Painting Waterfalls -
Because they are in constant motion, waterfalls can be a
challenging subject to paint. They are often painted as a
series of vertical stripes. That is one solution to the
problem of how to render
moving water, but it can make the water look frozen instead
of flowing. Two observation techniques can help artists to
paint more convincing waterfalls...
1. Let your eyes move -
Try to follow
one bit of water from the top of the waterfall all the way to
where it hits the bottom. When you do this, notice that the
water does not actually look like one continuous stream, as it
might coming out of a kitchen faucet or a hose. Instead,the water
appears composed of separate little sections. The water looks almost
as if it is being thrown from the top of the falls by someone with a
bucket, who is tossing one bucketful immediately after another.
These sections get more blurry in appearance the farther they fall,
as they split apart into individual droplets. Painting these separate
sections can make your waterfall almost seem to be moving.
2. Keep your eyes perfectly still -
Although the water is moving, you will
notice that certain patterns and shapes remain almost constant. Painting the repeating patterns you observe will help your waterfall look convincing. As these large shape patterns are unique in every waterfall, your painting will also look more like the specific falls you are painting.