Winter Landscape Demonstration

A watercolor landscape painting of a winding river flanked by trees and hills under a cloudy sky.

Watch the video below as I illustrate a landscape featuring the gray and brown hues typical of a Missouri winter. While we often experience snow and ice, most of our days are dreary, overcast, filled with bare trees, dormant grass, and splattering of dead leaves.

I use gouache for the painting and then go in with colored pencils to add a little more texture and interest to the illustration.

A person painting a watercolor picture of a blue sky with clouds on a sketchpad, with a paintbrush in hand and additional brush nearby on a wooden table.
A person in a brown striped shirt appears to be painting a landscape scene on paper or canvas, depicting a bright blue sky with scattered clouds and surrounding brown terrain.
A painting of a landscape with a winding road, trees, a river, mountains in the background, and a blue sky.
A person watercolor painting a stream winding through a landscape with hills and sky.

Notice how the layers in the background are less detailed than those in the foreground. With each layer, I gradually add more and more detail to create a sense of depth.

Also note the use of linear, one-point perspective with the winding path. The vanishing point adds to the sense of distance and draws your eye toward the horizon.

I hope this demonstration inspires you to illustrate your own winter landscape, drawing from what you observe on your winter hike!