The colours of snow
Posted: January 2, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized 20 Comments »I haven’t done much car painting this winter and I am still not quite sure why I picked one of the coldest days of the winter to go out there but I felt the need to get out after doing lots of studio work plus the day was so bright and clear. I painted this once on location but I had some trouble with the paint (probably because of the frigid temperature in my car!) so tried it again when I got home. This is a new mix for the snow colour. Usually I grab some cobalt blue and then add a bit of alizarin or rose madder to it but today I tried a combo I had read about in a Zoltan Szabo book: manganese blue and cobalt violet.
starting the year off well, keep painting and posting! 2013 is going to be a great year for painting, I can feel it! Happy New Year!
I think it will be a good year too Angie! Thanks so much.
I was skiing today not sketching, but I’d say you nailed the shadow colours.
You are a brave man in this weather John. I think the ice is going to be ready for your new skates too after this cold spell.
Thanks for the posts and a Happy New Year to you and all !
Thanks Susan. Happy New Year!!
I love the scene from ville st Pierre as I lived there as a child. An it brought many nice memories.you find ispirations in almost everything. Bravo to you
It is a great area to paint in and I will probably go back after the snow has cleared somewhat. Thanks so much for writing Joan.
Oh, Shari, it is lovely, but…… I do NOT miss snow. Beautiful as you make it, no, I do not miss it.
I can understand Lee. If you thought it was cold when you visited in October, you should see what it is like this week. Unbearable! Enjoy the Florida heat.
This scene looks like Pointe Claire, where I grew up, many decades ago. But I can never forget those snow shadows and that sunlight. It is infused into my sense of the what the world looks like when all is right with it.
Thanks Mary. I actually did this one in Ste. Anne de Bellevue but it looks a lot like many streets in Pointe Claire where I sketch.
I like the combo, Shari. You are a dedicated soul to be painting in a cold car! Can’t you be inside and look out your kitchen window??
I have painted looking out my kitchen window so many times but now there is just lots of white out there. Not very inspiring Mike. Happy New Year to you!!
I did a quick street sketch here in Washington, DC – kinda cold for the fingers, but probably no where near as cold as where you are. It does, though, remind me of how weather can affect watercolor sketching. I used to sketch with watercolors and watercolor pencils in the Negev and Judean Deserts. I would have to work really fast because the air was so dry that the water and colors would dry really fast.
I have never painted watercolour in very dry conditions like you describe Jason. I have been to warm locations but they are usually humid at the same time. Something to add to my list of challenges!!
So, what are your thoughts on the shadow mix? I thought the old mix was more vibrant and stunning… the new one seems more subtle… and maybe more realistic? But I’m no authority when it comes to shadows in snow.
It was interesting to try this combo of colours but I don’t like the way they granulate and separate, leaving pinkish areas which may not be apparent in the scan. But it is good to try new recipes sometimes.
brrrrr… I can feel the cold!
Miguel, you have to come to Montreal to sketch some of those wonderful bikes. Except at this time of year all the bikes in Montreal are half-buried in snow.