Painting The Flow, Color and Rhythm Of Water
Jan 04, 2005
"Painting The Flow, Color and Rhythm of Water" by William H. Hays
published in American Artist Magazine, April, 2005
Surely one of the most beautiful and entrancing elements of most landscape scenes is light passing through and reflecting on water. Whether addressing the sea, a lake or a stream, water presents one of the most challenging aspects for any landscape painter to master. I have made the different moods of water and important part of my landscape painting for more than 30 years. For me, there are three basic elements I consider when painting water: color, rhythm and flow.
"Carters Beach Rocks" oil on canvas 38" x 28"
Let's start with flow. Water is constantly moving from the influence of wind, wave action and its own flow responding to gravity. Streams and rivers flow subject to the terrain over which they course. I try to envision what is below the water's surface from the beginning stages of the painting. Deep water generally flows slower with a smoother surface, its reflections a gentle repeating sweep grabbing the colors of the sky and of the immediate surroundings. Shallow areas ripple and course their way over stones, sand and debris on the bottom. The result is a more complex swirling of broken reflections - curling dashes and slashing strokes of paint.
"Pikes Falls" oil on canvas 38" x 28"
Throughout the painting I try to feel and understand the flow of a stream or river from the bottom up. What happens below the surface creates the reflective qualities of the surface and the refractive qualities of the water itself. Which brings us to color.
Working from the bottom up, the depth of the water creates its own color. In nature water is almost never pure and therefore tends to a greener tint of the cerulean and cobalt blue of pure water in quantity. The color of the water is subject to the light of the day and the type of water. A clear overhead light creates a dominant blue in clean water that I usually approach with ultramarine blue combined with other notes. The clear north Atlantic Ocean is quite (ultramarine) blue and rather dark.
A lake, river or stream generally tends more toward green. Particles suspended in the water reflect more light, creating an overall lighter tone in fresh and shallow water. As depth increases the value of the blue-green decreases, it gets darker. In shallows the bottom gathers the higher and warmer notes of the palette. Yellows, oranges and reds figure more prominently with sunlit and shallow areas, raising the values to the higher range within highlights. This is all within the water, not on the surface.
On the surface, shadow areas from objects immediately adjacent to the water tend not to reflect the object, but rather offer a window to under the surface. This is generally due to the object blocking the reflection of the sky. The reflection of the sky dancing on the surface is mostly a deeper version of what is seen in the sky itself. For the sake of this discussion, let us assume it is a clear, blue-sky day. In choosing a color for the sky reflections, the value of the blue must be at least a shade darker than the sky itself and should be more intense and at least a little lighter than the dominant values in the water.
"Red Boat with Lobster Pots" oil on panel 11" x 24"
The value contrasts between the water and reflection are the central element that describes the reflection as light bouncing off of the surface. This means that while painting the water you need to keep in mind what is yet to come, the reflection of the sky and sun. The reflected light is usually much lighter than refracted light within the water. For sky reflections I will often choose a mix of ultramarine blue and cobalt blue - an exquisite combination with maximum intensity. It is the reflections of the sky that define the rhythms of the surface.
"Beach Meadows I" oil on canvas 28" x 38"
Rhythm and regimentation are the goal and the pitfall, respectively. It is rhythm in brush strokes that adds texture and motion to the composition. The rhythms of blades of grass in the field are a common example of rhythm vs. regimentation for most students. A quick, thin stroke will define a blade of grass. The repetition of that stroke will define a field. But if the brush strokes are done the same way again and again, the repetition becomes regimentation that takes the life out of the painting. Repeated strokes become pattern rather than rhythm. The trick is to find the descriptive stroke and then repeat it differently each time to create interest within the rhythm rather than killing it with sameness. In working with the surface of water, the rhythms can range from simple and elegant to very complicated and multi-layered. In all cases these rhythms reflect and define the flow of the water. A calm day in deep water produces undulations that I often approach with a dry brush technique. I push around the shadows and highlights so that they flow into one another and gently take the viewer's eye back into the composition.
"Sunset Mooring" oil on canvas 38" x 28"
In water that ripples and flows over obstacles the reflection is broken up. The rippling surface picks up much less of the sky reflection. The sky and reflections of objects define the surface motion with what might be simply a matter of selected notes.
I like to approach this type of reflection with a filbert or flat that is at least twice the size I would naturally choose. One can turn or rock the brush while drawing the brush across the surface and let the edges and the end of the brush do the work for you. Don't get caught up in details. Let the brush strokes happen with confidence and look for what they can accomplish without getting caught up in specifics. Then step back and let the painting tell you what is working then build on it.
"Standing Up To The Sea" oil on canvas 28" x 38"
Given the important role that the surface reflections play (defining the flow and physical depth), it is important to not overwork them. Approach the addition of reflected light strokes with economy. By frequently stepping back and noting the effect of these strokes, you can minimize their use while maximizing their effect.
The relative success of landscapes that include water as a major element of the composition are dependent on a lively portrayal of that water. Lack of contrasts or lack of interesting use of color in the water can cause the most beautifully rendered surroundings to fall flat. By looking below the surface of water while painting, the depth of the scene is strengthened by including this constantly moving and rich space. The viewer is taken below the surface with you. The undulations of flow, reflection and refraction provide the artist with a rich composition tool that embraces viewers and leads them through your painting.
"Stickneybrook Bridge" Step by Step
"Stickneybrook Bridge" Step One
The composition is blocked in according to light and shadow areas of the painting. Sunlit areas begin with a thin under painting of yellow ochre while shadow areas begin with cobalt blue mixed with raw umber. Notes of terra rosa carry reflected light into the shadow areas. The bottom of the stream bed is tinted with cerulean blue, permanent green and raw umber. Terra rosa tints the brighter shadows in the water. The dark fissures and ledges on the stream bed are laid out with irregular strokes created with a flat brush that is twisted and turned while being drawn across the canvas. The artist is working very fast without paying much attention to particulars. The water flowing over the stream bed breaks up any structures below the surface.
"Stickneybrook Bridge" Step Two
The overall tonal qualities are taking shape between light and shadow. Shadow areas in the rocks are fleshed out with warm and cool darks using primarily terra rosa and an ultramarine and cobalt blue mixture. The gray violets add life to the warm underpainting in the shadows on the rocks and pull in the color of the sky to be added later. Terra rosa and yellow ochre add depth and warmth to the downward slopes of underwater rocks.
"Stickneybrook Bridge" Step Three
At this point I am still painting the bottom and under the surface of the water. The churning of air in the water and the overall flow are defined with a grayed down tint of cerulean blue and permanent green light. In shadow areas I use a blue version of the same tint for the "white" foam of the water. Underneath I continue to develop the shaded areas of stones with different tints of terra rosa and yellow ochre.
"Stickneybrook Bridge" Step Four
The addition of foliage in the trees rounds out the mood of painting while bringing the visual space closer to the viewer. The warmer colors and layering mid-ground and background colors focuses the depth of the painted space to the upper left center by bringing the upper right closer to the viewer. The colors of the foliage are brought down onto the ground litter, unifying the scene.
"Stickneybrook Bridge" Oil on Canvas 28" x 38" by William H. Hays
Finally, surface reflections are composed of a tint of yellow ochre for the brightest highlights. Churning, white water in shadow is a gray blue. The reflections of the sky are a mix of ultramarine and cobalt blue dragged over the surface quickly, in discreet strokes that follow the flow of the water. The addition of these combined highlights focuses the composition and describes the water as having depth.
I hope you've enjoyed this example of my painting techniques. Feel free to write, I enjoy hearing from you!
Copyright 2004, William H. Hays
"Kuchora: Mtiririko, Rangi na Rhythm ya Maji (Picture: The Flow, Color and Rhythm of Water) na William H. Hayes, American Artist Magazine, Aprili 2005: ""Hakika moja ya vipengele vya kupendeza zaidi na vya kuvutia zaidi vya mandhari nyingi za mandhari ni mwanga unaopita na kutafakari juu ya maji." Ikiwa ni bahari, ziwa au kijito, maji ni moja ya mambo yenye changamoto zaidi kwa mchoraji yeyote wa mandhari. "Nimekuwa nikifanya hali tofauti za maji kuwa sehemu muhimu ya uchoraji wangu wa mandhari kwa zaidi ya miaka 30.""" Kwa ajili yangu, kuna mambo matatu ya msingi mimi kuzingatia wakati wa kuchora maji: rangi, mdundo na mtiririko. "Kichwa cha ""Carter's Beach Rocks"" kilikuwa na rangi ya mafuta ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi ya rangi." Maji yanaendelea kusonga kwa sababu ya upepo, mawimbi, na mvuke wake mwenyewe unaotokana na nguvu za uvutano. Mito na mito hutiririka kulingana na eneo wanaloelekea. Mimi hujaribu kuwazia kile kilicho chini ya uso wa maji tangu hatua za mwanzo za uchoraji. Maji ya kina kirefu kwa ujumla hutiririka polepole na kwa uso laini, na tafakari zake ni kupindukia kwa upole, kurudia-rudia, kukamata rangi za anga na mazingira ya karibu. Maeneo yasiyo na kina kirefu hujipinda-pinda na kuvuka mawe, mchanga, na mabaki yaliyo chini. Matokeo ni mzunguko tata zaidi wa mwangaza uliovunjika - madoa yaliyojipinda-pinda na michoro ya rangi iliyochongwa-chongwa. "Pike Falls: Mafuta ya Pike Falls kwenye Canvas 38 ""x 28"" Katika mchoro huu, mimi hujaribu kuhisi na kuelewa mtiririko wa kijito au mto kutoka chini hadi juu." Kile kinachotokea chini ya uso huunda sifa za kutafakari za uso na sifa za kupotosha za maji yenyewe. Ambayo inatuleta kwa rangi. Kwa kufanya kazi kutoka chini hadi juu, kina cha maji huunda rangi yake mwenyewe. Maji ya asili ni safi na kwa hivyo huwa na rangi ya kijani ya rangi ya bluu ya cobalt ya maji safi. Rangi ya maji hutegemea nuru ya mchana na aina ya maji. Nuru ya juu iliyo wazi hutokeza rangi ya bluu yenye kutawala katika maji safi ambayo kwa kawaida mimi huitumia kwa rangi ya bluu ya rangi ya bluu iliyochanganywa na noti nyinginezo. Bahari ya Atlantiki ya kaskazini iliyo wazi ni ya rangi ya bluu na yenye giza. Kwa kawaida ziwa, mto, au kijito huwa na rangi ya kijani kibichi. Chembe zilizowekwa ndani ya maji huonyesha nuru zaidi, na hivyo kutokeza rangi nyangavu zaidi katika maji safi na yasiyo na kina kirefu. Kadiri kina kinavyoongezeka, thamani ya rangi ya bluu-kijani hupungua, inakuwa nyeusi zaidi. Katika sehemu za chini, sehemu ya chini hukusanya noti za juu na zenye joto zaidi za rangi. Rangi za manjano, machungwa na nyekundu huonekana zaidi katika maeneo yenye jua na yasiyo na kina kirefu, na hivyo kuongeza thamani ya rangi hizo hadi kwenye rangi za juu zaidi. Yote hayo yapo ndani ya maji, si juu ya uso. Katika eneo la uso, maeneo ya kivuli kutoka vitu karibu na maji huwa si kutafakari kitu, lakini badala yake kutoa dirisha chini ya uso. Kwa kawaida hilo husababishwa na kitu hicho kinachozuia anga lisitikie. Mwonekano wa anga unaocheza kwenye uso ni toleo la kina zaidi la kile kinachoonekana angani yenyewe. Kwa ajili ya mazungumzo haya, hebu tufikirie kwamba ni siku yenye anga la bluu. Kwa kuchagua rangi ya mwangaza wa anga, thamani ya bluu lazima iwe angalau kivuli kizito kuliko anga lenyewe na inapaswa kuwa kali zaidi na angalau nyepesi kuliko maadili ya maji. "Kikombe cha ""Red Boat with Lobster Pot"" kwenye ubao wa 11 x 24′′, na tofauti ya thamani kati ya maji na mwangaza ni kipengele cha msingi ambacho kinaelezea mwangaza kama mwangaza unaorudi kutoka juu." Hii inamaanisha kwamba wakati wa kuchora maji unahitaji kukumbuka kile ambacho bado kiko mbele, mwangaza wa anga na jua. Kwa kawaida nuru inayorudishwa ni nyepesi zaidi kuliko nuru inayovunjika ndani ya maji. Kwa ajili ya tafakari za anga mara nyingi nitachagua mchanganyiko wa bluu ya ultramarine na bluu ya cobalt - mchanganyiko mzuri sana wenye nguvu nyingi. Ni tafakari za anga zinazotambua mwendo wa uso wa dunia. "Kichwa cha ""Beach Meadows"" cha mafuta kwenye canvas 28 x 38" ni mwendo na utaratibu wa kuongoza, kwa mtiririko huo, lengo na shimo." Ni mdundo katika mikondo ya brashi unaoongeza muundo na mwendo kwa mchanganyiko. Rhythms ya blades ya nyasi katika uwanja ni mfano wa kawaida wa rhythm dhidi ya regimentation kwa wanafunzi wengi. Mshtuko wa haraka, mwembamba utafafanua kijiti cha nyasi. Kurudia-rudia kwa mlio huo kutafafanua uwanja. Lakini ikiwa michoro ya brashi inafanywa kwa njia ileile tena na tena, kurudia-rudia inakuwa utaratibu ambao huondoa maisha kutoka kwa mchoro. Kupiga kwa mara kwa mara huwa utaratibu badala ya mdundo. Ujanja ni kupata stroke ya kuelezea na kisha kurudia tofauti kila wakati ili kuunda maslahi ndani ya rhythm badala ya kuua kwa usawa. Katika kufanya kazi na uso wa maji, mdundo unaweza kutofautiana kutoka rahisi na kifahari hadi ngumu sana na multi-safu. Katika visa vyote miendo hiyo huonyesha na kufafanua mtiririko wa maji. Siku ya utulivu katika maji ya kina hutoa mawimbi ambayo mimi mara nyingi kukaribia na mbinu kavu brush. Mimi kushinikiza kuzunguka vivuli na highlights hivyo kwamba wao mtiririko katika moja na polepole kuchukua jicho mtazamaji nyuma katika utungaji. "Sunset Mooring"" mafuta juu ya canvas 38 ""x 28"" Katika maji kwamba ripples na mtiririko juu ya vikwazo kutafakari ni kuvunjwa." Sehemu ya juu yenye mawimbi huonyesha sehemu ndogo sana ya anga. Anga na tafakari ya vitu hufafanua mwendo wa uso kwa kile ambacho kinaweza kuwa suala la noti zilizochaguliwa tu. Kwa mfano, unaweza kutumia filibuster au flat, ambayo ni kubwa mara mbili ya ukubwa wa kawaida. Unaweza kugeuza au kutikisa brashi wakati wa kuchora brashi juu ya uso na kuruhusu kingo na mwisho wa brashi kufanya kazi kwa ajili yenu. Usikate tamaa na mambo madogo-madogo. Acha pini ziwe na uhakika na utafute kile wanachoweza kutimiza bila kuvutiwa na mambo hususa. Kisha kurudi nyuma na kuruhusu mchoro kukuambia nini ni kazi kisha kujenga juu yake. "Kutoka kwa bahari hadi bahari: Mafuta kwenye canvas 28 ""x 38"" Kwa kuzingatia jukumu muhimu ambalo tafakari za uso hucheza (kufafanua mtiririko na kina cha kimwili), ni muhimu kutozitumia kupita kiasi." Kufikia kuongeza strokes mwanga kutafakari na uchumi. Kwa kurudi nyuma mara kwa mara na kuchunguza athari za vipindi hivyo, unaweza kupunguza matumizi yao na kuongeza athari zao. Mafanikio ya mazingira ambayo yanajumuisha maji kama kipengele kikuu cha muundo hutegemea picha ya maji hayo. Ukosefu wa tofauti au ukosefu wa matumizi ya rangi yenye kupendeza katika maji yaweza kusababisha mazingira yenye kupendeza zaidi kuanguka. Kwa kutazama chini ya uso wa maji wakati wa kuchora, kina cha eneo hilo huimarishwa kwa kujumuisha nafasi hii inayohama daima na yenye utajiri. Mtazamaji huchukuliwa chini ya uso pamoja nawe. Mzunguko wa mtiririko, kutafakari na kupinduka hutoa msanii na chombo cha uundaji tajiri ambacho huwakumbatia watazamaji na kuwaongoza kupitia uchoraji wako. "Stickneybrook Bridge" Hatua kwa Hatua "Stickneybrook Bridge" Hatua ya Kwanza Muundo ni kuzuiwa katika kulingana na mwanga na kivuli maeneo ya uchoraji. Maeneo yenye jua huanza kwa rangi nyembamba ya rangi ya manjano wakati maeneo yenye kivuli huanza na rangi ya bluu ya cobalt iliyochanganywa na umber mbichi. Nyota za terra rosa husafirisha nuru inayorudishwa kwenye maeneo yenye kivuli. Sehemu ya chini ya kitanda cha kijito ni tinted na cerulean bluu, kudumu kijani na umber mbichi. Terra rosa huchanganya vivuli vyenye kung'aa zaidi majini. Matofali na matundu ya giza kwenye kitanda cha kijito yamewekwa kwa strokes zisizo za kawaida zilizoundwa na brush gorofa ambayo imepotoshwa na kugeuzwa wakati wa kuchorwa kwenye canvas. Msanii huyo anafanya kazi haraka sana bila kuzingatia mambo madogo-madogo. Maji yanayotiririka juu ya kitanda cha kijito huvunja miundo yoyote iliyo chini ya uso. "Stickneybrook Bridge" Hatua ya Pili Sifa za jumla za sauti zinafanyiza kati ya mwanga na kivuli. Sehemu za kivuli katika miamba ni fleshed nje na joto na baridi giza kutumia hasa terra rosa na ultramarine na cobalt bluu mchanganyiko. Violet kijivu huongeza maisha kwa underpainting joto katika vivuli juu ya miamba na kuvuta katika rangi ya anga ya kuongezwa baadaye. Rangi ya terra rosa na rangi ya manjano ya okra huongeza kina na joto kwenye mteremko wa miamba iliyo chini ya maji. "Stickneybrook Bridge" Hatua ya Tatu Katika hatua hii mimi bado kuchora chini na chini ya uso wa maji. Mzunguko wa hewa katika maji na mtiririko wa jumla hufafanuliwa na rangi ya kijivu ya bluu ya cerulean na mwanga wa kijani wa kudumu. Katika maeneo yenye kivuli mimi hutumia rangi ya bluu ya rangi hiyohiyo kwa ajili ya povu "nyeupe" la maji. Chini ya hilo ninaendelea kutengeneza maeneo yenye kivuli ya mawe yenye rangi tofauti-tofauti za terra rosa na rangi ya manjano. "Stickneybrook Bridge" Hatua ya Nne Kuongezwa kwa majani katika miti huongeza hali ya uchoraji wakati wa kuleta nafasi ya kuona karibu na mtazamaji. Rangi za joto na rangi za msingi na rangi za nyuma zinaelekeza kina cha nafasi iliyochorwa kwenye kituo cha juu cha kushoto kwa kuleta juu ya kulia karibu na mtazamaji. Rangi za majani zinashushwa kwenye mchanga wa chini, zikifananisha mandhari hiyo. "Stickneybrook Bridge: Mafuta juu ya Canvas 28 ""x 38"" na William H. Hayes ""Mafunzo ya uso yanajumuisha rangi ya njano ya ocher kwa nyuso zenye kung'aa zaidi." Maji meupe yenye kung'aa katika kivuli ni ya rangi ya bluu-kijivu. Maonyesho ya anga ni mchanganyiko wa rangi ya bluu ya ultramarine na cobalt iliyochukuliwa juu ya uso haraka, kwa nyuzi za busara zinazofuata mtiririko wa maji. Kuongezwa kwa mambo hayo makuu huangazia muundo huo na kueleza kwamba maji hayo yana kina. Natumaini umefurahia mfano huu wa mbinu zangu za uchoraji. Jisikia huru kuandika, ninafurahia kusikia kutoka kwako! Copyright: William H. Hayes