Rock City Canyon and Riverscape Watercolor Painting

Painting A View of Rock City in Watercolors

The next watercolor painting in a series of five landscapes focuses on a view that's familiar to many locals.  There's an area known as Rock City, a short drive north of Valier, Montana.  It's not easy to find without specific directions.  It's definitely a place you'd call off the beaten path.  We've taken weekend drives to get out of the house and this is a free, unusual outing.  While going through my photo references, I came across a view along the river's edge.  When I took the photos several years ago, it was already in my mind as a possibility for a future painting.

The rock formations in this area are very unusual compared to the surrounding landscape.  The best I can describe it, you're driving through what looks like farmland and prairie going on forever and then boom, you're there.  The rocks rise up in these crazy and fun shapes and the kids can't wait to jump out and run from one to another.  There's grasses, low-lying shrubs and wildflowers...and it's smart to watch for snakes.  I am sharing all these photos to give a better perspective of the area where my painting's view originated.  A few of these photos have been altered with filters.  That's one of the ways I prepare a photo as an art reference.  I bump it up a bit to achieve more color contrast along with distinct shadows.  My artistic style leans toward bold, vibrant colors with a hint of impressionistic textures.  

Watercolor Landscape & Sky: Scotch Tape and Magic Eraser

Easy Watercolor Techniques For Landscapes

Have you been itching to try watercolor painting yourself?  Are you just a little excited to get your hands on a brush?  Today, I'm going to show two techniques that anyone can use.  

When painting a landscape that has more complex details, keeping the sky color separate from the land portion is a challenge.  It's easy for watercolor to spread over where you don't want it to be.  Keeping a paper towel ready makes a quick blot possible.  Sometimes, we just need a few fluffy white clouds in the sky so we'll add those, too.

Materials:

Watercolor paper

Scotch tape

Box knife or razor blade

1" flat brush, synthetic is durable for watercolors

Watercolor pigment in blue hue of your choice

(ultramarine or cobalt, add a little cerulean for variety)

Eraser cleaning pad

Scissors

Container of water

Scotch Tape with Watercolor

1.  Here, I've drawn a few basic lines to imitate the planes of a landscape.  The top line separates land from sky.  This is where we have possibility of paint spreading from sky area.  With this simple line, I would just turn the painting around with sky area closest to me.  This trick is key for landscapes with more varied or complicated shapes.  If the paper is clipped to a support board, then it can be tipped at an angle so paint runs toward the highest point of sky.  You can rest the board on a roll of masking tape to keep the back edge higher.