The Art of Painting in Acrylic: Master techniques for painting stunning works of art in acrylic-step by step (Collector's Series)

"Twin Falls is the first waterfall on the famous road to Hana on the island of Maui. The day I visited, there wasn’t a lot of water flowing, and the mossy cliff was pretty dry. I took lots of photos from every angle, including from behind the falls! The cave behind the falls was very damp and mossy, with trickles of water seeping through the rock. For this painting I used my imagination, as well as inspiration from behind the falls, to paint how I think they would look after the rainy season—lush and green."

Burnt sienna, burnt umber, cadmium yellow medium, Payne’s gray, phthalo blue, phthalo green, titanium white

"I create the shapes of the boulders with Payne’s gray. Then I add a medium value of moss green by mixing phthalo green, burnt sienna, and cadmium yellow medium. For the light moss, I add more yellow and use a small filbert brush to dab in the paint. Using a round brush, I paint the branches with a mix of burnt umber and titanium white, adding shadows and highlights as needed. I dab in the leaves with a mix of phthalo green and Payne’s gray, adding cadmium yellow medium to the mix for the highlights. For the tiny flowers, I mix white with a touch of phthalo blue and apply crisscross shapes with a round brush. After viewing the painting from a short distance, I re-work the areas I’m not happy with and let the painting dry completely. Then I varnish it with a semi-gloss varnish. "