Capturing the Magic of Snow: Tips for Painting Winter Landscapes

There’s something absolutely magical about painting snow scenes. The way winter light dances across a snowy landscape, the subtle shifts in colour, the quiet beauty of it all. Over the festive period, I’ve been playing with some snowy scenes, and I wanted to share what I’ve learned with you.

The biggest mistake I see painters make with snow? Thinking it’s just white. Snow is never just white. It’s a symphony of colours, and once you start seeing them, your winter paintings will absolutely come alive.

Snow Study

Look at all that colour happening in this snowy scene! This is what I mean about snow never being just white.

In the foreground snow, you can see I’ve used beautiful cool blues in the shadowed areas. These cooler tones immediately tell the viewer “this is in shadow” without me having to work too hard. But look closer and you’ll spot touches of pink bouncing through too, those lovely reflected colours from the sky above.

Where the light hits the snow, I’ve brought in warm peachy yellows and soft creams. This is the secret to making snow feel like it’s glowing. White paint straight from the tube feels flat and lifeless, but add a touch of warmth to it and suddenly you’ve got sunlight dancing across the surface.

Top tip: Squint at your reference photo or at real snow. When you squint, all those subtle colour shifts become more obvious. You’ll start seeing the blues, the violets, the warm peachy tones that bring snow to life.

Winter Trees

This one was fun to paint. I pushed the colour even further here, really leaning into those gorgeous violet and purple tones.

The thing about painting snow at different times of day is that it completely changes the colour palette. During sunset or in evening light, snow takes on the colours of the sky. Here, I’ve used rich purples and violets throughout the shadows, with touches of pink and magenta where the light catches.

Notice how the snow in the foreground has horizontal brushstrokes? This is important. Snow follows the contours of the land beneath it, and using directional brushstrokes helps show that. The horizontal marks also create a sense of calm and stillness, which is exactly what a snowy evening feels like.

Top tip: Don’t be afraid to push colour in snow scenes. If you’re seeing a hint of violet, make it more violet. If there’s a touch of pink, make it pinker. Your painting will have so much more life and energy than if you play it safe.

Sunset over Snow

This scene is all about warmth. Even though it’s a snowy landscape, the late afternoon sun has bathed everything in this gorgeous golden glow.

The snow here is picking up all those warm tones from the sky – yellows, oranges, even touches of warm pinky reds. But I haven’t lost the cool tones completely. If you look carefully, you’ll see cooler blues and greys in the deeper shadows and tracks in the snow. It’s this balance between warm and cool that makes the painting work.

The brushwork is loose and expressive. I’m not trying to paint every detail of every snow drift. Instead, I’m capturing the feeling of the scene, the way that golden light transforms everything it touches.

A Letter to Santa

There’s something so quintessentially British about a red postbox in the snow (even though it doesnt actually snow here much!) and I loved capturing that warm glow from the lamplight.

The snow here has colour variety. In the lamplight’s glow, you can see warm yellow tones. As you move away from the light source, the snow shifts to cooler blues and violets. This is exactly how light behaves in real life, and capturing it makes your paintings feel authentic.

Look at the way the snow is falling in the scene. Rather than trying to paint individual snowflakes, I’ve used loose, expressive marks that suggest the movement and atmosphere of falling snow. Sometimes less really is more.

Top tip: When painting snow with artificial light (like street lamps), the snow directly in the light will take on warm tones, while the areas outside the light’s reach will be cooler. This warm/cool contrast creates beautiful depth and atmosphere.

Let’s Build a Snowman

I loved creating this one for all my lovely community. There’s something so fun about capturing a moment like this, a child building a snowman while the warmth of home glows through the windows behind them.

This painting is a perfect example of how colour temperature can create mood and tell a story. Look at the contrast between the warm orange glow spilling from those windows and the cool blues and violets of the evening snow. That warmth says “home, comfort, safety” while the cool snow creates that magical feeling of a winter’s evening.

The snow on the ground has colour and energy. I’ve used rich blues and violets in the shadows, but notice how I’ve brought in touches of orange and yellow tones where the light from the house reaches the snow. This is called colour bounce, and it’s one of my favourite things to paint. Light doesn’t just illuminate, it brings colour with it.

The snowman himself is painted quite loosely. I haven’t fussed over making him perfect because that’s not what this painting is about. It’s about the feeling, the magic of the moment, the joy of playing in the snow while tea’s waiting inside.

Top tip: When you have strong artificial light in a scene (like these glowing windows), let that warm light influence everything around it. The snow closest to the light source should have hints of that warmth, gradually cooling as it moves away. This creates depth and makes your light sources feel genuinely luminous.

Final Thoughts on Painting Snow

The key to painting convincing snow really comes down to three things:

1. See the colour – Snow is never just white. Look for the blues, violets, pinks, and warm peachy tones.
2. Consider your light source – Is it morning light, evening light, artificial light? Each will give your snow different colours.
3. Use directional brushstrokes – Let your marks follow the contours of the land and create the feeling of the scene.

Most importantly, don’t overthink it. Some of the most beautiful passages in these paintings happened when I trusted my instincts and stopped fussing.

I hope these tips inspire you to have a go at painting some winter scenes yourself. There’s still plenty of winter left to capture, and honestly, there’s something really special about painting snow while it’s actually cold outside.

Happy painting, and I hope you’re having a wonderful festive season.

Michelle ✨