How to paint water with watercolor - tips and demo

Painting water with watercolor sounds natural, but it can be such a headache. Today I want to share with you some tips on painting water with watercolor.

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Download the reference photo:

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All the materials I use can be found here:

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Timestamps
0:00 - intro
1:03 - 1- Water is a surface
1:34 - 2- What type of water
2:00 - 3- Make your own decision
3:07 - Study from real life
10:03 - Small demo
20:35 - Ocean demo
25:44 - Complete painting demo
26:30 - First Wash
30:10 - Second Wash
32:02 - Second Wash - reflection
35:22 - Rocky shore
40:20 - conclusion

[patriciarudolph]

You have the brain of an engineer. Able to breakdown your thought processes but the ability of a true teacher in that you can articulate what you are thinking. Plus the real heart of an artist who can see the parts but realizes the most important part is the whole. Thank you so much for sharing your insights. And thankyou so much to your family for supporting your desire to teach. Blessings from the midwest.

[myrriahosborne]

It's amazing how many times I've seen water without actually "seeing" water. Thank you for this great lesson, Eric.

[espezhang]

I started to be interested in watercolor about three weeks ago, and I've been browsing all over internet for introductions and tutorials. So far Eric is absolutely the best teacher I've seen. I feel so fortunate to come across this channel. Thank you Eric!

[MartinBeebee]

Wow, what a solid and thorough tutorial. Thank you! Regarding the color of water, water is actually transparent, so the color comes primarily from reflections. It often looks blue on a clear day because the sky is blue, and gray on an overcast day, and of course, green when it’s reflecting trees. I think the depth primarily plays a role when it allows you to see what’s underneath, for example, when it’s shallow.

[samp]

And no loud irritating nonsensical background music drowning out your calming voice. Thank you Eric. 😊

[bevjensen]

You are a great teacher. Thank you for the focus on values. You speak slow enough for me to follow and are clear in your explanations.

[sbwhddv]

THANK YOU for these clear explanations! Art teachers tell us to "paint what you see." But that is much easier when you understand what you see. Then you must understand the medium to reproduce what you understand and see.

[ShaHaynes]

Im so grateful im getting a real education on water color painting from you. From understanding d subject to understanding d process of color and lights interplaying in d paper. Thank u Eric . U are absoutely awesome teacher . Pls keep on doing ur craft . Ur helping many people here . Godbless u and ur family

[andylee]

I appreciate how you zoom in to areas of your painting...that's very helpful!

[gpvvjmd]

Actually finding water colour painting videos are really difficult because using watercolour for painting are very rare and this is really helpful. So please do not stop and do more other videos for students like us,

[dianewoods]

I am new to this media. I usually work in charcoal. I am really enjoying learn these techniques. You are a amazing teacher. Thank you much. Fresno, CA

[Annsz]

Wow! Thank you soooo much, Eric! This is the most explicit tutorial I’ve ever seen for painting water in water color. Also I like the way that you structure types of waters into three simple models. I never thought that a artist can analyze nature with a rational mind.

[Drumaier]

Softer edges in the bg ripples, sharper in the this is not something i really payed attention before? Doesn't matter...since Eric is here for enlightening us all! 👍👍👍

[MUSCFANTASIA]

Thank You Very Much Sir. I am an architecture student and I'm struggling with using watercolor that is why I'm looking for tutorials and I found your videos. It's very helpful.

[jonlizsam]

The watercolor mottos, “just a few” and “keep it simple” definitely apply to painting water! Thank you for a very enjoyable video!

[elizabethmadara]

You are an awesome teacher! Thank you!!! I gained so much from watching you and hearing your explanations.

[syednusrataziz]

I m an old amateur water colour artist. Have learnt a lot from your lecture and demo. Thank you very much. Stay blessed.

[lolalolalin]

YAY!!!! Love seeing so many FANTASTIC comments below AND I love you, Eric!!! Def the best watercolor teacher in the universe!!!

[phyllisappleby]

Wow! You amaze me again! I've been painting water for years and now with your wonderful tips, I feel I will finally get the results I desire. You always have fresh, new tips that you explain extremely well. I continue to share your videos with friends. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us. I'm a huge fan.

[AlichinaThePinkLady]

Your videos are so well constructed! I love the way you analyze reality to translate it into watercolor, it makes things so much clearer. I gained some understanding at how to paint water from this one, so thank you!