How to Paint Ocean Reflections on Fish
- 1). Sketch the fish and the underwater environment using a pencil and paper or canvas, referring to photos in fishing or environmental magazines or books. You can also sketch the fish you see in aquarium.
- 2). Paint the top of the fish a lighter color, adding highlights of very light blue, green or yellow, depending on the shade you want to add to the water. This depicts sunlight shining though the water and reflecting off the top of the fish. The side of the fish should be painted a medium hue, and the bottom should be painted darkest.
- 3). Paint a bright-white highlight at the point of the fish that is closest to the surface of the ocean, if the fish is near the surface. For a fish in deeper water, the top of the fish should be darker, usually blue or olive. The bottom of the fish should be a very dark brown, olive or even black, to show that it is in shadow.
- 4). Break up the top of the highlights to show fish in turbulent water. Instead of painting one brighter area, paint a few light spots on the top, and break them up with darker shades of paint in between. This will give the sense of a broken reflection.
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