Reflections on a glass surface

I have my work cut out for me today, cleaning up this mess. But before I start, it seems like a good idea to observe and paint how all these bits reflect on a glass surface. For this one, it’s all about the values, so first I try to identify the lights (sunny side of the objects), mid-tones (the glass surface) and the darks (reflections and shadows on glass). Here’s the process:

  1. After a quick drawing on watercolour paper, I paint the objects and their reflections, mostly with a light green wash.
  2. When that’s dry, I paint the glass surface with some saturated blue (leaving a few bits of white), at times glazing over the reflections as well, to darken them slightly. A reflection of an object is often a little darker than the object itself.
  3. The last step is to put in the darks, which for the most part, are the undersides of the objects, as well as their shadows.

7 Comments on “Reflections on a glass surface”

  1. You were right. Work cut out. Appears purposely.

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  2. Soni says:

    Love this !!! & appreciate your text ; this would make a great video class

    thank you as always

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  3. Chris Rusk says:

    Love your colours as well as your delivery – scrumptious!

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  4. Denise says:

    “Thank you“ to the storm that left this for you to paint for us! It’s amazing the things you find teachable moments in.

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