I Am Trying To Make My First Waterfall

Darrell, I viewed your first DVD painting lesson and I am in the process of trying to make my first waterfall. Needless to say, it looks nothing like the one you demonstrate! I find that my paint is a little thick, or else I may not be using a good enough brush. Or maybe it’s because this is all new to me. However, could you please give me some tips on what I may be doing wrong? You make it look so wonderfully easy. Thanks so much for your time. Patsy

Hi Patsy, There could be several reasons, First, your paint could be too thick.

I thin the paint a bit with medium. For the water I use a touch of pthalo blue, titantium white and just enough medium so that the paint will flow smoothly. I load up my brush as shown on the video.

Secondly, you could be using too much pressure. I put just enough pressure to transfer the paint from the brush to the canvas. Look at the fan brush bristles. You want to make sure, as you’re stroking downward, that the bristles remain straight. When they bend, you’re using too much pressure. This is the most common problem. I have students who make sure when the paint, the bristles bend over at 90 degrees. That just makes mudd. The less bending, the better. Thirdly, speed of stroke. I say take your time. Just use a fluid, continuous, medium speed stroke from the top of the waterfall to the bottom.

I’m sure your problem is one of the above, if not, let me know. Darrell