Sparrows lined up on a snow-topped wirePale blue, brown, cream, white. Space the birds unevenly and cap the wire with a broken white line.
White hare sitting upright in a snowy field, ears alertWhite, cream, gray, pale blue. Paint the hare barely darker than the snow and outline only its ears.
Snowman holding out a twig arm where a wren has landedWhite, pale gray, brown, red. Paint the arm as a forked line and the bird as two dabs.
A-frame cabin half buried, chimney smoke rising straight upWhite, brown, blue gray, orange. Paint the roof as two white slabs and glaze one window orange.
Barn-red shed almost lost against a whiteout skyWhite, pale gray, red. Scumble thin white over the shed's edges until they soften.
Blue-shadowed drifts rolling like dunes and nothing elseWhite, cobalt, lilac. Blend each hollow from blue up to white while the paint is wet.
City park footbridge and frozen pond between two lamp postsGray, white, black, warm yellow. Paint the lamps as black lines with one yellow dot each.
Creek running black between banks rounded with snowBlack, navy, white, blue gray. Paint the water first, then overlap its edges with soft white humps.
Empty snowfield under a pale sky, a fence line trailing offWhite, pale blue, gray, umber. Shrink the posts as they recede and shade one side of each drift blue gray.
Frozen lake with a shoveled skating oval and an empty benchIce blue, white, gray, brown. Paint the cleared oval a shade darker than the snow around it.
Hillside village where every roof is a tilted white slabWhite, brick red, gray, navy. Paint the walls first and cap each with one stroke of white.
Hockey goal left on a pond, stick marks scribbled on the iceIce blue, white, red, gray. Paint the net as a red frame crosshatched in white and curve pale lines on the ice.
Low winter sun on a field, fence-post shadows long, violetPale yellow, white, violet. Pull every shadow the same direction, away from the sun.
Plowed road cutting between two shoulder-high white banksCharcoal, white, blue gray. Narrow the road to a point and rough the banks with a dry brush.
Roadside mailbox wearing a loaf of snow, lane curving behindWhite, gray, red, pale blue. Round the snow on top and add a blue shadow under its lip.
Slatted snow fence casting striped shadows over a driftWhite, tan, blue. Paint the slats, then repeat them as slanted blue lines on the snow.
Sled tracks curving downhill toward a distant red barnWhite, blue gray, barn red. Pull two thin parallel lines with a liner brush and narrow them with distance.
Stacked firewood under a thick white cap beside a shed doorTan, umber, white, gray. Dot the log ends as rings and drag white along the top of the stack.
Wooden jetty poking into lake ice, a rowboat frozen inGray, white, slate, teal. Paint the planks with a dry brush and ring the boat with a pale blue line.
Winter trees and birch 14
Bare oak with every twig rimmed white after freezing fogBlack, umber, white, gray blue. Paint the tree dark, dry it, and trace the top of each twig in white.
Birch bark close up, curling strips and dark eye marksWhite, cream, black, gray. Drag gray across with a dry brush, then add the black lens shapes.
Birch grove printed with a card edge, lavender snow beneathWhite, black, lavender, pale blue. Drag white down with a card edge, then nick the bark in black.
Dark sawtooth band of treetops between snow and skyWhite, navy, pale pink. Zigzag one band of navy across the middle with a flat brush on its corner.
Fir saplings as small green cones in deep snowWhite, sap green, blue gray. Print each sapling with three stacked dabs and ring its base with shadow.
Forest edge in falling snow, the far trunks fading to grayGray, white, charcoal. Paint three rows of trunks, each row paler, then dot snow over all.
Frosted willow strands hanging beside a frozen pondPale gold, white, ice blue. Pull long drooping lines and touch white along each with a dry brush.
Lone hilltop evergreen throwing a long blue shadowWhite, dark green, cobalt. Slant the shadow downhill and blend its far end into the snow.
Pine boughs sagging under fresh snow, cropped in closeDark green, white, blue gray. Tap white along the upper side of each bough and leave the underside dark.
Row of round bare treetops along a white ridge lineWhite, gray, umber. Paint each tree as a stick with a fan of dry-brush twigs.
Snow sliding off a spruce bough in a white puffDark green, white, gray. Dab the puff with a sponge and trail a few dots below it.
Trunk shadows striping a snowy forest road at middayWhite, blue, brown. Lay the shadows as level blue bars that bend over each rut.
Twigs heavy with red berries poking out of a snowbankWhite, red, umber, pale blue. Dot the berries with a cotton swab in bunches of three.
Winter orchard, black branches in ranks across the snowWhite, black, blue gray. Shrink the rows with distance and stripe the snow with their shadows.
Animals and birds in snow 14
Bright blue bird at a feeder heaped with snowCobalt, white, black, brown. Paint the bird as two blue shapes and the snow as a white heap on the roof.
Dog bounding through powder, snow thrown up behindWhite, blue gray, the dog's color. Dab the thrown snow with a sponge in a low arc.
Flock of geese in a V high over a white fieldPale gray, white, charcoal. Paint each goose as a small tick and tilt the V off center.
Horse in a paddock with snow settled along its backChestnut, white, gray, umber. Lay a thin white line from mane to tail and soften its lower edge.
Line of paw prints crossing a drift to a hole in a hedgeWhite, blue gray, umber. Print the tracks with a cotton swab, smaller as they go.
Male cardinal, the only red thing in a gray snowfallGray, white, red, black. Paint everything in grays, then the bird last in one pure red.
Moose wading through a frozen marsh at first lightPeach, gray, dark brown. Keep the moose a flat dark shape against the pale dawn.
Pair of crows on a snow-laden branch, black on whiteWhite, pale gray, black. Paint the branch and its snow first and add the crows as flat black shapes.
Polar bear cub peeking over a ridge of pressure iceWhite, cream, pale blue, black. Paint only the head and two paws above the ridge, warmer than the ice.
Small round bird fluffed into a ball on a frosted twigGray, black, cream, white. Paint the bird as one round shape and give it a dark cap.
Sparrows lined up on a snow-topped wirePale blue, brown, cream, white. Space the birds unevenly and cap the wire with a broken white line.
Three penguins in a row on an ice floe, one looking backWhite, black, orange, pale blue. Paint each bird as a black bean with a white front.
Two deer at the tree line with their breath showingWhite, tan, umber, gray. Scumble a small puff of thin white in front of each muzzle.
White hare sitting upright in a snowy field, ears alertWhite, cream, gray, pale blue. Paint the hare barely darker than the snow and outline only its ears.
Night: aurora, moon, lit windows 12
Crescent moon tangled in bare branches over a white fieldNavy, cream, black, white. Paint the moon, dry it, then cross it with liner-brush twigs.
Dome tent glowing orange on a snowfield under starsNavy, orange, yellow, white. Blend the tent from yellow at its base to orange and dot stars with a swab.
Farmhouse windows laying orange squares on the driftsIndigo, orange, yellow, blue gray. Repeat each window as a paler, stretched patch on the snow.
Floodlit ski run seen as a bright stripe from the valleyNavy, white, pale yellow. Paint the mountain dark and leave one zigzag of light down its face.
Full moon on blue snow, one trail of boot prints to a porchNavy, pale blue, cream, orange. Keep the snow blue, not white, and light a single porch lamp.
Green aurora ribbon rippling above a black treetop edgeBlack, emerald, lime, white. Blend the greens upward while wet and pull thin streaks up from the ribbon.
Hill view of a town: warm windows under cold blue roofsNavy, blue gray, orange. Paint every roof in snow blue and dot the windows last.
Lamp post on an empty corner, snow lit only inside its glowBlack, navy, warm yellow, white. Glaze the cone thinly and dot the snow only inside it.
Northern lights doubled in a patch of open lake waterBlack, green, violet, navy. Paint the sky bands, then repeat them shorter and blurred below the shore.
Outdoor ice rink at night ringed by strings of bulbsNavy, ice blue, yellow, white. Paint the rink as a pale oval and dot the bulbs in sagging lines.
Owl gliding low across a moonlit fieldIndigo, pale blue, white, gray. Paint the owl as a pale M shape and its shadow as a soft smudge below.
Snowplow headlights pushing down a dark country laneBlack, navy, yellow, white. Blend two pale wedges forward from the lamps and fleck snow in them.
Snowmen, mittens and skates 12
Pair of red mittens on a string against falling snowGray blue, red, white. Paint two thumbed ovals, join them with a line, and dot the snow.
Snowman alone on a hill, its shadow three times its heightPink, orange, white, cobalt. Blend the sunset sky, dry it, and slant the long blue shadow downhill.
Snowman face filling the frame, coal grin, carrot nose askewWhite, pale blue, orange, black. Blend blue around the rim so the face looks round.
Snowman family lined up by height, smallest in a bucket hatWhite, sky blue, red, orange. Overlap the bodies slightly and give each a different scarf.
Snowman holding out a twig arm where a wren has landedWhite, pale gray, brown, red. Paint the arm as a forked line and the bird as two dabs.
Snowman on skis halfway down a hill, twig arms out wideWhite, blue gray, red, yellow. Paint two thin ski lines under the bottom ball and a puff of white behind.
Snowman seen from behind, gazing up at a sky of starsNavy, white, pale blue, orange. Shade the snowman blue on one side and dot stars with a swab.
Snowman shrunk to a puddle, grin and carrot still afloatWhite, gray blue, black, orange. Paint the puddle as a soft-edged oval and float the coal grin on it.
Snowman tipping its hat with one twig arm, scarf flyingWhite, mint, black, orange. Lift the hat clear of the head and streak the scarf out sideways.
Three-ball snowman stamped with jar lids of three sizesTeal, white, orange, black. Dip each lid rim in white, press, and fill the circles in.
White figure skates hung by their laces from a nailWood brown, white, gray, silver. Shade the boots in pale gray and loop the laces over the nail.
Wooden sled leaning on a snowbank, wool hat on its handleBrown, red, white, blue gray. Paint the runners as two curved lines and the slats between.
Watercolor winter 12
Bare tree in sepia with white left along every branchSepia, pale blue. Paint just the underside of each branch and let the paper be the snow on top.
Birch trunks saved by strips of tape under a gray washGray, burnt umber. Tape the trunks, wash over everything, peel, then tick in the bark.
Blue shadow strokes alone standing in for snowdriftsCobalt, a touch of violet. Paint only the shadows; four curved strokes are enough.
Cabin in pen and wash, its smoke lifted out with a tissueSepia, blue gray, black pen. Blot the smoke out of the damp sky, then ink the cabin when dry.
Fox curled asleep, its orange dropped into damp paperBurnt orange, sepia, pale blue. Wet the curled shape and touch in orange; add the shadow last.
Icicles along an eave, saved as slivers of dry white paperCerulean, gray. Paint the shadowed wall behind and leave each icicle as an unpainted sliver.
Red scarf caught on a wire fence, the only color on whiteRed, sepia, pale gray. Paint the fence and its shadow in gray and the scarf in one wet red stroke.
Rows of soft blue hills, each paler than the one in frontUltramarine, water. Add water to the mix for every ridge farther back.
Snow-laden garden bench in two washes, shadow in violetCerulean, violet, sepia. Leave the snow on the seat as bare paper and wash a violet shadow beneath it.
Snowfield left as bare paper beneath one blue-gray sky washPayne's gray, cobalt. Wash only the sky and a few shadow strokes; the paper is the snow.
Wet-on-wet pines blurring into a snow-heavy skyIndigo, sap green, gray. Touch the tree shapes into damp paper so their edges feather.
Winter sunset bleeding orange into violet over white hillsOrange, rose, violet. Wet the sky, drop in the three colors, and leave the hills dry.
Snowflakes 12
Flake of forked palette-knife lines in thick white paintSlate blue, white. Press the knife edge down for each arm and each fork.
Flakes stamped with a cardboard tube snipped into pointsNavy, white. Snip the tube end into six flaps, fold them out, dip, and stamp.
Frosted window pane of flakes with a lit room beyondNavy, white, warm yellow. Blur a yellow glow first, dry it, then draw the flakes in white.
Giant snowflake so close its arms run off all four edgesIce blue, white, navy. Center the hub and let every arm leave the canvas.
Lace snowflake dabbed through a paper doily stencilNavy, white. Hold the doily flat and dab white through its holes with a nearly dry sponge.
Lone six-armed snowflake centered on a streaky cobalt washCobalt, white. Rule three crossing pencil lines, then branch each arm the same way in white paint pen.
Silver-paint flakes scattered large to tiny on navyNavy, silver. Paint three big flakes, then fill the gaps with small crosses and dots.
Single flake landed on a dark wool mitten, painted hugeCharcoal, red, white. Stipple the wool with a stiff brush and paint the flake crisp on top.
Snowflake built from swab dots along six pencil spokesTeal, white. Dot from the center outward, shrinking the dots toward each tip.
Snowflakes saved with masking fluid under indigo watercolorIndigo, masking fluid. Draw the flakes in fluid, wash over them when dry, and rub the fluid away.
Tape flake: three strips crossed, painted over and peeledAny dark blue, white. Cross three strips of tape through one point, paint, and peel.
Three flakes, three different six-sided designs, on grayGray, white, pale blue. Give one plain arms, one feathered arms, and one a small star center.
How it works
In daylight a shadow on snow has a bluish tinge, because it is lit by the sky and not the sun. So the drifts on this list are shaded blue. None is a Christmas subject.
Read the full guide
Snowman canvas painting ideas
Nine of the twelve under Snowmen, mittens and skates are snowmen. Shade one side of each ball blue gray and it turns round. Snowman seen from behind, gazing up at a sky of stars needs no face, and Three-ball snowman stamped with jar lids of three sizes needs no drawing.
Snowflake painting ideas: why six arms
A snow crystal often grows with six-fold symmetry, so three lines crossed at one point give a flake its six arms. Tape flake: three strips crossed, painted over and peeled makes the arms with tape. In watercolor, masking fluid saves the white while a wash goes over it.
The easy ones sit under More filters, Level: simple shapes.
Seen from far off, an aurora is a greenish glow. Blend emerald into lime while both are wet.
Questions and answers
What are easy winter painting ideas for a first canvas?
Blue-shadowed drifts rolling like dunes and nothing else is wet blending from blue up to white. Dark sawtooth band of treetops between snow and sky is one zigzag stroke across the middle. Neither needs any drawing.
Are there winter watercolor painting ideas?
12, under Watercolor winter. In watercolor the snow is bare paper. Snowfield left as bare paper beneath one blue-gray sky wash paints only the sky and a few shadow strokes.
What colors do I need for a winter acrylic painting?
White, a cobalt or blue gray for the shadows, and one dark such as navy or umber. Add orange for lit windows and red for a barn, a cardinal or a pair of mittens.
How do you paint falling snow?
Let the scene dry, then dot white over it with a cotton swab. In Lamp post on an empty corner, snow lit only inside its glow the dots go only inside the lamp glow, which is what makes the lamp look lit.