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... 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.
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.