Painting Reflections on Water

Painting Reflections on Water in Acrylics

A lot of people ask for help when painting reflections on water.  As with most subjects, especially when painting from nature, there are many variables to consider and there is no one right answer because reflections can look different every time.  It is no wonder that many painters struggle in this area.  It can be a difficult subject to paint.

So today I want to share with you the techniques and also the thought processes I use to tackle painting reflections on water.  I believe that when you examine the reasons why things appear the way they do, it makes it easier to recreate them on canvas and, more importantly, to remember how you did it so you can do it again and again.  

My Golden Rule For Painting Water

My golden rule for painting water is that horizontal surfaces reflect what is above and vertical surfaces show what is beneath.  However,  when painting reflections on horizontal surfaces, there are additional things I like to consider. The main ones are movement and viewing angle.  

Movement

Still Water Reflections

When the water and the wind are both perfectly still then the reflection will basically be a mirror image.  This can make it easier to paint in some ways but also more difficult in others because there is not much room for error.

I always like to start with the easiest bit, so first I paint in the trees, boats, buildings or whatever your subject is that is above the waterline.  Then I turn the canvas upside down and try to repeat the same thing exactly.  Along the way I like to check that I have got the proportions correct by measuring with a ruler to make sure each object extends that same distance above the waterline as below.  

Of course, as it is a mirror image, whatever your subject is. will be facing in the opposite direction so you will need to turn the photo you are working from upside down as well to get the correct reference.   If you are copying from another painting then you are going to be limited by the ability of the original creator of the artwork.  That’s why I recommend painting from photos (preferably your own) to get the best results. 

Sometimes, even when using this upside-down method, it can still be difficult to picture in your head exactly what should be in the reflection.  So, another thing you can do, thanks to the marvels of modern technology, is to flip your photo horizontally with your device’s photo-editing software.  This will create a mirror image of the scenery above the waterline which you can use to give you a really clear idea of what exactly should be shown in the reflection.

Pro Tip:

Plan ahead.  If you are cropping off the top of the scene to create a more pleasing composition, such as in the photo below, make sure to take some extra photos of the scenery that has been cut out but is still showing in the water.  That way you have got another reference to work from.

Moving water

As soon as there is movement in the water the reflection will start to look a little distorted, pixelated or even disappear completely.  

Currents

Even a very still day, there can be movement in the water from currents, swell or tides such as in the photos below.   In this case, the reflection will also be a mirror image, but with a few distortions.  You can have a bit of fun here with some squiggly lines.

For me, this is the easiest type of reflection to paint because the distortions allow for a certain margin of error.

You will notice in the example below that apart from the reflection of the boat, the surface of the water is actually the same colour as the sky.  This is because on water, flat horizontal surfaces reflect what is above and in this case, what is above is the sky.

The more movement there is in the water, the greater the distortion.  You can see in my painting of Venice that, although there is still no wind, there is quite a lot of movement on the water because of the large amount of boat traffic causing wakes that reflect off of the surrounding buildings.  

So I guess what I am trying to say is that, by putting yourself in the scene, thinking about what is going on and the knock-on effects, it helps you to decide how to tackle the subject matter at hand.

Wind

When there is a light breeze across the surface of water, reflections can look a little pixelated or, if there is a gust of wind, it may erase the reflection completely in just a small area, as in my painting of the Swan River in Perth.

When there is a lot of movement in the water, i.e. when it is really windy or choppy then we can only see snippets of the reflection.  The reflection is only seen on the horizontal surface of the water.  The face of the small waves, or vertical surfaces, are showing what is beneath the surface.  These types of reflection are easy also, I think, because there is quite a bit of guesswork going on.

The way you paint reflections water can help to show what the weather is like and is one of the ways to tell a story with your painting.

Viewing Angle

The angle from which we view a subject is going to impact what we can see in the reflection.  If I were a mathematician I would probably be able to explain this better.  Alas, I am but a humble artist but I will give it a shot anyway.  

Side note:  Leonardo da Vinci was both an artist and a mathematician.   He was also an inventor and an engineer.  A true genius.

From Above

When viewing water from directly above it is unlikely you will see any reflection, except perhaps yourself if the light is bright and the water very still.  You will most likely be able to look through the water to whatever is beneath.

From an Angle

When viewing water (or wet sand) from an angle you will see whatever is projected at the same angle on the other side of the surface of the water.  For example, in this photo I took in Venice the viewing angle is very steep so the bottom of the gondola and also the top of the buildings are visible in the reflection. In the beach scene, the angle is not as steep so clouds that are low in the sky are visible.

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In my Paint Stunning Seascapes in Acrylics course students create a painting where there is a patch of wet sand about three quarters of the way along a beach.  So let’s assume the angle between me, as the viewer, and the patch of wet sand is 30°.  I then project an imaginary line at 30° from the wet sand to whatever is on the other side of the wet sand.  In this case it is a rocky headland so that is what will be seen in the reflection.

From Both Above and At An Angle

When the body of water stretches from directly  beneath your line of view to further back in the distance, then painting the reflection becomes a little tricky.  You need to make a gradual change between showing what is beneath and what is above.  I do this by gently fading out the reflection as it moves towards the bottom of the canvas. You can see in both the photo and my painting that in the foreground you area able to see what is beneath the surface but towards the background the trees above are visible.

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Considering the angle of the reflection is going to make your painting look more believable.

Use Water Reflections as a Painting Tool

So I guess there is a bit more to painting reflections than one might think at first. Once you master the techniques, though, you can use them to your advantage.

• If the reflections in your painting are a mirror image, i.e. it is a still day, this could indicate that perhaps it is winter or maybe a sultry summer day.
• Slightly distorted reflections could indicate that you are painting a harbour or a river rather than a lake because of the currents. It could also indicate a very busy waterway with lots of boat traffic.
• Very distorted reflections can help to show that there is a brisk breeze blowing, such as an afternoon sea breeze or even perhaps a storm.  

If you understand how to paint the different types of reflections, you can use them as a tool to more effectively tell a story with your painting, which should, after all, be the goal of any great artwork.

Painting reflections is one of the many techniques I cover in my Paint Stunning Seascapes in Acrylics online course. If you would like to find out more about my painting courses please visit the Blue Beach House Art School

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