In this How to Paint a Snowy Winter Landscape in Watercolor, we will give you all the important steps to help you learn how to paint in watercolor. Hope this helps you on your journey into the magical and beautiful world of watercolor. Let’s start!
Table of Contents
Before You Start Painting in Watercolors
Materials Needed
Paper: Saunder Waterford cold-pressed 300gsm watercolor paper
Pigments: Below is a list of the pigments I used:
Sepia, Compose Violet, Greenish Yellow, Olive Green, Lavender, and Naples yellow.
Brushes: rigger brush, Large Flat Brush, Calligraphy Brush
Other: Graphite pencil, Pallette, Water bucket, Drawing boat.
Photo Reference
I was wandering around on Pinterest and came across this photo; however, its composition is a bit ugly and I made a little change.
- The house is the focal point of the picture, which the human eye is drawn to.
- I added an s-shaped path diagonally across the picture, the end of which is the house. (The path that leads the viewer to the focus point)
- In Foreground, I moved the old wooden gate to the right to balance the layout between the house and the gate.
How to Paint a Snowy Winter Landscape in Watercolor
1. Drawing an initial sketch
As usual, before working with watercolor paints I create a pencil sketch. Then stretch the paper on the board.
2. Painting the Sky of Watercolor Painting Snowy Winter Landscape
First, I approach the sky area by using the graduated wash technique. The method is very simple, apply Naples Yellow first. While the paper is still damp, using a mixture of Compose violet and a touch of Lavender to changes the grade in the value and intensity of the color.
Next, I used a slight layer of lavender to suggest the snow on the roof and ground.
3. Start Painting the Forest and House
I use low saturation colors and dark values to paint the forest on the horizon. I achieved this by blending Naples yellow, lavender, Sepia, and a touch of Greenish Yellow. Notice, Carefully keep the white paper area where I suggest there is a tree on the left side
The house is the main focal point, so I made it stand out with the Permanent Yellow and Orange color because this color has high saturation.
The contrast between the forest (low saturation colors + dark values) and the house (high saturation + high values) will make the painting look more attractive.
4. Adding the Shadow of House
Waiting for the paper to dry a bit, I paint the shadow of the house by using a darker version of the Naples yellow Permanent Yellow and Orange + Compose Violet.
5. Suggest Some Details
At this stage, I start to suggest some of the overall details of the painting. Use the thick layer of Compose Violet for the bottom of the house, Seria for the 2 trunks on the right, and a deep version of lavender to suggest some details of snow.
6. Develop the details of watercolor painting landscape
At this stage I started working on some details in the foreground. Use the color that was applied to the house in the previous step to paint the old fence.
7. Adding the foliage for the trees of your Watercolor Painting Snowy Winter Landscape
Using the Wet-on-dry technique to add the foliage for the tree on the right side. By mixing the lavender, Greenish Yellow, and a touch of Sepia, I create a thick mixture.
Same as the previous step. Use an opaque mixture of Naples yellow and Olive Green to suggest the next tree’s foliage. As you can see, the yellow color of the foliage in contrast with the red color of the house makes them stand out more.
8. The painting is done - How to Paint a Snowy Winter Landscape in Watercolor
The painting is done, so we have a watercolor painting of the winter snow scene with the house as the main focus.
Hope this guide is helpful to you. If you have a question about watercolor landscape painting.
Your comments will help me have more joy and motivation to continue my creative work. To understand more, check out my video of the landscape watercolor painting process on youtube.
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