How to Paint Water Droplets in Watercolor
Here I have two small studies very loosely representing a leaf and a couple of flower petals.
Making dew drops or water droplets is not difficult and it adds so much to a finished painting. This method I learned from Susan Harrison-Tustain, which was published in her book, "Glorious Garden Flowers in Watercolor" from North Light Books or you can find it on her website. I may have changed it a bit, but the basics are there. The scary part about this is that I do it after the painting is finished, but once you try it it will lose it's scare factor. I tried putting masking fluid on the drops before I painted the picture, but wasn't satisfied with the results.
So, here we go...
Making dew drops or water droplets is not difficult and it adds so much to a finished painting. This method I learned from Susan Harrison-Tustain, which was published in her book, "Glorious Garden Flowers in Watercolor" from North Light Books or you can find it on her website. I may have changed it a bit, but the basics are there. The scary part about this is that I do it after the painting is finished, but once you try it it will lose it's scare factor. I tried putting masking fluid on the drops before I painted the picture, but wasn't satisfied with the results.
So, here we go...
I'm not posting photos of each step as they are really self explanatory.
1. When your painting is bone dry choose the spots you would like to add the drop. I only add a few, as I think it looks better. In a photo, a rose covered in dew is lovely, in a painting it doesn't work as well, and spoils all the work you did painting the flower.
2. Lightly draw in the drop in the place and shape you want. I drew it darker here so you could see it. NOTE: Be careful of the shape. Water is subject to gravity and its surface tension will cause it to be larger at the bottom if it is on a sloping surface. Drawing a teardrop shape on a level surface is not going to convince.
3. Wet the area inside the drop with clear water. On a particularly dark surface like the back end of that leaf, I like to blot a bit of the color out. If you blot, dampen again with clear water. Drop in a small amount of a warm yellow wash, being careful to keep it light enough not to interfere too much with the local color (local color is the overall color of the object) In this sample I have overstated the yellow in the pink flower so you can see it, but for a pink flower it's a bit much.
4. Let this dry completely.
1. When your painting is bone dry choose the spots you would like to add the drop. I only add a few, as I think it looks better. In a photo, a rose covered in dew is lovely, in a painting it doesn't work as well, and spoils all the work you did painting the flower.
2. Lightly draw in the drop in the place and shape you want. I drew it darker here so you could see it. NOTE: Be careful of the shape. Water is subject to gravity and its surface tension will cause it to be larger at the bottom if it is on a sloping surface. Drawing a teardrop shape on a level surface is not going to convince.
3. Wet the area inside the drop with clear water. On a particularly dark surface like the back end of that leaf, I like to blot a bit of the color out. If you blot, dampen again with clear water. Drop in a small amount of a warm yellow wash, being careful to keep it light enough not to interfere too much with the local color (local color is the overall color of the object) In this sample I have overstated the yellow in the pink flower so you can see it, but for a pink flower it's a bit much.
4. Let this dry completely.
5. Take note of the direction of the light source. For the flower, light is coming from above and slightly to the right. In the leaf it's from the left, slightly above horizontal. The lightest part of the drop will be OPPOSITE from the light source and the darkest part will be on the lighted side of the object. Sounds wrong, I know, but the water drop acts like a prism or lens, therefore it reverses everything.
6. After the drop is bone dry, dampen it again with clear water. Add a small amount of the local color to the perimeter of the drop and the side nearest the light source, keeping the shadowed side lighter. Let dry completely. NOTE: It is very helpful to have a brush that comes to a very sharp point.
6. After the drop is bone dry, dampen it again with clear water. Add a small amount of the local color to the perimeter of the drop and the side nearest the light source, keeping the shadowed side lighter. Let dry completely. NOTE: It is very helpful to have a brush that comes to a very sharp point.
7. When the drop is bone dry, mix a small amount of local color plus a shadow shade of your choosing. I prefer a greyed purple. Paint a small cast shadow under the shady side of the drop, immediately soften the edge with a thirsty brush. (a damp brush with almost no water in it)
NOTE: On the drop that is running off of the petal, instead of a shadow all the way around the shady side, I scrubbed out a light spot on the petal below. The drop in mid fall is more likely to cast a small spot of reflected light rather than a shadow.
8. If your painting is large enough you can possibly scrub out a highlight, but these are very small, so I put a dot of opaque white and smudged it with a finger. The highlight at the front part of the leaf I gave a wee sparkle to as it's directly in the sunlight. You can see that the droplet on the right side of the leaf as it curls under has almost no highlight, being almost completely in the shade. Those kinds of details help to make your painting pop. Hope this was helpful. Let me know if there is anything that you would like me to make into one of these step by step tutorials.
NOTE: On the drop that is running off of the petal, instead of a shadow all the way around the shady side, I scrubbed out a light spot on the petal below. The drop in mid fall is more likely to cast a small spot of reflected light rather than a shadow.
8. If your painting is large enough you can possibly scrub out a highlight, but these are very small, so I put a dot of opaque white and smudged it with a finger. The highlight at the front part of the leaf I gave a wee sparkle to as it's directly in the sunlight. You can see that the droplet on the right side of the leaf as it curls under has almost no highlight, being almost completely in the shade. Those kinds of details help to make your painting pop. Hope this was helpful. Let me know if there is anything that you would like me to make into one of these step by step tutorials.