Creating / Keeping depth in a painting

There are many ways in which we can create the illusion of depth in a painting. More often than not depth, and the manner in which it might effectively be reproduced in watercolour, is dictated by the subject itself. There might be a proliferation of detail centered about the focal point whilst distant objects are kept distant by being less defined. It might simply be the effects of linear perspective dynamically presenting us with a subject of great depth (ie. nearer objects being larger and sharper-angled than their distant counterparts), or it might be the arrangement of colours that give rise to a feeling of depth – cooler colours in the distance, warmer/richer colours in the foreground (known as Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective). It may be a combination of all these.

If your subject is presenting you with a ready-made feeling of depth, then emphasise it! Work with it – capitalise on your good fortune.

If your subject is displaying none of these characteristics, then maybe you should ask yourself whether or not it’s worth pursuing.

If your subject lacks depth, but you are still passionate about wanting to paint it, then give some serious thought to depth when planning it out and set about employing some of the visual tricks mentioned above.