How to Draw Water and Its Reflections?

Hello everyone, today I am going to introduce you to a central element in many landscape drawings: water! We often tend to depict it as a large, somewhat flat blue spot. In this article I will show you many ways to better draw water and its reflections.

Prepare your pencils, your paper or your tablet, and most importantly, your creativity!

THE BASICS OF DRAWING WATER

Our goal is not to become experienced physicists, however, it is interesting to understand a bit about how water works in order to better redraw it.

Everyone is aware that water is transparent, yet it is most often depicted as blue. This color comes from the fact that water reflects the sky. If you have ever seen the sea during bad weather, you will have noticed that it then takes on a very bright pearl gray color.

The diagram below is interesting in understanding that water reflects light like a mirror, but some of the rays are also refracted below the surface of the water. We can also observe (fig. B) that when the surface is not flat, the reflected rays (and thus the reflections) will be much more random. We can return to the comparison with a mirror: if the mirror is broken, the reflected image will no longer be accurate.

So, if the water is transparent and reflects the sky (and its surroundings), one can find a multitude of waters and have fun representing them in drawings.

The image below is an example to show the impact of the sky and the ground on what we can draw later.

WATER AND TRANSPARENCY

To begin with, I suggest a classic: the water droplet. It allows us to correctly capture the volume of water, its transparency and its reflections.

DROPS OF WATER 

1- In order to obtain a pleasing result, I recommend working with a coloured background.

2- I sketch some potato-like shapes.

3-  I add the first shadow, which corresponds to the shadow created by the volume of water, it is important that it is very blurred to give the soft appearance that water has (unlike metal, for example).

4- I then add the shadow, taking care to leave a small gap between the first shadow I had drawn and this one. The two shadows must not touch each other because they would flatten the drawing.

5- I add the first, rather soft reflection on the lower edge, symbolising the transparency of the water.

6- I add a second reflection on the opposite edge, symbolising the reflection of the light hitting the drop of water. And that's it: the drops are finished!

 

THE WATER CUBE

One of the exercises that is often recommended when learning to draw are cubes. They help in understanding the properties of the element being drawn without engaging in a full landscape work.

1- I start by drawing my cube.

2- (Digital only) I add a colour base to work (with alpha lock) only in the area of the cube.

3- I start by applying the basic colours: the upper face will be the lightest because it catches the light, the right face will have intermediate colours and the left face will be the darkest.

4- I add some volume to the cube by darkening the corners to emphasise the lack of light and thus the transparency of the water.

5- I add brighter rays; they correspond to the light refracting in the water. I make some more intense than others to add more realism.

6-  I just work on the surface of my cube by drawing foam. I recommend drawing potato-like shapes and then colouring the space between these shapes white.

7- To show that the water is transparent, I add reflections of the foam on the floor.

8- To provide further detail, I add small dots of different sizes and shades, some lighter than others.

Here it is, the water cube!

 

THE OCEAN DEPTHS

To illustrate this last point on transparency, I used the example of the ocean floor, but it also applies to lakes, waterways... in short, to any body of water where it is possible to observe the elements on land due to transparency:

1- I start by creating a gradient from dark blue to yellow.

2- I then sketch shapes of rocks (again, potato-like shapes)

3- I establish colour bases; the rocks further back in the image are more submerged and less visible, so I colour them in shades of blue near the water. Those in the centre in shades of blue and green and those near the edge in shades of beige.

4- I add depth to my rocks by drawing a single shadow that corresponds to their volume. The rocks in the background have a very faint shadow and those in the foreground will have a simple green shadow to show that one part is submerged and the other is not.

5- I blurred things a bit, because due to the volume of the water they are not as clear as the outer rocks.

6- I detail the exterior rocks with simple shadows and lights.

7- I add foam effects along the edges of my outer rocks by making strokes.

8- I draw the reflections and add a little white to lighten the centre of the image.

And there is the seabed! 

WATER REFLECTIONS

Here we will discuss how to draw water in most landscapes where water, ponds, lakes and sometimes even bays are typically depicted.

REFLECTIONS ON BODIES OF WATER WITH LITTLE MOVEMENT

I start by drawing the landscape; I like to draw the water last because it will depend on the surrounding landscape.
(Digital only) I add a colour base to work (with alpha block) only in the water area.
I spread the colour base, a light blue-green in the foreground and darker shades for the centre of the image and the background. In order to achieve more realism and interest, I like to use numerous shades ranging from blue to green.

Since the surface of the water is smooth, the water acts like a mirror, so I redraw the reflections of the different mountains in the water.
I add some highlights in the foreground (creating lines and dots) and near the banks to suggest the transparency of the water.

And that's it for the water mirrors!

WATER PUDDLES, A TRUE MIRROR

Puddles, I need hardly tell you, are a body of water of varying extent but shallow, so there is no current, hence they reflect almost perfectly the landscape around them.

I start by drawing the landscape surrounding my puddle.
This step is much easier in digital: I simply flip the landscape layer and incorporate it into the puddle area.
I blur it slightly to add more realism.
I add depth details to the sides of the puddle.

And that's it for puddles!

THE REFLECTIONS ON MOVING WATER

As we saw at the very beginning, when water is in motion the reflections become very random, here I propose to see how we can reproduce these reflections.

I start by drawing a quick sketch with rounded shapes.
I create a gradient going from medium blue to a slightly lighter blue.
I colour the inside of the shapes in dark blue. To obtain this wave effect, the shapes are more extended at the back and increasingly smaller towards the front.
I add more rounded shapes in a slightly lighter blue mainly at the front.

 

I added more rounded shapes in blue in the front than in the back.
I add some more highlights with a very light blue, especially in the centre of the image.
I add the final highlights with dotted and white lines.

And here are the reflections on the moving water!

DRAWING MOVING WATER

We got to the part about water movement, starting by analysing movement in fairly weak and therefore calm watercourses.

STREAMS (TYPE STREAM)

I start by drawing the volumes I want to give to my watercourse.
Then I outline the shape of the watercourse and the various elements that surround it.
I colour the landscape around my watercourse.

(In digital only) I add a colour base to work (with an alpha lock) only in the water area.

I have just created the first shadows by creating lines to give that sought-after movement.
I add lines in the areas where the light reflects.
I add highlights by creating very light blue honeycomb patterns.

To finish, I add some more highlights.

Here are the slow-flowing streams!

RAPID WATERCOURSES

I start by drawing the volumes of my watercourse.
Then I draw the surrounding landscape.
I just colour this landscape.

(In digital only) I add a colour base in order to work (with an alpha lock) only in the water area.
This phase does not have to be drawn; it is just a matter of identifying the different movements that the water will make depending on the elements in the stream (waterfall, rock, etc.).

I simply added shadows at the base of the stream and around all the elements.

I then marked the waterfalls by drawing lines with a blue colour.
I add some foam at the end of each waterfall to mark the weight of the falling water and I am just sketching some lines to show the current.
I add reflections at the base of the waterfall, in the centre (just drawing lines) and at the height of the foam.

Finally, I add lines along the current to further emphasise the movement. I also add a few dots at the foam to symbolise the drops produced by the waterfall.

And here are the fasterst streams!

THE WATERFALLS

I start by drawing the volumes of my waterfall.
I will then sketch the decor around.
I am coloring the scenery. (In traditional drawing, I recommend not coloring the area behind the waterfall)
I add water at the bottom of my waterfall.

This step does not need to be drawn; it is just about identifying the different movements that water will make depending on the elements present in the stream (waterfall, rock, etc.)
I start laying the colour bases by creating lines, first dark blue and then light blue, to create a sense of speed. I also colour the base of the waterfall by creating arched lines.
I add lots of strokes in an intermediate blue to have a balanced base for the whole waterfall.
I add light blue strokes for contrast.

I add a little smoke to each of the levels of the waterfall to accentuate the movement.
I add even more white highlights.
I simply added a lot of white sprinkles on each level of the waterfall. To make them, I draw small arcs, lines and dots.

To finish, I add details (more small waterfalls, some sprinkles...).

And that's it for waterfalls!

DRAW THE WAVES

Here we come to the last part, which brings together many previously discussed concepts: transparency, reflection, movement...

THE ROLLER TYPE WAVES

I start by drawing the outline of my roll, inspired by an arrow curling in on itself.
(Digital only) I add a colour base to work (with an alpha block) only in the water area.
I spread the colour bases, the water is more present at the base of the roll, so I do it in a darker blue, conversely the centre of the roll is generally the least dense part, so I do it in a lighter blue.

I add light blue foam on the entire top of my wave as well as along its length, by creating rounded and elongated shapes that follow the form of the roller.
I finally add white to give volume to the top of the wave and on the sides. It is important that the whole is rounded. I also add a few white dots to show the water droplets.

And that's it for the roller waves!

THE WAVES ON THE BEACH

I start by making my sketch.
I then colour the beach and the sky.

I have just created the first waves; they are very thin and almost transparent, so I use colours close to those of the sand but slightly darker and bluer, and I leave areas where the sand is visible to highlight this transparency. The closer the waves get to sea level, the darker they will be.

I draw in shades of blue and white the foam at the base of the waves, which will allow the waves to stand out well from the sand.
I now deal with the base colour of the sea, creating it in shades of greyish blue similar to the sky, lighter in the distance to mark the perspective better, and more intense at the beginning of each wave.

Finally I add foam, to create the big waves I first draw the foam in blue and then add white. I also add some reflections at the base of the waves in the foreground to create continuity with those on the beach.

And that's it for the beach!

We have just seen many ways to draw water, through its transparency, reflections and movement. I hope you enjoyed it and will have fun adding lots of water in your future drawings! 😊

Illustrator and writer: Chléo Poutou