ArtistsNetwork.com 63important than matching the colors
that you see in water. If the values
are accurate, the strokes will read
as water and can be any color in
the spectrum.
When working from a color refer-
ence photo, convert it to black and
white so that you’re more easily able
to see the light, mid and dark values.
Follow this with a quick value sketch,
and you’ll be able to simplify your
painting plan.
COLOR
Th e biggest infl uence on the color of
a body of water is the sky. Th e sky is
generally lightest at the horizon and
becomes more intense directly over-
head. It refl ects in the water the same
way—lightest in the distance and
darkest near the viewer.
If there’s bright sunlight, the refl ec-
tions can be stunning on relatively
calm sunlit water. If the sky is over-
cast, the water’s surface will appear
fl at and nearly white.
Another element that determines
the color of water is the transparency
of the water itself; is it crystal-clear
spring water, or is it opaque with
brown delta mud? What about the
bottom surface of the body of water?
Is it perhaps sand, as in Shore Bird (on
page 64)?
About
Reference
Photos
Until you develop a good
working knowledge and
an artistic water vocabulary,
using reference photos
ofdifferent types of water
can be very helpful in the
painting process. By taking
photos to freeze the con-
tinuous motion of waves,
you’re able to analyze the
structure of the reflections
and values. Once you’ve
gained some understanding
and confidence, you can
begin to improvise.Refl ections
aren’t perfect
upside-down
versions of the
objects they
refl ect. In
Morning Mirror
(watercolor on
paper, 29x21),
the egret’s head
is hidden, but in
the refl ection,
the viewer is
able to see the
bird’s head
tucked under
its wing.Brookside (watercolor on paper, 10½ x14½ ) features a combination of still pools,
indicated with lifted vertical lines, and shallow rushing water, created with drybrush
drag. The browns of the sand bottom and tannin-stained water determined the
burnt sienna color palette.