Snowy Winter Landscape | Watercolors

1. Introduction: Winter is nature's way of slowing down a peaceful pause where beauty lies in stillness and simplicity. And painting it is all about celebrating that calm. Winter landscapes reminds us that less is more encouraging us to leave white, empty spaces to bring out that glow and essence, creating truly stunning winter paintings. Hi. I'm Shannon, an artist and art educator based out of Bangaloe India. Welcome to my class on painting snowy winter landscape. I'm so excited to have you join my class. In this class, we will be painting a beautiful, snowy winter landscape. I'll be guiding you through each and every step with detailed instruction. Even if you're a complete beginner or a seasoned artist, you could still join my class, as I have covered all the necessary techniques required to paint along with me. I'll guide you through all the art supplies you will need for this class. And together, we will create this beautiful, snowy winter painting. This is a real time, slow paced painting session where we can fully enjoy and immerse ourselves in the process. So without any further delay, let's get started with the class. 2. Art Supplies: Welcome back. I'm so glad you decided to join my class. That truly means a lot to me. So before we begin, let me walk you through all the art supplies that I would be using in this class. Let us begin by discussing the paper. Here, I'm using a handbound sketchbook. Paper used in this sketchbook is Lana Aquarl which is 100% cotton, 300 GSM paper with a coal press texture. The dimension of this paper is 19 by 14 centimeters. The sketchbook is beautifully hand boound making it a charming and convenient choice for painting landscapes. I have painted several landscapes in it, and the experience has been delightful. Let me show you some of my previous artworks created on this sketchbook. So yeah, that was about the sketchbook. Next, let us talk about brushes. So first, I would be using Princeton Neptune size six, mob brush for larger brush strokes. This holds good amount of water. Next, I'll be using regular sized brush, which is size eight round brush by silver black velvet. I'll be using this brush for most part of the painting. Since I'm painting on a smaller sized paper, this size would be more than enough. And for techniques and other chapters, I'll be using this Princeton brush. So these two brushes are of same size. You could use any similar sized brush. Next, I'll be using a size two round brush for detailing work. When it gets wet, it becomes very thin and creates nice details. For the colors, I'll be using this air tight container with multiple wells to store the paints. It is really easy to use and sustainable because the paints don't get wasted. After each use, I simply close it and it's ready for the next session. For this class project, I'll be using the following colors and brands. So first one is ultramarine blue by white nights. It is shade number 511. Then next is paint gray by Daniel Smith. Next we have Indigo by Mission Gold. Next color is burnt timber by Art Philosophy C green, which is similar to Sab green. This is by the brand, white Knight. Pardon me if I refer this as Sab green during the class. Next, we would need white gauge paint to create snowfall effect. You could also use thick white watercolor paints. Next, we would need some napkins. I use around two to three napkins when I paint. One napkin is to place the wet brushes during the painting process. Another one is to wipe off the paints from the brushes and to clean the palette, as well. And the last one is a clean napkin just in case I need one. Whenever the mixing area gets dirty, I use a damp napkin to clean them for the next mixing. This way, it is easier to keep your palettes clean rather than running back and forth to the sink. Water for mixing the colors and wetting the paper. Here, I would be using two small jars of water and one big jar of water. So earlier I used to use two jars of water, but I always end up using both of them. So now I've started keeping a separate jar of clean water just in case I need clean water during the process. And you can also have a napkin handy so that you can wipe off the extra water in the same napkin. Also, we would need tissues to wipe off the paints of the brushes to perform certain watercolor techniques. So, if you're storing the colors in such palette, you can either use a spray bottle to wet the paints, or you could use a pipet like this and drop water to keep them moist. And if you have a hair dryer, please keep it ready so you can paint along with me as I will be drying the paper several times during the painting process. If you don't have one, it's totally fine. You can pause the video, allow the paper to dry, and then come back to resume the painting process. And you can keep some small watercolor sheets handy while you're painting to test out color or practice before starting the main painting. And we would need a pencil for sketching and a masking tape for taping down the paper to create nice edges and prevent the paper from brocling up. Don't worry if you do not have the exact same supplies. You can grab whatever similar supplies is already available with you. That would be totally fine. All that matters is the intention to learn and rest will follow. 3. Tones: In this chapter, we will discuss about the tonal values in watercolor painting. Tonal values are the key because they add depth and mold to your work. They help us create the illusion of distance and bring different elements into focus. It creates a separation between background and foreground elements. And all this is achieved by just one color. So here we have a darker green color. By gradually adding water to the color, you can see we have achieved different tonal values. So I'll combine them together making one single strip so that it is easier to explain. So this watery tone is called as diluted tone or watered down color. So this is created by mixing watercolor paint with more water. Next, we have mid tone color where it falls between the lightest and darkest tone in the painting. Next comes darkest or concentrated tones. You could also call it as thicker paints. This is referred to as deep or shadow tones, mostly concentrated and intense color in your painting. So during the class, if you hear me use terms like thicker consistency or diluted consistency, mid tone consistency, I'm referring to the tonal values of the paint. These terms describe the varying lightness or darkness of the colors we're using. Let's have a closer look at the consistency of the paints. You can see it is very thick and concentrated. It has more paints and less water. Next for the mid tone consistency, it is 50% paints and 50% of water. This tone partially reflects the whiteness of the paper. Lastly, we have diluted tone with less amount of paints and more water. Since this has more water, it reflects the whiteness of the paper. 4. Techniques: Before we dive into our class project, I would like you to brush up on your watercolors skills and techniques. So let's go over some of the basics. Starting with one of the most widely known techniques, which is wet on wet. You might already be familiar with it if you have painted with watercolors. So wet on wet is nothing but a technique which involves applying wet paints onto a wet surface. It is commonly used to create soft, diffused and smooth effect. This is especially helpful when we are painting skies or when we want to create delicate atmospheric backgrounds. In this painting, we will be using wet on wet technique for creating the sky and also for laying down the base layer of the water section. Next technique is selective wet on wet. This involves painting around a focal element or a particular shape rather than directly painting on the shape. For example, if we have drawn a rock, we will carefully wet the area outside of that rock while leaving the rock itself untouched. By preserving the white space, we can create defined edges for the focal element. Once the surrounding area is wet, we will apply the desired color to achieve a smooth, blended background while keeping the focal point crisp and clear. If you take a closer look at the painting, you will notice I have left some white areas for the snowy rocks. So here I have used the selective wet on wet technique for these as well. This approach makes it easier to preserve the white areas and maintain the crispneess of the rocks. So let us practice another example. So here I'm drawing some smaller rocks, and we will be painting outside that area. First, we will wet the surrounding area to set the base right. Once it is ready, we will then apply the colors. You will notice this technique creates a soft blended effect only in the selected areas while the other parts stay white and clean. I'm working on a smaller piece of paper for this demonstration. If you would like to feel more comfortable and have more room to practice, you can use a larger sheet and experiment with it. It's entirely up to you. The next technique is another popular technique, which is often used for adding details. So the technique is called wet on dry. So this technique involves applying wet paints onto a completely dry surface. So this technique is perfect for creating sharp edges and fine details in your artwork. You can control the brush strokes by adjusting the angle, allowing you to create precise shapes. Unlike wet on wet, the paint won't spread or diffuse, which makes it ideal for detailing work. And also, it gives a very vibrant and defined colors. Next, we have dry on dry technique or also known as dry brush technique. This method is great for adding textured effects to your artwork. It can be used to create snow like effects, textures on trees or even fur like effects in the paintings. Here, we load the brush with paints and wipe off the extra paints on a tissue paper or a napkin that will leave us with dry paints. Then you glide the brush onto the paper, creating a nice, distinct texture. The paper texture plays a significant role here. Rough or cold press papers works best for this technique as they provide more texture to interact with the dry brush. On the other hand, achieving texture on a soft or a hot press paper can be a bit more challenging due to its smoother surface. Next, we have the lifting technique. This involves removing or lightening paints from the paper to create highlights or to correct the mistakes. So let's say you have a painted surface and you want to lift off some paint, then you could use a damp brush or a tissue paper as well, or even a sponge to lift the paints of the paper. The goal here is to gently remove the pigments from the paper. This technique allows you to create interesting shapes or adjust areas as needed. For example, in this painting, I've already left some areas for the snow reflection in the water. However, I'll also lift paints from the certain parts of the water to enhance the reflective highlight, giving it a more natural look. Once you have lifted the paints, then you can go back and add extra details around them. 5. How to Approach Layering: In this Sapto we will discuss layering technique, which is also known as glazing technique. This method involves applying multiple thin and transparent layers over a dry base to build a sense of depth and adjust color tones and values and add intricate details. So here, I have started with the first layer, and then I will gradually add multiple layers to build a sense of depth. Now, let me show you an example of snow cabbed rocks. I'll demonstrate how layering works. First, I'll start with very diluted tone. So apply it on the lower areas for a mild snowy color. So the base white color, it acts as the highlight on the snow. And this diluted color provides one of the lightest value. After applying this, we will move on to slightly darker color, which is mid tone color after drying the paper. So now let's apply the mid tone color, creating a smooth transition from lighter to darker. Once that is done, we will add the darkest color to complete the process. If you observe, you'll see how the different tones, starting from white to the darker blue creates a balanced effect. You can use this technique or this formula to paint monochrome paintings or any artwork of your choice. Building depth or layering is very important aspect of any painting. Now, let us explore how layering can be used to paint pine trees. First, we will review the basic shape of pine trees and how to paint them effectively. I'll start by demonstrating the correct way to paint a pine tree, use irregular and random brush strokes, ensuring the tree doesn't look uniform or symmetrical. Next, let me show you an example of the wrong method. Beginners often paint pine trees with symmetrical shapes on both sides, which can make the tree look stiff and artificial. To give a more organic and natural look, focus on irregular, uneven shape and random brushstrokes. Now let's add color to the trees. For the wrong method, I'll simply apply the color, and for the correct method, I'll show you how we can paint loosely. Begin by painting loosely, ensuring your brush strokes are irregular and not precise. Observe how loose and random the brush strokes are. This method creates an organic appearance in the tree. Next, I'll demonstrate how to paint pine trees using the layering method. We'll start by painting the base shape with a mid tone green colour using random irregular brush strokes to create an organic appearance. Once the base layer is complete, allow it to dry completely, and then we can add the next layer. For the next layer, use a darker green color to add a sense of depth and dimension. Apply this layer while leaving parts of the previous layer visible to maintain dimension and texture. This technique creates a realistic and visually appealing pine tree. We will be using the same technique to paint the pine trees in our class project. 6. Skecthing: Let us begin by prepping the paper. I'm using a scotch tape to seal all the edges of my sketchbook or let's say watercolor paper. Apply the tape carefully along all sides to ensure the edges are tightly sealed. This prevents water from seeping in. Once the tape is in place, press it firmly with your fingers to secure it properly. Now that the paper is prepped and ready, let's move on to the sketching part. For the sketching, take a pencil and start by drawing the distant mountains. Outline two mountain shapes. And then we'll mark the boundary for the water area below them. On the left side, roughly sketch the shapes of some trees. So here I'm going to paint the pine trees. And add a few more trees on the right side as well. So I'm going to mark the ground area starting from the midground towards the foreground. This section will feature snow covered areas with some parts partially submerged in water. So adding a few rock shapes which will appear as snow covered rocks in the water. Then finally, I'll sketch a wooden log floating partially in the water, which is also covered in snow. That completes our sketching part. In the next chapter, we'll start painting the base layos. 7. Painting Sky: Let's begin the painting process by working wet on wet. I'll start by applying a layer of clean water to the sky to ensure the paper stays wet long enough for us to blend the colors smoothly. Be generous with the water. Just a single light stroke might dry too quickly. So apply generous amount of water, but make sure it's evenly spread. Next, I'm using ultramarine blue to paint the sky. Take this color in around mid tone or slightly diluted consistency. And I leave small white gaps here to represent soft and fluffy clouds. And as we move closer to the horizon, I'll add lighter and smaller brush strokes to create the illusion of distant clouds. This helps us establish perspective and depth in the painting. Remember, in any landscape artwork, clouds closer to the horizon naturally appear smaller and less defined than those overhead. It is simple but essential rule to keep in mind for creating a sense of distance. 8. Lake Reflection : Let us move on to painting the lake. I'll be using wet on wet technique here. This means we will wet the paper first, but only in the areas representing the water. Be careful to avoid applying water on the rocks and the land part. You will need to selectively wet the paper for this step. Since I'm working on a smaller sized sheet, I'll stick to my size aid brush. Make sure to run your brush over the same area multiple times so that the paper absorbs enough water to stay wet for longer. Now, let us take some indigo with a touch of ultramarine blue. I load my brush with this color and start applying it on the wet surface. Around the boundaries, we have dry area, so we will apply paint there as well, creating tiny dots or shapes. This will help us form patches of snow and water, resulting in an organic smooth transition. So around the edges of the lake, we will use darker and thicker paint. And as we approach the middle section, we will use a mid tone or a slightly diluted version of the color. Since the rocks are partially submerged in water and covered with snow, we will reflect that same detail in the water as well. So take your time and gently paint all the reflection areas, keeping it soft and natural. I'm selectively applying the wet on wet technique here because areas like the land or the snow covered rocks are kept dry. We're only painting the sections that we partially wet earlier. Using mid tone color for the middle part of the lake will bring out a soft serene look in the water. Next, around the horizon area, I will create a stream like effect to give the impression of a pathway leading towards the horizon and gradually fading away. I add darker colors around the edges of the lake to create a glowing sense of depth in the water. I lift some of the paint that has flowed into the snowse reflection part to preserve its whiteness and keep the reflection nice and clean. So for lifting the paints, you could use a clean damp brush or a tissue paper as well. Next, I'll go back and add another layer of indigo to suggest movement in the water. I'll do this by applying a few horizontal lines to create the effect of ripples, adding a sense of motion and life to the scene. Building depth and character in any painting often comes down to working in layers. Make sure to avoid painting over the white reflection areas to keep them intact and maintain their brightness. If the paint has flowed inside the white part, you can use a damp brush and lift it off. 9. Trees base layer: Moving on, we'll paint the distant mountain. So here I'll be using ultramarine blue. You could use any cold blue. I'm aiming to achieve slightly textured snow capped mountains. So to achieve that effect, I will use a dry brush technique, wipe off most of the paint from the brush and gently apply it onto the surface. This will create the texture that gives the appearance of snow. For the lower part of this mountain, I'll apply paint gently and blend it out. And also, make sure to leave a tiny gap between the mountain and the water stream. Next, let us work on painting the tree line. I'm going to paint some pine trees. So here I'm using green plus paints gray to get a darker shadow green color. So first, I'll start by blocking in the rough shapes to establish the basic structure. I'll use the pointed tip of my brush, and I'm marking these vertical lines to suggest the shapes of the tree. Paint them in different sizes. Some trees will paint taller and some shorter. Okay. Once the basic shape is painted, then we can add small details like foliage and leaves. So you'll notice a sharp edge at the lower part of the tree line. Now, we need to soften that. So I'll use a clean damp brush to blend it into the white area. I'll also drop in a bit of clean water in some areas to achieve a more natural organic effect. Next, on the right side, I'll add a few more trees paint the tree foliage in irregular manner. I have marked these triangular shapes, so I'll try to paint within that area. Let's paint a few more trees. Once all the trees are painted, we'll use a clean damp brush and soften the hard edges to blend it with the background. 10. Painting snow : All right. Let us start adding some color to the snow. For this, I'll use a very light watery version of blue. So I'll begin by carefully applying it around the trees and along the boundary lines as well. So you can see the color is very watery. It's hardly visible, but, you know, you have to take this step in order to build a sense of depth in the snow. This soft blue will create dimension and make the snow look more realistic. Don't worry if it's not perfect. We will add darker tones later and add more depth to it. Now I'll use light blue to outline the snowy rocks. While painting, make sure to leave some white spaces as well. These will represent the reflective highlight on the snow. This way, we can create a nice balance of highlights, mid tones and shadows. Next style take burn tamber to paint the rocks and the wooden log in the lake. So I'll also use it along the boundary line to add details to the smaller rocks we have on the boundaries. Finally, I'll take born tamber with a little bit of pains gray to create a darker brown color. This will help add more contrast. Take your time with these details. It's all about building the layers step by step. 11. Trees Second Layer: In this chapter, we are going to build layers in the trees. So let's start by taking darker green colour to add more foliage to our trees. Here, we are using a mix of sap green and pink gray in a darker tone. I'll be layering this over the existing tree shapes to make them look fuller and realistic. I'll blend the lower end of the tree using my fingertip, just tapping on the surface. We'll gradually paint the trees one by one. Next, we'll move on to painting the tree line on the left side. You could also introduce some new tree shapes as well into the tree line. If you are comfortable using a fine liner brush, you can use that as well. But keep in mind it will take more time as you are painting smaller brush works. So as I paint these trees, there's no fixed rule as such, just to use irregular brass strokes to create an organic and natural look. For the first few trees, I'll paint them individually. After that, I'll add some random lines and shapes in between to make the tree line look fuller. Now for the lower part of the tree line, I'll use dry brush technique to smoothly blend the lower part of the trees into the snow. I'll randomly introduce some new lines and foliage to make the tree line look fuller. Adding more details on the right side trees. Again, gliding the brush, creating a smoother blend in the snow part. Now I'm adding random lines in the middle of the tree line. And on the right side, I'll be adding some vertical lines to suggest bare tree trunks. And I'll repeat the process on the left side as well. Take your time. It's all about building layers and adding those small details that bring your trees to life. B. 12. Painting Ripples: In this chapter, we will be adding some depth to the rocks and water. So let's start with the rocks. I'm using paints gray and burn tumbo. I'll apply this colmix along the edges of the rocks. This gives a nice definition to the rocks. Make sure not to cover the entire rock, leave some of the previous layer visible. This will help maintain texture and add dimension. I will also add it along the snowy boundary to give the elements more character and make them stand out. Now, we will move on to the water and focus on creating ripples. So I'll use indigo in a darker tone. And let's begin by painting along the boundaries of the lake first. To create the ripple effect, we will paint continuous repeated horizontal lines. For the ripples in the distant water part, use smaller and finer lines, and as you paint closer to the foreground, switch to larger, broader lines. This difference in size will help build a sense of perspective and make the scene look more realistic. Now I'm painting the ripples in the foreground area. Hence, I'm painting the larger brush strokes. Remember to leave white reflective spaces we preserved earlier. Don't paint over them with darker color. We will be using diluted colors for that area. For the middle area of the lake, I'll use slightly maton colors to blend with the base layer. This will keep the overall look soft and natural. Again, take your time with these steps. It's all about building layers and enhancing the depth of your scene. 13. Snow layer: Now, let's add more depth to the white snow. We have already applied a light diluted blue tone earlier, and now we will take it a step further by using mid tone of the ultramarine blue. I'll apply this color over the areas we painted before, layering it to create a more dramatic effect in the snow. This adds a nice balance of shadows and highlights, making the snow look more realistic. Now, let us move to the mountain area and give it more dimensional appearance. So to create shadows, I'll use a darker color and apply it to the right side of the mountain in the background. This will give it a natural shadow like effect and add more depth to the scene. Apply paints behind the trees as well. Now, on the left side of the mountain, I'll add some tiny lines to suggest shadow textures. These lines can be applied randomly to mimic the uneven surface of the mountain. I'll also add similar details on the rocks and the wooden log in the foreground element. Next, I'll use indigo for creating texture defect, wipe off excess paints from the brush, and apply it on this distant mountain to create a texture defect. This will enhance the look of the mountain and make it more dynamic. I'll also add a darker tone on the other mountain. I will also add touches of this indigo to other areas as well, like tree line and snowy rocks. A A few strokes will go onto the snowy part as well. But remember, we are only adding hints of this color to maintain balance. This is a darkest stone we will use for the snow, and it will really enhance the white highlights, making them pop beautifully. 14. Final details: Finally, let's add some details to bring the scene to life. We'll start by painting some birds freely flying in the sky. Feel free to paint as many as you like to add a sense of movement. Next, I'll take white case paint and apply highlights over areas that need a little extra attention, especially the water part. This will help create a beautiful glow, giving the scene a soft wintry feel. And I suppose you have applied more blue colour on some areas, you can go back and add white touches. Since this is a winter landscape, I'm going to splatter some paints over the trees area to mimic snowflakes gently falling through the air. This adds a touch of realism and captures the essence of winter. Here I have used thicker paints using little amount of water. Lastly, let's go back to the middle part of the painting. I feel like something is missing there, so I'm going to add few more dark blue strokes in that area to balance everything out and complete the scene. Take your time with these final touches. That's what really bring the painting together. 15. Conclusion: Alright, we are done with the printing. Now let's gently peel off the masking tape and see the final result. Dada, how beautiful does it look. I'm really happy with how balanced everything turned out. I hope you had fun painting along with me. If you would like, feel free to share your work. I would absolutely love to see it. In this class, we covered so much from painting snow to creating ripples in the water and layering trees to bringing everything to life. These techniques will help you create your own beautiful winter landscape. And remember, if you have any questions or need some help with your paintings, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'm always here to help. Hi again. Thank you so much for joining and completing this painting with me. I hope you had a fun learning session today. If you have painted along, then please do share your artworks under the project's gallery. And if you like my class, please leave a review under the review section. And if you have any suggestions for me, then please leave a feedback. That would be really helpful for my upcoming classes. All right, then I'll see you in my next class until then, bye bye.