how to paint still water in watercolour

5 September 2024
Painting still water and reflections in watercolours
Painting still water and reflections in watercolours

A few weeks ago I asked my students what they would like for upcoming lessons. There were quite a few of you who asked for a skills lesson on painting still water. So here it is!

Water is a wonderfully interesting subject and there isn't just one way to paint it. My aim for this skills lesson is to give you some ideas on what to look out for before you pick up a brush, and then a set of steps you can follow. By the end of the lesson you'll have a worksheet you can keep to refer to later.

We'll paint more water and reflections in upcoming lessons.

Find this lesson on Patreon or Renee's Studio.

Happy painting!

tips and techniqueswatercolourtutorialpatreon2024 paintingsRenee’s Studio
Paint a free watercolour online lesson

A free lesson for you!

One of my all-time favourite paintings of a stormy day in a ruined Roman town in Spain.

You can do this! Let me show you how. Join my community to receive this free video tutorial.

Join here
from planning to painting

from planning to painting

30 January 2026

A norwegian grass-roofed cottage in watercolour. Have you noticed how I almost never paint exactly from a reference photo? That’s not accidental. Before I ever pick up a brush, I spend time analysin...

Read more →

adventures in colour

adventures in colour

14 January 2026

Excited to announce my new watercolour journey "Adventures in Colour". This journey brings together four structured watercolour pathways, each with 6 deep-dive lessons. Each pathway is designed to wor...

Read more →