The subject that once felt impossible to me: the Northern Lights
For February’s Art Inspiration, I chose a subject that once felt impossible to me: the Northern Lights.
This is one of those themes that many artists admire but hesitate to try. I know I did. For a long time, I kept asking myself: How do artists actually paint this?
Through practice, trial and error, and teaching, I discovered that what feels complex can become simple when you break it into steps.
This month is an invitation to step slightly outside your comfort zone — not to be perfect, but to learn.
Start with a Reference (Goodbye blank-page freeze)
Whenever you feel stuck before starting, avoid the “blank page freeze” by choosing a reference image you love.
You can:
- Print it
- Keep it on your phone
- Or open it on your iPad
A reference gives your mind something to hold onto — and freedom to interpret.
This is my photo reference:
Materials
- 100% cotton watercolor
- Flat brush (large)
- Round brush (small)
- Pencil
- Palette
- Washi tape
- Two jars of clean water
Watercolors:
- Payne’s Grey
- Lavender
- Cobalt Blue Hue
- Cobalt Green
- Horizon Blue
- Leaf Green
- Burnt Sienna
- Vandyke Brown
Optional:
- White gouache or white acrylic (for stars or snow splatters)
Step-by-Step: Northern Lights Landscape
1. Sketch the main elements
Lightly draw the horizon line and the deer. Keep it simple — this is just a guide.
2. Prepare the paper
Using a flat brush, wet the sky area with clean water, moving the brush in different directions. This helps create organic movement later and keep it wet for longer time.
3. Paint the Northern Lights (the fun part!)
Have your colors ready before you start.
Using bright tones like:
- Yellow or green
- Turquoise blue
- Lavender
Apply vertical brushstrokes from top to bottom, leaving small spaces between them. Let the colors flow — don’t overthink it.
4. Add depth and movement
Fill the spaces with darker blues.
Gently move or tilt your notebook in different directions to let the pigments blend naturally and create that glowing Northern Lights effect.
Let the sky dry completely. Dont worry of the mess you see now when it dries it looks beautiful!
(I’ll be sharing a video of this process on my Instagram this month.)
5. Paint the snow and landscape
With a very diluted lavender, paint the snow and add soft reflections.
Add shadows under the deer to ground it in the scene.
Let this layer dry.
☕ This is a perfect moment to pause
6. Mountains and trees
Using diluted Payne’s Grey, paint the mountains.
Then add darker, more concentrated areas to suggest texture and snow.
Paint distant pine trees with Payne’s Grey, keeping them loose and atmospheric.
7. Final details
With a small brush, paint the deer in brown tones.
If you like:
- Add white gouache or acrylic splatters for stars or falling snow
- If you want stars only, cover the deer and ground before splattering
The real goal
Your Northern Lights don’t need to be perfect.
What matters is this:
✨ You tried
✨ You learned
✨ You stepped outside your comfort zone
Snow, mountains, and Northern Lights are themes I teach in depth in my Skillshare class on winter landscapes.
The class is in Spanish, but I’ve had non-Spanish speakers complete it successfully — one even sent me her finished paintings and told me the class was easy to follow visually.
👉 You’ll find the class link and a student example below.
And this is other reviw from my class!
This class Exceeded my expectations!
Recommending for Any Level
Bellísima clase! Muy completa y con material adicional para descargar!!
If you feel inspired, I’d love for you to upload your artwork below and share a few words about your process.
Your courage might be exactly what another artist needs to see.
Happy love month, and happy painting 🤍
Flay 🐝✨