Being one of Kyoto’s top attractions, the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is a sight to behold. I am not really good at painting landscapes but I can’t help but recreate the image I have in mind of that very peaceful morning we spent at the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.

I started with dividing the small paper canvas into green and brown areas, brushing over light greens and browns for the background.

Next, I used different shades of green for the bamboos and also varied the thickness and direction on where the bamboos are leaning towards to. Also notice that the bamboos are getting thinner and smaller towards the center to convey perspective.

And then, I worked on the dried bamboos – the brown fence covering the rest of the bamboo forest. The dried bamboos also form the walkway. I started with creating  thin upward strokes for the fence and then finished it with the horizontal railings.

To finish it off, I just added some leaves to the bamboos by brushing more greens on top and blending it with a bit of yellow towards the center. I also stroked some horizontal lines on the bamboos for the nodes. Lastly, I blended the browns to the ground and made the fence look perpendicular by adding horizontal strokes on the pathway.

And that’s it – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in watercolor! Just a tip, if ever you’re going to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest – BE THERE EARLY! People start flocking the place around 9 in the morning so if you want to enjoy the place in peace, it’s best to go there before 8 am.

‘Til my next artwork!