Fence It In and Finish It Up!

Our barn painting is ready now for the finishing touches: the fence, snow, shadows, background trees and grasses peeking through the snow.

Fence Posts:
Paint the fence posts first. I used a mix of the following colors:

Burnt Umber
Burnt Sienna
Ultramarine

These are the same color paints used throughout the entire painting. Lay down a wash of clean water first, remembering to leave part of the post unpainted for the snowy area. Then drop in small amounts of each of the above colors, varying the colors and locations of the colors on each post Allow to dry.

Shadows:
Shadows are painted in the snow to indicate the shape of the ground beneath as well as the shadows around the barn and by the fence posts. The shadows are painted using a wash of Ultramarine and Payne's Gray. Vary the intensity of the wash based on the amount of shadowing you need - deeper in the darker shadows near the barn and lighter in the snow areas and around the fence posts. Allow to dry.

Background Trees:
Using a wash of Burnt Umber, Ultramarine and Payne's Gray brush in your trees using a #6 round brush in a wet on dry technique.

Grasses peeking through the snow:
Use a wash of Burnt Umber and apply using the edge of a piece of plastic credit card or a small palette knife sweeping upward.

Check for details! I "painted" the barbed wire fence by scraping with a utility knife. Add any finishing touches to would like to make the painting complete.

Sign your name! Your painting is finished! Give it a title, if you would like. My painting is titled.....Just Another Winter Day!

Happy Painting!
Karen