Water is mostly about reflections and a few well-placed lines. Calm water is often lighter near the horizon and darker closer to you, with little white gaps that look like sparkle.
How do I paint a calm lake?
- Sketch the shoreline. Draw a light pencil line where the land meets the water.
- Paint the water with side-to-side strokes. Use a blue similar to your sky, slightly lighter near the far shore and a little deeper toward the bottom of the page.
- Leave thin white gaps. A few unpainted lines across the water look like light shining on the surface.
- Add reflections while it's damp. Touch soft, blurry versions of the trees or hills straight below them, using the same colors.
- Add ripples once it's dry. Use the tip of your water brush to paint a few thin, horizontal darker lines.
How do I paint the sea?
- Paint the far water darker. Use a deeper blue or blue-green along the horizon.
- Lighten it toward the shore. Add more water to the mix as you move down the page, so the water looks shallow near the beach.
- Leave white for the waves. Paint around a few wavy white strips where the water meets the sand.
- Paint the sand last. Once the water is dry, add a soft sandy color below it.
Good to know
- Keep water lines horizontal. Even a slight tilt makes water look like it's running downhill.
- Mix your water color before you start, so you don't run out in the middle of a stroke.
- Less detail usually looks more like water.
For step-by-step guides, try our Lake, Seascape and Beach tutorials: https://tobioskits.com/pages/watercolor-tutorials