Imaginary Landscape in Watercolor

1. Preview: Hello everyone. Welcome to this exciting tutorial where I will guide you step-by-step on how to paint a stunning landscape. I call it an imaginary landscape because it doesn't really exist. It is a blend of a few different reference photos. Throughout this tutorial, you will learn how to skillfully the peak, the trees, mountains, rocks, and water. Additionally, I will teach you how to maintain a harmonious color composition and the effortlessly create a serine mood that this painting evokes. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned artist. This tutorial has something to offer for everyone. I highly encourage you to give it a go. 2. Introduction: Hello everyone. I'm excited to guide you through this tutorial on creating an imaginary landscape using watercolors. Before we begin, I would like to share a few words about the painting, how the idea came to me, and why it is an imaginary landscape. As many of you may know, I typically paint flowers and birds, and I rarely paint landscapes. The reason for that is quite simple. Landscapes are often complex. There are a lot of details in trees and other elements of the landscapes. And I tend to get caught up into the small details very quickly. Whenever I look at a landscape reference photo, I can't help but imagine how much time I would need to spend perfecting it. And this is why I usually avoid painting landscapes altogether. However, I came up with an idea to overcome this challenge. If landscapes scare me because of their complexity in detail, then I need to find a way to simplify the process. Furthermore, I often like certain elements of various photos, but not the entire photo. So I decided to collect photos with various elements I like and create a totally new landscape by combining them. This method not only triggers my imagination, but it also allows me to simplify the painting process because I don't have a single specific reference photo. I don't really look at it while painting. I need to use my imagination and then I simplify things as I paint. I used my iPad and Procreate app to create the landscape. As a browse through the photos, I searched for elements that I could combine to create a new imaginary landscape. I started with a big brush strokes. I covered the larger areas to establish the main elements. I knew that I wanted to include mountains in the background, some rocks and water in the foreground. I also like the idea of a tree growing on the rocks. So I added that to, and I added trees in the distance along with grasses and bunches growing on the rocks to add interest. And perhaps some more color. From there, I created a more defined pencil sketch and refine it into a final line drawing, which I then use to draw the sketch on watercolor paper. The beauty of this painting process was the freedom I had to use any colors and painting techniques I want it without being limited by a specific reference photo. This approach allows me to simplify the process and also react to what was happening on the paper in a more creative and less stressful way. Overall, it was a truly enjoyable process. Unlike my floral paintings, I wanted to use more subdued colors to create a calm and peaceful mood. When it comes to creating a peaceful and serene landscape. The use of Khan, subdued colors can be incredibly effective. Soft muted tones can evoke a sense of tranquility and can help to create the feeling of stillness and calmness in the viewer. However, I also wanted to add pops of color to certain areas to create visual interest. I achieved that by adding more saturated red and brown plants growing on the rocks. I hope you feel inspired already. And you will give this painting ago. Before you dive in and start painting, I would like to encourage you to take the time to watch each step of the tutorial carefully. By doing so, you can get a better idea of what to expect and you can be better prepared to follow along the painting process. Okay, so let's get started. 3. Furthest Planes: So to paint this landscape, we will be using painting technique that involves starting with the furthest planes and working our way towards the closest areas. Therefore, will begin. Painting from the sky and gradually move towards the foreground. By paper is secured to a gator board using staples and masking tape. Additionally, to achieve the desired angle for optimal paint flow, I've placed a rolled towel beneath the upper portion of the gator board. This will allow the paint to flow more smoothly and result in seamless color transitions. I'll be using a brush size 12th. Before we begin painting. It's important to carefully considered the colors we'll be using. For the sky. I typically prefer to use cobalt blue due to its depth and richness. Although I know that serial young blue is a very common choice. However, I find serially and blue to be two. Granulating. Cobalt blue is also granulating, but much less. However, this time I intend to create a more muted effect. So to achieve this, I'm also adding permanent rose and yellow ocher. Think about these colors as three primaries. Blue is cobbled, blue, red is permanent rose, and yellow is yellow ocher. When we mix three primary colors, we will get black, gray, or brown depending on on proportions and thickness of the paint. I know that I will be using yellow ocher for the rags. So I can already incorporated to this mix. I also think that I will use permanent rose to add some extra touches. As I mentioned, when we mix three primary colors, we get a neutral hue, something like black, gray, or brown. By applying this knowledge, we can effectively mute down the cobalt blue by mixing it with permanent rose and yellow ocher. To ensure I have enough of each color on hand, I will keep separate puddles of yellow ocher and permanent rose readily available on my palette. And I actually think that I will start with a very light tone of yellow ocher in the sky. I'm thinking about the afternoon sky. The blue is less intense already and there is that nice, yellowish, warm glow. When I was thinking about the best approach for this painting, I realized that I could begin painting the sky and incorporating some distant trees at the same time. Well, maybe not trees. I won't be focusing on detailed tree structures. I'd like to just suggest they are present in the distance. So I decided to prepare also puddle of Payne's gray, which is very dark blue, mixed with cobalt blue and Winsor green, yellow shade. This makes, will give us a nice very deep dark turquoise, which I think will work well for the distant trees. While trees are typically Green, we also have to consider aerial perspective when painting them in the distance. So as a result, they often have a bluish tint and are lighter in tone. I'm sorry for the glare in the middle of this bottle. I didn't notice that the lighting was set up this way. It should improve as we continue. Okay, now, let's move on to painting the sky. So now with a large brush size, 12th, pick up a very light mix of yellow ocher. If the mixture contains some cobalt blue or permanent rose, that's fine. Just keep it very light. Using this mixture, begin applying it to the sky area. Try to paint more or less around the trees, leaving gaps where the trees will be added later. With a darker mix. We've prepared. Work quickly. Don't be afraid to cover a large area. Since we're painting wet on dry, ensure that the paint is very watery. This will keep the paint wet on the paper for a longer period. And you will be able to blend the colors nicely in the middle of the sky at a slightly more permanent rose and above the mountains. On the right. Use more cobbled blue. Don't worry if you overlap the mountains as they will be darker anyway. Next, use your dark bluish turquoise mix to paint an indication of distance trees. Keep the paint watery and hold your painting at an angle. Start with a light tone. Notice how a big brush allows to cover big areas. Don't worry about details yet. As the aim is to create a background, a base for the main trees. While the paint is still wet, add a darker tone, softening the edges as you go. If you see any hard edges, quickly urines and unblock your brush, and then run your clean damp brush along that edge to smooth it out. Switch to a smaller round brush size four to create more distinct indications of trees in the distance. The paper is starting to dry out so the paint will spread less. This can be used to create more distinct shapes. I again switched to a brush size 12 because I want to wet that area and add some yellow ocher in my head. There is a river bank far in the distance. So it may have some brown in it. Keep everything very light as aerial perspective comes into play. And there may also be fog in the lower parts of the woods. The aim is to keep it light as everything is in the distance. Using a brush size four, I'm indicating individual trees in the distance. For creating the sharp tops of the trees, I switched Designers brush size zero, which is like a rigger brush, but it has shorter bristles and the very fine tip. At this point, the paint on the paper is beginning to dry, making it the most critical moment in painting. You need to be very careful with the wetness of your paint. Now, you can use a paint consistency that is similar to what is already on the paper or thicker. If you use too much water, it will push away the paint already on the paper, creating blooms. To add the tree shapes. I'm using a thicker consistency. The thicker the paint, the less it will spread on the paper. Describing the idea of thickness of paint is difficult since it depends on how wet your paper is. With experience, you will be able to judge the consistency intuitively by feeling how wet your paper is and how wet the paint on your brush should be. Okay. Now leave it to dry. You may leave it to dry naturally for about 15 min and then use a hairdryer to speed up the drying time. Once dry, we can move on to the next part. 4. Right River Bank: In this section, we will work on painting the river bank on the right-hand side and the background of the trees. Let's start from a wetting this area. I'm trying to wet the middle and the lower part of the trees. My idea is that I want to keep the tops of the trees sharp. So I want to paint them wet on dry. But when I go down, I want the paint spread in the water and create that nice foggy effect. Now with the same mix that we used on the left-hand side. So a mix of Payne's gray, Winsor green, yellow shade, cobalt blue. I'm painting the trees. I'm using vertical brush strokes to indicate the shapes of the trees. I was switching to a smaller size six brush. I want to experiment with colors. So I'm also adding a bit of permanent rose to the mix. And I'm diluting the paint. I want to use a very light tone now to paint the trees in the back with a clean, damp brush or big brush. I'm lifting out the paint that is flowing down into the land area. I want to remove the paint from that area because I'm planning to make it more brown. So I don't want those colors to mix. I'm using a mix of yellow ocher and burnt sienna to suggest the brown river bank. Now that the trees are a bit less wet, I'm using a small Designers brush size zero and the thick dark paint to create more prominent tree shapes to make the color more greenish. I'm also adding a touch of green gold to the mix. When painting, I'm taking into consideration the typical shape of a pine tree and using brush strokes to create that structure. Keep in mind that at this stage you have to use a thicker paint consistency to avoid unwanted blooms. I'm adding some faint tree shapes in the background. At a later stage, I will add more of them and make them slightly more prominent. Now using a Designers brush, I'm painting vertical lines that blurs slightly in the damp paint. Those lines are tree trunks and they suggest the presence of more trees. We don't have to paint all of them in detail. Here I'm using the dark thick paint to create more defined branches for the pine tree. To add some variety in tone and color and indicate shadows on the ground. I'm adding burnt sienna with some dark blue. This is enough for this stage, but we will add more details later on. Now, let everything dry completely before moving on to the next stage. 5. Mountains: First, we need to ensure everything is dry before painting the mountains. Although the mountains are actually further away than the trees. So we should have painted them earlier. But we will treat them as if they are in the same plane. And there is a reason for that. We won't be painting the entire mountains because we want to create a misty effect where only the top parts of the mountains are visible. We've missed at the bottom. So we won't really focus on the lower part of the mountains. For the mountains, we're going to need a cleaner blues, so make some room on your palette for a cleaner color. I think to paint the mountains, I will be using a brush size eight. Let's start from mixing cobalt blue with a small amount of permanent rose. Just a little bit of permanent rose to create a lavender color. I'm also thinking about ultramarine blue for this. However, I think it might be a bit too cool for my taste. I'm in this particular case, but I will mix it with my cobalt blue and the permanent rose anyway. Begin by using a light tone of the blue lavender mix to paint the mountains. Keep in mind a general idea that you paint the top of the mountains first and then you smooth out the paint as you move downwards. This technique will give the mountains amiss the appearance with the fog covering the base of the mountains. You can experiment with different colors and towns as you paint. But our plan is to keep the mountains furthest away, the lightest in town, and the ones closer to the viewer, darker. As you paint the mountains, leave some white gaps, which will serve as indications of snow on the highest parts of the mountains. These whitespaces will add a realistic touch to the painting, making the mountain range appear more natural and textured. By being intentional about leaving these white gaps, you will create a beautiful contrast between the snow and the blue-gray tones of the mountains. Adding depth and dimension to your painting. To create the darker mountains will use a neutral brown mix of Payne's gray and burnt sienna. This color is versatile and can be easily adjusted to shift towards blue, brown, or green by adding other colors. The neutral gray tone is ideal for adding depth and texture to the mountain range, making it appear more natural and realistic. With this mix, you can create a range of tones from dark shadows, the mid tones. One of the most important aspects of painting misty mountains is creating the illusion of fog at the base of the mountains. To achieve this effect, it's crucial to smooth out the paint at the bottom of the mountains. This technique will help create a soft blended transition from the mountains to the fog, giving your painting a realistic and atmospheric feel. As you work on your painting, you may find that some parts of the mountains need to be darker than others. In these cases, it's perfectly fine to go over the mountains. And again, using the appropriate colors to achieve the desired effect. By layering the colors and gradually building up the intensity. You can create a range of tones and textures that will bring your painting to life. Remember, painting is a process of experimentation. So don't be afraid to make adjustments as you go. After laying down the first layer of color and creating the basic shape of the mountain range. It's important to let everything dry completely. Once the paint is dry, you can begin to add more depth and detail to the painting using a smaller brush and a darker tone of the colors you used in the first layer. You can start painting the creases and crevices in the rocks. These lines may seem simple, but they are crucial for creating the characteristic structure of the mountain range. Think of them as the shadows that give the mountains their shape and dimension. Keep in mind that the light source in this painting is coming from the left side, slightly, slightly in the back. This means that the darker shadows will be on the right hand side of the mountain. By adding these subtle details, you can create a sense of realism, depth that will make your painting stand out. Painting this landscape is a really intuitive process and it's essential to make your painting your own. While it's always helpful to have a reference photo to guide you, it's important to remember that the photo is just an inspiration and you are the one creating the artwork. This is the actual reference photo that I'm looking at from time to time. But as you can tell, it's just an inspiration. My painting doesn't look like the photo at all. As you paint, take inspiration from the reference photo, but feel free to deviate from it and follow your instincts. Use your intuition to make color choices and details and create a composition that speaks to you. This is something that I'm learning now with this painting. And every time when I paint a landscape, painting is a creative process. And by making it your own, you can infuse your art with your own unique style and perspective. Once you've finished painting the mountains, let them dry completely before moving on to the next part of the painting. This will prevent any unwanted mixing or smudging of colors as you work on the trees. Once the paint is dry, we can move on to the next part of the painting where we'll be working on the trees. So remember to take your time and work at your own pace. 6. Trees: In this part of the painting process, our main focus will be on the trees. Make sure that the previous layer is completely dry before moving on. As we'll be adding another layer on top of it. The previous layer must be bone-dry to avoid any smudging or blending of colors. I'll be using a brush size eight. And when it comes to colors, I'll be using a mix of Payne's gray and Winsor green, yellow shade. When it comes to paint consistency, it's important to strike a balance between being too dry. And two, it I know easier said than done. I consistency that is too dry. We'll make it difficult to paint. A good consistency to aim for is one that's milky texture. This will allow the paint to flow smoothly and help us achieve a better result. To start painting the trees will begin with. The tree on the left will be using a wet on dry technique, which means we will be applying wet paint onto a dry surface to create the pine tree branches will be using a dabbing motion with the brush, along with a lot of very short brush strokes. This will help create the texture and structure of the branches. Start from the top of the tree and work your way down towards the middle. The middle section of the tree will be one big spot of paint. But we should still focus on the branches and tried to create their structure. As you work on the branches, try to vary the length and direction of the brush strokes to give the tree a more natural look. You can also use the tip of the brush to create finer details and smaller branches. The bottom area is very dark, so use more paint and slightly thicker consistency. Once you've finished painting the branches of the tree, you can move on to the other tree in the scene using the same techniques to create their unique structures in textures. As you can see, it's not really very realistic. It's just a very loose interpretation of a pine tree. But that's totally enough for my taste. To add more interest and depth to the trees. We can play around with the tonal values of the paint. In particular, we can add a darker tone in the middle section of the tree to create a sense of shadow and contrast. To do this, we can mix a darker shade of paint and apply it to the middle section of the tree. In addition to adding a darker tone, we can also make some areas of the tree are lighter and other areas darker to create more variation in tonal values. This can be done by using a lighter or darker shadows of the original color and applying them selectively to different parts of the tree. By playing around with the tonal values, we can create a sense of depth and interests in the trees, making them more visually engaging. As you approach the bottom of the trees. You can use a lighter tone of paint to create a misty effect that suggests depth and atmosphere. In the words. To create this effect, we can use a lighter shade of the original color and apply it in a thin, translucent layers to the bottom of the trees. Use a light hand and blend the paint smoothly into the surrounding area to create a gradual transition from the midst to the trees. By using this technique, we can create the impression of a misty, foggy atmosphere in the words, which can add an element of mystery and depth to the painting. This is especially effective when combined with the other techniques that we've discussed, such as creating tonal variation and texture in the trees. As you move on to the next tree, continue to play with the tonal values to create a sense of depth and contrast. To do this, we can gradually darken the tone of the paint as we move downwards, just as we did with the previous tree. When working on the third tree, you can notice that the second tree has already started to dry out. This gives us an opportunity to create an illusion of dimensionality by painting darker branches that overlap the previous tree. By using this technique, we can create a sense of depth and complexity in the painting that makes it feel more realistic and dynamic. Use a darker shade of paint and apply it in short, overlapping brushstrokes to create the effect of overlapping branches. Be sure to use a light touch and build up the layers of paint gradually to create a sense of depth and texture. As you work your way down the tree, you can once again use a lighter tone of paint to create them miss the effect at the bottom. We can also go over the branches with more paint and apply more brushstrokes, choose to create a bit more texture. As we move on to the next tree, will be changing the colors on our palate to create a lighter and a warmer green that will help to create a different look and feel. To do this, we'll need to create a clean space on our palette and mix yellow ocher and Winsor green, yellow shade. This makes will give us a beautiful warm green that slightly muted down, creating a natural and organic feel. Use this color to apply the first foundation layer on the branches of the next tree, which may be a spruce tree with lower branches hanging down. However, you can feel free to create your own unique tree shape. To make this painting your own. To create the branches, use short dabbing strokes with a brush that's the appropriate size for the scale of the tree. I'm using here a brush size eight. Focus on the general shape of the tree and the placement of the branches. Using the lighter green color to establish the basic structure of the tree. As you work on the tree, use darker shades of the same green to create tonal variation and texture. Building up the layers of paint to create a sense of depth and complexity. Remember to step back and evaluate your work frequently to ensure that you are achieving the desired effect. The first light layer of paint is just the foundation. And now we want to start building up the texture and depth of the painting of this tree to create the appearance of light green branches that are leaked by the sunlight from behind. We will need to add additional layers of paint to our tree. Remember the light source in this painting is located behind the trees, the branches that are facing us. The viewer will appear darker. By layering additional paint onto the branches, we can create the appearance of depth and texture, gradually building up the tonal values to create a realistic and dynamic effect. To create a natural and organic experience, It's important to bury the brushstrokes and avoid creating obvious patterns that repeat across the painting. Instead. Try to create a sense of randomness and irregularity that mimics the appearance of nature. One way to achieve this is by varying the shape of your brushstrokes using different brush angles to create a variety of marks and textures. Another approach is to mix up the direction and orientation of your brushstrokes. Painting some branches with horizontals strokes and others with diagonal or vertical strokes. By avoiding repetitive patterns and a bracing the natural irregularities of the tree, you can create a more lifelike and engaging painting that captures the essence of the natural world. Adding Payne's gray to the green mix is a great way to create darker, more shadowed areas on the tree. As you apply the darker layer, be sure to focus on the middle part of the tree and the areas where the branches overlap and create shadows. When working with the wet areas, you can take advantage of the way the paint spreads and blends. Using it to create interesting gradations of color and texture. In drier areas. Continue to use dabbing motions and short brush strokes to create the texture and appearance of branches. Take your time when you paint this tree. This particular tree is a central element of the salary and therefore requires careful attention. Ensure that each branch is given the proper care and attention it deserves. On the edges, use a mix of yellow ocher and the Winsor green yellow shade. So your base mix gradually build up the branches using short brushstrokes, taking care to ensure that each stroke adds to the overall texture and depth of the tree. In order to create a bit more realistic depiction of the tree, we have to pay attention to the placement of the branches. Some branches will be closer to as appearing in front of the trunk, while others will be located on the opposite side of the tree. As we are observing the tree from the shadow side. It's important to note that the branches that are closer to us will appear darker than those located further away. When painting, it's essential to take note of the trunks placement in relation to the branches. Notice that in the final painting there is that nice trunk that is visible through the branches, that is showing through the branches. As branches are painted in front of the trunk, they may obscure or partially hide the trunk from view. We'll paint the trunk later. So now focus on the, on the branches. As we continue to work on our painting, it's time to focus on the smaller trees located on the right-hand side of the composition. Remember the trees that appear darker in town are closer to us, while those that are lighter are located further away. When painting these trees, feel free to use a variety of colors to create a natural and varied effect. At this stage, I'm personally using more green in my painting, but feel free to experiment with different shades and tones to achieve the desired effect. We can also paint over the trees in the back with a slightly darker tone to make them more prominent, but not too much, because we have to keep in mind that they are in the distance. Now prepare a mixture of yellow ocher, Payne's gray and burnt sienna. We will use it to paint the trunks of the trees. As always, it's best to begin by using a light tone to establish the shape and width of the trunk. This will serve as a base layer for the darker towns that will be added later. To add variety and interest to the trunks will also add darker towns in specific areas. This can be done by simply dropping in a slightly darker color in a few places to create depth and texture. Using a single color for the trunks of the trees may look flat and one-dimensional. Therefore, it's always a good idea to add a different color or to the mix. This will help to create a more natural and interesting appearance, giving the trunks depth and dimension. Now it's time to focus on painting the trunks that show through the branches. As you work, pay close attention to the placement of the branches and be sure to leave gaps in the trunk to indicate where the branches are located. Leaving these gaps is important for creating a natural and realistic effect. If we were to paint a single long trunk from bottom to top, it would suggest that the branches only grow on the other side of the tree, which is not accurate. In reality, the branches grow all around the trunk. And by leaving gaps in the trunk where the branches cross, we can create a more realistic and accurate depiction of the tree. Using a smaller pointed brush, such as Designers brush size zero, it's time to add some dry branches to the tree. These branches are random in nature and they are placement should be organic and natural looking. If you have a rigger brush, that would be an excellent choice for this task as well. The long thin bristles of a rigger brush allow for greater control and precision when painting thin, delicate lines and details. Adding these dr, branches will give the tree a more natural appearance and add interests to the overall composition. Be sure to vary the length and thickness of the branches to make them look realistic. As you work on the branches, you can also add some darker spots on the tree trunk to suggest texture. Finally, paint the tree trunks in the rest of the trees. Don't forget to leave some gaps as you paint the trunk to indicate the presence of branches in front of the tree. Put in also some distant tree trunks in the lower part. This will be a suggestion that there are more trees in that area. As you work on the trunks, consider adding some shadows and darker tones to the ground area. This will add depth and texture to the painting and help ground the trees in their environment. Remember to take your time and build up the painting, gradually making adjustments and additions as you go with patients and attention to detail, you'll be able to create a beautiful and life-like representation of a natural landscape. Now that the tree trunks are complete, it's time to move on to painting the rocks. Leave everything to dry before beginning the next stage. And we'll continue with the painting process in the next part. 7. Initial Layer on the Rocks: In this section of our project, we will begin the process of painting in the rocks. To ensure that we achieved the desired outcome, we will split the task of painting the rocks into two parts. In this first part, our goal is to establish a solid foundation for the racks by painting and initial layer that will set the overall color scheme. During this stage, we will focus on creating a strong base for our painting without getting bogged down into details. By laying down this foundation will be able to establish the main hues and tones of the rocks, which will provide a roadmap for the subsequent steps of our painting process. Before we begin, let's take care of the edges of the previous layer. This will ensure that our painting looks clean and polished. We'll use a scrubber brush now, a great option for this is Winsor and Newtons Galleria brush size for this type of brush is ideal for scrubbing away excess paint and smoothing out the edges. I use this brush a lot in almost every painting to smooth out the edges of the previous layer. Start by dipping the scrubber brush in water, then dab it on a paper towel to remove any excess water. Next, gently rub the brush on the sharp edges of the paint to soften them out. Be gentle with the brush, and apply just the right amount of pressure to achieve the desired effect. Each time you lift up the paint, you should dip the brush back in water, dab it on a paper towel, and then move on to the next area to soften. This will ensure that we are not spreading excess paint around and that we are working with a clean brush each time. Repeat the process until you've softened all of the desired areas. On the left-hand side where the trees are very dark. I think I will make the rocks also very dark, and I will try to blend them with the trees. Let's begin by applying some color to the rocks using a brush size eight. However, before we start, let's introduce a pop of color to this painting. I believe the yellowish brown plants growing behind the trees will be an excellent place to start. Up until now, I have avoided using any strong vibrant colors, but now I want to add some plants are always a fantastic way to infuse the painting with interesting color pups. To achieve a vibrant golden brown mix, yellow ocher, Winsor, yellow deep, and burnt sienna. This blend can be used to suggest an area of brown plans. The species of the plant doesn't really matter. I don't know what those plans are. What matters is the worm golden hue that I want to introduce to this painting. As the ground area meets the background trees at this demarcation line is created to suggest a big area of plans. I'm painting larger spots of color below that line. Conversely, above the line, I'm using short random brushstrokes and dabbing dots to create the impression of individual plans. It's also a good idea to alter the tone and color as you paint. In some areas use more burnt sienna, while in others, introduce more Winsor yellow deep. To add depth and complexity to the painting, I'm using the dark color that we previously used for the tree trunks, which is a mix of burnt sienna, Payne's gray. This mixture will introduce more color and more value variety to this area. I'm also using this color to paint the roots of the trees that grow on the rocks. This creates a visual connection between the trees and the rocks and sets the trees in stone. Quite literally. Now it makes a very light, neutral tone. I mix of burnt sienna and cobalt blue hues this color to start painting the rocks, this color serves as an excellent foundation to build upon. By adding more burnt sienna, yellow, ocher or cobalt blue, we can easily shift the hue more towards brown, yellow, or blue. Additionally, to create a darker tone, we can add Payne's gray. As you paint the racks. Keep two main ideas in mind. First and foremost, take into consideration the light source. As the light source is positioned above and slightly behind, only the upper parts of the rocks will catch the highlights. Secondly, consider the shadows on the rugs. View them as big blocks arranged one behind the other. Each block that is situated towards the back will have a darker wall, creating shadow area. This will add a sense of dimensionality to the rocks, making them appear more substantial and life-like. When painting rocks, It's also important to vary the colors and avoid using the same hue throughout. Rocks can have many colors and can reflect colors from the surroundings using various shades, such as blue, brown, neutral tones, greens and yellows will enhance the paintings authenticity. Let's assume these rocks are sandstones are basic color, is neutral, yellowish brown. From there, we can freely modify the color palette, especially in the shadow areas. In shadow areas use cooler colors, such as more cobalt blue. And in places where darker tones are necessary, add more Payne's gray. Consider adding more blue to the lower parts of the rocks as well as the rocks may reflect blue tones from the water. Using blue will make the painting more lifelike and realistic. When painting rocks, take your time and divide them into sections to build their form gradually. Although you may not be looking at the reference photo. And I'm not looking at any at the moment. Our basic sketch that Marx the rocks, prominent shapes can help you create the desired forms. As you paint, allow the form of the rocks to build in your imagination and be responsive to what's happening on the paper. I know that I want to add some green grasses here and there. So in some areas, I'm using green to suggest the grass. While painting the grass, try to visualize its growth direction and use straight brushstrokes to replicate it. I must admit that the process that I am undertaking now is quite chaotic and unpredictable. It's rather difficult for me to provide an exact description and a set of specific steps. Nevertheless, my hope is that you will be able to grasp. But the general concept of what we're doing here, if you're looking to replicate what I'm doing, I suggest watching this section and then pausing the video at a point where you can see a larger portion of the painting That's already been completed. From there, you can look at my painting and recreate it in your painting. Currently, we are in the process of mapping out the colors and blocking in the larger sections of the rocks to establish a strong foundation. Our next step will be to add additional details to enhance the rocks even further. On the left-hand side, my plan is to add some bashes to the painting. So at this stage, I don't want to focus too much on the rocks. Instead, let's focus on introducing various colors and textures to create a large rocky wall. We'll begin by applying lighter tones at the top of the wall and gradually introduce darker shades as we move towards the bottom. By doing so, we'll give the illusion that this rock is situated behind the one that is visible in the foreground. I'm mixing burnt sienna with permanent rose and adding random spots here and there to suggest the presence of colorful bushes. Later we will add more prominent red marks. Since we are painting rocks, imperfections, blooms, and hard edges are not major concerns. In fact, these will only serve to contribute to the natural look of the rocks. So there is no need to stress over achieving super smooth washes of the color. This is one of the great aspects of painting landscapes. Once you've finished painting, the rocks on the left use similar colors to add shadows to the rocks protruding from the water and the rock in the bottom right corner. Notice that I'm leaving the top parts of the rocks white to indicate the highlight. These areas may be given some color later. The rock in the corner, we'll have a sandstone color at the top, where the sunlight hits. The walls in the shadow will be very dark. Once you've completed this step, allow everything to dry completely. In the next part will be adding details to the rocks, as well as painting additional grasses and colorful pushes to add some interests and color pups. 8. Finishing the Rocks: This stage of the painting process is quite fun. Our focus will be on refining the shadows, incorporating intricate cracks and crevices in the rocks, and adding some colorful plants. I will primarily use brush size eight, but I will also switch to smaller brushes to add fine details and paint the grass. I will probably switch to Designers brush size zeros. To begin, let's create a dark mix of burnt sienna and Payne's gray. Start by applying this color to the upper left portion of the rocks while painting, keeping in mind the significance of using different color combinations and tonal values to add variation and depth to the artwork. Here, I've decided to add a touch of green gold to the painting, which could represent most growing on the rocks, or perhaps just some green reflections from the surrounding grass. Continue on with the painting. I gradually shift the color to achieve a more nuanced and life-like scene. I'm using a golden brown hue to indicate the presence of some plants that are of that color. And then as I proceed, I transition to a bluish hue with an added touch of cobalt blue. I use this bluish color to paint the shadows that fall on the rugs while simultaneously leaving the uppermost part unpainted to emphasize the highlight. In addition to signify a greater contrast between the light and dark areas, I'm adding a darker tone to the bottom of the wall to suggest that deeper shadow. Switching back to the Designers brush size is zero. I take advantage of its thin bristles to create the illusion of green grasses. In addition, I also use this brush to intensify the shadows on the rocks to create a more realistic appearance. In this next section of the painting, I'm adding additional grass. This time using multiple short brush strokes to depict the green blades. I'm also using a combination of golden spots to suggest the presence of other types of plants. In this area. I use a dark tone to paint the roots of the tree and emphasize the rock crevices. Then with the darker brown tone, a mixture of burnt sienna and a small amount of black. I'm adding individual grass blades to create a texture appearance. To achieve better precision, I switched to a smaller brush size for which I feel will work better for this specific task. Now I carefully work on the rocks, gradually building their shape and by darkening the shadows and adding various cracks, crevices and grasses. I start by applying a lighter tone, which I like to think of as a testing layer. And this allows me to assess whether the color works well in this specific area, whether the area is correct, D painted, and whether it looks visually pleasing. Once I'm satisfied with the result, I apply the color again, deepening the hue, and adding more intricate details to further refine the rocks of periods. Over the next few minutes, I will be working on various parts of the rocks, adding more and more details to create a more realistic and engaging image. It's difficult to describe precisely what I am doing this time. So I will hold off on further explanation until we reach the big rock on the left. For this big rock, I thought we could experiment with a dry brush technique to add a unique and tactile texture to the surface. Dry brushing in this case, involves using the side of the bristles instead of the full brush, which can create an array of effects. To begin, load your brush with dark brown paint, then gently dab the bristles on the paper towel to remove any excess moisture and create a dryer brush. Then hold the brush at a low angle and use this side of the bristles to wrap gently on the surface of the paper. Because we're using cold press paper. Unless you're using hot press paper, it already has some natural texture. When we use a nearly dry brush, the paint doesn't seep into the papers valleys, but rather stays on the Regis, creating a beautiful and unique texture that adds more visual interests to the rocks. To create variety. We can experiment with different colors and textures on the various rocks in our painting. For the big blueish rock in the front, I'm using more Payne's gray for a darker and more dramatic effect. We can also add a bit of the texture to some of the highlighted areas for edit interests. However, don't overdo it. Applying texture to every single rock can result in a blood shear periods, which we want to avoid. Instead, it's better to suggest the texture on just a few rocks. As this can be enough to spark the viewer's imagination and make the painting feel more dynamic. Take a step back and examine the entire rock formation in your painting. Are there any areas that look too flat or lag depth? If so, you can add more shadows or crevices to create more dimension. This will help the rocks look more natural and realistic. You may also want to add more grass in some areas or darken other areas that appear to light. Make sure to adjust the tonal values as needed to create a balance and cohesive scene. Remember, painting is a process of trial and error. So don't be afraid to make changes until you are happy with the final result. To create a beautiful deep red, Let's make some permanent rose with Winsor yellow deep. It's important now to maintain a thick paint consistency. To achieve an opaque texture. We can use this lashes red color to add a visual element by painting red dots. These dots can represent red flowers or maybe red berries that grow on the brushes. While painting them, experiment with variations of the color. The darker or lighter shades of red. Additionally, you can also adjust the amount of yellow to suit your individual preference and artistic vision. The vibrant red hue is incredibly striking and adds a dynamic pop of color, making the entire scene much more captivating. After you've added the red dots to the bushes, it's time to add some fine details to make them look more realistic. To do this, you can switch that Designers brush or a rigger brush, which has long bristles that come to a fine point. Dip the brush into a dark brown color and use it to paint long thin lines that represent the tweaks of the brushes. These tweaks should be placed in a way that suggests the direction of growth and the structure of the brushes. Next, take a step back and look at the painting as a whole. You may notice like me, that the upper part of the painting is still a bit too light and needs more definition. If that's the case, mix, a darker tone of green or brown inner play to the areas that need more depth. You can add the darker grasses to the upper part of the painting to give it more interest. To finish the racks here, I think I want to do one more thing. I'm going to use white gouache mixed with yellow ocher. Adding opaque yellowish dots with white gouache mixed with yellow ocher is a great way to bring more interests to the rocks and indicate more plans. When you're adding these dots, try to vary the size and shape to make it look more natural. You can also experiment with the opacity of the dots to create different effects. Every time when I mix white gouache with watercolor paint to change the color, I think I should just buy different colors of gouache. And I always forget to do this. White gouache is very versatile and it's always good to keep one small tube of it. However, sometimes other ready-made colors would be very useful to. I always mix white gouache with watercolors to get a different color, but the resulting color is always pastel. And sometimes a stronger whew would be better. We can't forget about the rock in the bottom right corner and the histones protruding from the water. Let's paint the big rock first. Use a light yellow ocher tone first. And the dry brush technique to add texture in the top part with the highlight. Then use dark colors to add texture to the wall. I'm using here a mix of burnt sienna and Payne's gray. But I'm also adding a touch of Cobalt blue. Now that we have established the base of the painting with the dry brush technique, we can add the more structure in the top part. To achieve this, use a small brush to carefully paint crevices and other irregularities in the rugs. This will add more organic and naturalistic feel to the rock. With the main components of the painting complete. It's time to turn our attention to the histones protruding from the water. While it can be tempting to go into details, sometimes less is more. Instead of trying to capture every nuance of each stone, simply paint just the main shadow by using a variety of colors such as blues, grays, and browns. We can add visual interest to the stones. With the majority of the painting complete. It's time to take a break and allow the previous layers to dry completely. In the next and the final part, we'll focus on painting the water. 9. Water: Before I begin painting the water, I would like to take a moment to smooth out the edge in the distance that I overlooked earlier. It is crucial that this particular area is rendered smoothly as objects in the distance tend to appear less distinct and more blurred. To achieve a smoother look, I am using a damp scrubber brush. Once again, with a delicate touch. I'm gently rubbing the jagged edge to create a smoother edge. After doing so, I am carefully dabbing the area with a paper towel to remove any excess paint and ensure that the edges properly blended. As we move on to painting the water, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. The first is that we don't have to apply the paint to the entire water area. Rather, we should leave the lightest areas of the water unpainted, allowing the whiteness of the paper to serve as a reflection of the sky. Secondly, it's important to use horizontal and vertical brushstrokes to convey the level and stillness of the water. Remember that the surface of the water, no matter where the water is, whether it's in a glass in the ocean or in the river. This surface is always vertical. Avoiding diagonal lines will prevent the appearance of an earthquake like disturbance in the water. Thirdly, using straight vertical lines in our brushstrokes can help to create elongated reflections of objects such as trees and rocks. And finally, we should use darker colors to represent objects reflected in the water. As these reflections are typically darker in town in deeper. While it's important to consider the color of the object being reflected. It's also important to note that water itself can change colors depending on the lighting conditions and surrounding environment. When starting to paint the water, it's best to begin with a greenish, bluish or brownish color and see how it appears on the paper. From there, you can adjust the color to your liking. For instance, I'm starting with a muddy, brownish, green, but I find it to greenish and too light. So I'm adding Payne's gray to deepen the color and achieve a darker tone. To create texture and irregularities in the water. We can use a gentle vertical brushstroke with less paint. So a dry brush technique that we used for texture on the rocks. On the right-hand side of the water. We should use a darker tone. Use a thicker paint consistency of Payne's gray to create a greater sense of contrast and depth. We can drop in a darker tone to indicate the reflection of trees in the water. Adding an extra layer of realism and detailed paint carefully around the rocks. The suggests the reflection of the ground in the water. We can drop in burnt sienna while the paint is still wet. While the paint is still wet, we can continue to add darker tones to deepen the color of the water. This technique allows us to achieve a rich and deep town in just one layer. To create the reflection of the rocks in the water, we can use a simple wiggling brushstrokes and leave some gaps between the marks. This technique is straightforward and effective. Adding another layer of detail in depth to the painting. As we move on to the left riverbank, we can repeat the process using darker tones on the left and lighter tones closer to the middle section of the water. While painting, we can reflect some of the colors from the Rocky bank, searches the golden plants. Finally, after adding the dark tones to the water, we may find that the riverbank looks a bit too pale. So to fix it, we can just apply more burnt sienna to create a richer and more balanced color palette in this painting. Adding one final tiny detail can bring the water to life and make the painting more dynamic. We're going to paint the sparkles underwater. To achieve this, we can use white gouache mixed with some green and blue. Simply using white gouache on its own may create an unnatural effect. So adding some blue and the green will help to match the color of the water. This small but essential detail can help to make the water appear more realistic. User Designers brush at tiny brush or even just the tip of your brush, to paint a few sparkles on the surface. Creating these Sparkles is quite simple. Using straight horizontal lines or dots placed horizontally can create the effect of light reflecting off the water. In addition, we can also use this technique to add some foaming waters near to the riverbank. Simply use the same horizontal lines or dots to suggest the movement of the water as it turns against the riverbank. Add those sparkles under this towns as well. This small detail can make a significant difference in the appearance of the stones creating a more natural effect. With the addition of those sparkles, your painting should now have a more natural and realistic look. Take a moment to step back and appreciate your hard work. Don't forget to sign your painting. Feel free to share your painting with the world. Thank you very much for watching and I hope you enjoyed this painting tutorial. Remember practice makes perfect. So keep painting and exploring your creativity. Happy painting. Bye.