How to Paint an Autumn Forest & River in Watercolour Step-by-Step I RAJU MORE I, by Raju More on YouTube. 24 min 30 s.
- Video length
- 24 min 30 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Tape your paper to a board and sketch a light horizon line, the river banks and a few tree trunks with a soft pencil. Keep the lines faint so they do not show through the paint.
Mix a pale wash of yellow and a touch of blue for the sky. Wet the paper first, then brush the wash across the top and let it dry.
Paint the distant trees as soft, blurred shapes using weak orange and grey mixes. Leave gaps of white paper for light and let this layer dry fully.
Mix your autumn palette: warm orange from red and yellow, gold from yellow ochre, and deep earth from burnt sienna with a little blue. Test each mix on scrap paper.
Block in the mid-ground trees with stronger orange and red washes. Vary the shapes and leave some edges soft by touching them with clean water.
Paint the river with a light blue-grey wash, then drop in darker streaks while it is still wet for reflections of the trees.
Add the foreground trees and foliage with richer, more saturated colour. Use a drier brush and short dabs to suggest leaves.
Paint the rocks with grey and brown mixes. Leave the top edges light and darken the undersides with a shadow wash to give them shape.
Add ripples with thin horizontal strokes of darker blue-grey, and a few highlights of clean water or lifted paint on the water surface.
Let the painting dry flat, then check the contrast. Deepen shadows under rocks and in the trees, and lift any mistakes with a damp brush and paper towel.
Tips and common mistakes
Let each wash dry before adding the next layer, or the colours turn muddy.
Keep your autumn mixes luminous by using no more than two or three pigments at a time.
Leave white paper for the brightest highlights instead of adding white paint.
Test colours on a scrap sheet first, since watercolour looks lighter when dry.
Questions
Do I need special autumn colours?
No. You can mix warm oranges and golds from a basic red, yellow and burnt sienna. A little blue added to orange makes the deeper earth tones.
How do I stop the river looking flat?
Paint the water in light washes and add darker reflection streaks while it is still damp. A few thin ripple lines and lifted highlights give it depth.
Can I do this on a small sheet?
Yes. A quarter sheet or A5 pad works well and dries faster. Scale the sketch down and use a smaller round brush for the trees.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
