Painting Reflections & Reflected LIGHT Watercolour Landscape Painting Ink & Wash Watercolor Tutorial, by Lois & Morgaine Davidson Art on YouTube. 12 min 3 s.
- Video length
- 12 min 3 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Sketch the scene lightly in pencil on the watercolour paper. Mark the horizon, the building shapes and the waterline so the reflections line up with what sits above them.
Go over the drawing with a waterproof fineliner. Vary line weight: heavier on foreground shapes, finer on distant buildings and ripples. Let the ink dry fully.
Erase the pencil lines once the ink is dry. Keep the paper flat and work gently so you do not rough up the surface.
Mix a pale wash of raw sienna and a touch of burnt sienna. Brush it across the sky, leaving the brightest area near the horizon unpainted for the sun glow.
While the sky is still damp, drop in slightly stronger burnt sienna near the horizon. Tilt the board a little so the colour blends softly.
Paint the sunlit faces of the buildings with warm raw sienna and light burnt sienna. Leave the shadow sides dry for now.
Mix indigo with paynes grey and paint the shadow sides of the buildings and the darker background shapes. Keep these edges crisp.
Paint the water with horizontal strokes. Repeat the building colours directly below them, slightly lighter and softer, to make the reflections.
Add broken horizontal lines of burnt umber and indigo across the water to suggest ripples. Leave gaps of white paper for sparkle on the surface.
Let everything dry, then check the contrast. Deepen shadows with another layer of indigo and paynes grey where the light should feel stronger.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep reflections directly under the object they mirror, and make them a little softer and lighter than the real thing.
Warm colours in the sky and cool indigo shadows side by side make the sunset light look brighter.
Test your fineliner on scrap paper first, since a non-waterproof pen will smudge when you paint over it.
Let each wash dry before adding the next so colours stay clean instead of turning muddy.
Questions
Do I need waterproof pens for ink and wash?
Yes. A waterproof fineliner stays sharp when wet paint goes over it. A normal pen will bleed and grey the colours.
How do I stop reflections looking like solid blocks?
Paint them with broken horizontal strokes and leave small gaps of paper. Soften the bottom edge with a clean damp brush.
Can I use different colours than the ones listed?
Yes. Any warm earth colour plus a dark blue will give a similar effect. Use the paper and brushes you are most comfortable with.
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.
