Water only exists in a painting because of the things that are reflected in it. Remember water has no colour. Sometimes the sand, rocks or weed underneath show through shallow or clear water, but mainly it is everything above the water that is reflected and that colours the water. As in this picture of the Taj Mahal, reflections are usually more muted that the object reflected.
Carefully observe the reflections in these different photos f Bamburgh Castle in Northhumberland, UK. In every single case you can see the colour of the sky, the clouds and a reflection of the castle wherever there is water in the scene.
Getting this right is simply a matter of open-minded observation. Everything is there for you to see and to get down on paper in your painting.
In this scene, the wind has caught the surface of the water and provided a useful white stripe across the bottom of the trees.
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| Artist - Robert Dudley
More of Robert Dudley's work can be seen at
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