Supplies Needed

• Pencil
• Canvas and acrylic paint; paper and watercolor paints; or paper and Tempra paints
• Colors of paint: purple, white, blue, black
• Regular paint brush, a skinny paint brush, and a Fan paint brush (inexpensive at local hobby stores!)

Directions

1. Draw a horizon line (just a vertical line) across the canvas no more than two inches from the bottom.
2. Above the horizon line, paint the background purple using horizontal (left to right) brush strokes. If you are feeling adventurous, add a little white paint to the purple to make it a lighter shade.
3. Next, below the horizon line, add mostly white paint and a little bit of blue paint. Blend the bottom of the horizon line and the top together so it doesn't look like two separate parts of the canvas.
4. Using black paint and a skinny brush, draw a few straight lines from the horizon line up (you can make the line however long you want; this will be the height of the trees).
5. Now it’s time to get fancy! Using black paint and your fan brush, start at the top of the black line (your tree) and make a “z” motion from the top to the bottom. Start off with short “zig-zag” and make them longer as you get toward the bottom.
6. Once you have made the “zig-zags,” you can fill in the trees as you see fit with another brush or the fan brush.
7. Add a little bit of water to your white paint to make it thinner. Now it’s time to use your old toothbrush or paintbrush. Dip the brush into the white paint, and while holding the brush over your painting, rub the bristles with your fingers to make snow. Or, you can tap two paintbrushes together over the painting to make falling snow. And that's it! Now you have your winter forest painting!