I've said it before, that painting water in watercolour is one of the toughest things to do. The simplest approach is to apply a two or three toned wash, let it mostly dry, then paint over with impressionist-like brush strokes in various colours. I use that method all the time when painting the Lachine canal or st Lawrence river. However, water is more complex than that, there are ripples and reflections from the sun which appear white, the clouds and sky which are distorted by the waves, and the bottom of the water body will show through at closer angles. In this painting, while sitting in a comfortable dock chair on a wonderful afternoon by he lake, I tried to capture all the elements. On the right you see ripples with a distorted clouds, white sun reflections in the middle, and the yellow-orange earthy much and rocks on the bottom showing through on the shore. Some lily pads, aquatic plants, and the edge of the dock provide the sharp contrast against the smooth water.
Reflections by the dock, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2024
The lake is full of large ice aged glacier rock deposits like you see under the water in this painting looking off the edge of the dock. To paint the rocks under the water, it was like doing two paintings in one. I established the general rock shapes with lighter earth colours like yellow and red ochre (PY43, PR101), and then built up darker tones with burnt umber (PBr7) and indo blue (PB60). Some curvy lines depict the waves. I stared at the water for quite some time, and figured a four part strategy that may work, but it is going to take more practice. Perhaps more time around the lake would suffice!
Rocks under water, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2024
Boat dock with rain clouds, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, August 2024
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