how to paint still water in watercolour

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!

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
premixed greens for watercolours

premixed greens for watercolours

9 September 2026

I'm off to Italy next week for my last retreat of 2026 and I'm getting all sorts of things ready. One of them is, of course, my palettes. One of the questions I get asked a lot is how I decide which c...

Read more →

sketching retreat in spain : sept 2027

sketching retreat in spain : sept 2027

11 August 2026

My first watercolour retreat in Spain — Cabo de Gata, September 2027. Four years ago I moved to Spain. I've been painting here ever since — and quietly planning the day I could share it with you. ...

Read more →