I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the colder weather. Cold weather means cosy jumpers, candlelit rooms, and nights in front of the fire. It also means SNOW! Here in the UK, it’s currently getting colder and colder, but we don’t really get a lot of snow. Therefore, I like to bring it into my journal. This way I can even enjoy the aesthetics of snow without the negatives such as slush and being snowed in. In this blog I will show you some spread ideas to bring the snow into you journal. I have made sure to include a variety of simple and more decorative spreads for people of all levels!

Recommended Supplies:

• Archer and Olive Journal – To do something like this you definitely need thick pages if you want no bleeding or ghosting. As always I recommend the A&O journals as the pages can withstand this much paint!
• Dr Ph Martin’s Bleedproof White - The best white ink that works perfectly for snow!
• Pencil – To carefully plan out your ideas so you can make sure your spread has everything you need.
• Fineliners – My favourites are the Unipin fineliners as they’re waterproof, affordable and have a strong nib.

Beginner Friendly

Simple Snowflakes

The simplest way to bring snow into your journal is with these gorgeous snowflake doodles. The best part about these is there is no ‘wrong’ way to draw them as snowflakes are all meant to be different! If you’re struggling, you can find images of simple snowflake drawings to inspire you.

To make this spread a little bit more creative, I then added a little bit of blue watercolour to tie the snowflakes together. To do this, I used an old brush to dab on watercolour. First I really diluted watercolour to get a light background, and then added in bits where the watercolour is more pigmented to get this effect.

Weekly Spread

If you’ve mastered the techniques in the previous spread, here’s an example of how you can use the same components to create a different illustration.

For this spread, I used the same technique for the watercolour, but I made the snowflakes smaller and made them look like they were floating to/away from the tree!

Some Experience With Watercolours

Snowy Christmas Tree

I absolutely love when snow covers trees and buildings to make everything look 10 times prettier. Therefore, another way to add in snow is to paint things with snow on it. Here, I painted how snow gathers on the branches of a tree.

This requires a bit more skill to paint the tree, but even if you’re a beginner it is still possible – as again, all trees look different, and if you make any mistakes you can use white paint to add snow there! To create this, I first painted the tree, and then dabbed Dr Ph Martins Bleedproof White on top of the branches to add the. This is the best white ink I have come across that is lovely opaque for snow.  

Penguins

So this isn’t exactly snow themed, but penguins always make me think of the snow, so they’re definitely a great addition in a snow theme! And they’re sitting on snow…. totally counts!

These four little guys are all super simple to paint. Start by wetting the paper in the shape of a penguin, and add grey paint to it’s back – keeping the belly light. Then make the head darker and add a beak and eye. I like to paint them in different positions!

Weekly Spread

Finally, one which is a little more complex but still achievable for those with a little experience with watercolours is this painting I created for my weekly.

I created the background with indigo paint blending into white at the bottom. I then created silhouettes of a tree and fence with black paint. Don’t worry; you don’t have to be very precise with this! Finally, I added snow details with the same white ink!

Experienced With Watercolours

Cover Page

I always like to go all-out with my cover page… and I definitely did for this month. I wanted this painting to look like it was snowing so much that the sky became white!

To create this, I outlined the path and painted indigo at the bottom of the sky, and made it fade to white by adding more and more water, I then created the trees with black paint, added snow on the branches and splattered the ink all over the page to look like it was still snowing. This is one of my all-time favourite cover pages!

Monthly Spread

Another spread I like to get really creative with is the monthly spread. I wanted to show a dark, purple snowy night, with a cottage with cosy lights on.

To start with, I masked of where I wanted the cottage with washi tape (you can also use masking fluid) so the roof would keep the white of the page for snow. Then I painted the purple night sky, getting darker as I got nearer the top of the page. I then painted in the details of the cottage and added trees behind it. To finish it off, I added snow to the trees and splatter ink over the painting to look like falling snow. Overall, I really loved this spread – I just want to be in that cottage!

Snowy Painting

Finally, I like to add some paintings in my journal that are not for spreads, but just for fun too. I feel this painting really captures the movement and coldness of snow.

Hopefully I’ve given you some help and inspiration to bring the snow into you journal this winter! And if I have, I would love to see your spreads, so tag me on Instagram (@hayleyremdeart) and use #hayleyremdeinspired to get the chance to get your creations featured in my stories!