# Paint a waterfall in Aquarell: distinguish falling water, rock and mist

Language: en
Canonical: [Paint a waterfall in Aquarell: distinguish falling water, rock and mist](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-waterfall-flow/>)
中文：[中文 HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-waterfall-flow/>)
English: [English HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-waterfall-flow/>)
Published: 2026-10-27T00:00:00+08:00
Modified: 2026-10-27T13:09:52+08:00
Author: Bison

Study directional falling water, a horizontal pool and local mist without turning white water into a paper strip.

English translation of the [Chinese original](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/aquarell-waterfall-flow/>), translated on 2026-10-27. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

A waterfall gathers, falls and spreads rather than forming a uniform white column. Paint a simplified rocky fall through vertical flow, horizontal pool and spreading mist. Shape, edges and adjacent values create water without automatic fluid or fog effects.

## Set the drop and pool area

Use an approximately 1500×1900 px portrait canvas with a changing-width fall, flanking rocks and a pool in the lower quarter. Establish three broad values and separate flow, impact and mist. Place the fall off-centre if useful, but align its landing with the pool.

## Give the upper flow a source

Show a short upper stream tipping over an uneven rock lip, splitting into a few broad strands and partly rejoining. Establish the main flow before secondary strands. Merge hair-like lines or vary a curtain-like lip and straight sides to suggest changing water volume.

## Stretch middle-flow values downward

Use pale cool-grey water with unequal vertical value bands, not pure white or lines running the full drop. Alternate edge clarity against local rock darks. Break paper-like borders and retain broad grey passages instead of adding dense white lines or uniformly fading the flow.

## Keep rock planes subordinate to flow

Simplify rocks into angled planes, a few major cracks and selected darks beside the water. Avoid equally dense vertical rock marks. Quiet competing detail and highlights, preserving the neighbouring planes that best explain the flow boundary rather than rendering every rock equally.

## Spread the impact from a narrow landing

Keep a narrow entry before spreading low pale foam to either side. Concentrate the brightest area near impact and use broken horizontal passages outward. Soften rock-like foam outlines or lower an explosion-like cloud, emphasising sideways spread over excessive height.

## Let mist obscure only selected areas

Add a small soft mist area behind impact, obscuring selected rocks rather than whitening the whole scene. Distinguish rising loose mist from foam attached to water. Test the structure with mist hidden and restore near rocks or pool edges if everything becomes equally faint.

## Receive the fall with horizontal pool marks

Use a muted grey-green pool with brighter impact and varied horizontal ripples. Contrast them with the vertical fall, blending directions only near entry. Review the whole water route small and the three motions normally; broaden quiet horizontal areas if the pool reads as a wall.

## Interrupt part of the flow with one rock

In a copy, add one rock projection attached to the wall, splitting part of the flow with clear overlap. Let strands partly rejoin below without arbitrary sideways jumps. Test broad water/solid relationships before foam, retaining the addition only if it improves the main scene.

## Compare foam and mist in one colour

Use one grey-white for two studies: low broken foam attached to water and loose upward-fading mist. Distinguish them through edge, direction and density. Lower and spread cloud-like foam while softening mist, then return them to the impact without obscuring the main entry.

## Keep versions showing the three motions

Export mist-free and finished versions with editable flow, foam and mist. Next, reduce source volume and rebuild flow width, exposed rocks and impact area rather than fading the whole layer. Record which directional cue best explains falling water before deciding how many fine marks to add.

## Related tutorials and sources

[Foam and water](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-ocean-foam/>), [Local mist and occlusion](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/aquarell-fog-pine-forest/>).

Checked on October 27, 2026 against the [official Aquarell App Store listing](<https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/id1591340577>) and [Apple’s public version lookup](<https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1591340577&country=cn>): current version 1.0.6, requiring iOS / iPadOS 15.0 or later. This exercise uses public brush, colour, layer and saving capabilities. Geometry, materials and motion cues are drawn manually; dimensions, palettes and simplified forms are suggestions. Check controls in your installed version. Keep the native project for editing and use PNG for previews. No step-by-step physical-device testing is claimed.