Jungle fall framed by giant leaves in the near cornersDark green, lime, white. Paint the fall small and far, then overlap the corners with huge leaf shapes.
Chalk outline of a fall first, paint added inside itWhite chalk, white, gray. Sketch the fall in chalk on the black, paint inside the lines, and wipe the chalk off.
Autumn fall, orange maples either side of white waterOrange, red, white, gray. Sponge the maples in two warm colors and leave the fall as the only cool shape.
Block fall the full width of a river, one level white bandWhite, blue green, gray. Rule the lip level across the canvas and pull even strokes down from it.
Fall after rain, brown water over a cliff usually dryOchre, brown, gray, white. Mix ochre into the white so the water runs the color of milky tea.
Fall from a hanging lip, spray drifting sideways in windWhite, gray, pale blue. Bend the lower half of the drop to one side with a dry brush.
Fall in three values: dark rock, gray spray, white waterCharcoal, mid gray, white. Block in three shapes with no detail and check them by squinting.
Fall seen from behind its curtain, daylight through waterWhite, pale green, black. Frame the canvas in dark cave rock and streak the bright middle with upright strokes.
One white stripe down slate-gray rock, widening at the footSlate gray, white. Pull the stripe down with a flat brush and fan the last third outward.
Plunge pool from above: a jade bowl with a white centerJade, white, dark gray. Paint a green circle among rocks and sponge white where the water lands.
Punchbowl fall: a narrow chute opening into a round poolGray, white, teal. Squeeze the water between two rock shoulders, then spread it into a teal circle.
Single white column falling clear of an overhanging cliffCharcoal, white, blue gray. Leave a strip of dark air between the water and the rock face behind it.
Thread of water off a red sandstone rim into shadowRust, orange, violet, white. Paint the cliff in warm bands and the drop as a single hair-fine line.
Twin falls side by side with a rib of rock betweenDark brown, white, moss green. Paint the rock rib first and drop one white band either side of it.
View straight up a fall into a white skyWhite, gray, dark green. Narrow the water toward the top and let it vanish into the pale sky.
Cascades and tiers 12
Braided streams splitting around boulders and rejoiningWhite, gray, moss green. Divide the flow at every rock and bring the strands back together below it.
Fan fall spreading wider as it comes down a smooth faceGray, white, pale blue. Start with a narrow stroke at the top and open it out like a hand fan.
Five ledges, five short falls, painted as a white ladderCharcoal, white. Paint five dark shelves and join them with five short bands of upright strokes.
Horsetail fall sliding down a slanted slab, hugging the rockBrown gray, white. Drag the white on a slant so the rock shows through the water all the way down.
Knife-painted cascade, white dragged over dry grayGray, white, black. Scrape the white down each step with the edge of a palette knife.
Small cascade in a creek, close up, one mossy stepMoss green, brown, white, amber. Fill the canvas with a single step and paint amber water above it.
Staircase cascade, a short white curtain off every stepGray, white, dark green. Paint the steps as level dark bars and hang a row of short strokes from each.
Terraced pools, turquoise spilling from basin to basinTurquoise, cream, white. Paint the rims as pale curved lines and fill each basin flat.
Three tiers with a green pool resting on each ledgeGray, white, jade. Alternate a short white drop and a flat green oval three times down the canvas.
Tiers shrinking up a mountainside, the top one a white dotBlue gray, white, dark green. Halve the height of each tier as it climbs the canvas.
Water sheeting over a rounded boulder like glassGray, pale green, white. Let the stone's color show through and add white only where the sheet breaks.
Zigzag of white down a hillside of flat gray shapesThree grays, white. Paint the hillside as overlapping flat shapes and run one white zigzag between them.
Mist and rainbows 12
Double rainbow, one arc inside the other, over a wide fallWhite, blue gray, rainbow colors. Paint the inner bow first and the outer one with far more water.
Fall at sunrise, its mist turned peach and goldPeach, gold, white, violet. Blend peach into the white of the mist while both are wet.
Frozen fall in winter: blue ice columns and an apron of snowPale blue, white, slate. Paint the ice as upright blue bars with white edges and mound snow at the foot.
Moonlit fall, a silver line and a pale cloud at its baseNavy, silver gray, white. Paint everything navy, pull one silver line down, and sponge the cloud.
Rainbow arc standing in the spray at the foot of a fallWhite, gray, six rainbow colors. Glaze the arc in watery color over dry mist so the spray shows through.
Rainbow in six short arcs over gray-blue mistGray blue, white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. Paint each arc in one curved stroke.
Small figure in a red jacket at a railing, dwarfed by sprayWhite, gray, red. Keep the figure smaller than a fingernail and the only red on the canvas.
Sponged white mist over a finished fall, edges lostWhite, gray, dark green. Finish the fall, let it dry, then dab white at the foot until the edge disappears.
Spray cloud hiding the bottom third of the dropWhite, pale gray, charcoal. Sponge the cloud in last and lose the lower edge of the water inside it.
Spray drifting across a footbridge, its far end gone whiteBrown, white, gray. Paint the bridge whole, then scrub white over the half nearest the fall.
Sunbeams fanning through mist above a gorgePale yellow, white, dark green. Rule the beams from one point with a nearly dry brush.
Wet black rocks shining beside a fall, dotted with sprayBlack, white, pale blue. Add one pale streak of shine to each rock and dot the spray with a cotton swab.
Forest and jungle falls 12
Autumn fall, orange maples either side of white waterOrange, red, white, gray. Sponge the maples in two warm colors and leave the fall as the only cool shape.
Canopy gap overhead, one bright patch on the lip of a fallDark green, pale yellow, white. Keep the forest dark and brighten only the top edge of the water.
Fall as a white stripe between two walls of sponged greenGreen, lime, white. Sponge both walls of leaves, then pull the stripe down the gap with a flat brush.
Fall behind a screen of bamboo stemsLime, green, white. Paint the water first and stand the jointed stems in front of it.
Fall seen through a gap between two mossy treesMoss green, brown, white. Stand a dark trunk at each side and paint the bright water in the gap.
Fern-lined ravine, a ribbon of water down its middleGreen, yellow green, white, black. Arch the fern fronds in from both sides toward the water.
Jungle fall framed by giant leaves in the near cornersDark green, lime, white. Paint the fall small and far, then overlap the corners with huge leaf shapes.
Pine forest fall, a fallen trunk lying across the poolDark green, brown, white, blue. Lay the trunk level across the pool and mirror it in the water.
Rocks in the pool, each wearing a cap of mossGray, moss green, teal, white. Paint the top third of every rock green and ring its waterline in white.
Swimming hole below a small fall, a rope swing from a boughGreen, teal, white, tan. Hang the rope over the pool and paint its reflection as a broken line.
Two red parrots crossing in front of a green jungle fallRed, green, white, yellow. Paint the birds as two small red crosses against the white water.
Vines hanging beside a fall, a few trailing in the currentOlive, dark green, white. Drop the vines as long fine lines and bend the wet ones downstream.
On a black canvas 12
Black canvas, one white ribbon, one curved pool lineWhite. Paint the ribbon in one pull and a single arc below it for the edge of the pool.
Chalk outline of a fall first, paint added inside itWhite chalk, white, gray. Sketch the fall in chalk on the black, paint inside the lines, and wipe the chalk off.
Fall on black with fireflies dotted around the poolWhite, pale yellow, green. Dot the fireflies with a cotton swab, each with a soft ring around it.
Lava-black cliff, a fall, and a low red sun in the poolBlack, white, red, orange. Paint the sun's reflection as a few red dashes across the dark pool.
Moonlit fall on black: silver water, navy rock edges onlySilver gray, navy, white. Edge a few rocks in navy and leave the rest of the canvas untouched.
Night jungle fall, leaves in dark green barely off blackDark green, white, teal. Paint the leaves one step lighter than the canvas and the water pure white.
Rainbow in the spray, colors undiluted against blackWhite, six rainbow colors. Sponge a white patch of mist first so the colors have something to sit on.
Rock faces picked out of black with a few gray knife strokesGray, white. Scrape gray on with a palette knife where the light would catch and stop early.
Starry sky above a fall, the water the brightest thingWhite, navy, pale blue. Dot the stars small and faint so the fall stays brighter than the sky.
Three white streaks on black, mist sponged where they landWhite, pale gray. Pull three streaks of different widths and dab a sponge across their feet.
Turquoise and white fall on black, the pool lit from withinTurquoise, white. Blend turquoise outward from a white center in the pool and fade it into the black.
White fall pulled down a black canvas with a dry fan brushWhite on a black canvas. Wipe most of the paint off the fan brush and drag it straight down, several times.
How it works
Waterfalls are sorted by how the water comes down. A plunge falls clear of the rock, a horsetail keeps touching it, a cascade runs down a series of steps. Each asks for a different stroke, so the list follows them.
Read the full guide
Waterfall acrylic painting ideas: dark first
Paint the rock dark and let it dry; acrylic is fast-drying and water-resistant once dry. Then load a fan brush with white, wipe most of it off and pull straight down. Fall in three values: dark rock, gray spray, white water is the whole method on one canvas.
Starting from a black canvas
On black the rock is already painted. White fall pulled down a black canvas with a dry fan brush is one tool and one color. Twelve canvases start this way.
Questions and answers
What are some easy waterfall painting ideas?
Easy first waterfalls, under More filters, holds 20. Fall as a white stripe between two walls of sponged green needs a sponge and one brush, and Five ledges, five short falls, painted as a white ladder is short strokes on charcoal.
How do you paint the mist at the bottom of a waterfall?
With a sponge and very little paint. Dab white over the foot of the finished fall until the edge disappears: Sponged white mist over a finished fall, edges lost. The pool the water lands in is called a plunge pool.
What is the difference between a cascade and a tiered waterfall?
A cascade spills down a flight of rock steps; a tiered fall comes down in separate drops, one after another. Staircase cascade, a short white curtain off every step and Three tiers with a green pool resting on each ledge show the two.
What colors do you need for a waterfall painting?
White and one dark for the rock do most of it: charcoal, slate or black. Add blue gray for spray, green for moss and trees, and jade, teal or turquoise for the pool.