Painting Water in Alpine Landscapes (Weekly Challenge #176)

This week we find ourselves at Thunersee (Lake Thun), a serene gem nestled in the Swiss Alps. Surrounded by dramatic peaks and dotted with elegant castles, this alpine lake is a treasure trove of artistic inspiration. Whether you're drawn to bright blooms, classic boats, or storybook towers, this location offers it all — with water playing the star role in every single view.

Thanks to our co-host Iveta @d_iwuska, we get to enjoy four beautifully composed photo references that highlight both the stillness and drama of this alpine setting. Each one asks us to take a closer look at how water behaves, reflects, absorbs light, and helps structure our compositions.

Focus Point: Painting Water

Water is one of the most captivating and challenging elements in landscape art. It can shimmer, reflect, ripple, blur, distort, or disappear entirely, depending on its mood and context. And because it interacts with sky, structure, and movement, painting it convincingly requires observation more than replication.

This week, we invite you to explore how water plays a role in composition, atmosphere, and storytelling. Whether you're working digitally, with pastels, or in watercolor, this focus point will push you to balance detail with suggestion.

Analyzing This Week’s Reference Photos

Now let’s dive into the reference photos of this week.

Photo 1: Castle and Flowers

A fairy-tale castle anchors the composition, with vibrant red and pink flowers in the foreground. The lake appears almost still beneath a soft sky, offering a subtle reflective surface.

Week 176: Thunersee, Switzerland. Photo Credit: @d_iwuska

Challenge as a photo: Water isn’t central but it plays a supporting role — your task is to not forget it! The lake ties castle and flowers into one peaceful scene.

Focus Questions:

• Should the water reflect more, or stay subtle?

• How can it enhance contrast between architectural elements and soft blooms?

Tips:

• Keep texture softer on the lake for contrast.

• Use horizontal strokes to suggest stillness.

• Let flower reflections blur slightly for depth.

  
  

Photo 2: Castle with Reflected Boat

A ferry glides past the castle, mirrored in the calm lake. Here, water becomes a visual anchor — a mirror, a path, and a contrast.

Week 176: Thunersee, Switzerland. Photo Credit: @d_iwuska

Challenge as a photo: Painting both the ferry and its reflection risks stiffening the scene. You’ll need to decide how much detail is worth repeating.

Focus Questions:

• Is this about reflection, or movement on water?

• How do light and shadow behave differently on the water surface?

Tips:

• Use subtle value shifts for the reflection avoid copying shapes exactly.

• Try blending edges to show distortion.

• Emphasize ripples near the boat to show motion.

Photo 3: Ferry and Mountain

A ferry approaches, with a hazy mountain in the background and a glossy lake surface filling the foreground.

Week 176: Thunersee, Switzerland. Photo Credit: @d_iwuska

Challenge as a photo: The large expanse of water can easily feel empty unless you handle gradients, color shifts, or small texture variations.

Focus Questions:

• How do you guide the viewer across a large water surface?

• Can you use temperature or saturation to describe space?

Tips:

• Gradually shift values from foreground to background.

• Use sky color gently reflected in water to unify the scene.

• Let the boat’s shape slightly distort in the water to add interest.

Photo 4: Boats and Dramatic Sky

Dark clouds break to let sunrays spill across anchored boats. The water here is restless — it carries mood, contrast, and atmosphere.

Week 176: Thunersee, Switzerland. Photo Credit: @d_iwuska

Challenge as a photo: This is your most expressive water surface — failing to connect it with the sky will flatten the impact.

Focus Questions:

• Can you suggest changing water texture without over-detailing?

• How can water "echo" the sky above?

Tips:

• Try soft horizontal strokes with value shifts to suggest wavelets.

• Use glimmers of reflected sunlight to bring energy.

• Keep masts and shadows sharp to anchor the still boats.

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Water never stands alone — it always tells a story about its surroundings. This week, ask yourself: Is the water calm or restless? Still or shifting? Clear or colored? You don’t need to paint it perfectly — you just need to make it believable. Let the water lead your viewer’s eye, set the mood, and connect your forms.

Post your work with #landscapeartclub176 by Thursday, 21 August on Instagram to get a change to be reposted in our account. Looking forward to seeing how you capture the alpine spirit of Thunersee!

The water is one of the most popular subject in our weekly challenge, so if you are looking for more inspiration and practice to paint water, check the Water category in our Reference Library.