Donna shows you how to create the mood and warmth of this winter scene.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• paper towels
• sandpaper
• #3 round brush
• 1" flat brush
• 1/4" flat brush
• #6 filbert brush
• #1 liner brush
• 3/4" oval brush
• canvas
• Sta-Wet Palette
• #4 filbert brush
• #12 filbert brush
• empty spray bottle
• waxed palette
• 5/8" blender mop brush
• 1" mop brush
• hairdryer
• graphite paper

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

When the instructions call for the Naples Yellow mix, it should consist of Opaque White and a touch each of Yellow Oxide and Hansa Yellow.

Squeeze paints out onto a wet paper towel or wet palette container with a moistened paper towel to keep paint moist as you paint. Occasionally mist paints with water to keep them moist and keep brushes slightly moist with Extender & Blending Medium as you work.

Keep brush-strokes loose and soft and pay attention to the direction of strokes as you apply the paint.

Avoid over-blending.

1. Apply three thin coats of White Gesso to the canvas surface with a large, damp brush. Let the Gesso dry between layers and lightly sand to keep smooth. Apply one coat of Multi-Surface Sealer and let dry.
2. Transfer the main pattern lines onto the dry canvas surface using graphite or other transfer paper.
3. Dampen the canvas with a light coat of Extender & Blending Medium and blot with a paper towel.
4. Start at the top of the canvas with a mix of Ultramarine Blue and Phthalo Blue. Paint the sky in using a #12 filbert brush in a small loose slip-slap motion and working back and forth across horizontally.

5. Pick up Cerulean Blue and Opaque White in the dirty brush and work down in the same manner to merge the values. (Make sure you are applying enough paint to cover the canvas.)
6. Pinch wipe the brush and add more Opaque White as needed in the lighter areas. Soften the edges of the clouds into the sky by tapping them with the blender mop brush.
7. Add a touch of Dioxazine Purple to the brush and paint onto the left face of the mountain using a taping motion. Wipe the brush and touch a very light amount into the sky.
8. Wipe the brush; add Opaque White and Red Violet and palette-blend. Add this in the center mountain area. Add more Opaque White to the brush as you work toward the right face of the mountain.

9. Add the Naples Yellow mix (see note above), Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, and Warm White to the dirty brush and work into the lower right side of the mountain. (Add Opaque White to the brush mix to lighten further as needed; work a little into some of the lower clouds on the right side.)
10. Brush-mix Sap Green and Raw Umber together in a small filbert brush. Working left to right, tap the color on as you pull down to create short, chopping strokes across the mountain on the left covered in pine trees.
11. Add Ultramarine Blue onto the middle and foreground areas that are covered in snow. Add some of the Ultramarine Blue onto the mountain.
12. Paint the road area Opaque White and soften. Add some Opaque White and a touch of Light Violet into the Ultramarine Blue snow areas as you move lower on the canvas. On the lower right portion, add a touch of Dioxazine Purple in with the Ultramarine Blue and Opaque White. Streak in some Phthalo Blue where the cast shadows fall. (Keep them darkest next to the fence posts.)
13. Dampen the sky area and lower portion of the canvas with Extender & Blending Medium again if dry.
14. With a #6 filbert brush, add more Phthalo Blue and Ultramarine Blue to the top of the sky where it should be darker. Work a little Aquamarine into the sky to make it brighter in a few places.
15. With Opaque White and a touch of Sap Green, tap in the green pine tree that sits to the right side of the canvas. Keep it choppy and add a little more Opaque White to give a vague indication of pine boughs. (This should be kept very soft and indistinct so it does not draw too much attention.) Save mix for next step.
16. Soften the mountain covered with pine trees with the mix from the previous step. And soften the edge between the base of the mountain and the snowy fields by working a 1:1 mix of Ultramarine Blue and Phthalo Blue up and Sap Green down.
17. With a small round brush, line in the fence posts and rails with Sap Green and Raw Umber.
18. Let dry thoroughly.
19. With the #3 round brush loaded in Raw Umber, stroke on the tree and switch to a liner brush for the finer branches. Work a little Raw Umber along the left side of the snowy road keeping the strokes horizontal.

20. Brush Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide onto the tree to lighten it along the left side and then, with a liner brush, stroke on the white snow with Opaque White. Tap with a #4 filbert brush to soften and add more snow as needed.
21. Add Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide and Opaque White to the fence posts and rails in the same manner.
22. Keeping the strokes horizontal, thin Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide and Warm White to brighten the areas where the late sun is reflecting off the snow. Tap with a mop brush to soften and blend. Add a little more Warm White with a touch of Hansa Yellow.
23. Thin Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide and Warm White mixed with a touch of Extender & Blending Medium. Use mix to add a little more to the sky and onto the mountain. Soften the edge between the sky and the mountain by taping with the blender mop brush.
24. Thin Light Violet and add more to the mountain directly behind the main tree.
25. Apply Opaque White a little heavier in a few places on the tree; break up some of the branches with it; and add to the fence and around the base of the tree.

26. Re-inforce the shadows cast by the fence and tree trunk, brush in the tire tracks, and soften slightly with the blender mop brush.
27. Let dry. Finish with two coats of Satin Varnish following the instructions on the container.

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