The River Dee and the Corn Mill, Llangollen

A student sent me a question last week about painting water and trees together. They wanted to know how to keep green leaves looking bright while still getting deep dark shapes in the background. Looking at my painting, The River Dee and the Corn Mill, Llangollen, I can show you how I solved this exact problem.

I started with a soft sky wash using cerulean blue and cobalt blue. Next, I moved to the background hills. I mixed ultramarine blue with a touch of burnt sienna to create a cool dark wash. This dark tone in the distance makes the bright green trees in the middle area pop with light. I used viridian green mixed with yellow ochre for those sunny bushes on the river bank.

The water is always a fun area to paint in watercolour. I painted the reflections using burnt umber and neutral tint to show the shallow river bed. I left clean white paper for the bright water movement and river foam. Leaving bare paper is the best way to make water look alive.