How to Paint Believable Snowflakes

‘Tis the season for painting snowflakes! It’s easy to paint believable snowflakes. Recently, I posted an Instagram Reel and I thought my readers might enjoy this simple demo below as well. Read on to find out how!❄️

The inspiration for the painting, “Let it Snow” came from a photo I took of a blizzard on the Big Wood River in Sun Valley, Idaho.

First I painted the landscape without any snowflakes.
With the winter landscape painting still wet, I painted the snowflakes.
I used my trusty Seneca #2 Round brush for the perfect snowmaking marks. ⛄️
I painted with solvent-free, water-mixable Cobra oil paint by Royal Talens. (I love these professional paints! They clean up with soap and water!)
Then I mixed up titanium white and added a teeny speck of cadmium orange in the lighter areas
For the snowflakes in the darker areas, I added a touch of ultramarine blue to that mixture ❄️
I softened some of the snowflakes to give some depth and perspective. I also blurred some to suggest movement.

Here’s the finished painting and the demo is below. I hope this post inspires you to try and paint believable snowflakes.

*The same tips will work for acrylic painters too. Although you will have to work more quickly and use a squirt bottle to keep the paints from drying too quickly. 🙂