Not an artist? No worries. This is the perfect “I’m not an artist” project. If you can stir and pour, you can create this beach wall art.
Dive Right In: 5 Tips for Painting Water in Acrylics
Water is endlessly inspiring to artists. There’s something deeply compelling about its ever-changing nature, whether in a still, reflective pond or a rushing stream. But water is also one of the most difficult things to paint realistically in acrylic.
Consider these tips to set yourself up for success:
1. Always Work From a Reference
When painting something as variable as water, trying to capture the image in your mind’s eye is really hard. Better to paint from life or from a photograph.
2. For Calm Water, Follow the Value Rule for Reflection
In general, the values of an object reflected in the water are more muted than on the object itself. If you are painting a reflection of a tree, the reflection of the dark part of the trunk will be lighter than it is on the trunk itself. The opposite is true for the tree’s highlights.
3. Try Glazing to Lighten Up Calm Water
One technique I turn to a lot is glazing. To begin, I paint the reflection almost the same color as the object. Once it’s dry, I take some acrylic glazing liquid and a small amount of white paint, and glaze this mixture smoothly over the reflection. This lightens up the water in a subtle way, giving it a realistic look.
4. Remember That Running Water Is White
Where there’s movement in water — a waterfall, waves, rapids — there are no reflections.
Sometimes a water scene can contain both calm and moving water, which calls for some reflections and also some energetic and varied strokes. Be bold with your brushwork.
Ripples are an exception to the rule and usually just distort the reflection in the water, but I suggest studying some photos of ripples before deciding how you want to paint them.
5. Pay Attention To the Land Element
Waterlines, where the water comes up on the land, are light in value and are made up of neutral, earthy colors. A waterline usually does not span the entire shore; it’s mostly a broken line with many variations of thick and thin.
Painting in a land component gives you a chance to add other elements, like wildflowers or rocks, that add depth to your painting and make it more realistic.
Learn to Paint Seascapes in Acrylic
Capture the beauty and power of the ocean in vivid acrylic seascapes. Transport viewers to breathtaking coastal shores! Enroll Now »
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4 Responses to “Dive Right In: 5 Tips for Painting Water in Acrylics”
- David Thompson January 26th, 2022 I am self taught and would love to be able to paint glassy water.
Thankyou Reply - Diane vanlandingham January 9th, 2022 Glad I found you Reply
- Judith Leszczak Caputi March 1st, 2021 Love it, what a great idea for learning from John Reid. Thank you , Judith Leszczak Reply
- SUE February 28th, 2021 love Peter John Reid’s classes Reply
gather these supplies for your fluid acrylic ocean painting
- Floetrol (available in the paint section at almost any large home improvement store)
- Fluid acrylic paint (Golden fluid acrylics are used in the examples on this page)
- Dawn liquid dish soap
- A spray bottle containing Isopropyl Alcohol (70% alcohol or higher)
- Sturdy canvas made for acrylic pour painting, birch wood panel or MDF board to use as a base/surface
- Cups for mixing
- Measuring cup marked in ounces or milliliters OR kitchen measuring cups & spoons
- Sheet of paper (and optional dowel to create a handle)
cover
Cover your work area with something waterproof and protective. This could be a plastic drop cloth, old shower curtain, vinyl tarp, etc. I used the slick, non-stick, removable backing paper from a couple of large, self-adhesive vinyl posters. (Local print shops throw this stuff away after installing adhesive vinyl graphics and decals on walls. If you ask, some places will save it for you and give it to you free of charge. It’s a great alternative to plastic, and makes a fabulous non-stick work mat.)
elevate
Elevate your canvas or wood panel. You can place a small container, box or other object to lift it off your non-stick work surface. This will keep the edges free of paint build-up as the fluid paint drips off your canvas or board during the drying process.
level
Make sure that your surface is level. Position the level horizontally to check that your surface is level from side to side, as well as level from top edge to bottom edge. If your canvas or board is slanted or tilted, the paint will end up pooling and pouring off the lower edge.
The 9 x 12 panel above is balanced on top of a plastic cup, set inside a painted birch wood panel (flipped over to the backside so that it becomes a “tray”). This tray will catch most of the spill over paint, and can then become another piece of fluid modern art. The lavender tape protects the edges from paint drips and can be peeled off after the paint dries for a clean framed edge.
Can you do this project without placing a wood panel underneath? Of course. The panel is simply a creative way to capture the fluid paint run-off and avoid waste.
create a dragging tool
Create a dragging tool by taping a sheet of paper to a dowel (or any other long item you have on hand). You will use this paper in the process of creating your ocean art.
Step 2: mix your fluid acrylic pouring recipe
first combine fluid acrylics + pouring medium
What’s in the cups?
Each cup contains a 10 to 1 ratio of Floetrol to fluid acrylic–so 10 parts Floetrol to 1 part fluid acrylic paint. I used Golden fluid acrylics Prussian Blue, Turquoise (Phthalo), Ultramarine, Teal and Titanium White.
Add the Floetrol to the cups first. Then add the fluid acrylic color and stir.
NOTE: Floetrol works better than Liquitex Pouring Medium for creating lacy, bubbly patterns–plus, you get way more product at less than half the price.
next add a secret ingredient
If you’ve seen fluid acrylic pouring tutorials before, you know that many artists add a few drops of silicone to their paint mixtures to get those dramatic cell effects. The drawback of silicone is that it leaves a dull, greasy residue on your finished art. And that residue is difficult to remove.
Dish soap is a clever alternative. It helps to break apart the bonds of the fluid acrylic color to produce the bubbly, lacy, foamy look of sea and surf—without leaving any yucky film on your painting.
So—-to get those nice special effects in your ocean art—-add a couple of drops of dish soap to each cup and stir.
For an 8 x 10 or 9 x 12 size board or canvas, the amounts below will give you adequate coverage without waste–
- 1.5 ounces of Floetrol (approx 45 mL). If you are using a kitchen measuring set, about 1/4 cup
- 4 mL OR about 1 tsp fluid acrylic color ( I used Golden fluid acrylics** Prussian Blue, Turquoise (Phthalo), Ultramarine, Teal, Titanium White)
- 2 drops Dawn dish liquid
**Golden fluid acrylics are worth every bit that you pay for them. They are highly pigmented, and that concentrated color, when combined with the Floetrol medium, will create some vivid acrylic pour paintings.
step 3: pour your fluid acrylic ocean painting
Position your cups of color near your board or canvas, along with a spray bottle containing at least 70% alcohol. You will use the alcohol to spray on your fluid painting near the end to break apart the colors even more for the look of sea foam.
Also position your paper dragging tool close by.
You are now ready to pour!
Watch the video below to see the complete pouring process–
You can set your beautiful ocean painting aside (elevated on a level surface). Then use any leftover paint in the cups along with the run off from your first painting to create another work of art inside the birch panel tray.
