We are off to a rocky start! Which is a good thing if you want to learn to paint rocks in watercolor. I posted a YouTube video tutorial about this subject and the video was very well received (video embedded down below). Some people struggle with painting rocks and one of the main reasons is because we tend to overwork the rocks, thinking that the more paint we add, the better the result. It is quite the contrary.

One of the things that make a successful rock painting is accurate representation of direction of light. For example, if the light is coming from the top left, that means that the shadows or darkest part of the rock will be underneath the rock and on the right side of the rock. A good way to practice this concept is to simply sketch rocks and the light and dark areas, using a regular HB pencil. If there are any rocks in your garden, a natural area, or down the street – go out and observe the rocks and how the light falls on them during different times of the day. Doing so should really help improve your rock paintings.

Rocks come in various shapes and sizes. In the video below, I will demonstrate how to paint two types of rocks: smooth(ish) granite rocks and long jagged rocks. The shape and texture of these rocks will dictate which techniques work best for each type of rock! I hope you enjoy the video.