How to Draw a Small Stream in Pastel

After tracing the template to the pastel paper take a black pastel pencil and go over the lines that are in the sky area. This way, when the sky colour is applied, the outlines of the branches will not disappear on you. Don’t use a graphite pencil for this.

Use a very light blue for the sky and a light mauve for the hills. Don’t do any detailing as they are in the hazy area.

There are no details in these trees. First layer a very light yellow and then a very light layer of green. Smooth it with the finger. Next add some dark brown over the lower section for the shade under the trees.

With the same dark brown fill in the trunk and the branches. Take note of the different tonal areas on the trunk.

Some darker green is used to give the impression of closer trees behind the main trunk and lightly rubbed over the rest of the area. With a brown pencil draw in some thin tree trunks and twigs.

Plot the branches that are not covered or hidden by the leaves. Draw in the foot bridge.

For the grass behind the bridge, lightly pull out a light colour over the dark shadow of the trees. This light over the dark brings out the grass tips very well. Continue working on the leaves for the smaller tree.

Sketch in the branches and the twigs with a dark brown pastel pencil.

Add a few twigs to the small tree and map out the pathway.

Lightly add a light green to the grass embankments and with the dark brown pencil, merge the trunk into the grass.

Merge the grass and the trunk of the main tree. With a yellow pastel stick stroke in the highlights and the texture of the trunks.

With a pinkish coloured pencil block in the highlights of the small rocks. When you have done that, add the shadow or darks of the rocks.

After adding in all the major rocks and a small portion of the ground, begin adding in the darker areas of the stream. The centre of the stream will be kept a very light blue.

In a similar manner paint in the rock group on the right. Note the varying sizes and shapes. Don’t make them all similar in size and shape – very boring!
With a white pencil, softly blend the dark blue into the very light blue stream.

Finish off the larger rocks in the foreground. Use a yellow or Naples yellow pastel stick for the highlights.

Add the grass details near the pathway.

Add details to this embankment and tone up the water in the foreground with some darker blue.

Add a few white and red “dots” for flowers and stroke in the Willow tree’s downward overhanging branches.