This Simple Watercolour Trick Makes Reflections Look Real, by Richard Burton on YouTube. 22 min 58 s.
- Video length
- 22 min 58 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Tape your paper to a board and sketch the horizon, the cliff line and the main shapes of the sea lightly in pencil. Keep the lines faint so they do not show through the paint.
Wet the sky and sea areas with clean water using your large brush. Leave the cliff and foreground dry so the paint stays where you want it.
Drop in a pale blue-grey wash for the sky while the paper is still damp. Tilt the board slightly so the wash settles evenly and let it dry until it is just damp, not shiny.
Paint the distant cliffs with a soft, muted mix of blue and warm earth. Keep the edges soft and lighter than the foreground so the distance recedes.
Lay a mid-tone wash across the water area on the damp paper. Leave gaps of bare paper for the lightest glints on the surface.
While the water is still damp, paint the reflections of the cliffs directly below them. Use the same colours but slightly darker and softer, and pull the strokes downward.
Add darker bands and ripples with a small brush once the surface has lost its shine. Break the reflection into horizontal dashes so it reads as moving water, not a mirror.
Strengthen the darkest darks in the foreground rocks and the nearest water. Compare them with the pale distance to check the depth reads correctly.
Lift a few highlights with a clean damp brush or paper towel where light should hit the water. Let the painting dry flat before removing the tape.
Tips and common mistakes
Work on damp paper, not soaking wet, or the reflections will bleed into the sky and lose their shape.
Keep reflections slightly darker and less detailed than the objects they mirror.
Leave the lightest areas as bare paper instead of adding white paint.
Test moisture by touching the back of your hand to the paper; it should feel cool but not wet.
Questions
Do I need to paint outdoors to get this effect?
No. You can use a photo reference at home and follow the same damp-paper method. Plein air just gives you truer colours and light.
Why do my reflections look like solid blocks?
You are probably painting on dry paper or using one flat tone. Work on damp paper and break the reflection into horizontal strokes of varying tone.
Which paper works best for wet washes?
A heavier cold press paper, around 300 gsm, holds water without buckling. Thin paper will cockle and make the washes hard to control.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
