Karlyn’s Kits © 2014 Karlyn Holman • NO lesson materials may be reproduced without permission • NO images may be entered in shows • Finished painting may be sold and reproduced.

Using a HB pencil, draw your composition on Arches® 140# cold press paper. Mask the snow on the branches of a few trees and allow the masking to dry. Wet both sides of the paper, making sure to really saturate the front of the paper. Select your triad of colors using non-staining colors, such as quinacridone gold, quinacridone burnt orange and indigo blue.

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Starting in the center of your painting, apply quinacridone gold in a circular pattern. Next, apply quinacridone burnt orange, followed by indigo blue. Using your fine mister, start spraying in the center yellow area and spray toward the edges of your paper. Continue spraying from the center to the edge until you have circled the paper. Watch the colors blend and become a glowing focus of light.

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On dry paper, mix a dark green by combining quinacridone burnt orange and Antwerp blue. Apply this color under the snow-covered branches. Painting only one side of your composition at a time, throw the pure colors of aureolin yellow closer to the center of your painting and throw quinacridone gold closer to the edges to create the foliage on the trees.

Focus of Light on Winter Trees • KK#079

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Now throw Antwerp blue into the yellows to form greens. Using a wet brush, soften the colors on the edge of the paper to form a contrast to the crisp edges in the middle, thereby creating a “vignette” look. Salt these soft edges. Repeat this same process on the other side of your painting. Mix a subtle wash of indigo to create the cast shadows. The underpainting will glow through these cast shadows.

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Using a script brush, paint in the trees on dry paper with a mixture of quinacridone burnt orange and French ultramarine blue. Paint only the trunk of the tree that is between the foliage. Using a painting knife, create the craggy branches. Soften the hard edge at the bottom of the tree as it flows into the shadow.

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Remove the masking. Wet each snow shape and using cobalt blue, create shadows in the bottom half of the snow covering the branches. As you push this color in an upward motion, try to reactivate some of the greens to give a reflective quality. Before the paint dries, sprinkle a little salt to create texture in the snow.

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Karlyn’s Kits © 2014 Karlyn Holman • NO lesson materials may be reproduced without permission • NO images may be entered in shows • Finished painting may be sold and reproduced.

To create the illusion of a horizon line in the distance, draw a perfectly straight line using your HB pencil. Paint a line of cobalt blue next to your pencil line and lose the lower edge with water.

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When the paper is thoroughly dry, place it on a support board. Now, find the center of the wheel of cast shadows you have established and scrub the hub of the wheel with a wet toothbrush to form the backlit rays of light.

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Place your paper and support board under running water and continue scrubbing with the toothbrush to form the long rays of light filtering through the trees. Arches® paper is the only paper that will not reactivate colors when held under running water. Create a minimum of rays of varying lengths.

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With a damp tissue and using a back and forth motion, create additional rays of light if needed. Change the tissue often and always remember – less is more!

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Karly

n Ho

lman

- 22

” x

15”

Focus of Light on Winter Trees • KK#079, page 2