Our YouTube channel is approaching its first birthday and we are hoping that this November we will attain the lofty heights of 20,000 subscribers – a marathon effort when you consider that this time last year we had just achieved 200 subs and thought we had hit the big-time! A few months later we were monetized at 1000 subscribers and eventually our hard work started to pay off with a modest monthly income from Google and various other sources. So we are very happy to be here now creating our second series of Christmas card videos for you to enjoy.

Introducing A Candle in the Window Watercolor for Christmas. Remember the song by Alabama? Nothing beats a sentimental ballad at this time of year and this painting brings it into your life. It made me think of going carol singing as a teenager, carrying candle lanterns as we walked around the village singing at all the houses in the snowy mid-winter. Then, at the end of the evening stopping for a mincepie and glass of mulled wine at “The Big House” belonging to the wealthiest chap in the village who always invited the whole choir in to warm in front of his fire.

So back to the video. I started off with a small piece of watercolor paper – any decent brand would do. After drawing the design I began the painting with small wet in wet washes. I stopped halfway through and let it dry overnight. The second stage was putting in the sky and the rest of the greenery around the candleholder. Finally a spattering of white ink for the snow and one or two touch ups with stronger greens and the painting was finished!

If you want to download the sketch it is on the downloads page here

And if you want to watch the tutorial on youtube just click below: