How to draw water

Reflections in rough waters

When there is a lot of movement, as for example on the surface of the sea in windy weather, reflected objects such as trees, boats and banks are not the only things you need to take into account. Since the facets of the water turn in all directions, there are always the sun’s reflections turning towards the eye of the onlooker. As you will shortly discover, it is important to present these very bright spots in the right way.

Take in the scene carefully and, as always, consign as much as you can to memory.

River water movements

On a river, the lines of force of water movements follow a natural curve coming from the river bed. It makes no difference whether we are considering a large or small river or a stream, the movements of the running, twisting water are always organised in the same way, describing lines parallel to the middle of the stream. Outward winding movements from these lines are often visible. Make a point of respecting these natural movements when drawing waves or folds in the water.

If the wind is responsible for these folds on the surface all sorts of ripples can appear depending on the wind’s strength and direction. There’s no denying that, as far as wind is concerned, the most beautiful water deformations are provided by the sea – as we shall now discover.