Bev..look at my "Painting a Roadside Masterpiece" lesson here on WC..in the Artschool Online Archive.
I have forgotten now just how many lessons I have here at WC, but of them the majority I'm sure has water involved.
Don't worry too much if its acrylic or oil lessons either, principles are much the same.
Visit my artist site, and perhaps 90% of my near 80 works are painting water.
I used to look for "tricks" years ago. As though water could be reduced to a simple formula. Any attempts to paint water like this will look forced and cheap.
Water not only reflects the shoreline, it reflects parts of the sky that are light and dark, the various colors of the sky. It refracts and shows the effects of light off of shallow bottoms, or penetrating light in the water.
Start by painting from photos if you'd like, but then..spend some quality time along water's edges and study with your eyes.
I guess I was fortunate. My father was a licensed sportsfishing guide when he wasn't being a policeman. I've been around water all my life. Now I live in a national forest area with 1200 lakes, rivers and streams. Plus..like my father..I spent time in the navy. Water, water, water..everywhere water.
You have to see it, listen to it, be moved by it. Your artistic senses need to be captivated by it to the point where you no longer have a choice to express what you feel about it, you absolutely must paint it!
Observe what light does..watch the water patterns. Watch a leaf or insect float by, and the swirls. Above all..squint your eyes and simply observe the patterns of colors and shapes.
Painting water on location is a whole other ball game. I know big name wildlife artists that literally cast a slide up on their canvas and trace all the waves and patterns, and basically filled them in. I'd love to watch them squirm with a French easel in front of stuff that won't sit still!
In fact, did anyone read artist Jim Lamb's opening lines in the interview with him on painting plein air in the recent "Southwest Art" magazine? I met Jim at a Wild Wings exhibition where we were both exhibiting. The article starts off raving about his many years of commercial fine art, his many many published prints..then he says in spite of all this experience...the first time he stood at his easel out of doors, he suddenly realized, he "didn't now how to paint!"
I loved that honesty..and roared! I immediately identified, but look at him now! I feel like I've been born all over again as well as a painter.
After so many years of painting on location now, Bev, I have determined to no longer think of water as water..trees as trees..sky and clouds the same, etc; ALL things are merely shapes and color. Slowly the right half of the brain develops, and is content to not get bogged down with object recognition.
My concern now is what not to paint, not what to paint or how. So...with paint at hand, acrylic or oil...my secret is to squint my eyes...see small shapes of color, mix the color, and dip and dab. If you are faithful to imitate shape and color, values of light and dark, the result will be that as you back up from the painting it will appear as water. Here are a couple images from one lesson here to illustrate that.
Don't think of a shape as a reflection of a tree. Just squint eyes..see shape and color... dip and dab! The only strong line I follow and recommend, is that the surface of water is smooth in general, and moves horizontally, so brushstrokes should not be haphazaard like straw. Keep the strokes going horizontal, or working together in the same general direction.
Larry
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The Artsmentor
"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do!" Edgar Degas
[This message has been edited by lseiler (edited February 24, 2001).]