0204 Dripping Springs
Jerry Yarnell School of Fine Art PBS Television Series

A lively stream winds through a rocky landscape, surrounded by glowing autumn grasses and soft trees fading into a misty background. Light dances across the water as it flows over stones, creating a peaceful yet energetic natural setting. In this intermediate acrylic painting lesson, Jerry guides you step-by-step through creating this dynamic scene in a 90 minute session on a 16x20 canvas, capturing movement, light, and atmosphere in a flowing composition.

You’ll learn how to construct the composition using the stream to lead the viewer’s eye through the painting, while balancing rocks, grasses, and trees to create depth and structure. Jerry demonstrates how to block in major shapes first, then refine them with controlled brushwork to maintain clarity and natural flow.

Special focus is given to painting water movement, including small waterfalls and reflections, using layered color and value changes to create depth and sparkle across the surface. You’ll also explore how to paint rocks and foliage with varied textures, allowing the scene to feel rich and natural without becoming overworked.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll gain confidence in painting flowing water, handling texture and light, and creating depth through layering and atmospheric perspective. This is an excellent project for painters ready to build stronger skills while producing a vibrant and visually engaging stream landscape.

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