The basic idea
Water is mostly a reflection of what is above and around it, with a few marks that show movement. The common approach is to combine two things: a soft wet-in-wet wash for the base, and controlled wet-on-dry strokes for ripples, edges and highlights. Keeping this simple usually gives better results than trying to render every wave.
Materials
- Heavy cold-press watercolor paper that stays flat when wet
- Blues and greens such as ultramarine, cerulean, a turquoise or phthalo-type blue, plus earth tones like raw sienna or burnt sienna, and a dark neutral
- A large flat or round brush for washes, and a flat or medium round for ripples
- A small round brush for details
- Optional: masking fluid for bright highlights, a tissue and a clean damp brush for lifting
Step 1: Plan the highlights
Decide where sparkles or foam will be, and leave those areas white. You can save them by painting around them or by applying masking fluid first. Masking fluid can damage the paper surface and brushes if used carelessly, so follow the product instructions and test it first. Remove it only when the paint is fully dry.
Step 2: Lay a base wash
Dampen the water area with clean water. Then brush on a graded wash: lighter and cooler near the horizon, deeper and richer toward the foreground. Blend in a hint of the sky colors, since water reflects the sky. Let the wash dry, or keep working while damp if you want softer reflections.
Step 3: Add ripples and movement
Once the base wash is dry:
- Use a flat brush or a round brush on its side to paint thin, mostly horizontal strokes. See watercolor brush strokes.
- Make strokes smaller, closer and fainter near the horizon, and wider with more contrast toward the viewer. This is the same idea as atmospheric depth in perspective in watercolor painting.
- Leave slivers of lighter wash or white paper between strokes to suggest light.
- Do not try to make them even. Slight variation looks more natural.
Step 4: Painting reflections
Reflections are the main way to make still water convincing.
- Paint the object, such as a tree or building, above the waterline.
- Below it, paint a mirrored version in similar colors, a little darker or softer.
- While the wash is damp, pull the color straight down with a vertical brush stroke. For still water, keep edges soft.
- Drag a few horizontal strokes of the water color across the reflection once dry to suggest ripples. Breaks in the reflection suggest movement.
Reflections are usually vertical and are shifted slightly by ripples. For still water they are nearly as dark as the object, and for choppy water they break up.
Step 5: Waves and foam
For waves, paint the shape of the wave with darker greens and blues, leaving crisp white areas for foam. Soften the edges where the foam meets water. Splashes can be suggested with a toothbrush spatter or by lifting. Use a darker mix under the crest to describe the shadow.
Other useful techniques
- Lifting: blot with tissue or a damp brush to lift light streaks or sun glints.
- Salt: sprinkling salt on a damp wash can give sparkle. Results vary with the paper and wetness. See painting with salt and watercolor.
- Dry brush: drag a barely loaded brush across textured paper for glitter on moving water. See dry brush painting techniques.
- Glazing: add thin transparent layers to deepen shadows and unify color. See transparent watercolor painting.
Colors for water
Water isn’t always blue. It takes color from the sky, the bottom, and nearby vegetation. Try warm grays and greens on cloudy days, pinks and golds at sunset, and deep blue-greens for deeper water. Mixing a complement, such as a touch of orange into blue, can neutralize color. See color theory for watercolor.
Common mistakes
- Too many hard-edged ripples make water look busy. Use fewer, more purposeful strokes.
- Same stroke size everywhere removes the sense of depth.
- Overworked reflections become muddy. Paint them quickly and leave them.
- Using a wash that is too dark early. Start light and build.
- Ignoring the horizon. Keep it level; a tilted horizon looks like water tipping out of the painting.
Frequently asked questions
What are three common mistakes people make when using watercolor?
Frequently mentioned ones are using too much water, working on paper that is too thin, and overworking an area before it has dried.
What does vinegar do to watercolor?
Some artists add a little vinegar to the water or paint for special effects or to change how paint behaves, but results are not predictable. It is not a standard technique, so test it on scrap paper first.
How to do easy watercolor painting?
Use a limited palette, work from light to dark and keep your subject simple. A pond or sea with a soft sky is a good beginner project.
What is the golden rule of watercolor?
Work from light to dark and save the white of the paper.
Where to go next
Skies matter for water because the colors reflect each other, so see how to paint clouds in watercolor. For painting water on location, see plein air painting in watercolor, and for reflections in a city street, see an easy watercolor cityscape.