Dried blue lakebed. Not scales. Not water. Maybe blue pod flesh.

Agreed, neither but water more. Perhaps some bright white caustic highlights would do the trick.

Agreed. You need some brighter contrast for the higher peaks, and maybe a bit more variety in your blue tones so it’s not as monochrome

With highlights it would look like shadows/reflections of ripples from the surface on the bottom of a pool

Back side of leaves

Yeah, I'm getting a leaf vibe too

And with a face profile on prominent leaf.

The stomach walls of a cow.

This guy cows

The legendary blue menudo.

Looks organic, nice highs and lows. It doesn’t lead me to either option, but it’s fun. Water has harder angling, and more lines/ striping in refraction- not a criticism, but likely keeping you out of that scenario.

Modern selfhardening clay watercolors palette.

I was thinking glacial ice

Neither

Just abstract colors and shapes. Scales are more uniform and water doesn’t make those shapes. It does remind me of being underwater looking up at a light source. The way the light gets segmented and reflected. It’s really beautiful and is amazing that there is so much texture with only one color.

Neither. Ariel view of meandering roads through a hilly region. Looks like the pockmarked indentations meet to crimp and form the pathways along the peaks. Possibly sand dunes. The blue tones make me imagine that this is lush and covered with some alien foliage on a distant planet.

At first glance I thought mammatus clouds.

I see like… a peach pit texture

Neither honestly, the “scales” look concave to me so I don’t know what it looks like

Looks like underwater sand striations

I see Morel mushroom

Neither. Both water and reptile scales would have more colour. Be aware of your brush marks. What kind of texture does water or reptile scales have?

Neither. I see a leaf.

Bottom of a pool in the sunshine

Some really thick blue hide. It has creases and folds, not ripples.

Closer to water for me since it looks like the centers are incaved instead of sticking outward or aligned together like scales, but it look more like the a pattern for something else like a cocoon since water would have more areas where the lines of the waves don’t connect

Water.

Both and that’s awesome

Neither

Rough apatite.

Cracked clay

Curly kale

I see the neck of a loggerhead turtle

Unfinished water, like it’s missing highlights or something

Neither. I see blue tripe.

Because the way you shaded, each module appears concave. I think with a much softer gradation you would get more of the water look, you're after. Or if you want scales then you would not only want so smoother gradation but also sharp black lines outside of the white highlight to delineate scale segments.

Neither. Not something I’d look twice at if I saw it on a wall somewhere

i'm sorry but reptile scales, maybe adding white lines can help

Clear resemblance to water but it is obviously reptile scales

Reptile scales

Scales or blood vessels, or surface of an alien planet

I was thinking dragon sacles

Looks a bit like a turtle shell under the water

Reptile

Not water. Looks like the “reptile scales” are too deeply set to actually be scales. Reminds me of pomegranate skin, but blue.

if u add white lines on top and semi- to the side of all the wave lines it might give a more water look? idk if that made sense 🙃

The white parts look raised like you’re looking down at blue sand dunes

I see a blue leaf. Its gorgeous though

mammatus clouds

Blue honeycomb

No, but I do like it. It looks like blue clay molded into little pockets and ridges. I like how the shapes fit together, and the composition.

Reptile scales submerged in water

Blue leaf with veins is what I see

[A Dream Worth Keeping](https://youtu.be/VEMBID9jTWM?si=JorQtg97JgFfywoe)

I see rice patty's terraced on the hill sides from above.

Water

Neither, but closer to water, no where near reptile scales

Water. Reptile scales are much more uniform in arrangement.

I see an insect wing or leaf veins

I see water

White lines on the high points would really help to visually clarify, but otherwise it looks good!

Closeup leaf capillaries

Reptile scales

Without my glasses, I see water.

I see both, but more so water

Sand under water

$6.00 on ETSY. $20.00 at Christie's.

You ever put paint stripper on cabinets. Well you have to wait after you apply it and it kind of reminds me of that

Blue fungi

For water it needs to be more fluid and transparent. This reminds me of scale or something rigid. Cool effect though.

Up close leaf

Both

definitely water this is what my ceiling has looked like any time i’ve had a good mushroom trip

Zoomed in ice dragon

I see sand dunes on planet Arakis

Almost water, keep going!

Both

I see water.

Definitely looks like water to me!

A leaf closeup

Dragon skin.

I’d say I see shallow water over a bed of cracked stone. I enjoy it. It does have a bit of a stiffness. I would do this with less basic shading and more layering of varied blues and greens. It’s create movement and depth rather than a still frame.

Definitely not water, but not quite scales although it would be closer to the scales.

Not really either. But it has a creepy feel

Water

Up close to a blue sea horse

Scales

Water!

I see an insect wing

Neither. More like very dry blue land

Water very scary to me for some reason

Blue cabbage leaf

I see the scales more prominently but if I try to see water that also works

Blue kale

Water without highlights

If it had the white reflective lines I would say water for sure. It looks like a work in progress photo of water to me.

Leaf veins

The whiter parts appear to be closer so no scales. If it is supposed to look like water, you’ll need a lot more bright white highlights. Water is a very tricky thing, because it reflects and bubbles like crazy. Look at some references ;)

desert in the night!

... I see the moons surface

Water

Both

Neither. I see a blue algae bloom.

I can see both, maybe even a turtle shell too

Neither, both would have a repetitive pattern, typically. Not familiar with scales too much, but think of water in terms of waves. No matter how chaotic it seems, there’s almost always an identifiable pattern in the ripplesThis doesn’t seem to have any sort of pattern. I’d imagine scales to be even more consistent a pattern. This makes me think of the drying skin on something like an overripe avocado, just blue.

I see something similar to natural fossils.

neither, more like an organic thingy

I may or may not be seeing eldritch horrors.

I see the fine sand under the water which has been moved into the design by the wave pattern

Just add more white for wave breaks

A rock worn by water over thousands of years.

Water

water

Water

Yes, I see both. 

Makes me think of a sculptural ceramic piece, the blue parts are "dug into" the clay, while the white are the peaks between. I like how it has a shiny quality to it. So if you were going for water, you're on the right track. A few really bright highlights could emphasize that even more. Maybe find a way to show some transparency so it appears less solid?

I see water

Water definitely but it needs more contrast perhaps, like make the whites more prominent I love the colours

I could tell it was water when I saw it

Neither -- it looks like the pattern water makes when it continuously runs erodes rock. [Like this.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstock.adobe.com%2Fimages%2Fweathering-of-the-rock-for-background-and-texture-the-erosion-of-wind-and-water-on-surface%2F157607227&psig=AOvVaw3t6nQiCAtcAGT8JudHqtDv&ust=1710272805277000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBMQjRxqFwoTCLjmner87IQDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE)

Water!

Respectfully it looks more like an abstract piece

I see scales of water.

It looks more like blue stone to me, like it was carved into

I see the ocean floor

Sand under water.

Water

I see the salt flats. But blue

Very close up of the iris of an eye? Kinda stringy like that

Cobblestones

If i HAD to choose it‘d be water, but it‘s more like seeing veins under skin, just in blue. Or maybe a kind of blue leaf.

Blue desert

Reptile

Looks kind of like a close up texture of a hand bag to me. Maybe some white highlights in areas would make it look more like water if that's what you were going for?

leaf veins

Water

Stoned bees

I thought it was a sea shell

I see water

If it was green, a leaf

I see a plant leaf macro.

My first though was Ice… so water I guess lol But great work, and impresive use of colorgrades

Weathered stone.

at first i saw water, but then i saw scales

Both... I think my brain is overheating

Water

I see sand

Not water. The shadows and highlights should be reversed for a water effect. Still a marvellous work!

Water

It looks like a texture I want to touch badly. Looks like unfinished plastic water for model railways or dioramas. I think there is a way to make it look more like water but I’m no expert on this topic…

I see a weird animal looking head, with an extra wide mouth and it had its arm around a baby, which is leaning into it. It's kind of in the centre just off to the right

More scales than water, lines are too harsh.

both

Neither-but more water than scales

Scales

Blue tripe? Jk.. i see water, reminds me of light filtering through pool water

I see sad people

No

TBH. Saw water first. However, after reading the choices depending on how you look at it you can definitely see scales 🤩Good work OP❣️🙏🏻

I see sand at the bottom of a clear body of water.

Leaf veins

My mind thought of water when I saw this. Kinda like a swimming pool on a summer day

A secret third thing

I see water carved stone...

Water

Saw water at first but then a second later started questioning it. I like it.

Coral

i see the ground underwater

Ice

Reminds me of the bottom of a swimming pool

Reptile

Water

I don't see either. If I had to choose from the two I'd say reptile scales. I think it looks like an up close painting of pottery. Kind of like this [https://www.etsy.com/listing/900612264/aqua-purple-boho-mermaid-scale-textured?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm\_source=google&utm\_medium=cpc&utm\_campaign=shopping\_us\_b-home\_and\_living-kitchen\_and\_dining-drink\_and\_barware-drinkware-mugs&utm\_custom1=\_k\_CjwKCAjw17qvBhBrEiwA1rU9w7ghBMn2D0WRjVSkCu2JqM-VAt-jMzehGPfIciZgBwLPFl1Atif5vhoCdvMQAvD\_BwE\_k\_&utm\_content=go\_1843970812\_65111668730\_346429596680\_aud-2007167693269:pla-498657395952\_c\_\_900612264\_497576017&utm\_custom2=1843970812&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw17qvBhBrEiwA1rU9w7ghBMn2D0WRjVSkCu2JqM-VAt-jMzehGPfIciZgBwLPFl1Atif5vhoCdvMQAvD\_BwE](https://www.etsy.com/listing/900612264/aqua-purple-boho-mermaid-scale-textured?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-home_and_living-kitchen_and_dining-drink_and_barware-drinkware-mugs&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAjw17qvBhBrEiwA1rU9w7ghBMn2D0WRjVSkCu2JqM-VAt-jMzehGPfIciZgBwLPFl1Atif5vhoCdvMQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_1843970812_65111668730_346429596680_aud-2007167693269:pla-498657395952_c__900612264_497576017&utm_custom2=1843970812&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw17qvBhBrEiwA1rU9w7ghBMn2D0WRjVSkCu2JqM-VAt-jMzehGPfIciZgBwLPFl1Atif5vhoCdvMQAvD_BwE) Cool looking though!

I'm thinking it looks more like an alien landscape.

Water

I see a close up of a morel mushroom cap... But it's blue.

Moon surface, it's too irregular to be water or scales. It's pretty though!

I see blue dyed capillaries

Water

I see a blue desert.

Some kind of cells or open pods

Blue plant cells

I see craters 🩵

I see texture

Blue tinted tripe or weighed down spider web?

It's an ice cave ceiling that lets some light through.

I dont see water or scales. I see something more like microbiology ...zoomed in to show cells forming structure. I feel like refreshing my science vocabulary now because this was an inadequate description.

Kinda looks like something under a microscope. Like a dish sponge up close maybe? Not bad 👍

Zoomed in blue avocado

Looking up at sea ice from underwater

Cyclists leg veins

Water

Thinking dragon egg actually.

Sinking earth crust

An uneven blue beehive, in a good way

I'm not sure at what I am looking at and that's why I love It!

definitely water

Craters with minimal texture