How To Paint Rocks In Watercolor

Rocks are a common element in both landscape and seascape paintings. They can seem smooth and rounded or sharp-edged and jagged.  In this lesson you’ll learn how to paint those sharp-edged rocks using easy techniques  The intro video, right, tells you more.

Hard-edged rocks are, in many ways, similar to cubes. Like cubes their faces are more likely to look flatter than rounded. And, as mentioned, their edges are very distinct, with both hard and rough textures along the length of the edge.  The edges make it easy to depict their form by showing the clear change between faces that are lit and those in shadow

Pine trees are everywhere in the landscape. Their distinctive shape makes them stand out, especially in the winter landscape. 

This lesson shows easy ways to paint good looking pine trees in watercolor using either round or flat brushes – this lesson covers both. 

Simplification is an important idea that actually strenghens the work and engages the viewer by allowing them to make a personal interpretation of the painting. 

For the artist, it is a way to let strengths of the medium play a stronger role in the expression of the subject. 

In this lesson, learn the concept of simplicity and how to use it to create a visually rich expression of rocks on a beach.

Also see how using a granulating paint like Cerulean blue, adds richness and texture to the subject.