How to Paint a Creek
- 1). Sketch ideas of your creek painting with an HB pencil or charcoal on drawing paper. Find a local creek as inspiration or use photos as reference. The painters of the Hudson River School took their canvases outdoors to paint, and it is ideal for this project to go outdoors. However, it is not necessary. You can use books, nature websites, or your imagination to create a nature landscape with a creek.
- 2). Transfer your drawing to your prepared canvas. You can lightly sketch your drawing with pencil or charcoal onto the prepared canvas using your sketch as a guide. The paint will cover these marks, so you don't have to worry about erasing afterward.
- 3). Brush your paint onto your canvas. Start with a large brush to fill in large spaces. You will go back into detail later with smaller brushes and more paint.
- 4
Paint perspective by creating two parallel lines that meet at the horizon line.track perspective image by Paula Gent from Fotolia.com
Paint the contours, or outline of your creek, which will look like two almost parallel wavy lines. If you are depicting a creek in the foreground (the area closest to you on the canvas) from far away, you will want to show perspective with the creek. You should have a horizon line in the background; this can be a horizontal line across your painting. As the creek is closer to it, it will appear smaller. Also, the two parallel wavy lines will be closer together. As the creek comes to the foreground, or the front of the painting, the two parallel lines will be farther apart, or wider. - 5). Choose colors to depict the water in the creek. Water is both reflective and transparent. You can show small pebbles underneath the surface of the creek in shallow areas near its shore. Also, you want to have reflections of the things around the creek to convey its reflective qualities. Most of the colors you choose for the creek will be for the reflections in the water.
- 6). Create movement in the creek with quick brushstrokes. Loose brushstrokes make water ripples and tones, which are shadows and highlights. Use darker colors for the shadows and white and lighter colors for highlights.
- 7). Step back from your painting to see what details you need to add. Continue adding more subtle details all over your painting. Also, stepping away from your painting helps you see what is working in the composition, or the whole picture. Add more details with paint until you are happy with your creek painting.
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