Outdoor Adventure

Stories of adventure through the eyes of the young and naive

Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls – in Watercolor

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor, watercolor tutorials

Capturing the movement of a waterfall in watercolor can be quite a chase. In this video tutorial, the waterfall is relatively small compared to some of the ones I’ve seen. Therefore, there is seemingly less work involved in painting the actual waterfall, but most of the work is going to be getting the values right between the darker boulders framing the lighter waterfall, without making the scene too flat. 

In the reference photo above, there is quite a bit going on – rocks, sticks, logs, water, trees, and more rocks. It can be easy to get lost in all the details. The challenge will be to combine all the smaller objects into bigger objects when painting this scene. A value study would surely come in handy here, but I’ve impatiently jumped right into the main painting. How will the painting turn out? Tune in to find out via the link below!

Paint a Winter Sky in Watercolor Using Salt

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor tutorials

I haven’t given up on the salt watercolor technique tutorials yet, although I probably should, since the first salt video that I put on social media was a bit of a flop (so far). But, I’ve got high hopes for this one because it did turn out to be a solid winter landscape painting! The idea of the painting hit me as I was driving the kids to school. The sky at sunrise was beautiful but subtle, as the sun remained hidden behind thick winter clouds, but there was just enough luminosity to have something special to enjoy on our ride to school. On my way back home, I snapped a quick photo on the side of the road and thought; the sky would look even more interesting with a salt effect if were to paint this scene in watercolor.

We have not gotten much snow over the past couple of years so I was excited to actually have snow to include in this winter landscape! The entire play by play for this painting is now available on YouTube (link below). I hope you enjoy!

If you enjoy our work, please support us on Etsy

Sunrise On the Horizon

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

Sometimes inspirations for new painting pop up in my mind years after a photo was originally taken. A couple of years ago, on a hazy morning, the sun had just started to climb up on the horizon in a farm field. I was on my way to work when I saw this picturesque moment in my peripheral view. Unwilling to simply drive by, I took the photo, which a recently painted (below).

Sunrise on the Horizon (w/c 14”x 20”)

This painting can be found here for sale.

Have a great day!

A Vermont Spring

Art, hiking, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

Violets and Trout Lilies bloomed for well over a week at home on the New York / New Jersey stateline, but the narrative in Wilmington, Vermont was different. We arrived on a windy night. A thin blanket of snow swirled over the New England town. By morning, the landscape was draped in fluffy white snow. Congrats – we traveled back into winter!

In the next 24 hours, the sun broke through the gray thickness above and the snow soon disappeared. Our ambitious gang of goldfish snack inhalers (and their parents, the coffee guzzlers) could not stay put for long. We set off on an adventure to summit Haystack Mountain!

The Journey Begins

The missus and I bundled ourselves and the little imps as if we were headed to the arctic. With bladders bursting and fingers already numb, we were ready for the trail! We carried our luggage (the kids) on our backs and shoulders through mud and rocks up 1,000 vertical feet. It was not long before we found the snow again. With sun blaring, snow became slush and feet became pruney.

A Vermont Spring – Watercolor 20”x14”

We pressed on and the giant slushy stairmaster with complaining children soundtrack finally gave way to a tremendous vista at the top of old Haystack. Glory was ours! We had made it (all of us)! And then…we realized it was time to climb back down…oh shit.

Haystack Summit

Woodland Thicket with Bloodroot – Watercolor Sketch

Art, native plants, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

Around the same time last year in late March / early April we went for a walk in a woodland near the Delaware River in Pennsylvania. We were on the lookout for spring ephemeral wildflowers, as this is their time of year to shine, and then shortly after, bid us Adieu until next spring. One of my favorite spring ephemerals is Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). A single leaf and flower emerge from under the leaf litter. The leaf, if injured, bleeds a red-orange juice, hence the name (bloodroot).

Woodland Thicket Watercolor Sketch

We came upon an old tree, upon which beautiful green moss sprawled. The forest floor had been blanketed with bloodroot flowers, but they were just coming up and the flowers were half closed. As we returned to this same spot on our way back, the flowers were on full display. It was the largest population of bloodroot I’ve ever seen and what a show!

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)