How to Paint Water in Watercolor

Water is one of those magical subjects in watercolor. The transparency, the reflections, the way color moves and mingles across the paper. It’s basically the perfect match for this medium. But it can also be tricky to get right (trust me, I’ve had my share of moments!).

Whether you’re painting a calm lake, a rocky coastline, or shimmering reflections at sunset, learning how to paint water is about more than just blue paint and a few ripples. It’s about understanding movement, light, and layering. Once you get those three elements down, you’ll start to see the water on your page come alive.

In this post, I’m walking you through some of my favorite lessons, tips, and tutorials for painting water. These are the exact techniques I use and teach in my online watercolor courses, so you’ll be learning directly from what works in real life (and on real paper).

Grab your brushes, pour yourself a cup of something cozy, and let’s dive in (pun totally intended).

Ocean Painting Basics

If you’re new to watercolor or just want to improve your watercolor techniques, the best place to start is with ocean scenes. Water gives you endless opportunities to practice smooth blends, soft edges, and color transitions. All while keeping things loose and expressive.

In my Ocean Landscape tutorial, I teach you how to create a simple seascape using easy wet-on-wet watercolor techniques. You’ll learn to capture that glowing horizon, the gentle wave shapes, and the subtle tonal shifts that make your painting feel fluid and natural.

If you’re a visual learner (like most of us), you can watch the full video below to see how I break down each step in real time.

Another great one to check out is my YouTube lesson, How to Watercolor Ten Easy Objects for Your Full Landscape Paintings. This tutorial covers how to paint water alongside other essential elements like rocks, trees, and clouds. You’ll pick up some foundational painting techniques that apply to just about any landscape you want to create.

You can watch that full video below, too. It’s a great way to build confidence and start layering your watercolor knowledge piece by piece.

Simple Watercolor Projects for Painting Water

If you’re learning how to paint water, simple projects are the best way to practice movement, layering, and color without overcomplicating things. Sometimes it’s these smaller, low-pressure paintings that unlock the biggest lightbulb moments (and they’re a lot of fun too!).

One of my favorites is the Simple Loose Watercolor Sail Boat Tutorial. This short lesson takes under ten minutes, but it’s packed with techniques that make watercolor feel approachable and expressive. In this video, I demonstrate color mixing, painting waves, and adding a simple shoreline and sky. It’s light and full of those whimsical touches that make watercolor so enjoyable.

This project is perfect if you want to explore a loose watercolor style or just need a creative warm-up that still teaches you something new. You can watch the full video below to paint along in real time.

Another great beginner project is Paint This Fun and Simple Mountain Lake Scene. This step-by-step tutorial walks you through painting a calm lake surrounded by mountains using wet-on-wet watercolor techniques and soft, blended reflections. You’ll learn how to layer color, build depth in the mountains, and create that smooth mirror effect on the water.

Both of these projects are beginner-friendly, relaxing, and full of techniques that apply to any style of watercolor painting. They’ll help you develop brush control, understand water-to-pigment ratios, and gain a better sense of timing — all essential skills for mastering how to paint water.

Are you a fan of scenery watercolor painting? In my blog, I’ll guide you through my favorite easy, relaxing projects that build confidence and flow in your watercolor landscapes.

The Full 4-Part Ocean Landscape Series

Once you’ve practiced the basics, it’s time to bring everything together. My full four-part Ocean Landscape Series walks you step-by-step through painting a complete seascape from start to finish. This is actually the same scene featured on the cover of my book Everyday Watercolor Seashores, but it’s not one of the projects included inside! So think of this as a fun, free bonus lesson that pairs perfectly with the book.

Part 1: The BEST Technique for a Smooth Gradient Wash with Watercolor

In this first lesson, I show you how to create a smooth gradient wash. One of the most important techniques for painting skies and water. Using a 1.5-inch Princeton Aqua Elite Mottler brush, I demonstrate how to control water, avoid streaks, and maintain consistent, sweeping strokes from edge to edge. You’ll learn to keep your watercolor brush clean, damp, and steady for that seamless blend every landscape needs.

Part 2: The EASIEST Way to Paint Water for a Watercolor Ocean Landscape

In part two, I teach you how to paint water using a simple wet-on-wet watercolor technique to create soft, realistic movement. We start by sketching a light horizon line, then use a large flat brush to paint a dark-to-light gradient that fades toward the foreground. I layer in sandy tones near the bottom, then add ripples and shadows with a round brush and deeper blues for contrast. The key is water control, keeping the brush damp, not dripping.

Part 3: How to Paint SIMPLE Ocean Rocks & Details with Watercolor

In part three, I show you how to add realistic rocks and water details to your ocean scene. These bring structure to your composition and help balance all that movement in the water. I’ll show you how to use texture, contrast, and brush control to make the scene cohesive.

Part 4: How to Paint a SIMPLE Ocean Landscape with Watercolor

In the final part of the series, I pull everything together with wave spray, foam, and final shadows to complete the seascape. This last step adds movement and light to the painting, tying the rocks, water, and sky into one cohesive scene.

If you’re following along with this full series, I recommend keeping a watercolor sketchbook nearby. Practice each section multiple times before moving to the next. Repetition builds muscle memory and confidence, both are important if you want to master watercolor painting or even develop your own intuitive watercolor style.

Tips for Painting Water Realistically

If you want your water to look natural and luminous, here are a few of my go-to techniques:

Use wet-on-wet for soft blends. This creates that dreamy, diffused look in the distance. Drop color into wet paper and let it move naturally (it’s okay if it feels unpredictable, that’s the beauty of watercolor).
Layer with wet-on-dry for sharper details. Once your base layer is dry, go back in with a slightly darker mix. This helps define ripples and reflections, giving your painting depth and realism.
Mix colors on the paper, not just in the palette. Water is full of variation. Try mixing your blues, greens, and even hints of violet right on the paper for organic shifts in color.
Pay attention to reflections. Remember, water reflects the colors of the sky and surroundings. So if your sky has soft pinks and yellows, make sure those tones subtly appear in your water too.
Don't overwork it. It’s tempting to keep layering and adjusting, but sometimes less is more. Let the water and pigment do the talking.

Everyday Watercolor Seashores

If you’re feeling inspired to keep painting, my book Everyday Watercolor Seashores is the perfect way to keep the momentum going. It’s a creative sketchbook designed to help you strengthen your watercolor skills through play, practice, and discovery. Inside, you’ll find premium watercolor paper, inspiring prompts, and QR codes that link directly to some of my most popular tutorials—so you can keep learning wherever you are.

See You in the Next Tutorial

Painting water in watercolor can feel intimidating at first, but once you understand the layering process and the basics of light and movement, it becomes one of the most rewarding subjects you can paint.

Every brushstroke teaches you something about control, patience, and flow. (And if you mess up? That’s okay. It’s just paper and paint, you can always try again).

Whether you’re following the quick tutorials or diving into the full Ocean Landscape Series, I hope these lessons show you that learning how to paint water doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about experimenting, trusting the process, and having fun with your materials.

If you’re ready to take things a little further, you can find more step-by-step beginner watercolor painting tutorials inside my online watercolor courses and free YouTube channel for beginners. Or, if you prefer to go at your own pace, explore my watercolor books to keep your practice consistent.

Once you start applying these techniques, you’ll begin to see your paintings transform. Not just the water itself, but your entire approach to watercolor. And that’s where true creativity begins.