How To Paint Water – Part II
March 11, 2010
Me on a blue run called "Maverick"
I haven’t posted in almost two weeks because I was on vacation with my wife, snowboarding in western Colorado. We went to small, largely uncommercialized, resort called Powderhorn which is on the edge of the Grand Mesa not far from Grand Junction. I like snowboarding because those who do it well (not me) seem to possess a casual elegance when they “ride”. It’s a disposition that reminds me of the “relaxed intensity” I perceive when watching good painters work. Both are states of mind which afford the ability to respond to the subject with spontaneity. Snowboarder to mountain and painter to landscape, model or setup.
Last time I started explaining some of the things I’ve learned about painting water. I mentioned three major factors which contribute to the colors we see in water, especially shallow water. Let’s pick up where we left off.
We said that the color of what’s underneath the water (the bottom), the color of the water column itself and the color of what’s above the water (the sky), all contribute to what we see in a body of water. I posted an Antoine Bouvard painting of the Venice backwaters and said that I thought his method was to paint a midtone first, grading it darker to lighter from foreground to back, let it dry then glaze and scumble lights and darks on top.
Study - Black Mangroves
Here’s another method which I have employed with good results, both in the field and in the studio. Based on observation I decide what colors I think I am seeing in the water. Also based on observation, I decide which are attributable to the bottom, the water column and the sky. (It’s also important to take note of any colors attributable to reflections of trees, boats, birds, buildings and etc. We’ll talk about those in a separate post). Notice I used the phrase “colors I think I see”. That’s to emphasize the importance of trusting your own judgment. No two sets of eyes are exactly the same. I premix the colors I think I see, side by side on the palette observing their relative values and harmony prior to placing them on the canvas. In still water, the bottom color is usually darkest, followed by the water column and then the above color. I then proceed to paint the area in successive layers, wet into wet, bottom color first, above color last. The secret to this approach is a series of “Z” shaped brushstrokes, superimposed upon each other, whereby the “Z” flattens in the background and expands in the foreground. This approach works well for relatively still water and especially when those areas are small compared to the overall size of the painting.
"z" stroke...okay so my photoshop skills need work, but you get the idea
This is a technique borrowed from the paintings of Emile A. Gruppe, who was a prolific, one shot painter of marine scenes in Gloucester, Maine during the mid to late 20th century.
This thead on painting water should continue for a few weeks. I want to cover topics such as reflections and waves, too. In the course of doing that I’ll introduce you to more of my historical favorites.
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4 Responses to “How To Paint Water – Part II”
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Great tips for painting water! You have made it very understandable (is that a word?) – at least for me. I have always found that water is very hard to paint well – at least so that it looks like real water. Can’t wait for the next installment.
I’m anxious to try it!
Hi Robert,
You do such an excellent job with your blogs and I’m gleaning much information as well as enjoying them. I really like your writing and thought process. Your studies are really nice too. I don’t know when you did the Black Mangroves study with this blog, How to Paint Water II, but I wanted to comment on how painterly it looks, love it.
Nice water works – and your photo shop is clear as a bell.