How to paint Water Surface: Step-by-Step watercolor Tutorial

Water surfaces have a magical charm that draws many people to capture them in art, and I’m no exception—haha. From calm ponds to rippling waves, practicing how to paint water with watercolors allows us to explore reflections, gradients, and movement.

In this basic tutorial, let’s create a simple landscape together in just a few easy steps. Trust me, the more you paint, the more addicted you’ll become! ^^

Hope you have fun!

Table of Contents

Supplies list

Watercolor Paper: Arches Cold-Pressed Watercolor Paper
Brushes: Escoda Perla #8 / Escoda Versatil #10
Watercolors: For this beginner step-by-step watercolor tutorial series, I use Schmincke Horadam 24 Half-Pan Set. You can choose any brand and find similar colors.
Colors:
Lavender
Ultramarine
Indigo
Ivory Black

1. Base Color for the Water

We’ll use the wet-on-wet technique to create ripples. In this first step, start by painting a light blue base color for the water. I used a diluted Lavender and painted horizontally from the horizon downward.

2. Water Ripples

Water Ripples
The color deepens as it approaches the bottom. Begin adding darker blue tones and create ripples using horizontal brushstrokes that overlap with the light blue above. These ripples should alternate and not form perfectly uniform horizontal lines.

The brushstrokes for the ripples near the bottom should be thicker. Once the bottom is complete, switch to a smaller brush to add finer ripples to the upper section. By this time, the base color in the upper section is usually drier, making it easier to paint finer ripples without them bleeding

3. Mountains

To create misty, distant mountains, first wet the area where the mountains will be painted. Then use different shades of blue to paint two mountains with soft, blurred edges.

Once the previous layer has dried, we can directly add closer mountains. This will create a sense of depth in the landscape.

4. Final Touches

Finally, add the mountain reflections by painting horizontal lines on the water’s surface.

Before starting, you may want to practice on a separate piece of paper to get comfortable with the motion of creating horizontal lines. This will help you produce confident and clean strokes for the reflections.

Painting water surfaces with watercolor can be both relaxing and challenging. By mastering gradients, layering, and color transitions, you can create realistic and captivating water effects.

During your practice, experiment with different factors such as moisture levels, timing of your strokes, color choices, and brushstroke shapes—each can lead to unique results. I encourage you to keep experimenting, and I’ll share more water-themed works in the future!

If you have any suggestions or requests for future tutorials, feel free to let me know.

See you in the next tutorial!