The drawing

Using a 2B or 4B pencil draw straight on to the canvas.

Usually I grid up my canvas, but this time I felt I had enough information to recreate it without a grid.

The underpainting

As you don’t want to be too involved with detail at this early stage, apply the underpainting with flat brushes Nos. 4 and 6 and the following three mixes: burnt sienna for the mid tone; burnt sienna mixed with French ultramarine blue, becoming progressively darker until you reach black; and burnt sienna with white to become progressively lighter until you make a creamy white. Using Sansador apply these colours thinly to cover, but not so thin that they run off the canvas.

Mid tone sky, background trees and fields

1. Once the underpainting is dry, apply a mix of French ultramarine and white to the sky, fading it off into the already created pink horizon above the trees. Make sure the sky becomes progressively lighter to this point.

2. Place a blue glaze over the distant trees to send them of into the distance.

3. Apply a light, almost dry brushstroke of white over the blue of the fields, occasionally missing areas to create the walls from the dark blue underpaint.

Mid-tone buildings

1. Paint the buildings in the midground using raw sienna over the burnt sienna base to create a stone work pattern and to make the building glow. Similarly lighten the fronts of the chimneys, leaving the dark underpaint for the shadow. Apply details to the windows using a light grey mix and a first layer of slightly knocked back white to the roofs, chimneys, window ledges and walls.

2. Tackle the distant buildings in the same way, but apply the paint more sparingly and slightly more bluer to create distance.

Mid-tone trees, foreground fields and road

1. Most of the trees already have the shadow side from the underpainting. When applying the mid tones use blue-based greens mixed from blue and green gold, as well as purples and burnt umbers to give a wintery feel.

2. Apply white, using long directional brushstrokes on the field, running right to left up the bank of snow, and curved brushstrokes on the bank. Blend the white into the blue shadow on the roadside to give depth into the pile of snow against and on top of a wall.

Highlights and details

Once all the mid tones are dry, add the high lights and details using a Rigger for the brambles, windows, gates, and telephone poles.

Add pure white in places where sunlight hits the fields and roofs the strongest.

Also add distant tree details with the Rigger; try to be random with these details.

Foreground detail and final highlights

1. The final areas of the painting to tackle are the foreground trees and fence. Build up the top right-hand corner when the sky is dry by adding very dark greens then when it’s dry apply a blue green leaf to indicate holly.

2. The fence area again at the underpainting stage was just a dark blocked-in area. At this stage you bring it to life by applying detail and highlights with the snow.

3. Because there is a prominent red door, bounce the red around the painting to give it symmetry. I added red on the figure, on the path near the trees, and on berries in the foreground trees.

The finished painting

Village under Snow, oil, (30.5x46cm)

Based in Derbyshire, Richard teaches, demonstrates and runs workshops in oil and watercolour.

Find out more at www.richardhollandlandscapeartist.co.uk.

This demonstration is taken from the January 2015 issue of Leisure Painter. Enjoy endless inspiration with access to past and present issues of both The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines, plus exclusive video demos, tutorials and more, with our Studio Membership! Discover how you can join today.