To Sketch a Waterfall, Look Beyond the Water
Plus, some substacks I find super-valuable, a discount code and book recommendations.
Waterfalls are a challenge to paint. But maybe thinking of how to paint them is putting the cart before the horse because a big chunk of the problem (for me) lies in understanding the structure of what I see.
Some waterfalls are a sheer curtain of water. They fall off an edge and that’s it until they hit the bottom. But many others jump and bubble over layers of rock before they hit the bottom. To sketch them, I look at the rock formations below the waterfall, a cross between a flight of stairs and a disorderly pile of boxes. I lightly sketch these out before I jump in with paint, and then I keep my strokes mimicking the flow of the water bouncing over these “boxes”.
Once you understand the structure underneath, you can decide how to capture the falls. In both the sketch above and the one below, I paint around the water, leaving the white of the paper, then adding some tones within the whites.
You can do this in any medium. The quick sketch below is with a limited set of colored pencils, and I contrast linear strokes for the rocks with looser strokes for moving water.
You might also try working on toned paper for a different effect.
Wax crayon is a pretty effective tool too. To get pure whites, press down hard on your strokes. Or, ease up on the pressure and the watercolor you use over the wax crayon will pool in little droplets along the stroke.
Want to join the “Sketching Together” Club, which hosts a sketching session once a month? Upgrade your subscription to join in this month’s session.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Gateway to India 2025 is now full!
Gateway to India 2025 is now FULLY BOOKED. Use this link to find out more about it and write in if you want to get on the 2025 waitlist or the 2026 Early Bird List.
My workshops through July 2024 are full. Workshops for the second half of the year to be announced soon.
RANDOM STUFF
A discount code for you.
Art Toolkit hosted my “Color that Pops” workshop last month. They shared a 10% discount code just for you. Use the code COLORPOPS10 for 10% off your purchase. Code expires soon on April 6th.
Book Recommendation
• Your Art Will Save Your Life by Beth Pickens A friend gave me a copy of this book last week. I think it’s a book you will find useful to have and read from time to time.
• If Modern Art sometimes baffles you (like it does me), you might want to read What Are You Looking At?: The Surprising, Shocking, and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 Years of Modern Art. I am finding it to be quite a fun and accessible read. And “accessible” and “modern art” don’t often come together for me.
Some of my Favorite Substacks
• I’ve mentioned Nina Khashchina’s substack before. Here are some other ones I read regularly.
• I’ve never read/watched anything by James Gurney where I didn’t learn a lot. His demos and writing are superb. Follow him here.
• Bill Russell writes Illustrated Journalism. This is the place to find personal stories and histories of visual journalists over the years and find places and lives to be inspired by.