waterfall in summer

2 Spray the left cliff area lightly with water
FREE BONUS DEMONSTRATION | WATERCOLOR
WATERFALL IN SUMMER
Waterfalls are one of my favorite
subjects to paint because of their
harmonic beauty of flowing mist, the
magical sounds they produce, and
the rocks under and above water and
trees. This watercolor demonstration
depicts the Sahalie Falls of the McKenzie River in Oregon.
Ω MATERIALS FOR WATERCOLOR DEMONSTRATIONS
and pour liquid red, yellow and blue in a
random fashion. Try to pour the colors
next to each other instead of overlapping.
SURFACES
140-lb. (300gsm) watercolor paper
PIGMENTS
Prussian Blue, Antwerp Blue; Pyrrol Red, Naphthol Red; Hansa Yellow
Deep, Hansa Yellow Light—choose one each of blue, red and yellow
BRUSHES
¼-inch (6mm), ½-inch (13mm) and ¾-inch (19mm) flats
nos. 2, 4, 6 and 8 rounds
OTHER SUPPLIES
copy machine, craft knife, light box, masking fluid, no. 2 pencil, paper
towels, pen, spray bottle, tracing paper, water and mixing dishes
3 Spray the colors a bit more and begin to
blend with your finger or a medium brush.
1 Reference Photo + Masked Sketch
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
4 On cliff at right, pour and blend more of the three colored liq-
5 Spray water at the lower left of the falls. Use a medium brush to
uids being careful not to overmix. Near the bottom of waterfall
use paper towels to lift up color for misty effects.
drop in a small amount of blue. Immediately spray water to create a soft and smooth blending effect that depicts flowing water.
Lightly wet the lower right area and then pour on more red, blue
and yellow liquids.
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
6 Slightly wet the lower left corner with the water sprayer and
7 Use the same brush to create a fresh mixture of thick blue
pour on the three color liquids. Use a medium flat brush to mix
the heavy red with a little blue. Apply it to the rocks there and
on the lower right.
and red. Define the rock edges in the foreground. Drop a lot of
the mixture on the left and lower right and use your mouth or a
straw to blow it around to create trees on the left and shrubs on
the lower right.
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
8 Add more trunks and branches to the trees at left using a no.
9 To create more misty effects on the cliff in the upper right,
6 round and the same method as the previous steps. On the
lower parts of the waterfall use a no. 4 round and light blue to
paint short and thin strokes to suggest water movement. Wait
for the whole painting to dry then lift up the masking on the
upper falls area and the splashing water just beneath.
use a wet paper towel to lift up color and soften the “bloomed”
edges. This is a special effect in watercolor caused by excess
water on a painted area when the water pushes the pigment
out forming bloomed edges.
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
10 To define the upper fall, lightly wet the area with water and
11 Paint the plants around the upper falls using the negative
apply light to medium blue, but make sure to leave some dry
areas. Next, paint the log and rocks below it with fresh blue and
red. Immediately, wet a no. 6 round with a little water and blend
the dark blue smoothly into the brighter areas.
painting technique and define other trees in the same way.
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
12 Call out tree trunks and branches on the upper right by
13 Use the same brush to add paint into the gaps between
painting around them with a mixture of medium to intense
blue and red. Define the rocks on the cliff by painting their
shadows with a purple mixture. Give more definition to the
rocks close to the waterfall.
the rocks and tree roots. Add another layer of trees and touch
up the white trees that were previously masked using a mix of
yellow and red.
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
14 Continue defining details of the trees and rocks. Use a no.
2 round to call out two logs in the middle left. Blend away from
the log edges to smooth them into the background. Use a little
water and a flat brush to lift up color from the tops of the rocks.
15 Lift up all masking on lower portion of the painting. At
the lower right, fill in the leaves with yellow and blue, and the
branches with red and yellow. Fill in some of the splash dots
with light blue, but leave others white.
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
FALLS | Lian Quan Zhen
Watercolor on 140-lb. (300gsm) cold-pressed paper
16" × 20" (41cm × 51cm)
Bonus watercolor demonstrations are copyrighted by Lian Quan Zhen | Originally published by North Light Books © 2013
Ideas. Instruction. Inspiration.
Receive FREE downloadable bonus materials when you sign up for
our free newsletter at artistsnetwork.com/newsletter_thanks.
Find the latest issues of The
Artist’s Magazine on newsstands, or
visit artistsnetwork.com.
These and other fine North Light
products are available at your
favorite art & craft retailer, bookstore or online supplier. Visit our
websites at artistsnetwork.com
and artistsnetwork.tv.
Visit artistsnetwork.com and
get Jen’s North Light Picks!
Get free step-by-step demonstrations along with
reviews of the latest books, videos and downloads from Jennifer Lepore, Senior Editor and
Online Education Manager at North Light Books.
Get involved
Learn from the experts. Join the conversation on
Follow North Light Books for the latest
news, free wallpapers, free demos and
chances to win FREE BOOKS!