Introduction: Ecosystem Planted Aquarium Watercolor Painting

I made this painting as an expression of my awe and wonder at how ecosystems work in nature and how that beauty can be brought into such a small space, such as a fish tank.

This painting is a simple watercolor representation of a simple aquarium setup with endlers and platies, as well as an Amazon sword, the main plant in the work.

Supplies

  1. liquid watercolor paints, greens, blues, reds, purples, yellows, umbers, oranges, and black(you could also do this without the liquid paints and just get a normal watercolor palette).
  2. 9" X 12" watercolor paper.
  3. masking tape.
  4. Brushes: I used a round, a liner, and a wash. You can really use whatever you like, are comfortable with.
  5. A bucket or a cup and some water.
  6. A cloth or sponge to wipe excess paint on.
  7. A palette or some kind of paint holder

Step 1: Wet on Wet Wash

Start by wetting the entire paper to try and stop some of the deformation. Then drop in the base colors for:

  1. The background, you can do a light blue or green.
  2. The midground, green for the plant. You can also do the main plant, which was my midground.
  3. The foreground, a mix of greens, tans, yellows, and oranges, to do the substrate and rocks.

This will give a very loose and almost wavy start to your painting.

Step 2: Beginning Main Forms

First, let the paper dry after working the wet-on-wet step, then tape down the borders as much as you can. Start outlining and add more depth to all areas except the background because you want to preserve as much bright brights as you can. Work from light to dark and background to foreground. The main focus for this step is the plant and the rocks; the gravel can still be more or less still a wash, but you do want to also add varieties of color in the gravel, especially.

Step 3: Definition of Main Objects

Next, really define your objects, like the substrate and the rocks. You can also add the crude shapes for any life that you may want to add. I did a few fish, snails, and a shrimp or two. Also, try to add some shadows for the rocks and the gravel to make the impression of looking into a glass aquarium and seeing the gravel below the surface.

Step 4: Adding Fish, Etc..

Finally, define the plant or main object in your painting, and also any fish or snails that you want to add. Lastly, touch up any shadows and outlines or highlights, and then let it dry before the next step

Step 5: Finishing Up

Lastly, remove the tape carefully; it helps if you pull the tape perpendicular from the side of the paper, then sign your initials or name inside the painting border, not on it!!