How to Paint Lakes and Reflections in Oil Paints

Painting Ripples and Disturbances on Water Surfaces

Aug 9, 2009

Castle Moyle, Scotland, Oil Paintings from the Landscape, Rachel Shirley

Creating a convincing impression of water in oil painting can be difficult, for the water surface can be affected in a multitude of ways by weather and by reflections.

When a composition includes a body of water such as a lake or a river, a certain amount of confidence might be required to tackle it effectively in an oil painting. However, steps can be taken in overcoming this challenging hurdle.

Reflections and Ripples on Water

When first presented with the idea of painting water, one might assume that it contains considerable complexity and confusion, and as a subject matter is suited only to the most competent artist. Some might even be put off the idea of painting water completely. However, there are certain guidelines that can be followed to help the practitioner in creating an authentic portrayal of water in different weather. The following describes the general appearance of water in calm conditions, a slight breeze, windy weather and gales.

Oil Sketching a Lake in Calm Weather

When presented with a calm body of water, such as the painting illustrated in fig 1, the following might be observed.

In perfectly calm weather, reflections will resemble a mirror, and the upside down image of the objects will appear directly below the objects themselves
Reflections of objects such as trees and houses will often appear to point straight downwards
The colours of the reflected object, such as skies and trees will often appear darker and more muted than the actual object

Painting Ripples

As can be seen in fig 2, when the reflections of the water are slightly broken by a gentle breeze, the following might be observed.

Slight disturbances such as ripples will appear flattened by distance and stretch out in wide bands across the water
Where the sunlight catches the ripples, the dappled light will appear regimented within these bands
Closer to the viewer these disturbances will appear more random and diffuse
Vast stretches of water might still appear undisturbed despite a slight breeze disturbing other areas

Waves upon the Loch

Where strong breezes affect the surface of the water, as can be seen in the loch in fig 3, the following effects might be seen.

Reflections of objects will be completely broken up and unrecognisable
The waves on the water will appear flattened out by distance, but appear to contain diverse patterns closer to the viewer
Larger stretches of uniform colour will be observed on the water
Lines of ripples will appear to move in uniform angles in one area as opposed to another

Choppy Waters

When the waters are subject to gales and gusts, as can be seen in fig 4, the following effects might be observed on the surface of the water:

The colour of the water will often possess a grim colour, such as grey or slate blue.
The colour will appear more uniform with no reflections to be seen
Crests might be seen breaking here and there, the more distant ones appearing in rows and those nearby more at random.
Distant waters might appear to possess a slightly paler hue than the waters nearby.

Capturing Water in Oil Colour

Although water might seem to be a chaotic and complex subject matter, its appearance adheres to certain rules when viewed in different weather conditions and vantage points. Reflections for instance will always appear directly below the object and possess a slightly deeper hue. Ripples from a distance will appear as bands, whereas close by will appear less regimented. Close observation and practice will yield more secrets to painting this fascinating subject matter.

The copyright of the article How to Paint Lakes and Reflections in Oil Paints in Landscape Painting is owned by Rachel Wills. Permission to republish How to Paint Lakes and Reflections in Oil Paints in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.