Hint of Springtime. Painting #93. Classic Bob Ross Mountains.

Hint of Springtime is my 93rd oil painting. Melting snow from the mountains creates a rushing flow of water into a valley just awakening for spring. Feel the crisp new season.

Let’s Get Started

This post is about my version of Hint of Springtime by Bob Ross. First, I’ll talk about the inspiration for this painting. When I talk about inspiration in this blog, it will normally be why I chose a certain subject or Bob Ross episode to follow. Then, I will go over the colors and equipment I used and that you will need if you want to try your hand at it. Next, I will expound a bit about my process and how to paint Winter Frost even if you are a beginner and new to painting with Bob Ross. Finally, I’ll wrap up with some lessons that I learned from painting this picture and things I could have done better or wished I had known. So join me on this trip down memory lane as I recap my 93rd oil painting. 

The Inspiration for Hint of Springtime

The inspiration for Hint of Springtime came from S22E2. I chose it because of the colors of the sky and the classic snow covered mountain. It was just around the end of winter 2020. I had been doing a lot of mini paintings at the time. There was also a gap in streaming art on Twitch. The Covid-19 pandemic was just sort of ramping up. I decided to get back to streaming and art so what better way than painting a classic Bob Ross snow covered mountain scene. Since it was the end of winter/beginning of Spring, Hint of Springtime was the perfect painting to replicate.  

Materials

Here are the colors and equipment I used to paint Hint of Springtime. All of the colors are included with the Bob Ross Master Paint Set. 

Colors

• Alizarin Crimson
• Bright Red
• Cadmium Yellow
• Dark Sienna
• Indian Yellow
• Midnight Black
• Phthalo Blue
• Sap Green
• Titanium Hwite
• Van Dyke Brown
• Yellow Ochre
• Don’t forget the Liquid Hwite!

Equipment

• 2 Inch Brush
• 1 Inch Brush
• #6 Fan Brush
• Large Palette Knife
• Script Liner Brush

Additional Items to Get Started

If this is your first time painting, you’ll need a few essential items.  The Bob Ross kit doesn’t include everything you need to get started painting. It does include all the brushes and paint you need but in order to paint your own masterpieces you’ll need a few more things. I have you covered however. Check out my “Getting Started” page for everything you need.

Before We Begin

Every Bob Ross painting begins by covering the canvas with a medium. In most paintings he starts off with the medium known as Liquid White. Liquid White is a thin, fluid paint. Much thinner than the normal oil paint. This makes it easy to apply and mix with other colors right on the canvas. For more on applying Liquid White and other mediums, have a look at my “Applying Mediums” tips page.

How I Painted Hint of Springtime and Lessons Learned

Sky

This sky came out pretty well overall, I feel. These pink/blue skies seem to be popular. They’re pretty simple to paint. You want to start with Alizarin Crimson across the center first. Remember to bring it down to where your water is going to be. Then, without cleaning the brush, you can go into some Pthalo Blue. The blue is so much stronger than the crimson that you will get barely any color change on the brush. With the brush loaded with blue, go right into the top of the crimson area and begin the transition towards the top. It’s that simple to add a multi-colored sky. After that, with a clean, dry brush, blend that transition together. When painting multiple colored skies, the rule of thumb is to blend from light to dark. That means start blending out the brush strokes or colors together in all the light areas before moving to the darker colors.

Mountains. 

I feel that these mountains are some of my better mountain paintings. You can see the paint breaks and they have a little bit of depth. When highlighting mountains, you don’t have to be so rigid with the knife. You can sort of draw out your highlights before bringing the snow downward. This is a great way to create a bit of depth in your mountain. What I’m trying to say is try not to make you highlights so straight. Give them some curvature or bumps.

Trees/Foreground

The foreground here is a pretty plain foreground for Bob Ross standards. The feature I like most about it are the trees on the left side. These trees are very free to paint. No need to worry about proportion or shape. Just go in there with your fan brush and instead of pushing downward in a Z pattern, push the brush upward in any pattern you want. Leave some bare areas. That really gives the trees some character.

Final Thoughts

This is a great painting to practice the Bob Ross basics. A snow capped mountain range, basic bushy trees, water, and even a little waterfall to give it a bit of interest. It also gives you an opportunity to try a different tree style.

I hope you enjoy this painting. If you’re looking to try something relatively simple to try out, this is a great one to do.  It’s fairly simple.  No complicated elements or colors to mix.  Have a question? Comment below.  Follow me on Twitter to be notified when a new post is live and learn more about the Bob Ross method and how far it can take you as a new artist. Want this painting for yourself? It is available in my my Art Store. You can also follow me on all my social media sites.

Happy Painting!