How to Paint a Snow Scene Using the Android Painting App, ArtFlow

ArtFlow is a painting app for android tablets and has some very nice features.  It has two pop-out side menus that disappear when you start painting.  The menu on the left side contains your layers and different layer functions such as merge,  duplicate, rotate, etc.  The right side menu contains over 50 brushes, an adjustable smudge tool, eraser, paint bucket, color picker, line style (freehand, straight line, mirrored etc.), and gallery.  The brushes are pen, pencils, paintbrushes, paint rollers, airbrushes, crayon and several more.

When you go to the gallery, there is a menu option where you can set your canvas size.  I picked the largest size which is 2560 x 2560 pixels.  There are several other sizes you can choose.  The final resolution came out to 96 dpi.

In this step, I picked a reference of a winter scene from my photos.  I used my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet.  One of the very nice features of this tablet is the ability to open up certain apps in windows.  One of the apps is the gallery.  I opened my photo reference in the gallery window where I can see it while I'm painting.  I picked one of the paintbrush options and adjusted the settings.  Then I picked a light blue color for the first sky layer.

In this step I finished painting the blue sky layer.  I added a new layer for the clouds and picked a salmon color for them.  I used the airbrush to paint the clouds.  Then I added light yellow highlights on the edge of the clouds and blended them with the smudge brush.

In this step, I switched to a grainier airbrush and added purple and yellow to the clouds.  I also smudged the clouds to blend the color.

In this step, I picked a paintbrush option with a brushlike texture. I chose a violet color to show distance in the hills.  Then I painted the hills on a separate layer.  It helps to put individual elements in separate layers because you might want to go back and adjust something later.

For the highlights on the hills, I picked the airbrush.  I picked an orange tinted white for the color of the highlights.  Then I used the smudge tool to blend them.  In traditional painting using a pure white can make a painting look chalky, so I always add a color to tint it.  For example, add a little orange to your white paint to make your snow look like sunlight is reflecting on it.  In digital painting, pick a color that is off-white.

To give the snow some form and depth, I underpainted it with a light purple and blue.  This creates shadows in the snow and gives the illusion of shapes under the snow.  Then I chose a very light orange white to highlight the snow.  Often you can make a subject appear very white just by adding it next to a darker color.  When I paint snow on a regular canvas, I use a rounded stroke to show little snow mounds.  I used the same motion with the digital S Pen and it worked the same.  When you paint snow highlights, remember to leave pockets of darker color.  This gives depth to the snow. 

In this step, I added distant trees.  Since it is winter, these trees have bare branches, so I used the pencil option to draw them against the hills.  Also, I chose a light purple to show aerial perspective and make it seem like there is snow on the trees. 

For this step, I added a snow covered bush to the painting.   I drew in the branches with the pencil option.   Then I added the underpainting for the snow on the branches.  Sometimes in the winter the snow can be very powdery and I wanted to get this look on the bush.  I  picked a brush with a rough texture and added the highlights on the snow.  Again, I used an orangish white for the snow.   I added some more branches to the bush for the final touches.

To add more interest, I added a fence to the painting.  I used a dark grey color and selected the pencil option.  You can vary the thickness and darkness of the pencil in this program, so I picked a very thin line and used it to draw in the wire on the fence.  Then I switched colors to an off-white and put the final snow highlights on the fence and the snow on the ground.  I blended the snow on the ground with the smudge tool.

Here in the last steps, I added the final large element to the painting, a cedar tree.  First using the pencil option, I painted in the tree trunk and branches with a dark greyish brown.  Then I switched to the paint roller option and selected a grainy brush that mimicked the texture of the cedar tree leaves.  The leaves on these cedar trees stay on all year around like pine trees.  I picked a dark green color for the leaves.  Finally I added the snow, first underpainting it with a violet color and then adding the highlights.  Even when you are painting snow on objects, don't forget to let some of the darker color show through.  I added snow on the tree trunk, fence posts, and the bottom of the bush as well to show how snow drifts up on objects.  This added a realistic touch to the painting.

For the final details, I added more twigs sticking up out of the cedar tree.  I also added some dead grass and twigs poking out of the snow.  To give the painting more depth, I added a couple of fence posts behind the bush. 

As you can see there is more to painting a snow scene than you might originally have thought.  Snow scenes are fun to do and that is where I like my snow, in the paintings and not on the ground! 

This app has been updated to version 2.0 now and is even better. It now has better brushes and a new UI. It even has a recording and playback function. Definitely check it out!