Yellowstone Geyser Ornament

Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin Ornament

Creating the ornament for Upper Geyser Basin took some extra effort.

When we saw Old Faithful, I couldn't believe how much water went up into the air. But what also surprised me was the texture of the gushing water. There were strong currents, but there were also soft misty areas.
Getting both of those textures on the ornament required two very different techniques.
This ornament is available to purchase at the gift shops in Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park.

The Sketch

Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin Ornament Sketch

Old Faithful is the most familiar of the geysers at Yellowstone, but the landscape of Upper Geyser Basin has so much more. I wanted rocky areas, trees nearby, and another geyser in the distance.

The Prototype

Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin Ornament

The landscape at Upper Geyser Basin meant blending the paint from grey and brown to bright green. I used a white wash for the shape of the geyser, and then added texture with thicker white paint.

Watch Me Work

Press Play below to watch me painting the Upper Geyser Basin ornament! In real time, this ornament takes me several minutes to paint, but you can watch it in just over a minute.

Now, discover the other ornaments in this collection:


Mammoth

Lamar

Falls

Moose