Falling Snow

  This entry was originally posted on Wednesday June 27, 2012

It may be summer here but while we are on the subject of the use of toothbrushes. . .

Use white watercolor or gouache with a toothbrush to create falling snow or a snowstorm.

 

It is also fun to try some of the new iridescent colors for snow.

 

Snow Frost

Snow Frost

10x20"

   Recently I have been feeling like I have hit a reset button and am starting all over with my career and my life. It feels a little scary and frustrating at times but also liberating when I realize that I can now experiment all I want. One thing I have been experimenting with is size. I definitely want to go bigger, which is something I did discover a few years ago, but format and composition are something I continue to work with. It can be experimented with much easier on a smaller scale. Since my time in this area is limited, as is my space, I am sticking with the smaller studies. 

    Another thing I am experimenting with is technique and how to paint snow.  Since I lived for many years in an area that didn't get much snow as well as the fact that I use to hate snow, I don't have many photo references to work from. I now live in a cold and sometimes snowy area and need to come to terms with it and make friends with cold and snow. 

    For this painting I did a lot of experimentation to get the look of frost and snow. I didn't want to use masking fluid because it can leave behind hard lines. I wanted a softer look to the painting and had to be creative with what I used to keep that look.  I also worked in wet-in-wet almost the whole time, starting with wetting the whole paper and keeping it moist as I painted. I use salt quite often and continued to use it here.  A medicine dropper was used to add big water drops, a spray bottle to add little drops, and bleach. Yes, bleach. I had heard it can be used so I tried it. I was hoping it would create a big water drop look and also lighten some areas that got too dark for me. It didn't create quite the effect I had hoped it would but at least I gave it a shot.