Misty Castle

Winter storm Janus gave me two snow days. I wasn't able to go to work because the roads were terribly slippery. So I enjoyed my warm home, my kids and my painting. From time to time I love to paint something unreal. A fantasy world without any references to real life. 

 I began by drawing it in my sketchbook then I used watercolors. I knew I'd like to see the road around the tall castle walls leading somewhere to the main gate. The mist from the moat was perfect for separating the foreground and the background. Yellow touches around the windows added liveliness. The feeling of someone's presence within the cold and harsh walls. The rest of my painting contains different tones of gray - the color of a foggy morning.

The wagon under the bare tree is the main point of interest. The viewer begins to wonder where this character is going and what his or her life looks like.

Yellow Hut

It has been raining for 3 days now in Maryland. All the snow unfortunately is gone but, not on my paintings. Here is a lose watercolor sketch of a wintry scene.

To paint this picture I used my 2 favorite colors: ultramarine blue and burned yellow. Mixed together they gave me all kinds of gray tones. In the middle of this image I placed the hut. It has a roof covered in snow and a cheerful smoke slowly rising from the chimney. The yellow color on the gray background is very powerful. It is hard not to notice the house partially hidden behind the spruce. I added yellow grass to balance the color of the house and to brighten the moody landscape. 

Winter Mountains

This is a watercolor version of my previous pencil sketch. I made a quick video from painting process. You can see it on  YouTube

It's snowing now on the East Coast and everything is turning white. Since everyone is safe at home, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.