How to Paint Snow -- Having fun Painting Snow

Painting Snow - How to paint snow scenes

One of the easiest subjects to paint must be snow, or so most people would think. Yes, and no. The truth lies somewhere in between, as snow paintings really are fascinating, and great fun to paint. If you really want to capture the beauty of a snow-filled landscape, that chilly feeling of crisp snow just fallen, and make it seem as realistic as possible, then you really have to study the colours that are present on the surface. Over the last two years I have attempted three or four such scenes and learnt something from each. Each snow scene brings new challenges and reveals new colours that are found in the light reflection on the snow. Snow scenes really are something you can be inspired to paint. All sorts of colour is found in the shadows and reflections of snow. In some cases you can throw a wash over the whole surface and in other occasions you can add in warm streaks of colour such as yellow or warm tones. There is a huge variety of possible colours that can be placed in snow paintings, so don't feel compelled to paint just blue tones like many of the examples I have here.

How to mix colours for a snow scene

By looking at many snow scene paintings, you can build up a reference of colour combinations and effects that work well in paintings of snow. In the above paintings, I used combinations as follows: thalo blue and white, raw umber and white with a hint of mauve, and prussian blue and white. These are just suggestions. It is best to gather together a collection of several different snow paintings that you can refer to, to help in future paintings. So far I have used very little variation in the colours of such scenes but I am going to have to find or take a few good reference photos for future work which have good sunlight falling on the snow, so as to be able to include the warmer tones in the painting. Including the warmer tones as well as the more common blue range adds interest to the snow scene and makes for a more interesting painting overall. I hope to be able to show what I mean regarding how to paint a snow scene in a future post after I have completed a more colourful one. For now, don't be afraid to experiment - making mistakes is all part of learning how to paint.

If you are enjoying this blog, please help to promote my art and the blog by sharing it with any friends you can. Also feel free to comment on my art as I welcome all feedback. Thanks Jim

La Costa Esmeralda - Children Beach Scene

The summer is over and for most of us, all thoughts of holidays are behind us. This was one of several paintings I have on the go, most of which are very close to being finished. This was an idea I adapted from a few photos of time I spent in Sardinia on holiday last year. The title is La Costa Esmeralda, the Emerald coast. This was the region where this photo was taken but in actuality this scene is from a small island in the Magdalena Archipelago of islands. This year I have not been away so have managed to complete a steady stream of paintings -- more than ever before in the so far nine months of this year. Also, many are large paintings and time-consuming. The above painting was one of these. It is 20" x 28" dimension and I did not rush it, but took the time to create what I feel is a quality work of art. I always think of the words of Robert Bateman, wildlife artist in that you should try to push yourself to create difficult work or work that stretches your ability, and that is what I am constantly trying to do. This and another large painting "High Spirits" are so far the major paintings, I have done this year. Also "Wonder" is another more than run of the mill work, from this year. Hopefully, the quality of these works will gain me wider recognition. That's it for this post, enjoy the painting and look below in the gallery for a larger view. More updates coming soon as I have nearly finshed a few other works. Jim

Pre-Raphaelites : John Everett Millais

"Autumn Leaves"
"Isabella"

"Ophelia"

The pre-Raphaelites were a group of like-minded artists who formed a secret art group in the middle of the 19th century dedicated to the painting of works from nature by real observation and looking towards the style of works before Raphael and the Renaissance styles became popular. They were initially secret until they held their first exhibition in 1849 and they were met with rejection initially but after several years their work became more popular. This post is to give a brief history of one of the most well known John Millais.

John Everett Millais was one of the original founders of the movement, (the others being Rosetti and Hunt). He was born in Southhampton on 8 june 1829 into an affluent middle-class family of French descent. He was a naturally talented artist and joined the Royal Academy art school at age 11 where he completed the course by age of 16, being the youngest to do so. He was technically brilliant although he was criticised for lacking imaginative ability.

Isabella, painted in 1849 was the first major work that he painted and Ophelia 1851-1852, was the peak of this earlier period of his work. It is regarded as one of the best of the pre-raphaelite works. He rapidly grew to be a better artist than his contemporaries and gained further recognition with Autumn Leaves painted in 1855 which is seen as one of the greatest of the pre-raphaelite paintings. He had started out as a "rebel" against the establishment but through the 1860's and onwards to 1896 when he died he became more establishment material and gained entry to the Academy at age 24 before rising to be elected it's president in the year of his death.

His paintings were always the subject of much comment and usually praise. He became a portrait artist later in his career. He is regarded as the best of the Pre-raphaelites.

That's it for a brief synopsis of this artist. Check back for more articles about art history and technique which I will be posting on a continuous basis. Also you can see more of my current work as I progress them. Jim