Robert K. Abbett - Painting Water

Most of us involved in the art of painting nature’s creatures and their habitats are sooner or later going to have to paint some water, and doing so exposes us to one of the more demanding and capricious elements of our art. It’s odd that painting (the illusion of) a colorless liquid can be so elusive, but doing so can also be immensely satisfying.

In early grade school when the art lady told us to do a picture of a lake, we all drew a hard, oval outline and with our brightest blue crayon, industriously colored in the water till it shown like florescent turquoise. That approach, unfortunately, is still around, so perhaps a new look at an old problem will help erase some of the bugaboos.

Since many of my water painting experiences have come from fishing stream pictures, my concern is more with small inland ponds and rivers than with the oceans. To an experienced fisherman, the depiction of these water’s surfaces is very meaningful: their various textures and tones will recall the water’s speed and depth which in turn relate to the fish themselves. The river’s pools can have different levels, as well, as the water literally falls in its down-hill run over cataracts and rock formations. These structures needs to be defined in simple form, and the wetness will be obtained by the addition of a surprisingly few highlights.

My own experiences over time have led to a personal ‘pond/river painting philosophy’ which is based on two rules I’ve found helpful:

Rule 1. We are apt to see much more greenish brown in many ponds and rivers than blue. I begin with the basic concept that a body of water is simply a wet hole in the ground. If you dig a hole in your back yard and fill it with water, you’ll notice that the dirt or gravel gets much darker when wet. When looking at the water nearer to you, you will see more of the color of the bottom. Further from you, unless you’re in the desert, you also see the darker reflections of trees and hills: in eastern streams there can even be more foliage cover than open sky.

Rule 2. A ripple is simply a hump in the water’s surface which changes the angle of sight so as to reflect the lighter tones of the sky. A rushing river or a lake with on a windy day will obviously have many more ripples and, depending on the sun’s position, may show more reflections of the sky. But when the sun is low and the wind lessens, the water will darken and you’ll want to think again of Rule 1 - more brown than sky color - blue if you insist.

The gang in my workshops often teased me for being anti blue. Not true, I was only suggesting blue as only one of a multitude of sky colors available, all of which can similarly tint the water with surprising results.

If the sun is in front of you, the rippled portions of the water glisten even more, while if there are shaded pools beneath trees and foliage, the water
can go almost to black, and any dappled sunlight can typically appear as very warmly colored bright spaces.

Painting water reminds me of drinking a fine brandy - it is vital to know when to quit. This speaks to the simplicity needed to successfully paint the illusion of wetness. Attempting to paint every ripple or nuance in water is futile - doing so will only deaden the results. Rather it is of utmost importance to separate in our minds what is river bottom and what is up on the surface, be it ripples or reflections.

My approach is to first scrub in an overall khaki color reminiscent of wet gravel. Next I’ll pick out the most obvious, brighter ripples and at that moment the water begins to look wet. Lastly I’ll explain some of the important surface structures like stepped down pools, textured riffles and above-water rocks, editing out the less important items as I go.

Painting water can sometimes drive an artist to distraction, and it deserves nothing less than our careful attention and planning. But by its very nature, water makes some primeval connection to our inner being and if given half a chance, can always add its own inexplicable beauty to our paintings.

-30-



	Behind the Easel December 31, 1996 This Business of Painting Water Published in Wildlife Art, May/June 1997
	Most of us involved in the art of painting nature’s creatures and their habitats are sooner or later going to have to paint some water, and doing so exposes us to one of the more demanding and capricious elements of our art. It’s odd that painting (the illusion of) a colorless liquid can be so elusive, but doing so can also be immensely satisfying. In early grade school when the art lady told us to do a picture of a lake, we all drew a hard, oval outline and with our brightest blue crayon, industriously colored in the water till it shown like florescent turquoise. That approach, unfortunately, is still around, so perhaps a new look at an old problem will help erase some of the bugaboos. Since many of my water painting experiences have come from fishing stream pictures, my concern is more with small inland ponds and rivers than with the oceans. To an experienced fisherman, the depiction of these water’s surfaces is very meaningful: their various textures and tones will recall the water’s speed and depth which in turn relate to the fish themselves. The river’s pools can have different levels, as well, as the water literally falls in its down-hill run over cataracts and rock formations. These structures needs to be defined in simple form, and the wetness will be obtained by the addition of a surprisingly few highlights. My own experiences over time have led to a personal ‘pond/river painting philosophy’ which is based on two rules I’ve found helpful: Rule 1. We are apt to see much more greenish brown in many ponds and rivers than blue. I begin with the basic concept that a body of water is simply a wet hole in the ground. If you dig a hole in your back yard and fill it with water, you’ll notice that the dirt or gravel gets much darker when wet. When looking at the water nearer to you, you will see more of the color of the bottom. Further from you, unless you’re in the desert, you also see the darker reflections of trees and hills: in eastern streams there can even be more foliage cover than open sky. Rule 2. A ripple is simply a hump in the water’s surface which changes the angle of sight so as to reflect the lighter tones of the sky. A rushing river or a lake with on a windy day will obviously have many more ripples and, depending on the sun’s position, may show more reflections of the sky. But when the sun is low and the wind lessens, the water will darken and you’ll want to think again of Rule 1 - more brown than sky color - blue if you insist. The gang in my workshops often teased me for being anti blue. Not true, I was only suggesting blue as only one of a multitude of sky colors available, all of which can similarly tint the water with surprising results. If the sun is in front of you, the rippled portions of the water glisten even more, while if there are shaded pools beneath trees and foliage, the water can go almost to black, and any dappled sunlight can typically appear as very warmly colored bright spaces. Painting water reminds me of drinking a fine brandy - it is vital to know when to quit. This speaks to the simplicity needed to successfully paint the illusion of wetness. Attempting to paint every ripple or nuance in water is futile - doing so will only deaden the results. Rather it is of utmost importance to separate in our minds what is river bottom and what is up on the surface, be it ripples or reflections. My approach is to first scrub in an overall khaki color reminiscent of wet gravel. Next I’ll pick out the most obvious, brighter ripples and at that moment the water begins to look wet. Lastly I’ll explain some of the important surface structures like stepped down pools, textured riffles and above-water rocks, editing out the less important items as I go. Painting water can sometimes drive an artist to distraction, and it deserves nothing less than our careful attention and planning. But by its very nature, water makes some primeval connection to our inner being and if given half a chance, can always add its own inexplicable beauty to our paintings. -30-