How to make reflection on the water or other surface?

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Hello,

I wonder if someone could help me with tips about how to make a reflection of the object on the watery surface. Or similar to that, in the mirror? Basically, I have no idea how to make a reflection on anything XD. I would like to know some tactics to help me work more efficiently. Thank you in advance.

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There are some tutorials available online like this one or this one

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Reflections on water (and every smooth surface like mirror or metal) is basically the same object, flipped vertically, that connects with the object, with its base on the height of water. As the reflection is a reflected light, some of it has to be scattered - the projection will always be darker, in case of water also shifted into green-blues as light gets to you from beneath the surface - those wavelengths don’t get absorbed so well as reds.

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I made this some time ago to show how perspective affects the effect. With objects far from the observer, vertical flip of a duplicate, with colors shifted, will work just fine - when objects get closer, if you look from the top, distances between observer to the top of the object, and observer to the base gets significantly different. Perspective comes into place, but object and reflection are still two identical objects, that connect with their bases - just with perspective applied. In this case you will probably have to draw the reflection separately from the object.

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Wow! I knew that, but I wouldn’t be able to explain it so well! Thanks <3

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No problem. I’m a bit of a physics/optics freak :wink:

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Woah, thank you so much. It will help me a lot. I didn’t even think of perspective, so this is totally new and interesting.

P.S Wojtryb, maybe you have a channel were you explain physics/optics in the field of art?

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I’m glad you think this solves your problem :slight_smile: In case, if you feel like learning more about perspective, you can check drawabox lessons - it has quite nice perspective explanation though it’s talking only about how to use it, and not really why it even happens, which I find quite interesting.

I haven’t done any art tutorial so far, as the internet is already flooding with tutorials created by beginners, that can be more harmful than helpful, if you don’t have enough knowledge to spot they are leading to nowhere.
But I really want to make one tutorial someday, about diffuse light from Phong model, which for me is probably the most important thing, that I consider while painting - I summarizes what I learned at school and IT collage, and it’s basically mathematical explanation how angles between objects and light sources determine colors you use.
I haven’t found any tutorial that would actually explain it satisfying way. And it would be quite objective knowledge, so I don’t risk having mistakes in art tutorial that much.
But it’s sadly not coming that soon :wink:

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Borodante, coming from similar background (self-taught in art, computer science course at uni or college), has made some videos on that. Here’s on reflection etc.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZJRMvBS3hI , here on colors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZJRMvBS3hI , here more on a Fresnel effect and other stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkT0D7GKE64

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That looks interesting. Thank you, I’ll have to check those :slight_smile:

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Thank you for such broad answers, all this information will totally help me. I am going to check all the lessons and links now ^^

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