Winter week

The penultimate watercolour week this week and, as spring continues to play hide and seek, it’s time for a winter landscape.

This is the sample painting we see when we arrive. The one we are supposed to recreate.

Oh, yes, I remember this one, although in my memory it is quite pink.

First step involves pencilling in a horizon line, then somewhat randomly drawing where the snow will be on the tree, then the fenceposts. Then it’s time to mask the snow on the tree and the top of the posts.

Second step, wet the paper above the horizon line, paint the sky and then use the paper towel trick from our last lesson for the snow peaked mountains. 

Third step, after drying paper, add the nearer hills, then the forest. New trick for the forest: while still wet, add strokes or just drops of clear water to create misty/snowy effect.

I do kinda like the ghost tree effect.

Fourth step, shade the snow in the foreground and add shadows to the mountain peaks.

Fifth step, paint the tree and the fence.

And finally, remove mask, shade snow on tree and fenceposts, add some shadows from the tree and the fenceposts, as well as a bit of grass poking out of the snow. Et voila. 

And then it’s time to head home to dig out the original from a decade ago and compare.

Yes, indeed, the last time was pinker. Friends and family will recognise that one as a Christmas card they’ve received. Can I see any improvement over the original? No, not really. But hopefully it will seem like a different card if they receive the most recent this year.