of the stems, there are small shapes that look like petals. We don't need to spend too much time or add a lot of details here, but we can add some shadows to suggest the center. There's no need to focus heavily on these. They are not critical. The main goal at this stage is to darken the stems and add texture. To do this, place many short brush strokes close together using just the tip of the brush with a dark brown tone. Also make sure the tone of the needles matches the stems. If the contrast between the brown stem and the needles is too high, darken the needles near the stem to unify the tonal value. This is done intuitively adjusting everything until it looks right. If you're unsure, you can always reference my finished painting for guidance and try to recreate what you see. Now the twigs are finished and in the next part, we will paint the snow. 8. Snow: You may be wondering, how can we paint snow if it's just white? Actually, white subjects have a lot of colors, and snow is no exception. I love painting white flowers or snow because the key is focusing on the shadows, which are always colorful. White snow reflects colors from its surroundings. So to paint the snow, we focus on painting the shadows, using the colors from the background, the twigs, and the bird. Before we begin, I'd like to soften the edges of the snow folds. This, I will use my scrubber brush, a Windsor Newton galeria brush size four. I dip the brush in water, remove the s on a paper towel, and gently rub the edges to reactivate the paint. Then I dab the area with a paper towel to lift the paint and create a soft smooth edge. This step isn't strictly necessary, but I think it adds a nice softness and makes the snow look more delicate. Now, I'll switch to a brush size eight. I'll pick up a very light turquoise from my palette, the same color I used for the needles and start adding shadows. I'm imagining a shadow on the left side of the first fold. We can also add a touch of brown since we used it for the twigs and it will also appear later on the bird. I want to create a shadow that separates one snow fault from the next. I always start with a very light tone, and once I'm happy with it, I look at the overall painting and decide if the shadow needs to be darkened. If so, I drop in a slightly darker tone. Since the paper is already slightly wet from the first layer, the darker color will gently spread. If any hard edges form, I soften them. I try to keep the upper part of the snow white, focusing mainly on the shadows. An The third fold also has more shadow on the left to create a clear distinction from the middle fold. There is a bit more shadow here because there is a beard just above it. I will also add more brown to this fold as well to harmonize with the bird and the brown stem below. We also have needles poking through the snow, which we can't forget. I think of these spots as little pockets. The birds legs are hiding in some of these pockets. To add dimension and create the illusion of folds and indentations, we also paint shadows here. This suggests the subtle dips in the snow where the needles emerge. With that, we can finish the sport. Everything looks really nice now. It might not have looked good in the beginning, but I've learned not to charge any painting before it's finished. Usually, by the end, everything comes together often even better than expected. Next, we'll apply the first layer to the bird. Oh 9. Bird - First Layer: Finally, we can begin painting the bird. As you can see in the working progress photo, we'll start by applying an initial layer to the entire bird, leaving only the white areas, the eye, and the beak untouched. We'll do this in two steps. First, we'll apply brown to the wings, tail, back, and head, and then after drying that layer, we'll apply a more yellowish brown to the chest and belly. Let's begin. I'll be using a brush size eight for this part. First, let's prepare our colors. The base brown is, of course, burned sienna, but it's not enough to cover the whole bird as it's a very warm reddish brown. We also need something more muted. To do this, we'll mix burned sienna with ultramarine blue, keeping it on the brown side. Be careful not to add too much blue or this mix will neutralize and turn gray. Next, I'll prepare a yellowish brown by mixing Windsor yellow deep with burnt sienna and then muting it slightly with ultramarine blue. Since there is yellow in this mix, we have to be careful not to create green, adjust with Mlburn sienna, yellow or blue until you get a tone similar to yellow ochre. I actually have this color premixed on my palette, but I rarely use it anymore since I can mix it easily. Finally, we'll prepare a very dark mix by mixing burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, and pains gray. This will act as our black for feather patterns, the eye, and the beak. Now let's pick up the second mixture, the muted brown, which I think will be a great base. We'll use it to paint the upper part of the bird. Using a simple wet on dry technique, start from the top of the head and cover the head back, wings, and tail. Where the brown meets, the white areas create irregular uneven edge to suggest feathery texture. Don't worry about details yet. This is just a foundation layer. While applying this brown, don't hesitate to introduce other brown shades for more variety. I'm dropping in a darker brown on the areas I've already painted. This technique called charging adds natural variation while staying within the brown family, so everything will harmonise. I'll continue applying the second brown mix. On the wing, I will add a bit more burnt sienna. After painting the brown up to the tail, I will pick up the dark brown and drop it onto the tip of the wing, letting it blend naturally. I'll also drop it in a few random spots. This works only while the paint is still wet. If the surface starts to dry and the sheen disappears, stop adding paint to avoid blooms. Finally, with a clean de brush, gently smooth the edges of the brown. Next, dry this layer with a hair dryer or let it dry naturally if you like. We want the brown to be dry before applying the yellowish brown to the chest and belly. For the chest and belly, use the yellowish brown mix. You can incorporate other brown shades for variation, but the main color should be this yellowish brown. Start at the upper part with a very light tone, and then fill in the rest. Leave the cheeks white areas untouched. We'll add patterns there later. I'll also pick up just a touch of quinacrodon red for the legs. If it blends slightly with the brown, that's fine. We just want to suggest that the legs are a bit more reddish. And that's it for this part. Let everything dry and when you're ready, we can move on to adding the details. I'll dry this first layer with a hair dryer and let the paper cool for a few minutes before continuing. 10. Bird - Wing: Here you can see the bird after I added all the details. This part took me around an hour and I painted everything in one go. However, I don't want to overwhelm you with such a long video, so I decided to divide this section into several parts. That way, after each part, you can take a break and continue painting whenever you're ready. Most importantly, don't rush. Nobody's chasing you. There is no competition and no deadline. Highly encourage you to take your time, relax, and enjoy creating these beautiful patterns. You will thank yourself later for not hurrying. I'll be using a brush size four for this part, and we'll focus on painting the wing. I don't think we need any new colors. The four paddles already on my palette will be enough. I will go over each one to remind you of the mixes. Upper left, burn Siena, upper right, burn sienna with ultramarine blue. Bottom left, winds are yellow deep with burnt sienna and a touch of ultramarine blue, and bottom right, burned sienna with ultramarine blue and paints gray. Now pick up the dark brown and let's start painting the wing. First, let's create long dark lines to separate each feather. These lines naturally indicate the length and direction of the feathers. I'm using the tip of my brush to get thin, precise lines. I also want to mention that I don't follow the reference photo 100%. Of course, I look at it, but if I paint something slightly differently or in a different place, I don't stress about it. Nobody will be comparing your painting to the reference photo, so there is no need to worry about getting every detail perfectly right. Once I have the basic structure of the feathers, I use the same dark brown color to paint the dark spots on them. I take a quick look at the reference photo to get a general idea of the pattern, but I don't try to recreate every single spot perfectly. I'm just randomly painting these dark shapes on each feather, leaving a small gap between them. Above this pattern, there is another area with a slightly different texture. What stands out there are long lines that create visual texture. So I start by painting many of those lines in the correct direction. I also add some darker spots and gently blend everything together. A little higher up, there is yet another pattern. I start with the darkest color painting slightly curved shapes. Then add lighter brown along the right side of each spot. Finally, I rinse and blot my brush and then use the tip of a clean de brush to smooth everything out. This is another way to create soft blended patterns on the feathers. If possible, I like to first paint or draw the contours of the feathers. These contours often also act as shadows, giving us clear distinct shapes to work with. You might notice in the reference photo that there are some white spots on the feathers and white feathers. I don't worry about them yet, and they are tiny details that I will add later with white quash. This is much easier than carefully painting around them now. The dark lines dry quickly because we are working in small areas with the wet on dry technique. Once they are partially dry, we can go back and add more color. Here I'm adding Mlburn sienna to warm up the feathers and a touch of quinacredon red to introduce an even warmer hue. While the paint is still wet, I pick up some dark brown and drop it in to create soft spots on the feathers. The wet surface allows these spots to blur slightly, which is exactly what we need. I also return to the area with long lines to add more of them and enhance the texture. As you can see, even on the small wing area, there are many different patterns and textures and various ways to approach them. It's important to capture at least some of these details here and later around the eye because these elements are characteristic of the bird and focal points in the painting. Paying careful attention will make the bird look realistic and lively. I think now we can take a break and after that, we will move on to painting the tale, which will be much simpler. 11. Bird - Tail: Okay, let's continue painting and move on to the tail. Start with the dark brown and draw long lines first to create a structure you can build on. We want to separate each long feather to have clear shapes that we can later fill with patterns. I will really simplify the pattern here. In the reference photo, the transitions between colors are very smooth with soft gradients from dark brown to lighter brown. Technically, we could achieve this by applying a lighter brown first and then dropping in the darker brown while the paint is still wet, allowing it to blur naturally. However, I've chosen to simplify and use just wet on dry technique for this pattern. I didn't try to soften the edges to match the reference exactly. I left the hard edges because I think they look nice. This pattern reminds me a bit of the pattern I painted on the Blue Jays wings. But here, the edges of the dark markings are more jagged, which I think looks more natural for this bird. Right side, I switch to burnt sienna to shift the hue slightly. I'll also simplify this area. Although I can see a slightly different type of feathers there, I'll continue the pattern from the tail to keep it cohesive. And that's it for this part, short and easy. Now let's move on to something slightly more challenging. 12. Bird - Back and Head: In this part, we're going to paint the back and head area. So we'll also partially go over the wing again. I always start with the shape that stands out the most to me. In this case, it's the dark shadow. Once I have that, I will paint the pattern on the back feathers, which is the same pattern we painted on the tail. Now, let's pick up the main brown mix, burn sienna with ultramarine blue and start building a different texture here. Begin by painting many long lines one next to another. It's okay if they blend together. Don't worry about that. The small gaps between the lines will naturally suggest texture. You can also vary the colors as you go, bringing in more burnt sienna to warm up the brown. When we move onto the wing area, pick up a darker brown and create feathery textures by placing many short brush strokes close together. As I paint, I imagine fish scales with their arched shapes or shell shapes placed side by side. Each line creates a little fan shape. Each of these shapes represent a small feather. Normally, a feather would have a line in the center with brush strokes radiating from it. But here we only see the tips, so the lines are almost parallel. By placing many short lines along with slightly longer lines near the white areas on the back and on the top of the head, we create a nice variety of visual textures. Each one suggests a different type of feather. Is this anatomically correct? Not really, but we're not scientists, we're just painters. Our goal is to convey the impression of feathers and simple lines are enough to capture the essence of the bird. It's very important to follow the correct direction of these lines. Imagine painting over a real bird. Horizontal brush strokes wouldn't make sense. Feathers grow from top to bottom, and they bend and curve, so I follow the natural form of the bird. Oh. I'm also picking up a tiny amount of yellowish brown to add a few random brush strokes in the white areas. Since we're near the eye, I think we can apply the first layer straightaway. We need two layers for the eye. So let's start with this initial layer. There's a dark ring around the eye, so suggest that shape first. Then apply dark brown to the iris and pupil, leaving the white area in the upper part for the highlight. This highlight is very important. Later, we will darken the pupil and add some blue reflections in the highlight, which will bring the eye to life. Even now, it already looks nice, but the details will enhance it further. Finally, let's add tiny dots or very short brush strokes around the eye and on the cheek. This adds another interesting visual texture that makes the bird so engaging. And with that, we can finish this part. We'll continue in the next section. 13. Bird - Chest: Let's continue moving downward to the chest. At the top, we want to create a smooth transition from the tiny brush stroke pattern to the scale like shapes on the chest. Nothing too complicated, just a few simple lines to prevent the transition from being too abrupt. Now we can pick up our yellowish brown and start painting the chest and belly. Here we also want to create texture but slightly different from the back. I'm using short brush strokes again, but these brush marks are a bit larger and overlap each other. If we place many of these strokes in the correct direction, they will create the impression of feathery texture. The small gaps and the transparency of the brush strokes build up a delicate layered look. As we paint, we also need to vary colors and tonal values. Keep in mind that the area under the wing and at the bottom is in shadow, so we will use darker tones there. Once we cover the whole area, the upper part will likely be drier, and this is perfect because we can go back and add another layer of markings, enhancing the texture even more. We don't need to paint each individual feather meticulously. That would be hyperrealistic. We're painting realistically, but leaving some room for interpretation. Combining looser areas with more detailed parts creates a nice balance between precision and freedom. Now you can take a break if you like, or if you're eager to finish the bird, we can move on to the next part straightaway and start adding details. 14. Bird - Beak and Eye Details: Now, we can begin with the eye. First, pick up a small amount of ultramarine blue on the tip of your brush and carefully apply it to the highlight area. If the blue is too strong, you can lift some paint with a clean de brush. This blue adds a clean, fresh touch and suggests a reflection of the sky which we can see directly. Allow the blue to dry completely. While we're waiting, we can also add some blue to the beak. I'm using the same ultramarine blue but muted slightly with a tiny touch of brown. Apply this blue to the upper part of the beak, starting along the lower edge and smoothing it upward. This creates a subtle tonal transition from darker blue at the bottom to lighter blue at the top. Use the same blue on the lower part of the beak, but apply it only in the middle section, leaving narrow white areas for highlights. I will also add a little bit of quinacridon red mixed with brown near the tip of the beak. By now, the eye should be dry. Pick up a very dark tone, more ultramarine and paints gray and carefully paint the pupil working around the highlight. You might have thought the eye was already dark enough, but adding this layer brings it to life. Next, pick up a bit of brown and add it to the ring around the eye. Finally, using your very dark brown or black, add a few finishing touches. Define some areas around the eye, a tiny short brush strokes in the eye reflection to suggest three reflections and add a few dark marks on the feathers nearby. These small details increase contrast and give the bird character. Now, let's finish the beak. First, draw a line separating the upper and lower parts. Then use a darker blue ultramarine blue mixed with some brown to darken the upper part of the beak, especially in the corner. Smooth it upward to create a transition to the lighter blue at the top, making sure to leave the narrow white edge at the bottom as a highlight. If you lose it, you can restore it later with white guash. Apply black to the lower part of the beak and blend slightly. I also added a few dark spots I noticed in the reference, and that completes the Bk. Next, let's move to the legs and add some details there. Use brown to add some feathers above the legs with simple short brush strokes. Then mix a pinkish tone with quin acrodon red, a bit of blue and brown. Apply this color to suggest shadows on the legs. You don't need to match the color exactly. Pick something that looks natural. Finally, zoom out and assess the whole painting. At any finishing touches you feel are needed. For example, I decided to add a few more dark brush strokes to suggest additional texture and dark feathers below the wing. And with that, we can call the bird finished. I think it looks great in the scene. At this point, the painting could be complete, but if you want to add a magical wintry touch, we can move on to the final part and add more snow. 15. Falling Snow: Here we are in the final very rewarding part. We're going to finish our painting by adding falling snow and a few highlights with white guash. I'm using Windsor Newton white guash. I'll squeeze a little bit onto a piece of colored paper so I can see it better. First, I mix a bit of our yellowish brown with the white guash to create a creamy opaque color. Using a size four brush, I can add lighter whitish spots on the wings. We can use this color to suggest lighter feathers here and there, or to fix highlights if, for example, you accidentally covered part of the eye with too much dark paint. You can now paint the highlight in the eye. You can also use it to add subtle highlights on the beak. We can also use white guash to create snow on the stems and needles. I place many small spots in random areas which instantly adds interest and enhances the wintry mood of the scene. Using white gouache can be tricky because the consistency is important. If it's too watery, it becomes transparent. If it's too thick, it's difficult to paint with. When gouache dries and appears less visible, don't worry, that's normal. I usually means that there was a little bit too much water in the mix. Can simply go over those spots again. Ideally, the gouache should be thick but still workable. I lightly dampen my brush just enough to make the paint manageable. After adding guash intentionally in specific areas, I like to randomly spatter it across the painting to create the impression of falling snow. First, I cover the bird's head and parts of the body with small pieces of paper to protect those areas. This prevents accidental large blobs of gouache on important details like the eye. If we want, we can always later add some white spots intentionally in those protected areas. Next, I will use a large brush size ten with a slightly more watery consistency of guash. Holding another brush in my left hand, I tap the brush with guash on its handle. This creates many small drops on the paper simulating falling snow. The height, you hold the brush and the consistency of paint will change the effect. Experiment to see what works best. If no dots appear when tapping, your guash is likely too thick. Dip the tip of your brush in a little water. And try again. Continue until tiny white dots start to fall. Add as much snow as you like. You might wonder if you could just paint each dot individually. Of course, you could, but it would take ages and look less natural. We can actually add a few larger spots in random places to introduce variety in snowflake sizes. A Once you're happy with the snow, remove the protective paper, sign your painting, and admire your work. Congratulations. I hope you enjoyed this process, and you're happy with your result. In the final part, we will do a quick recap of everything we've learned in this tutorial. 16. Summary: Thank you so much for joining me in the Carolina Rn winter watercolor tutorial. I hope this project brought you as much joy as it brought me and that you feel proud of your progress and inspired to continue exploring watercolor techniques. Before we wrap up, let's take a moment to reflect on what we've learned together. We started with thumbnail sketches, tested compositions, digitally and carefully transferred the final sketch onto watercolor paper. The bird was traced accurately while pine needles were left looser for a natural look. We painted a soft muted winter background using wet on wet technique, blending browns, blues and greens. Light behind the bird was preserved to make it stand out, establishing depth and atmosphere. Layered green tones and varied brush strokes created realistic needles. You practiced building texture, depth, and natural looking clusters without overworking the paper. Brown stems and shadows enhanced realism. Snow was painted with subtle colored shadows and folds to suggest volume and reflect surrounding colors. We painted the bird in stages. First layer warm browns and yellowish tones for the base. Then we painted wing and tail, simplified feather patterns with realistic texture, then back, head, and chest, varied brush strokes and tonal values for layered feathers. We added reflection in the eye, details shadow, subtle color transition to bring the bird to life. White gouache was used for highlights, whiter feathers and spattered snow. You practiced controlling consistency of white gouache and creating a natural random effect for a magical winter finish. This tutorial combined planning, layering, texture, and fine detail to create a harmonious winter scene. You practiced balancing precision with freedom, building depth and bringing a small, lively subject to life within a snowy landscape. I hope this painting gave you a sense of calm, focus, and creative joy, and that it inspires you to continue exploring the beautiful possibilities of watercolor. Take care and happy painting. Bye