cañon del rio turia, valencia, spain

paint a canyon in watercolour
paint a canyon in watercolour

I couldn't leave Chulilla in Valencia, Spain, without painting a view of the beautiful canyon. One evening, walking out from climbing in the canyon, I took this photo of the lovely evening light catching the cliffs and the reflections of the cliffs and trees in the water. It was a view just begging to be painted.

In this scene we paint cliffs, background forest, trees and, of course, reflections. It's a painting full of rich colour.

Enjoy!

Full video tutorial, reference photo and drawing to trace.

Paint a free watercolour online lesson

A free lesson for you!

One of my all-time favourite paintings of a stormy day in a ruined Roman town in Spain.

You can do this! Let me show you how. Join my community to receive this free video tutorial.

Join here
summer flowers & an old fence post

summer flowers & an old fence post

16 June 2026

There's something irresistibly paintable about a weathered fence post half-swallowed by summer wildflowers. It's the contrast that does it — rough, sun-bleached wood against the soft, fleeting delic...

Read more →

recap! travel sketching in france, 2026

recap! travel sketching in france, 2026

9 June 2026

Five times at Périgord Retreats, and the magic is still there.. Every single time I hop on the train in southern France and get whisked through French countryside and villages to Gourdon Station — ...

Read more →

painting zebras in watercolour

painting zebras in watercolour

3 June 2026

Ater spending time in South Africa recently, surrounded by the kind of wildlife you only see there, I came home with many sketches of zebras, giraffes, warthogs, baboons and more and a strong urge to ...

Read more →