Quick and Easy Winter Painting for Beginners

1. Introduction: Winter is already here, and it's perfect time to capture a quiet peaceful moment on paper. In this class, we are going to paint a simple, dreamy winter landscape using just a minimal palette and a few easy brush strops. It's a quick project under 30 minutes, but the result is soft, elegant, and absolutely frameworky. Whether you hang it up, give it to someone, or keep it in your sketchbook. This little winter scene brings such a calm, cozy feeling. I'm Anu, and I love creating simple, soothing painting that anyone can enjoy, especially beginners. If you've been wanting to build confidence with gouache, or you have been feeling a little intimidated by the medium, this class is a gentle place to start. I will walk you through everything slowly and simply so you can never feel rushed or overhelm. In this class, we will paint a soft winter sky and a snowy foreground and build explosive trees using easy layering technique. I will also show you how to use a toothbrush or paint brush to create that magical snowfall effect. Even though this is a quick project, it's surprisingly beautiful and you will lay techniques you can use in many other gouache paintings. So grab your brushes, sit somewhere cozy, and let's paint this calm winter landscape together. 2. Materials Used : Friends will come back before we begin painting. Let's quickly go through the materials you will need for this class. We will start with the paints for today's painting, I'll be using gouache colors. If you don't have gouache, it's absolutely fine. You can use April colors as well. As you can see, I have mainly used three colors for this artwork, Persian blue, light, Saprit and white. If you don't have these exact shades, no worries at all. We can easily mix everything using black, blue, green, yellow and white. I'll guide you through that as we go. Now let's move on to the brushes. We need only two brushes for this painting, one flat brush, and one round brush. I'm using flat brush size tall and a round brush size eight, but exact sizes are critical. Anything similar will work just fine. The flat brush will be used for the background wash, and the round brush will be perfect for painting trees and details. Next is the paper. I'm using watercolor paper with a nice texture. This texture really helps balancing the painting, especially for winter scenes, but it's not mandatory. You can use any made paper of 140 GSM or above if that's what you have. For mounting the paper, I'm using a cardboard. Instead of masking tape along the borders, I have rolled a small piece of masking tape and used it like double side tape at the back to stick the paper down. This way, I get a botterless painting and can use the interior sheet. You can absolutely choose whichever method you prefer. Next, we will need a palette for mixing colors. You don't need anything fancy, a palette, a plate, or even a glass surface works perfectly. I am using the palette that comes along with my gauche set. We will also need a pencil for lightly marking the sketch on the paper. And finally, keep two jars of water nearby. One for rinsing off the paint from your brush after painting, and another for cleaning the brush before picking up a new color. This helps keep your colors clean and fresh. And that's it. These are all materials we need to paint this simple cute winter art work. Now let's move on to some color mixing and little practice before we begin. 3. Color Mixing: Hello, friends. Welcome back. Now let's pay some color mixing. For this practice, I'm using one of my skichbw. This is not watercolor paper. It's a mad paper with around 200 gsm this. However, I highly recommend practicing on the same paper you'll be using for the final pat. This really help you to understand the correct color intensity and water control, which makes a big difference when you move on to the main artwork. Now let's do a simple color swash of the three main colors we'll be using. First, I'm starting with light sappy. Just take a small amount of paint and apply a straight even wash using your flat brush. Once that's done, clean your brush and wipe off the excess water. I usually use a cloth for wiping my brushes untas this is something we will be needing while painting. I think I forgot to mention it in the previous material section. You can use tissue paper or any soft fabric to wipe off your brushes. Next, I'm taking Prussian blue. In the same way, I'm adding a gentle swatch beside green, keeping the strokes simple and even. So these are the two main colors we need for this painting, and of course we will be using white. Now let's move on to create similar shades using our primary colors. Alright. Now let's take small quantities of the primary colors. We will need to create our main shades and place them on the palette. I will start with white, followed by a little yellow, and then green, and finally the black. If you're using the same brush to pick up each color, make sure to wash it in between. This helps keep your colours clean and prevents unwanded mixing on the palette. Once the colors are ready, we can slowly move into mixing our shades. First, let's mix black and yellow. We need more yellow and just a tiny bit of black. This will gives us an olive slightly muddy green tone. I'm making a gentle sage with the color. If you add a little more yellow, you will notice the olive green becoming lighter and warmer. Just adjust it slowly, a small amount at a time and observe how the colour changes. Now, let's move on to creating sacre. I'm first adding a bit more yellow to make the olive green lighter and softer. I forgot to make a swash with it. Once that feels right, I will introduce a touch of cream into the mixture. As you gently mix it, you will see the color gradually shift setting into a natural ape. Next, add some white to this sub green to lighten the value. This gives us a light toned screen. In the finished painting I have already done, I used a very light version of this color. But this time, let's go with a slightly darker tone and see how it turns out. You are free to choose any tone you like lighter or darker, depending on the look you prefer. Now for the Prussian blue, I'm taking a primary blue and adding a small amount of black toot. This creates a deeper, darker blue like shade, which is used for the tree. We also using the lightest tone of this color for the background. You will get that lightest shade by adding a lot of white toot. We will practice some trees on the next lesson. Let's move on to that. 4. Practicing Trees: Hello, friends, and welcome back. In this section, we will practice trays. As I mentioned before, we are keeping this painting very simple using just a few easy techniques. This is meant to feel calm and effortless. There is nothing to rush here. Let's begin by practicing the brush strok. Take your round brush and load it with paint. Let's take the green paint now. You can practice with any color. I took green, which is already on my palette. Notice the consistency. It shouldn't be too loose or watery. A slightly thicker paint works beautifully for this step. Now instead of smoothing the brush on the palette, softly, tap it down, press just a little more firmly and observe how the breast tress began spread. They are no longer knee or perfectly aligned. That's exactly what we got. These uneven edges will help us create natural textures. When you are ready, bring the brush to the paper. Use gentle light taps, no pressure, no force. Let the brush barely touch that surface. Even the softer tap creates small organic sheets that quietly resemble pine needles. Continue tapping slowly and mindfully, allowing the tree to take shape one stroke at a time. There is no need to think too much about the perfection. Simply stay with the movement of your hand and the rhythm of the strokes. If the paint on your brash start to fade, pause, load the brush again, tap it once more on the palette, to open up the bristles and return to the paper. You can always test a few strokes on the palette or a scrap paper before outlining. Once I got a small tapering shape in place, I moved on to the second goya. I chosen Prussian blue, and I continued using the same gentle tapping press strokes. This is a lovely way to mix and layer colors without overthinking it. Now I took a third color. This time, I'm using black. Just like before, load your brush with paint, then give it a few rough taps on palette, pressing slightly so the bristles open up, can become uneven. You can try if you practice tabs on the palette itself or on a scrap piece of pepper, just to get comfortable with the texture. When you are ready, gently apply these stalks to the lower part of the tree. Let the colors blend softly into the previous layer. There is no need to rush, allow the colors to met naturally. Now let's paint the second tree. For this one, I'm using black. You can choose any color you like. I'm using blastb because it's already on my palette. We will repeat the same steps as before, load a round brush with paint, then gently press the brush against the palette. So the brise will spread out and become uneven, just like we did earlier. This helps create that natural texture effect before moving to the paper, lightly tap the brush on the palate or on a scrap piece of paper. This helps you get comfortable with the texture and the feel of stroke. Once you feel ready, bring the brush to the paper. This time, pay a little more attention to the overall shape of tree, start from the top and slowly guide the stalks downwards, forming a soft triangular pine shape. There is no need to apply pressure. Gentle taps are more than enough. Let the strokes stay light and erat even the softest touch creates beautiful texture on the paper, continue in the same way until the tree feels complete. Now I have taken a fresh page of the sketchbook and let's pase one more tree together. Or the steps remain the same as the previous trees, load your round brush with paint, then press it gently against the palette to make the pristine spread and feel a little rough. This help create those natural textured marks. Before moving onto paper, make a few trial stops on the palette or on a scrap piece of paper, just to get comfortable with the brush. When you're ready, start shaping the tree on the paper using soft gentle tabs. Let the strokes guide the form naturally without forcing it. Continue slowly, building the shape, one stroke at a time until the tree feels complete to you. There is no such thing as a perfect tree here. Each one will be unique, and that's what makes it beautiful. While practicing the paste, we use two colors, one for the top and another for the bottom. At the place where the colors we, we gently blended the same using the same typing brush strokes, letting the transition happen naturally. Now we can create the same two color effect in another way by layering one color over another. For this tree, I'm starting with a darker base color that is black. Once that base is in place, let's take a lighter color. I'm choosing grey. Using the same gentle tapping strokes, I'm adding the green over the black mainly towards the crown of the tree. This creates the feeling that the top part of the tree is catching the light. There is no need to cover everything. Just a few soft strokes are enough. Let the darker colours stay visible underneath and allow the lighter green to sit on top naturally. This laying gives the tree depth, light, and a beautiful sense of dimension, all with very simple strokes. So that's it. I hope you are now feeling comfortable and confident with this one simple technique for painting trees. It may to minimal, but this single brush stroke can create so many beautiful variations. Take a moment to practice it a little more if you like, and enjoy the rhythm of the strokes. When you are ready, we will move on to the real painting in the next lesson where we will bring everything together into a complete winter landscape. I will see you there. 5. Painting the Background: Hello, my dear friends, and welcome to the class project. We are going to bring everything together and paint our winter landscape on paper. I have my paper ready here. I have secured it onto my board just the way I explained in the materials lesson. This helps keep the paper steady and gives us clean edges as we paint. So once your paper is fixed, we are all set to biking. Let's start with the background sky. For this, we will need a very light blue shade. You are free to use any blue you have. It could be the Persian blue sterila or a regular blue from your pet. Today, I'm using a normal blue and mixing in plenty of white to create a soft pale tone. Take your time while mixing. We want the color to feel light, airy, and calm. Once the color is ready, pick up your flat brush and load it with the paint. The paint should be creamy and battery, not too thick or not too watery, so it glides smoothly on the paper. I'm applying the color directly onto the paper. The sky will cover a little more than three by fourth of the page. So we will leave a small section at the bottom unpainted for the snowy ground. If it helps, you can lightly mark the ground area with a pencil, or if you feel comfortable, you can paint directly. Both ways are perfectly fine. Now using gentle horizontal strokes, move your brush from left to right, and then right to left. Let the brush glide softly across the surface. There is no sh here, slow, even strokes will help avoid streaks and marks. Moment to enjoy this process, the paint spread evenly and allow the sky to slowly come to life. If you need more pain, simply reload your brush and continue keeping the strokes smooth and relaxed. By the end, we want the sky to feel calm, soft, and open, a peaceful winter sky that sets the mood for the entire paint. As you work on the sky, remember this part doesn't have to be perfect. If you notice any brush marks or uneven areas, that's completely fine. Simply load a little more paint onto your brush and go over that area again using the same soft horizontal strokes. Gentle or repeated, passes will naturally smooth things out and help to hide the marks. If your paint starts to run out, don't worry. Mix another small batch using the same colors, the same blue and plenty of white, and continue painting. The slight variations actually add a natural softness to the sky. Take your time here, work slowly, breathe and allow the paint to settle. With a few calm strokes, the sky will come together you free. Oh now let's gently move on to the ground area. For this, I'm taking the Persian blue we mixed earlier using blue at a touch of black. Pick up a small amount of this color on your flat brush and lightly mark the outline of the ground. We don't want this line to be strike. Let it be uneven with soft rises and dips. These little ridges help suggest the natural uneven surface of snow. Once the outline is in place, take a bit of white on the same brush without washing it gently, pull the persianble downward, blending it softly into the white. This creates a smooth transition, and notice how the ground area becomes slightly darker than the sky. That contracts helps separate the land from the background and gives depth to the sea. Work slowly and let the color switch naturally on the paper. There is no need to overthink it. A few generous strokes are enough to create a calm, snowy base. And finally, I'm adding a few gentle touches of white back into the sky. This helps soften the tone even more and makes the sky feel lighter at Caffo. Use just a small amount of white and apply it in few places. There is no need to cover the ended area with light, horizontal strokes blended smoothly into the light now beneath. Let the colours melt into each other naturally. Take your time here and keep working softly until the shading feels right to you. There is no fixed point where this has to stop. Continue until you feel that poet sense of satisfaction when the style looks calm, balanced, and complete. So I stop here and let's move on to the next lesson to add trees. H. 6. Painting the trees: Hello, friends. Welcome back. Now it's time to paint the trees in the foreground. We have already practiced this technique together, and you have done such a wonderful job preparing for this step. I hope you are feeling ready and confident now. Let's take everything we have lent and apply it here. Slowly and calmly, we will paint the trees together. One gentle stroke at ata. There is no rush. Just follow Hello, that's a process, and enjoy watching the trees come to life on your paper. So. Before we start painting the trees, let's prepare the two main colors we will need. We will be working with Prussian blue and light api. I will begin with the blue. Take the normal blue you already have on your palette and add just a small touch of black to it. Mix the two colors slowly and evenly. Watch how the blue deepens and the black blendsing. Keep mixing until you reach a shade that feels right for you. Once you are happy with the color post there, there is no need to keep adjusting. Now let's move on to the sap green. Start by mixing grain with a tiny bit of black and a little yellow. Blend these together well. Then add some white to soften the colors and bring it to the lighter down. At this stage, observe the color closely. If it feels too pale or too close to white, gently add a bit more yellow and green, mix again slowly until the shade begins to resemble a soft light sable. Take your time with this process. Color mixing is very personal. Stop when the colors feel balanced and satisfying to your eyes. There is no exact formula here. Gentle adjustments until it feels white. Yes. Oh, All right. Now that our colors are ready, let's gently move on to the painting trees. We will take this step slowly just like we practiced. Let's begin with the green colour, load a round brush with paint, then press it lightly against the palette to let the bristle spread down. This creates that rough uneven texture we want. Before touching the paper, tap the brush a few times on the palette or scrap piece of paper to touch the texture. Once you are comfortable, move on to the paper. I'm starting with the smallest tree on the left side. Begin right at the crown of the tree, and gently tap the brush onto the paper. Notice how the textures start to appear almost naturally. Follow the triangular shape of the tree as you work your way downward. There is no need to dresh. Just let the shape slowly build with each soft tab. When the top section fails complete, let's move on to the second color, pick up prescient blue and repeat the same stips. Load the brush, press it against the palate, to spread out the bristles, test the texture, and then return to the paper. Use this darker color towards the lower part of the tree. As you move downward, gently widen the shape to give the tree its natural grounded form. Now, let's bring the two colors together. Take the green again and add a few light taps in the middle area where the colors meet. Gently tap over the top edge of the blue section. This creates a soft transition between two colors, helping the tree feel more natural and dimensional. Once the colors blend smoothly and you are satisfied with the shape, we will pause here and move on to painting the large tree on the right. Now let's move on to the larger tree on the right side. We will follow the exact same steps as before. Just allow this tree to grow a little taller. Start by taking the green colour, load it onto your round brush, press the brush gently against the palette, you spread the bristles and tap a few times to check the texture. Once you are ready, begin at the top of the tree, placing the ground slightly higher than the previous one. Use gentle tapping strokes, letting the texture form naturally on the paper. Slowly work your way downward, keeping the shape soft and triangular. Take your time and allow the tree to grow layer by layer. When the upper portion feels complete, switch to crescen blue, load the brush, press spread the breast tails and taste the texture just as before. Now, continue the tree downward using the blue, gradually widening the base to give the tree a strong grounded fork. To bring everything together, take the green again and lightly tap a few strokes where the two colors meet. Add these gentle touches over the top of the blue section to create a smooth, natural transition. Once the tree feels balanced and complete, pause for the moment and enjoy the depth and texture you have created. This large tree helps anchor the foreground and adds a beautiful sense of scale to the painting. Now that tree is complete. Let's move on to add final details in the next lesson. 7. Adding Final Details: Hello, friends, welcome to the final detailing of this painting. Our background and foreground trees are now complete, and they are already looking beautiful. To add a little more depth and atmosphere, let's feed a third tree in the background, a soft misty winter tree that feels distant and calm. For this, we will create a moody light shade by mixing Persian blue with white. Take up white paint and gently mix it into the Persian blue until you get a soft light blue top. This lighter color will help the tree sit quietly in the background. Now, just like before, load your brush with the paint, press it gently against the palette to spread the bristles and create texture. Do a few test taps on the palette or on a scrap piece of paper until the brush feels comfortable. Once you're ready move to the paper on the lem side slightly behind the smallest foreground tree, begin adding this background tree. Use the same gentle tapping strokes following a soft triangular shape. Keep the strokes light so the tree feels distant and misty almost fading into the background. When the shape is in place, take a touch of darker blue and add a few taps here and there. This adds subtle depth without bringing the tree to forward. And that's it. Our final background tree is complete. It quietly sits behind others, adding softness, depth, and a peaceful winter mode to the painting. Now, let's add the final magical touch the snow. For this step, we will splatter some white paint across the painting to create a soft snowfall effect. I'm using an old toothbrush for this. But if you don't have one, that's absolutely fine. You can use a flat brush instead. Both work beautifully. Load a little white paint onto the brush. If you are using a toothbrush, gently run your fingers across the brist to spray the paint over the paper. Let the snow fall naturally without aiming for perfection. If you're using a flat brush, follow the same idea, load it with paint, and lightly flick the petels to create splats. Once the snow spread, let's add a few larger snowflakes. Take your round brush, load it with white paint, and gently place a few bigger marks across the painting. These don't need to be perfect circles or oval sheets, so irregular marks works bet. Scatter them over both the darker and lighter areas of the trees and even into the sky. This helps the snow feel natural and balanced throughout the painting. When you feel comfortable and satisfied with how it looks, pose there, there is no need to add more once it feel complete to you. And with that, our quick and easy winter painting is finished. In the next and final session, we will take a moment to reflect and wrap things up together. 8. Thank you!: Thank you so much for painting with me today. I truly hope this class help you feel relaxed, inspired, and more confident with wash. If you enjoy this lesson, you will find a few more gouache tutorials on my profile as well. They are designed to be simple calming and perfect for daily sketchbook practice, helping you build consistency and improve your gouache skills step by step. Do take a moment to explore them whenever you feel like painting a little more. Thank you once again for being here, and I can wait to see your beautiful winter landscape in the project section. See you again very soon with another fun and exciting class until then, bye bye.