Ray Campbell Smith's Way with Watercolour

Snow scenes

In general the white of watercolour paper serves well for covering snow - except where it is in shadow, when the snow takes its reflected colour from the sky. This colour relationship links the sky to the scene on the ground, helping to make the painting unified and therefore hold it together.

In wintry landscapes the sky tones are deeper than those of the snowy foreground.

When the countryside is covered with an unbroken blanket of snow the foreground can lack incident and interest but you can remedy this in all sorts of ways. A few twigs sticking up out of the snow or ruts appearing in the snowy ploughland, are just two examples. Do not, however be tempted to overwork these foreground details, as they can reduce he impact of the snow.

Shadows cast by trees just outside the frame of the painting can also add interest to an empty foreground, and their form can help describe the smooth undulating contours of the fallen snow. Tonal contrast decreases with distance, and therefore the tones required for the distant trees, ruts and so on are diluted to weaker versions of those in the foreground.

A warm coloured winter sky