Snow is one of the prettiest things to color in any coloring book, but it can also be a little confusing. Is it white? Is it blue? How do you make snow look soft and fluffy in your winter coloring pages or Christmas coloring books without turning it into a flat blob of gray?
In this tutorial, Southern Lotus will show you 4 easy ways to color snow with markers, perfect for any adult coloring book, cute coloring book, or coloring book for teens. You can download the free coloring practice sheet to practice or use these snow styles on rooftops, snowmen, winter fields, cozy cabins, and any page in your favorite holiday coloring book. All examples below are colored with Ohuhu markers, but you can apply the same ideas with any alcohol marker set.
Ohuhu Markers
Coloring Technique 1: Classic Snow (All-Time Coloring Book Favorite)
This is the easiest and most versatile way to draw snow in any winter coloring book. It works perfectly for snowballs, snowmen, rooftops, and holiday scenes.
Step 1 – Base Color (B030): Fill the snow shape with a light blue shade. Leave a few tiny white gaps if you want extra brightness. This pale blue base gives your “white” snow a gentle, icy undertone that prints beautifully in coloring book pages.
Step 2 – First Shadows (B250): Use a slightly darker blue and add random dots mostly in the lower areas and corners. Instead of solid shading, the dot technique keeps the snow looking fluffy and soft, perfect for the cozy style of cute Christmas coloring books for adults.
Step 3 – Deeper Shadows (PB5): Repeat step 2 with an even darker blue, focusing only on the deepest areas. This three-layer dotting effect adds depth and makes the snow pop on any coloring page without becoming too heavy.
Step 4 – Highlights (101 + White): Add tiny white dots with a gel pen and a few stronger highlights with a white acrylic marker or pencil. These dots act like reflected light and falling snow, making your snowball feel magical and perfect for a fantasy adult coloring book style.
Coloring Technique 2: Glowing Snow (Cozy Christmas Lights Effect)
Glowing snow is perfect for scenes with lanterns, fairy lights, sunsets, or magical Christmas coloring pages. It makes the snow look warm and dreamy, like it’s reflecting holiday lights from your favorite cozy coloring book.
Step 1 – Yellow Glow (Y121): Decide where your light source is and softly color those areas with a pale yellow. This becomes the “inner glow” of the snow in your coloring book illustration.
Step 2 – Pink Dots (R080): Using a light pink marker, add dots over and around the yellow. Keep them soft and scattered. The mix of yellow and pink gives that warm, rosy winter sky feeling you see in many Christmas coloring books for adults.
Step 3 – Cool Contrast (B340): Add blue dots mainly in the shadow areas (bottom and sides). The combination of warm pink/yellow and cool blue creates a glowing gradient that still reads as snow.
Step 4 – Sparkles (White): Use a white gel pen to add tiny sparkles, star shapes, or snowflakes. This style looks beautiful on night scenes in any winter-themed coloring book or holiday marker coloring book.
Coloring Technique 3: Realistic Snow (For Detailed Adult Coloring Books)
If you love more detailed, semi-realistic adult coloring books, this snow style is for you. It’s still cute, but with more contrast and texture, great for forests, rooftops, and big landscape pages in your favorite winter coloring book.
Step 1 – Base and Shadow Dots (B120 + B340): Fill the snow with a light blue (B120), then add darker blue dots (B340) where shadows would naturally fall. Think about under curves, near edges, and in the lowest areas.
Step 2 – Deepen the Shadows (B530): Use a deeper blue to strengthen only the darkest areas. This step adds realism and makes the snow layer feel thicker, perfect for those heavy snow scenes in story-style coloring books.
Step 3 – White Outline (101): Outline parts of the snow with a white acrylic marker. This makes the edges look frosty and crisp, especially useful when your coloring book page has busy backgrounds.
Step 4 – Snowflakes (White Gel Pen): Add dense clusters of white dots to create tiny snowflakes and icy texture. On printed coloring book paper, this trick instantly makes your snow look soft, powdery, and bright.
Coloring Technique 4: Snow Tracks (Footprints for Storytelling Coloring Pages)
Snow tracks are a fun way to add story and movement to your winter coloring books. Footprints instantly make it feel like a character just walked through the scene—perfect for cozy animal pages, cottage paths, and whimsical coloring book illustrations.
Step 1 – Base Snow (B030 + B250): Start with a soft blue base like in the classic method. Sketch the footprint shapes lightly with a pencil on your coloring page before adding marker.
Step 2 – Fill the Footprints (B260): Color inside the footprints with a darker blue. This makes them feel deeper, like someone has pressed into the snow. It works especially well in story-style coloring books where the environment supports a narrative.
Step 3 – Shadows (PB5): Add another darker layer around the bottom of each footprint using PB5. This extra shading gives volume and makes the snow look thick and crunchy.
Step 4 – Snowflake Details (White Gel Pen): Finish with scattered white dots and a soft white edge on the top of the snow. Your footprints now look sparkly and alive, ready to appear on any Christmas coloring book page.
You can mix and match these four snow techniques across all your coloring books, from cute Christmas coloring books and winter animal coloring pages to landscape coloring books for adults. Try classic snow on rooftops, glowing snow around lanterns, realistic snow in forests, and snowy footprints on paths and doorsteps. Click here to explore!
The more you practice on different coloring pages, the easier it becomes to decide which snow style fits your scene. Keep a separate “snow practice” sheet in your marker coloring book, or print a test page to experiment with colors before working in your favorite coloring book for adults.
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