I recently created a vibrant autumn forest painting using gouache, with a fast-flowing river and colourful trees. This was a really enjoyable piece to work on, involving lots of layering and detailed brushwork. I wanted to share my process, breaking down each of the steps so you can create your own autumn landscape.
Gouache painting supplies
- Gouache paints in:
- Titanium white
- Spectrum red
- Burnt umber
- Yellow ochre
- Primary yellow
- Permanent green
- Ultramarine blue
- Ivory black
- Watercolour Paper
- Round Brush, rigger and square watercolour brushes
- Watercolour Palette (to keep colour mixes fresh)
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Find more gouache supplies on the blog.
Sketch the composition
I began by sketching the composition, using a photo I had taken as a reference.
When working from a reference, you don’t have to copy it exactly. The art of composition is about knowing what to simplify or add to create balance and harmony.
My goal was to make the river, which is the top of a waterfall, the main focal point, in amongst the trees. I sketched the sloped embankment just below the horizon line, the river winding from the bottom left, the tree outlines, and the distant lake and cliffs. I saved finer details like leaves and water texture for the painting stage.
Mix the colours
I find it helpful to mix my colours before I start painting. With such a large range of colours in the image, having the tones ready on my palette enables me to paint without the disruption of having to go between painting and mixing.
I squeezed fresh paint from the tubes and sprayed a little water on them to keep them from drying out. Using a palette knife, I started by mixing a shadow tone for the reddish plants on the distant cliff using yellow ochre, burnt umber, and spectrum red. For the grey cliff shadow tone, I mixed titanium white and a bit of ivory black.
Next, I mixed a range of greens for the leaves, bushes, and lake reflections. These greens were more neutral and leaned towards yellow. By combining permanent green, yellow ochre, primary yellow, and burnt umber in different amounts, I created five distinct green tones. One was more saturated, another had black added for shadows, one looked like sap green, and a final bright yellow mix served as my highlight.
Block in distant cliffs
Working in layers from background to foreground is a key part of the painting process I started by blocking in the distant cliffs with a warm, light grey colour using my square brush. I added a small amount of water to the paint to dilute it slightly. Next, I blocked in some of the reddish foliage colours. Using a square brush at this stage helps me focus on the broad shapes and tones without getting caught up in details too early. Lining the base of the cliffs, there are some bushes. So at this stage, I started to block in the neutral mid tones of the foliage, establishing where some of the shadows and highlights would be.
Block in lake colours
To create cohesion, I moved on to blocking in the colours of the entire painting before adding fine details. For the distant lake, I mixed deeper green and bluish tones using permanent green, a little ultramarine, and primary yellow. I neutralised the colour with ivory black and added titanium white for lighter tones. I also created a yellow-green for reflections and a light blue for ripples reflecting the sky.
Using a wet brush, I spread a layer of deep green to block in the lake, concentrating the darker tones where shadows would fall. I was already using my brushstrokes to suggest movement in the water.
Block in foreground tree and river colours
Continuing with the blocking-in process, I focused on the foreground. I could see the riverbed through the water at the top of the waterfall, so I blocked this in with a transparent grey made from diluted ivory black. For the earthy river banks, I mixed burnt umber and ivory black with water. I used the same mix, but with more burnt umber and less water, to fill in the base colour of the trees. At this point, the entire painting had its base coat and was ready for the next stage of refinement.
Refine lake details
Once the base layers were dry, I began refining the elements, starting with the lake. The beauty of painting is that you can choose where to add detail to guide the viewer’s focus. I concentrated on the middle section of the lake to create a sense of depth. Using the light blue I had mixed, I added ripples in a circular motion with the fine tip of my round brush. To increase the depth, I darkened the shadow tones in the reflections and made the yellow plant reflections more saturated. I also added some darker green shadow to the left side of the lake with loose, expressive strokes.
Paint highlights and shadows
At this stage, I often switch between different sections to ensure the painting feels cohesive. I worked on altering values and colours across the whole piece rather than overworking one area. I detailed shadows in the distant bushes with a dark green, stippling it over the base colour. Then, I increased the shadows on the foreground river bank. To make the distant bushes pop, I added bright yellow highlights, using a dotting motion with my round brush to create the texture of leaves.
Create foreground river details
Next, I focused on building up the texture of the fast-flowing river. The water was full of bubbles and foam reflecting light, so I used an off-white paint to capture this. I used the dry brush technique, where I loaded the brush with paint, then removed excess moisture from the bristles, to pick up the paper’s texture and create broken marks. This is a great method for organic textures like water. I swirled the brush to establish the water’s flow around the rocks, concentrating more white pigment where the rapids were most opaque. To finish, I added a transparent dark grey wash in some areas and stippled white dots back over to create the look of bubbles.
Detail bark and roots
With the water complete, I moved on to the trees. I mixed a couple of brown tones, one darker with ivory black for shadows, and one lighter with titanium white for highlights. I started with the exposed, knotted roots on the tree to the right. Since the light source was from the top right, I added light brown highlights on the roots where they overlapped and twisted. A trick I use to soften shadows on curved forms is to rewet the edges with a clean, damp brush after they’ve dried. This creates a soft, diffused look. I then detailed the bark using the lighter brown to create curving, organic stripes up the tree trunks.
Foliage undergrowth details
Before tackling the bright autumn leaves, I added some undergrowth along the river bank. I started with the shaded plants, using a dark, yellowish-green to create abstract plant shapes quickly. The goal here was to build layers of texture rather than perfect detail. I then used my rigger brush and a brighter green to paint twiggy plants and grass with quick, upward tapered strokes. I layered brighter, more saturated yellowish-green highlights over the darker undergrowth to show where the light was shining through. This layering creates an impression of detail without overworking the area.
Paint bright autumn leaf colours
For the final touch, I dotted bright yellow and orange leaves around the tree trunks. These leaves belonged to two smaller trees nestled between the larger ones. I stippled the leaves in clusters, mixing a bright orange and a slightly darker, more neutral tone for the leaves underneath. The light was hitting these directly, making them appear almost jewel-like. Using a tapered brush like a stamp, I dotted the leaves on, which took some time but was well worth the effort. Once all the details were finished, I removed the masking tape to complete the painting.