Rocks Are Hard to Paint… Here’s How I Do It

#oilpainting #paintingtechniques #realisticportrait #murals

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Rocks can be surprisingly challenging to paint convincingly, especially when they’re sitting in and beneath the water.

In this painting, I’m working from a scene I photographed on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand, with the Remarkables mountains in the background.

The rocks are the main focus of the painting, and I’ll take you through my approach to painting both the rocks in the foreground and the submerged rocks beneath the surface of the water.

I’ll show you how I simplify the shapes, work with light and shadow, and use colour and value to create rocks that feel solid and three-dimensional without getting caught up in painting every little detail.

If you’re learning how to paint landscapes, I hope this gives you some ideas you can use in your own paintings.

Happy painting!

Sam