Snow Fields (Winter in the Berkshires)

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · burnt umber

secondary · yellow ochre · raw sienna · ivory black

Mix blues and browns to create the dark tones for the hills and figures. Add yellow ochre to white for the sky. Use varying amounts of blue and umber to create the shadows in the snow.

techniques

• ·blocking in
• ·scumbling
• ·glazing
• ·simplified forms
• ·shadow mapping

common pitfalls

• →Overworking the details in the snow, losing the sense of simplicity.
• →Making the shadows too dark or too uniform, flattening the image.
• →Failing to simplify the figures, resulting in a cluttered composition.
• →Not capturing the subtle color variations in the snow.