Waterfalls can be one of the most amazing things to paint in a landscape painting. However, painting them to look "soft and misty" can be a bit of a problem.

There are a few points that should be considered when setting up a waterfall painting:

1. Waterfall placement. Where you put the waterfall is very important. All of the painting is built around the waterfall. After selecting a place to put the falls (usually just below or above the horizontal center line is good and off to the right or left of the vertical center line) sketch around the falls to ensure the size and shape are good. Then leave that area blank until you are ready to begin the falls.

2. Slippery paint leads to a muddy painting.  Keep the waterfall area very dry. When it's time to under-paint the waterfall start by covering the area with a soft blue. Then add in any dark rocks. Do not apply much paint and also no thinning medium should be used.

3. Don't over highlight. The key to making the waterfall look soft and misty is not to over highlight. Too much white and the entire waterfall will go flat. Use just enough highlight to make it "sparkle".

There are many more techniques and tips for painting waterfalls. If you need more detailed instruction consider checking out this advanced waterfall painting Full Lesson.

Today I would like to talk about one of the biggest problems that people face when trying to paint large, white clouds over a blue sky.  We start off with a soft blue sky, usually this is not a problem at all. Next, the Fan, Filbert or 1 inch Brush is loaded with Titanium White (and sometimes just a hint of red or blue to soften the color).  Then we go up to the canvas eager to see our beautiful clouds "flow out of the brush", but all we get is a muddy, blue-white mess. No white, soft clouds. All we get is a big smudge of paint!   

I have heard of (and experienced) this problem many times..... and here is how you fix it. 

1. Identify the problem. I would say that 95% of the time the problem is not with the white, but with the blue. Avoid making the sky so heavily covered with paint that it is impossible to paint anything on top.  

2. To fix this problem, wipe the entire sky with a paper towel working from the light bottom to the darker top of the sky. Do this a few times, using a clean towel each time. Notice that the painting will be about the same value as before you started wiping. The canvas is stained with the blue.

3. Test to make sure that you have enough paint removed. This is very easy. Look at the canvas, if you see the "texture, or weave" of the canvas, then you probably have the right amount of paint down. Also you can rub your finger on the sky, if almost no paint comes off, then you have a good amount of paint.

4. Repaint the clouds. Now you should have no problem creating white, large clouds, because there is simply not enough blue on the canvas to interrupt the bright white color.

Extra tip:  Always make sure your brushes are not the problem... I have made the same brushes I use available to the public! Click here to see them.



For many helpful tips and explanation on Clouds, Trees, Mountains and Water check out my line of "Techniques Series" DVDs.  http://paintwithkevin.com/

I hope this has made your painting experience more enjoyable.