A Shade of Art

Christmas time is often referred to as the season of giving, but what should you do if your bank account is on the naughty list?

Well, for those who cannot buy gifts, try the perfect gift on a canvas.

So, here are 20 winter and Christmas watercolor pencil ideas to create, gift wrap, and hand off to your little ones.

Snow

There is no better way to show that winter has arrived than to step outside and see the world blanketed in snow. It’s great to create snow angels, throw snowballs, and craft some great artwork!

Christmas decorations

It is beautiful at night to drive through some affluent neighborhoods and see the Christmas decorations displayed in residents’ front yards. They are also great for coming up with some landscaping ideas.

Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree embodies the symbol of the winter holidays. To me, it symbolizes spending money on gifts for little children who will forget about them in a week. However, they will appreciate the art forever!

Carols

Do people still have time during this time of year to spread love and cheer with this deflating economy? It’s hard to say with everyone working a 2^nd or a 3^rd job, so I would consider this art idea as a vintage piece.

Wrapped gifts

Wrapped gifts are becoming a forgotten tradition. People substituted gifts with those cute little ribbons for brown packages labeled ‘Amazon’ on them. And they have the nerve to place them under the Christmas tree! So, I like this idea, and it can also work as a great vintage piece!

Snowplow

This contraption has saved millions each year from being stranded at home or at work. So, show a little appreciation and draw some art that honors our men and women who work hard to keep our streets clean.

Sledding

This is one of my favorite pastimes. Today’s kids are too busy on their iPhones to appreciate the simple joys of life. However, it shouldn’t stop you from trying it out. Then, draw a piece out for yourself!

Ice Hockey

Outdoor sports in the northern states change four times a year:

Baseball in the Spring.

Basketball in the summer.

Football in the fall.

And Hockey in the winter

So grab a stick, lace up your skates, and score a goal! Don’t forget to draw about it!

Gingerbread man

I wouldn’t recommend eating them, even with milk, but they’re great for wall decorations and drawing art ideas for beginners.

Santa Claus

I worked all year to save up the money to buy gifts, wrap them, and on the day of Christmas, Santa Claus gets all the credit. Maybe I might be jealous, but I wish one day someone would lay some cookies and milk out for me! Well, for now, I’ll take a sketchbook!

Reindeer

This guy gets all the credit for the holiday season, and he works with animals that can fly, too! Again, I’m not jealous, but this is also a good idea to draw as well.

Fireplace

This is a simple idea, but it works any time of year. I think you should start here as a beginner artist if you have access to one.

Frozen Lake

A great landscape idea for experienced artists. Just don’t try to walk across one for a close-up, detailed view.

Elves

Elves are the underpaid and overworked employees who build and maintain the foundation of Christmas. Make it easy for them and don’t ask for an iPhone, ask for watercolor pencils and a sketchbook instead!

Store shopping

This tradition isn’t as popular as it once was, but it can work well as a vintage piece. You never know, it can end up on a vendor’s storefront if they are still around in the future.

Family

You work five days a week with little rest between family time on Saturday and church on Sunday. The holidays provide 1 or 2 extra days for your parents and your siblings to get together and relive your childhood trauma. Oh, how I love family. Now, capture it with your pencils!

Children’s Attire

Children at this time of year should dress like a good cable package deal: Bundled up. Now, if you can keep them still long enough, try to capture them in your sketchbook!

Men’s Attire

Give me a Hamburg hat, a double-breasted blazer, some black pants, gloves, a scarf, and a watch–maybe that’s a bit much. But dressing not to freeze your butt off is a real fashion statement. Looks good in your artwork, too.

Women’s attire

Well, well. No booty shorts or halter tops this time of year. You can really capture a woman’s beauty under 2 layers of clothes, a jacket, a hat, and a scarf!

Ice Skating

Beauty. Elegant. Grace. These words come to mind with this idea.

New Year’s

This symbolizes the end of the holidays. Now let’s embrace another 12 months of family disputes, bitter relationship break-ups, work-related stress, and a long list of mishaps that make life exciting. If you can keep it together at this point, draw it!

Working with watercolor pencils can be fun to draw with, and it does not require an expensive setup to begin.

However, I recommend starting with colored pencils and then progressing to watercolor pencils if you are a beginner.

And, if you are a fan of the winter holidays, try these ideas.

So, start creating today!