Snow Day!

One of the great things about living in Canada when you are a child is winter. Adults may dread it, often finding the cold and snow a hardship to deal with, but children look forward to it all year long. The great thing about a northern winter to a child is lots of snow! When the weather gets stormy, most school buses do not venture out and many schools close for the day entirely. This creates an unscheduled holiday that kids really appreciate.

I created this painting as an illustration for art licensing. I wanted it to be colourful and dramatic in order to convey the excitement of the children. I used my granddaughter Ashley as a model for both the boy and the girl. My work boots fit Frosty perfectly! I added the glow of the sun to warm up an otherwise cool setting. The painting is 9 inches by 12 inches, painted in alkyd on board.

Painting Progression-Seasons Greetings-Step 6

The sky in the background is finished off and the afternoon setting sun is highlighted a bit more.  It is positioned near the snowman's carrot nose and sparkling eyes, helping to attract the viewer's eye to the center of interest of the painting.  The snow-laden tree branch, which also points at Frosty's face, also thrusts into the picture, drawing the viewer's eye back in.  The Cardinal is finished in with more color and detail.  The bird is positioned to keep the viewer's eye going back and forth between these two characters.  The Christmas tree and ornaments are painted in and white highlights are added to create a reflective shine.  I add darks and highlights to Frosty's mittens and make small adjustments throughout the painting, where needed.  A light scattering of new snow falling adds greatly to the feeling of depth and a sense of animation.  The signature goes on and the painting is complete!

Painting Progression-Seasons Greetings-Step 5

With all of the basic color decisions made, I can now work up detail in every area of the picture.  It is a simple matter to decide where adjustments need to be made once the picture has a complete color map.  The snowman's face is the main focal point, so I try to accentuate his kind, lovable expression. I add soft blue to his coal black eyes to create a luminous shine. Next, I add a sparkle to them with a white highlight.  A strong, bright red on the scarf and ear muffs give him a dashing, festive look.  I use warm yellow highlights on the mittens and a healthy bright orange on his carrot nose.

In order to liven up the snowman's body, I add strong blue-purple in the shadow areas, and I build a texture over the highlighted surfaces with a dry brush effect of heavy pigment.  Frosty is rapidly coming to life as the paint steadily goes on! 

Painting Progression-Seasons Greetings-Step 4

Now I begin to paint over the initial blocked-in areas of color.  The sky is refined and painted more heavily, blending the tones together.  The background trees are worked up a bit more, adding some detail and texture.  The old fedora on Frosty's head is painted in and the sprig of holly is added, too.  His features, carrot nose and colorful scarf get more hue, texture and detail added to them, and the picture begins to take on more life and a feeling of depth.  More color and contours are added to the woollen mittens and an initial layer is added to the tree decorations.  Each step taken is another building block in the structure of the painting.  The work is evolving as a whole, rather than one part at a time.  In this way, I always know how all the elements in the picture relate to one another.  My goal is to avoid painting myself into a "corner" along the way.

Painting Progression-Seasons Greetings-Step 3

Now I paint in all of the basic areas using simple colors.  I am working with acrylic paint thinned with water.  For the background sky, I create a  wash of soft blue which I bleed into the yellow of the late afternoon winter sun.  Care must be taken to avoid creating a sickly green where the yellow and blue tones meet.  Each area I add helps to create a map of what the finished piece should look like.  With the basic colors laid in, it is easy to decide what adjustments to make and to which areas in order to create the look that I want.  If I painted one area completely before working on another, I would probably need to change it later, in relation to other areas in the picture.  It is best to work over the entire picture, building a solid foundation first.

Painting Progression-Seasons Greetings-Step 2

When I begin to paint, I prefer not to work directly on a white surface.   I use a toned surface to help me see the colors I am applying more accurately.  The surface color that I choose will also influence the finished result by unifying the final colors that will be applied later.  I usually also allow some spots where this  base color shows through in the finished piece.  Here I have chosen violet purple which will be the basic shadow color in the painting, especially on the main subject, our illustrious snowman.  Violet purple is a warm color, which will make a nice compliment to a winter scene.

I mix my pigment into a generous amount of mat medium.  This makes the mixture very transparent, allowing my pencil drawing to show through clearly.  The white of the art board also shows through, keeping the ground color from being too dark or heavy.  By using a mat medium rather than gloss, I avoid creating a shiny surface to work on.  The acrylic paint dries very quickly and I am ready to start painting!

Painting Progression-Seasons Greetings-Step 1

Here is something completely different for a change of pace.  No horses in this one!  At one time, most of my work was illustrations done for advertising, books, magazines, posters and point of purchase displays, etc.  These days I do some of my art for licensing.  Companies pay me to use my art on commercial products such as greeting cards and puzzles.  This is a piece of art which I have created specifically for this type of application.  It is painted on art board and the image size is 9 inches by 12 inches.  I have painted the finished picture it in acrylic, which is a fast medium to use on a project such as this.

The first step is to produce a series of rough sketches to perfect the idea, building a workable composition that will attract attention and be pleasing to the viewer.  A jolly snowman must convey a warm and friendly personality, and the cardinal needs to be carefully placed in a natural pose.

When I am satisfied with the results, I  trace my finished drawing onto illustration board, clean it up, and spray it with workable fixative.  It is now ready to begin painting!