"Splash" - How to paint a drop of water

"Splash"

5" x 7" watercolor painting

by Karen A. Cooke

Painting water can be challenging.  Since water itself is clear, the key to painting water is to use the color of it's surroundings.  In the painting above, I used blue to reflect the color of the sky and make the water stand out on the paper.

The painting above was painted with only one color of paint - Windsor Blue  The intensity of the color is regulated by the amount of water added to the paint and how the paint is layered on the paper.
Using this type of technique will help beginners understand the strength of color when water is added and how much water to use.  This technique also helps with learning how to layer the paint to achieve color variation.

Supplies Needed:

Watercolor paper (type and size of your choice)  - I used a 5" x 7" piece

Masking tape or watercolor notebook

Watercolor board, if using sheet paper

Brushes: round (size of your choice based on the size of your paper)

Paint:

• Windsor Blue

Painting Instructions:
I sketched the shape of the water splash to make the painting easier to do. 

Splash:
Look at the painting above and using a pale wash of blue start painting at the top and work your way down to the bottom of the splash.  While this pale wash is still wet, start adding additional washes of Windsor Blue in deeper intensities allowing the washes to blend together.  Refer to the painting above for location.  Allow to dry. 

Water/Reflection at base of splash:

Painting wet on wet add washes of blue in the same way as the splash with the deepest intensity near the base of the splash.  Be certain to leave some areas unpainted and white.  Allow to dry. 

Finishing touches:
Using a liner brush, add a some deeper lines of Windsor Blue to define areas of the splash.   Refer to the photo above.  

Congratulations!

Happy Painting!
Karen