Some of my beginner watercolor painting students often get cast shadows confused with reflections; however as they follow quite different rules it is best to have each clear in your mind before you start painting.
For the purposes of this article, cast shadows, are shadows formed by objects which block light from the sun or another light source and is seen as a hard edged shape on the ground or other surface. This is different to form shadows which appear as the shaded side of an object away from the source of light. Form shadows add solidity or form to an object being painted. For this article I am referring to cast shadows unless I state otherwise.
If there are only shadows, then it seems clear enough, but once reflections are thrown in students sometimes confuse the two and often have then going in the wrong direction.
A simple rules to follow is:
Painting Reflections
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Reflections are always towards the viewer and directly below the object they are reflecting.
Figure 1: Cloud Reflections
Figure 2: Reflections of Buildings and Boats
Continue to: How to paint shadows with watercolor
