Paint realistic-looking rocks and grass in a piece of your artwork.
Nature paintings -- paintings depicting images of rocks, grass, and other familiar symbols of nature and the outdoors -- are distinctive pieces of artistry made by beginners to world renowned artists such as Camille Pissarro and Isaac Levitan. Incorporating rocks and grass into a painting can add a touch of nature and realism to any piece of artwork, and you can depict this into any painting with basic supplies.
Instructions
1. Pour equal amounts of gray, black and green acrylic paint onto a painter's palette. Keep the colors far enough away from each other to keep the different colors of paint separate.
2. Dip a round-tipped paintbrush into the gray paint and paint solid nearly circular shapes on a piece of art paper or canvas. For the most realistic-looking rocks, make each rock slightly different in shape and size, never creating a fully smooth edge.
3. Wait for the paint to dry completely. Acrylic paints dry quickly, and this should only take around 20 minutes; refer to the instructions on the paint or tap your finger lightly on the paint to test for dryness.
4. Dip a fan paintbrush into the black paint and lightly tap the brush around the outline of each rock, and sparingly across the bottom of each rock to add shadowing. Dab over the paint gently with a dry sponge to blend the paint subtly and create depth.
5. Dip a fan paintbrush into the green paint and create a single, thin stroke on the very edge of one side. Press the paintbrush down and lift it up gently as you reach the top of the stroke. A fan brush results in a light, feathery stroke, and is helpful for achieving authentic looking grass. The more you push down on the paintbrush for this stroke, the larger the blade of grass will be. This creates a single blade of grass, and you can mirror this stroke along the same level across the rest of the page, making slightly shorter strokes in front of each rock. For more realistic looking grass, add in a few strokes throughout the grass with lighter and darker shades of green to add dimension and interest.
