How to Paint a Snow Globe in Watercolor

Snow globes are magical. Just shake them and the scene captured within is enhanced by falling snow. The fun of doing them in watercolor is working within a four to five inch, round, format, to create a tiny world. Practically anything goes when it comes to content for the globes; animals, people engaged in outdoor activities, children, scenery, holiday fun, sports, etc. The list is endless. This lesson shows how to select a subject for inside the globe and how to paint it. It tells how to make the globe appear to be made of shiny, reflective glass. For the final touch, it covers how to capture the globe as though it has just been shaken, and snow is falling inside it.

EditSteps

1. Understand that observing the real thing is optimal, but looking at pictures of snow globes you find online is fine, too. Do your research, see what globes contain and how the bases look; some are plain, some are ornate. Decide how you want your globe to look.
   
2. Find a 4-5" round object the size you want to make your globe, such as a plastic lid, bottle or jar. Alternatively, you can use a compass to draw a circle in the middle, slightly toward the top of a piece of 6 x 9" or 9 x 12" watercolor paper. Follow the curve at the bottom of the circle and replicate it a few inches below the glass ball to form the bottom of the base of the globe. Add vertical lines to complete the base and decorate it as you wish. Keep it simple, add a special quote, song title, or make it ultra fancy. Do this in pencil.
   
3. For the interior of the globe, create a tiny world, so include what strikes your fancy. If you are thinking this art piece might be a gift, what does the person on the receiving end like? Natural, woodsy scenes, animals, clowns, snowmen, Santas, religious scenes, a church, toys, pets, hobbies etc. the possibilities are endless.
   
4. Use a ruler to draw a horizontal line on either side of the globe. Below this line will represent the table top and above the background. Draw a few swirls around the globe's base for a cloth or table covering or leave it plain.
   
5. Prepare your paint. Activate your paints if you are using a set of dry watercolors, or squeeze out a tiny amount of a variety of colors of tube paint onto a palette. It won't take much paint, but even though you are working in miniature, it will take almost as long as doing an ordinary picture, so allow enough time not to be rushed.
6. Paint the scene and base and let the piece dry. Draw an ellipse or curved line for the water line at the very top of the globe's interior and depict it with a fine dark, line.
7. Paint the background a very dark shade, to make the glass appear to shine and give the illusion of depth behind the globe. Go around the globe being careful to make a crisp, perfect edge. If you have trouble with a brush, use a fine line Sharpie. A crisp, even line and perfect circle are needed to convey the illusion.
   
8. Add a curved shadow around the base of the globe, anchoring it onto the table and creating depth. Let the piece dry thoroughly. Study it and make adjustments if you need to.
9. Make your template for the snow. Find the circle template you used earlier for the globe, put it in the center of a large sheet of newsprint or sketch paper and trace around it. Poke into it with the end of a pair of scissors and cut it out carefully. Place it over your painting so only the globe is exposed and all else is masked.
   
   
   • Squeeze out 1/2" of white watercolor or acrylic paint and mix with a little water to dilute it slightly. Fully charge a 3/4" bristle brush and tap it against another big brush or wooden spoon handle to have tiny droplets fall on your paper. Practice first on a piece of scrap paper. Allow to dry thoroughly.
10. Create the magic of transparent glass with the shadows and highlights on the exterior of the glass. When painting transparent glass, most of the reflections are hard, dark, almost black shapes and are always seen at the edges of the glass object, contouring to the shape of the vessel. Study the globe and look for these shapes and try to replicate them, but stop at three or four. Paint them in barely diluted black over what is already down on the paper.
    
    
    • For the white highlights, use the tip of a utility or craft knife and scratch small, curved lines to represent reflected overhead lights or window shapes, if that is what you see on close observation. Or, simply paint them with the same white you used to do the snow. Keep these to a minimum as well.
11. Study the piece and see if, from a distance, it sparkles. Darkening a background that has dried lighter than you had hoped will help if the illusion is not as dramatic as you wish.
    

EditTips

• For shadows beneath objects, do them in medium grey and in one swoop. Never edit them. A simple stroke of grey, transparent paint will read as realistic. Shadows, when done too carefully, can become like odd appendages or growths attached to the base of an object and be distracting---even comical.
• If snow overshoots the mask, simply lift it off with a damp brush. If using acrylic paint to make the white snow, do it quick, once it sets it doesn't behave like watercolor and will be harder to get off.
• A painting of a snow globe makes a nice gift in that it is tailored to the recipient, costs less than the real thing, and is unique. Many people try not to accumulate things, so this is a good, thoughtful compromise.