Painters Online

WINTER LANDSCAPES SKETCHING & PAINTINGGUIDE APRIL 2020 www.painters-online.co.uk 8 F ew subjects inspire me in quite the same way as a crisp winter landscape. My aim is to capture the atmosphere of the scene, rather than a detailed representation. I show here how I developed a painting, working confidently and spontaneously, using bold, positive brushstrokes. I always work over the entire canvas rather than isolated areas, using thin layers and keeping detail to a minimum. I’m looking for impressionism, rather than a photographic rendition. Paint an atmospheric snow scene by Alan Bickley , PaintersOnline gallery member The finished painting Sandon towards the Blackhills, oil on board, 16 x 20in. (40.5 x 51cm) 3 Further strengthening and detail were added to the larger trees, and I indicated a few branches. More cloud structure went in, and I added small touches of detail to the trees and foreground area. Finally, I chose to include a watery winter sun for interest. 1 I prepared my board with a mix of burnt sienna and white. After drawing out the main areas, I blocked in the distant woodland using muted blues, and loosely scrubbed in the foreground trees, followed by indicating the distant snow using a mix of white and yellow ochre. 2 Next, I blocked in the sky, making sure the horizon had no hard edges. Further layers of muted blues and warm earth reds were added to the distant trees and smaller trees in the middle distance, followed by blocking in the snow to the whole painting. Materials Oils: titanium white; yellow ochre; raw umber; burnt sienna; Indian red; ultramarine blue; and cerulean blue Brushes: Rosemary & Co. Ebony black hog Rounds Nos. 6, 8 and 10