art secret 12 - watercolor winter snow scene

watercolor winter snow scene

with no white paint used

First sketch out a scene on regular drawing paper, then, using tracing paper, trace it with black marker. Place your marker drawing on a light box or window and trace it onto your good watercolor paper. This allows you to not only use your drawing again but..(art secret!!!) it ensures that your watercolor paper doesn't get scarred from repeated erasing.

Ready to trace onto good watercolor paper.

Next make a color menu (art secret #9 and #10). I used new gamboge, rose dore, prussian blue, payne's gray, burnt umber, burnt sienna, viridian green(winsor green), sepia and a dash of alizarine crimson for my color menu. Do your underpainting (art secret#11 ) and sky area.

Underpainting and sky.

When your underpainting is dry, start layering up your color leaving the white paper as the snow.

layering in color

Try to get most of the tree trunks and branches done before you start adding your pine needles. Next I added some grasses and twigs sticking out of the snow as well as some other details.

Adding twigs and other details.

And now for art secret #12...

Using a sharp exacto knife gently scrape away paint to create snow and white in the water the same way. Pick off the paint to create snowy and icy areas on the trees and water. and Voila! Snow details finish off this peaceful, beautiful winter scene.