New Acrylic Lesson Snow Peaks & Still Waters

Capture the Calm: Learn How To Paint a Serene Mountain Lake

There’s something magical about a still mountain lake: the crisp air, snow-capped peaks, and glassy reflections that feel almost mystical. In my newest acrylic lesson, Snow Peaks & Still Water, we’ll capture that calm on canvas—working in a square format that naturally balances the towering peaks with their mirror image below. This project blends contrast, harmony, and atmosphere, offering a rewarding challenge that will stretch your skills while keeping the process enjoyable and achievable.

In this 8 part lesson, I’ll guide you step by step through sketching a balanced outline, creating depth and atmosphere with carefully layered tones, and developing realistic details in the mountains, trees, and reflections. Along the way you’ll learn how to handle light and shadow so they appear convincing, how to soften and refine edges to create distance, and how to bring harmony to the whole scene with natural colour tones. Each stage is designed to build your confidence, strengthen your technique, and help you grow as an artist.

We’ll explore how to mirror forms in the lake without making them look too sharp, how to capture the feeling of glassy water, and how to add the final touches that make the scene come alive. Snow becomes more than just white paint when you learn how to balance subtle shifts in temperature and value, and the reflections feel truly believable once you soften them with gentle horizontal strokes.

Throughout the process, you’ll see how each layer adds depth and richness to the landscape. Starting with the sketch and blocking-in stages, we’ll gradually build the painting—working from large shapes and soft backgrounds through to the sharper, crisper details in the foreground. By the end, you’ll have created a striking mountain landscape and developed a deeper understanding of composition, reflections, and the use of natural colour.

This lesson is perfect for confident beginners and intermediate painters who want to strengthen their acrylic skills while tackling a scene that combines tranquillity with technical challenge. More than just a painting exercise, it’s an inspiring creative journey that will leave you with fresh skills, new confidence, and a piece you can be proud of.

I found this scene a joy to paint, and I hope you will too. Work at your own pace, enjoy the process, and let the quiet beauty of the mountains unfold on your canvas.

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Happy Painting!