Hello Toni, Thank you for sharing your snowy watercolour painting. I was curious about your process—could you perhaps share a reference photo or more information about how you approached the scene? That would help us better understand your interpretation. In terms of colour and perspective, there are a few things that could be refined. For instance, the washes appear a little dry, which may be why they aren’t flowing smoothly. Also, the water seems to be running upwards, which creates an unnatural effect. You might find it more convincing to suggest the surface of water with horizontal strokes, rather than following the river's shape. I also noticed the use of warm colours in the distance and cooler ones (like the blue trees) in the foreground—this seems a bit reversed from how atmospheric perspective typically works. Additionally, some trees in the background appear to be floating, possibly due to a lack of grounding shadows or connection with the landscape. It might help to consider lowering the horizon line for better composition. The reeds could be suggested with broader shapes rather than detailed brushwork, especially at that distance—too much detail there can be distracting, and reeds are notoriously tricky to get right. Often, less is more. It’s great that you did a sketch beforehand! Just a reminder: a good sketch benefits from having a clear range of values—light, mid-tone, and dark. Try squinting at your subject to simplify it into those main shapes, and then add just a few details to finish. Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

While the subject is very nice, the colour for me is way to harsh and hard. A watercolour needs a whisper, and never a shout said my teacher Kees van Aalst. All is well painted, but the roofs have all white lines, because you made the background very dark. If you would made the background greens lighter, there would not be a problem going over with a dark roofline. The focal point is clearly the red house, but the view is very much disturbed by the orange and yellow house on the right, and one yellow on the left. If those two houses become a focal point, they are dead centered in the middle. And that is a design fault. cropping the image would work, but a sketch is also excellent to see those design mistakes at forehand. I photoshop a bit how I would like to make this. I glazed over the image a soft warm blue, and cropped the houses to for me the right position. But that is for me. if you like the bright colours that is fine. Try next time to work from your sketch, and don't look at the subject photo anymore. Make your own colours. A question for the forum, could you resize the image to max 1000 pixels on the longest end. They are now 3250 and well over 2,5 mb, we like to see them 1 mb if possible The forum got a space, and if we all posted this large photos, the forum would be filled up quickly. Buying space is expensive, and we want to keep the forum for free.

A watercolour can be done in 100 ways. But I just write what you can do, by just improve some techniques and design.

It's a nice subject, but you need to look what and how can I alter things to make the watercolour to look better. And I give you just mine opinion. I would completely loose that fence, from front to the very end. Just a few good placed poles would do. Shadows in snow are never hard textured, but soft or rough, the same counts for water. The shadows on the houses are not right, how you painted it now, it i simply not telling me what is the shadow side or sun side, whatever. the fence shadows tell me its the sun from the left. The background is nice, but it would be better to have the blue background from the right behind the warm coloured houses. If you are on the right moment you can with a pocket knife scrape out the white tree shapes. Practise also the trees a bit more. Oliver got excellent youtube movies about trees. And the overall look is that you paint a bit too dry. Remember it is watercolour,. not colour with a bit of water. Keep your palette and watercolour colours simple. I count 6 colours in the background, and it is getting muddy there. Use a few colours, and your work will benefit.

Is this own work, or paint along with a teacher? We don't encourage paint along paintings on the forum. We rather see own work, so we can judge you on your own skill level, instead of painting by numbers.

It's indeed so much better. You leaping forwards. Mote suggestions, better colours used. Your watercolour looks more mature now.

Painting is not about getting a good likeness, but telling a beautiful lie. Cows don't run out fences in a painting. But I know what you mean. And the end of the story is, you have to paint what you love. And you just do that. So happy painting.

It is painted reasonably well. But there are a lot of elements in the painting that are not connected to each other. The tree in the front is good in harmony with the swing and dog. But the road is starting outside the paper. Making it wider towards the big tree would improve it. The poles alongside the road must be higher, and more uneven distance from each other. The first pole is for example just a bit higher than the swing. Making them higher and they cut in the background from the bigger trees on the right, so you connect these, Painting is alright, just the design. Most of the time they are the first 30 pages in every watercolour book. And no one reads those. they go for what paper, pigments and brushes they need. I see that in Oliver and mine youtube videos too. "What brush and what size is the one you used on 4,34 minutes? " Keep them coming Ray!

Ofcourse you can do that. When I get a commission, and the buyer wants a boat, a bridge, a farm and behind that farm a windmill. Ah and a pollard willow in the front. You can look for it somewhere. But you have to invent it by putting things together. About your sketch, it is good, really good. But there are design errors. I know the fence is there. But it stops you to look behind it. And even worse that the path left race you out the sketch. There is no path for te eye to travel throughout the painting. Maybe the row of poles did have to start halfway the left fence. Then you create a path to the building. But your skills to paint are great.

It's a lovely translation of your photo. But, let me warn you about salt. I know a lot of artists use it to get a certain effect. But salt on a wet watercolour will creep also in your watercourpaper. And it could ruin it too. Because when a watercolour will be sold, or just get in a more humid environment the salt in the paper comes alive again, and make brown stains. I know aot of famous artists that has to retrieve the money they received fir their salty watercolour. Just spatter some water with your fingertips or brush if you want a effect.

Love it!!

It is a good try for that landscape you chose. It will improve if you have the skill and courage to paint it a bit wetter. Always a challenge to get it right. Do you use a sponge to control the water in your brush?

The skill to do foreground in a warm grey colour, that looked too dark when you applied the wash. But your experience how dark a wash must be is stunning. It was spot on. Was perfect, and nice to watch how you gave those trees a podium.