This thesis discusses the various approaches to fluid simulation and their artistic applications. The various approaches range from purely empirical, to a simplified simulation model, and finally a full physics-based simulation. We introduce three artistic applications that utilize these models. The first one is a framework for real-time rendering of watercolor effects for a 3D scene, which use a combination of shaders to empirically emulate the various characteristics of watercolor. The second is a system for rendering realistic splashing stream water, which showcases how a simplified fluid model can still yield a realistic result. The final one is a painting system for splattering artwork, where we demonstrate a full physics based fluid simulation and how it helps artists to create vibrant and dynamic artwork that is difficult to produce using conventional digital tools.