👉The first 1,000 people to use my link will get a full year of Premium membership to Craftsy for only $1.49: go.craftsy.com/winterwoodsstudio/ I hope you like it as much as I do! 🧡
It also needs to be affordable. Context is important here. Arches, Princeton and other 'professional' products are far too expensive for those of us who paint for joy and for noone else. If you can afford it - go for it. Otherwise look out for the sales and other brands.
that's true. Try your local brands, try watercolour paper in single big sheets - usually they are cheaper, and try partly cotton paper - sometimes they good.
Baohong Watercolour paper..available from Jackson’s…is very reasonable and excellent quality. Buy the loose sheets unless you like beige ish colour that’s in the watercolour pads
100% agree. I sometimes get really fed up of being told you always have to use this and that ..... when you then look it up it is way beyond what many ordinary people can afford, especially if you are just painting for your own enjoyment. It doesn't always have to look perfect as long as you have enjoyed the process. I can't afford to practice on pieces of paper that cost £1,000 per sheet!!!
Paper type is super important but 100% cotton paper isn’t for everyone and can be super expensive when practicing! If buying cheaper paper means you’ll use it and practice more often then it’s absolutely worth it 🥰
If you get the Baohong Academy Paper, you will find that it is both cheap and 100% cotton. I don't agree, respectfully, with you about using cheap paper. It may streak and lay down in unexpected ways. This can be very confusing and frustrating for beginners especially. I recommend using the best paper you can afford.
@@heathersherlock not true, it's not cheap everywhere. In EU Amazon stores Baohong is more expensive than Fabriano! And it's not available at all in art supply stores I normally shop from.
I was going to make this comment too. It isn't just the price. I like mixed media paper for urban sketching and actually 100% cotton paper is so thirsty that it takes some adjustment. When I first used it, my work looked faded because I wasn't used to having to use that much pigment and that many layers. By contrast I get a bright and pretty picture with a couple of layers quickly on less absorbent mixed media paper, and it doesn't clog my fineliners with fibres.
Yeah, I totally didn't mean you needed to use 100% cotton paper all the time! I should have specified! I mean, you've been here on my channel with me for quite a while! (PS- you were my fourth most active commenter on my videos this past month! Thank you! 🙂) You know I use royal talens sketchbooks and strathmore bristol paper etc, but all the new people who showed up to watch this video yesterday don't know that and I didn't even think about it. I'm not used to a huge influx of new people. Im used to having the same group of viewers, a lot of whom have been with me since the beginning! Oh well. You live and you learn I guess! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!
I like to sketch out my watercolor compositions with Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer water-soluble pencils. I use colors that will be compatible with what is going into the painting, I use light pressure so I don’t get impressed lines; and once the watercolor gets applied, the lines dissolve into the wet watercolor 😊
I’m so glad you found a technique that works for you! Thank you for sharing your tip! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Me too, I decided to do that when I didn’t want the harsh lines of black ink sometimes, and the Albrect Durer won’t leave any hard lines behind either!❤❤❤
@@cglaurerThe Derwent Academy watercolor pencils are no where near the quality of the Faber-Castell Albert Durer watercolor pencils at all since they are made in China for students and I don't mean college and university students to use.
NO, please do NOT follow all the rules that the video states if you are beginner artist with a budget on watercolours, they are not necessary for you to enjoy watercolouring. I am so glad so many other people on the comments are also saying the same. You do NOT need expensive Arches paper, Silver brushes, and professional brand paints to start your watercolour journey and enjoy it. Don't get the cheapest things for kids either, that's not the idea because of their bad quality but there is plenty of perfectly student grade materials for you to choose from and not spend a load of money on something you are not sure if you are going to like or keep doing. I wish some youtubers would not stress so much begginners with how their paintings have to be perfect, done with perfect materials. Painting is not just the destination, its the journey, what you see on the road, what you learn, the joy it gives you making it. And of course you can use white gouache, white markers and black paint to enhance or give your paintings that extra special touch, it is not a cardinal sin and it will not make your watercolours paintings not be watercolours. Art never has fixed rules and they are forever changing. Many artist movements would never have existed if artists just followed the rules and never bent or broke them.
I'm just telling my experience. I struggled with cheap supplies and eventually bought a $19 pad of arches watercolor paper and one size 8 aqua elite watercolor brush for $8 and a whole new world opened up for me. I started with mission gold watercolors after struggling with daler rowney from Walmart. The mission gold set was $30 I think? And it's clear that you don't watch my channel because I AM all about inexpensive art supplies. I have NEVER said you need expensive art supplies to make good art. But you do need 100% watercolor paper to make good paintings. I am not a youtuber. I am a professional artist who has a youtube channel. I went to art school after high-school. Granted that was 23 years ago but I did go. I try to make my videos to help other artists so that they don't have to struggle like I did. This video wasn't geared to a beginner. This was more for an intermediate artist who would like to have some sort of career with their art. That's my two cents worth anyway. Take it or not, it's up to every person to follow their own heart!
Right. Use white if that's what improves the picture in your own eyes. It doesn't have to be PURE watercolour to be a good painting experience or a good painting. On the other hand it's good to put limits on yourself too, don't use white if that's a challenge.
If you are a beginner and want a less frustrating experience with watercolor, you absolutely should use high-quality supplies, especially paper. Even if you start out with six tubes of high quality paint and a pad of Arches (you can cut the paper in half and paint small) this will go a long way.
Yes!! The paper!! So important. I think when people are first starting they don't want to invest in the higher priced paper, brush or media and I get that too BUT the frustration using inferior materials will kill the enthusiasm you may have the starting this journey in the first place.
Hey Amy!, You are absolutely correct about the paper BUT, HOWEVER - You don't have to throw out your "other" paper because they are good for pencil sketching and even charcoal!
I use an HB (hard lead) pencil for sketching, then I roll a kneaded eraser over it like a rolling pin to pick up any extra graphite. Works beautifully!
Totally understand the struggles with some expensive supplies - however I changed to cotton and what a difference - it made me finally understand why I kept thinking it was me. Over the years I kept trying to figure it out and then abandoning it. Then I would come back and try again. It wouldn’t work and I would put it aside then I would come back and try it again. The more expensive paper has changed everything so I totally have to support what she says about the more expensive paper, but I do understand the cost prohibition.
Excellent idea!! So would I!! I wish more UA-camrs would do the *exact* same project using 100% cotton paper, and lower quality paper, high quality paintbrushes vs cheap brushes, and student grade vs. artist grade paint.
I don't know how I missed this video before! I've been using the kneaded eraser trick for years now and it is priceless. I started painting without black watercolour this year and noticed the improvement almost instantly. Thanks Amy!
This does help explain why I've struggled with some things, especially with the Canson paper. Unfortunately, I can't justify the expensive supplies suggested here as a relatively new hobbyist. I'm still using cheap (dry) pan paints in the plastic tray and cheap brushes. I figure once I work my way through all the cheap supplies, I'll be (barely) skilled enough to justify spending more on better (even Student-grade) stuff. ;)
Jackson’s art supply sign up for their newsletter they have sales on everythinggggggggg. Also Michaels has their 30% off coupon online and in store use.
I've used both 100% cotton and cellulose. I definitely would not say that using cellulose is a mistake, it depends on what you are painting and the technique that you are using. Some of my paintings came out better on cellulose and some I wouldn't dream of doing them on cellulose. I love my 5 below and meeden brushes. Heck even my water brush is great. I don’t have the puddling problem that she is talking about. I just use watercolor pencils or the kneaded eraser. I use black ink and never had a problem with it and my paintings are not flat. I use black paint all the time and don't a problem with it either. I know how to use it and sometimes mixing a dark color that looks like it is trying to be black doesn't look right. It depends on what you're painting. I've taken color theory courses and I still use black, not to mute my colors though. If someone is new to watercolor or on a budget videos like this can be very discouraging. Buying expensive supplies to learn with as if that is going to make the art "better" isn't realistic. I've seen amazing watercolorists use cheap supplies and make amazing pieces. Supplies do matter to a certain point, but you don't need expensive supplies to make good watercolor paintings. Art is expressive so saying/having "never do" rules can sometimes spoil being creative for some people. It is like saying "if you do this (fill in the blank) then it's wrong", when that's not always true.
@@willowtreecottage8233She is giving people tips that will enable them to enjoy the process more. Watercolor can be extremely frustrating when you're a beginner. If one keeps getting poor results you can start to think that it's you when it's actually the materials you're using.
Different cotton papers can be wildly different. It has to do with construction and sizing. Sizing can make or break vibrancy from absorption level. Cotton is great though, but you definitely get what you pay for no matter what paper you buy.
I mostly agree, and... Cotton is not good for every technique! Recently I had to start a painting over on cellulose paper because cotton paper took ages to dry and my brush strokes just blended together and I completely lost the feathery texture I was going for. Cotton is great for large areas of wet in wet, but I actually don't like it that much when painting details. Black paint has a purpose. It's a good practice for beginners to learn to mix blacks and grays, because certain black pigments (like ivory) are just creating an ashy look. Most Payne's gray, indigo, and sepia convenience mixes contain ivory black, and they're quite popular among artists. However, there are black pigments that add a lot of interest with their granulation (like Mars / Lunar / Hematite black) which is super useful for organic textures like rocks, tree bark, moss, etc.
Thats true! I have lunar black and love its granulaiton effect! I don't use it often but i do sometimes! I didn't even think of that! I would have had an exception to the rule for special effects! Good call!
@@winterwoodsstudio Glad to hear you enjoy it as well! Yeah DS Lunar black has especially strong granulation compared to other available Mars black paints.
If you need to use a cheep brush, it helps to touch a paper towel with the loaded brush of color.. This way you don't get that blob of water so you now can get a more even color lay.
I wish I had heard advice like this when I first started out. I understand why this is the case, but all the advice for beginners I saw was, 'buy what you can afford' and, 'these ..insert cheaper brands..are just as good if not better then any artist quality you can find'... I am someone who doesn't have expendable income, most recommended supplies are out of my price range, even if they are cheap. So I bought the cheapest most recommended supplies I kept seeing, (cotmon and canson xl 😑) and I absolutely regretted it. I wasted money on supplies I hated and never used again after a handful of tries. I noticed (because of the fillers in the paint, ) I was already hitting pan on certain colors after just a few paintings, and I mean like 4 or 5 small paintings. In reality I would have to replace them more often then I had thought, ( it took me a few months to save up for them in the 1st place,) and I didn't even enjoy using them. It wasn't until I got to the fine art side of art youtube that I realized ' oh I am not their demographic and you get what you pay for.' It took me alot more time to save up for the artist quality, but I use them all the time. It is completely worth it imo, to just take the time to save so I can then splurge and use the best quality for myself. I am not a professional artist, though I have been drawing for most of my life, just a good ole #2 pencil and some printer paper. I only paint for my own enjoyment, and so I actually want to enjoy using my supplies. I'm sure there are people out there that appreciate the cheaper stuff and enjoy them. For myself now that I'm more experienced, if I went back to the supplies I first bought, I'm sure that I could make them work and would be better prepared to use them in a way that works for me; however I still wouldn't enjoy doing so. I appreciate when people specify that there is a difference in how your supplies will work for you depending on the price, what subjects your painting and what your intentions are in progressing your art/style. To know the full reality of what your getting before you buy it or if in my case you already bought it, then to not just give up and call yourself the problem. It's fine if you can't afford the more expensive stuff, so long as you enjoy what your using and it's worth it to you. But this idea that because your a beginner you don't need/deserve artist quality until your "better"? Or that there's no difference in practicing on cheaper supplies? Bs, painting on celulose is completely different then painting on 100% cotton and "cheap" supplies are not cheap if your burning through them at break-neck speed. The 5ml paints I 1st bought of artist quality? I'm still using them and I paint all the time, it's been a few years. Also Paul Rubens and Bao Hong watercolor journals? Etchr? They have 100% cotton sketchbooks that are relatively cheap in comparison, and saving up every couple months for a skecthbook at a time is worth it to me, while slowly building up my paints. Again it depends on what your painting and what are your intentions behind it. To improve? To have fun? Crafts? Fine art? Abstract? Different priorities are going to have different approaches and expectations of what your looking for.
You sound like you walked the exact same path that I did. We too don't have a lot of money and I did the exact thing, bought supplies at Walmart (canson paper and daler rowney watercolors). And even though we don't have a lot of money, I eventually spent $19 for a pad of arches paper and $8 for an aqua elite brush and it opened up a whole new world for me! I am so glad ypu found something that works for you too! Thanks for watching!
The story of my life. Almost put me off for good.As I’m not particularly talented I thought it’s me , but decided to save up, & buy a good ones. One of the best decisions I ever made 😊.I use the old supplies for practising now.
Very informative! Thank you! I'm just learning... Retired RN and having fun with this! Never had time before. I will be joining Craftsy, too, and thanks for the heads up on that!
Good points to keep in mind if your painting isn’t working for you. I would add one thing to the discussion about paper: sizing matters almost as much as cotton content, so brand (and grade - student vs artist - within that brand) does matter in some cases. I have used some cotton paper which works less well than does some cellulose paper. It can have too much external sizing and resist paint too much, or it can have too little internal and external sizing and be almost like painting on a paper towel. (Yes I know paper towels are made of wood pulp.) I have used some wood pulp-based cellulose paper which results in vibrant colors, not fading/dullness/sinking in, but otherwise doesn’t have the performance of the best cotton papers. And of course some are exactly as you described. There is also some element of personal preference - for example I don’t like the newer Fabriano Artistico which now supposedly has easier lifting - I think it is too heavily sized. Some people would love that. Also I guess it’s worth noting that many people are choosing to work with water colors in a less traditional manner so some of these things, including even brushes, aren’t as important, but I think you are speaking of a more traditional watercolor practice.
@@winterwoodsstudio That would be great! I have some sense of it from using different papers, but I’m not sure I have ever seen anyone online demonstrate similarities/differences in different papers which can be attributed to sizing. That would be really interesting to see. I think it’s misunderstood, too, by a lot of popular but not formally-trained artists on UA-cam. I know there is one who has completely steered clear of cotton paper until very recently because she thought it would be extremely absorbent (likely imagining cotton balls or cotton clothing.)
@@winterwoodsstudio A sizing video would be so helpful. I've come across some 100% cotton paper that is just awful - one brand was so bad that I couldn't even use it for gouache. But it I was able to save a bad purchase by turning it into collage fodder...lol....the place where bad paper and art get to live again! haha
The sizing in papers can be more of an issue than fiber content. Soft papers will pil and stain so the watercolors will not flow whether rag or wood pulp. Cotman makes a great affordable wood pulp/celluose watercolor paper. True it may dry unevenly and sometimes create blooms but that can be managed by water consistency . Learning water to paint ratio is the key to a good painting.
I was with you on everything until you mentioned don't use black paint. There are so many ways to do things to keep your color vibrancy when painting, but there are things that black paint can do that no other color mixture will be able to do. At least no mixture I've tried has been able to do it. Plus there are black paints that are capable of doing things with flocculation that none of the mixtures I've tried have been able to handle. And there are plenty of black things in nature. I have found when painting to try and match only the values you see in nature with watercolor or acrylic or oils or whatever you want to use can cause the painting not to be nearly as effective as you wanted. I guess I learned how to mix colors earlier than most people like at about eight or nine years old. And I learned how to mix colors using a fairly high number of colors. I guess I have a hard time understanding why color theory is pushed so hard by so many artists, when is only a small part of learning how to mix colors. Learn to use whatever sets of colors you want to use and have on your pallette, have a lot of fun AND STOP BEING AFRAID OF EXPERIMENTING AND RESEARCHING! Researching and experimenting does not have to be thought about as having to climb sandpaper mountains in your bare feet. I have done a heck of a lot of art and I have done a hell of a lot of research and enjoyed it through successes and through failures.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on black paint! I should have made an exception for granulating black paint but I forgot! I do use lunar black sometimes! It's granulation is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@@winterwoodsstudio Yep! Daniel Smith's Lunar colors are wonderful! And at least two of their Primatek colors are able to produce a brown to burnt sienna flocculation in a field of green. I think Serpentine is one of the colors, and yes I have used them. Very interesting stuff!
I usually just use a kneaded eraser, and nothing comes up, but i also use a mechanical pencil and the ones i use dont really smudge. But watercolor pencil in a lighr color is good too. My favorite colerase is actually the one i thought id hate. Its a mid green color and it looks so good
I haven't tried the greens! Now I totally have to! Good thing I have the set here! Maybe I'll have sometime to play with them this afternoon! Thanks for watching!
Great video! Everything you suggested to check for, if one is struggling, is spot-on. I'm not sure why some are having kittens over the suggestions, but there's validity to all of the items you touched on. I wish I had come across a video like this when I first started with watercolor a little over a year ago. I learned of these "trapdoors" fast, but unfortunately not fast enough to have avoided wasting my time and money.
The quality tools issue is so true in just about any hobby (or development of a talent) but it always presents a dilemma for beginners. The expense of good tools vs the need for lots and lots of practice. I have a particular question about young beginners. My grandson is six and loves watching watercolor tutorials on UA-cam. I would love to get him started painting (I am only a wannabe painter) but realistically, what supplies does a child that young need to have a good experience with watercolor?
So I mostly use the complementary color to mute or desaturate. Some Wayne's Grey's lean moreltoelward a dark grey and somemlean toward a dark blue. I might use a dark blue Wayne's grey to desaturated an orange. But if I were trying to tone down a too bright green for example, I'd use red. Hope that helps!
Great list of tips! I'm stubborn and the last thing I changed up was moving to 100% cotton paper, and it really does make all the difference. My frustration dropped from high to very minimal levels. Love your videos :)
I am so glad you are having better luck with the cotton paper! It makes all the difference in the world! I lived through the exact same thing! ;) Thank you so much for taking the time to watch!
2 years ago I began my watercolor journey. So much learned. And now I find I am very picky on my paper brushes and watercolor. I am even very particular to my color with in the brand of watercolor, and texture within my watercolor paper. Loving the rough paper and texture that evolves . Still have so much to learn on the different shapes of brushes.. great video. Thank you
My beginning watercolor teacher said my paper was bleached so that was why I was getting dull colors. Cheap brushes are also bad because bristles come out every time you paint onto your painting.
Huh, that's interesting! I've never heard of bleached paper causing dull colors. But paper with bad sizing can do that, maybe the sizing and bleach react? I'll have to look into it! And aren't the bristles in the painting the worst??? I especially hate it in my acrylic paints! Thanks for watching!
It's kind of hard to do all that when you're on a fixed income and trying to learn watercolor painting. I guess we shouldn't try since we can't afford to. All the practice I do cotton paper is just too expensive. I'm just learning.
Please don't do that. You don't need all those expensive supplies or have to follow the rules that she is talking about. My old professor is still in the industry with a lot of published works and he uses 5 below and other cheap supplies and his art is amazing! He makes videos using cheap supplies to show people you don't need super expensive supplies to create good art. His videos are not sponsored or anything. Videos like this one can be so discouraging when creators put the rules out as if it 100% fact and it's not. Make your art with whatever supplies you have. Don't worry about buying all that expensive stuff. There are channels that dedicate videos to encourage people to just create with what you have.
Try Baohong Academy watercolour paper. It's a good paper and price. When we do a hobby it's going to cost some money. There are good value products out there. Keep going!
There are decent quality watercolour papers that are not cotton on the market. Some professional artists choose to paint on watercolour paper of good quality that is not cotton. They are not all cheap, but are not quite as expensive as the cotton papers. Canson Montval is a decent quality non cotton watercolour paper. I have painted on both cotton and non cotton paper. I don't have any problems with either. The Canson Montval paper is made by the company who makes Arches cotton watercolour paper. So, it you can't afford the best do not be discouraged by someone elses experience with non cotton paper. Try it for yourself, and have fun creating ! 😊❤️
I totally agree about the importance of good paper-it will cost you more in the long run if you try to learn as a beginner on cheap paper, because it just won’t respond well, and you’ll use way more paper experimenting.
Everything you covered was also told by my art instructor. She stressed to not get art supplies from Walmart or even Michael's. Even hobbyists can get a few good supplies and see a major difference in quality and satisfaction. Also, she was anti-black watercolor. Mix dark umber and ultramarine to get dark greys. Add a tiny bit of a warm color like red or opera rose for warm shadows. Or greens and turquoise for cool shadows. I have cheap stuff to play with and better stuff for special paintings.
I live the moleskin art journals! I've gone through so many of them. Unfortunately, there's been a huge influx of people on here who don't know me and they are assuming because I said that I struggled less when I switched to cotton paper that means I never use cellulose. Sigh... I use a ton of cellulose as a simple scroll through some of my 180 videos would show. UA-cam is an place. Oh well! Thanks for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
I wish you'd do a video of the do's and don't of using masking fluid. I have a hard time using it without getting a dirty blue stain even after lifting it. I have tried diluting with equal parts water. When it works well, it's fabulous, but I have ruined too many paintings with it to risk using it.
Sometimes for a really dark color I'll mix an Indigo or Indanthrene Blue with a Dioxazine Violet, and a touch of Burnt Sienna or a bit of a nice red. Makes a rich, more natural dark color for a silhouette style painting.
Hullo Amy, I found this video to be spot on! Great information and I am always telling people to upgrade their paper first to see an improvement in their paintings! I was taught with just 6 colors, a split primary palette, for the first 4 1/2 years that I was learning watercolors. I have learned how to use a neutral tint for so many mixing techniques, it can save so much time! I look back and don’t see how anyone could use a graphite pencil and not use a kneaded eraser! It was something that was a step to clean up your paper before adding ANY Paint! I have used color pencils and the col-erase pencils are very nice too! You should be very happy with this video, well done!
Thanks for showcasing your sketchbook and the paper. May I ask some questions, is it a rough surface or smooth? It looks smooth but the link in your description says rough. Was shipping to the Netherlands expensive? I don't have a Jacksons near me. Does the paper buckle a lot under many washes/layers of watercolour paint or seep through to the other side when you use both sides? Thanks for answering my questions. I appreciate it.
I just stumbled across your channel and I’m so glad I did! I just joined Craftsy for $1.49 and I wouldn’t have even known about the discount without you. thank you!
ALL OF THIS. YES. in my experience, a cheap cotton paper is always better than an expensive wood pulp paper. i have found that pigment ink pens bleed a bit on cheaper cotton papers, so i’m absolutely seconding using color pencils for line work (and sketching). agree 100% with the brands you have recommended - those are my go to brands, as well.
I've actually never tries it. I don't think it was a thing when I went to art school 23 years ago? If it was, I don't think it must have been used a lot because no one ever talked about it. I should check it out to see what I think and maybe do a video on it! Thanks for watching!
@@winterwoodsstudio I am of the understanding that it allows you to darken your colours without muddying them. Black is usually a mixture of a few colours which can create an issue when mixing with yet another colour. I hope that makes sense. I would love to see your review.
@@winterwoodsstudio I don't use it often (Daniel Smith's neutral tint), but from time to time I will. It's transparent so it 'plays well with others' and doesn't muddy the work.
Great tips, Amy! I will often use brown ink because I am really not that skilled of an ink artist and brown doesn't magnify mistakes like black does. How awesome for the Craftsy membership! Thank you!! I paused your vid and quickly got re-signed up for it. It states for new members only, but i guess they figure that my membership from several years ago puts me into the new member category. I used it for a lot of sewing stuff I was doing back then. Glad to see that you have a sponsor that you can totally get behind! I look forward to getting some use out of it this year.
Canson XL spiral bound watercolor pads are great for beginners and for practicing. I've been urban sketching for a couple of years using slightly more expensive watercolor sketchbooks, but I still use Canson XL to try out color mixes and just general messing around.
Being a beginner, I still struggle to find the best technique for every painting or even just parts. And I struggle with composition. Then I use the Canon XL paper. I've found it's decent for a cheap paper. And sometimes when I just want to do something super simple or "play" with my paint it's perfectly good for that.
Great tips I don't know if it is only in EU but what are your thoughts about toxic watercolor paint? I see that with some brands, they write very toxic for water living animals, and I love animals and nature , so will not buy that these brands. Is there good watercolor brands that are not toxic?
You're going to want to pick a professional brand of paint and steer away from the colors that are toxic. Any of the cadmiums or cobalts are what's going to make a paint toxic. They are both heavy metals. My Daniel Smith watercolor palette that use all the time is made if only non-toxic colors with no cobalt or cadmium. I might have added a cobalrlt in recently. But most of the Daniel Smith colors in my palette are non-toxic. you're going to want to pick Separate, individual tubes of paint or pans so you can steer clear of the ones with heavy metals. if you pick a professional brand that lists what the pigments are, you should be able to do at! Good luck!And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
I’ll just add that you might see colors labeled something like “cadmium red hue”, for example. Cadmium red is a popular, well-known historic pigment which is not only toxic, but also expensive. Paint manufacturers have created new formulations that give a very similar color, without the genuine cadmium red. The word “hue” in the name tells you it has no cadmium. A lot of watercolor professionals still cherish the historic pigments, however, which is why they’re still available. If you’re a paint nerd like me, you can get the pigment information on-line from most big name manufacturers (Winsor Newton, Schminke, Daniel Smith) to see which colors use toxic pigments - I trust these companies to put out correct info. Others, well, maybe some do, but a lot companies (esp. new ones) are very secretive about their pigments. On the other hand, cobalts and cadmiums are expensive pigments so cheaper paints are (probably) less likely to use them. But if you care about the environment and your own exposure to toxins, it’s well worth learning about pigments and using brands which divulge this info.
Thanks for sharing that! I've never chipped obsidian but that makes perfect sense! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Investing in good paper is worth it. I usually buy paper in packs of 10 sheets when they’re on sale. Then, I cut them to the sizes I need and store them in clear bags for future use. Sometimes, I work on full-size sheets, especially for commissions. Jerry’s has excellent Italian cotton papers, and I’ve done the math-based on how many smaller sheets I can get from one full sheet, I end up paying less than $5 per 140lb 100% cotton sheet. While the initial cost may seem high, it’s much more economical than paying $1 per tiny page in a pad! As a professional painter who sells my work, I always aim to get the best quality materials for the best price.
I switched to light gray water markers which disappear when you start panting. I hated using graphite with watercolor. I found the kuretake ones to work best.
As an artist returning to watercolours, I have found this so very useful - thanks for all the information. Have hit like/subscribe and will be watching the videos you suggested towards the end of this one... Might even end up subscribing to your Patreon! There are never enough hours in the day to learn everything that interests me...
F or those looking for higher grade, less expensive products - mei liang watercolors 36 pan, boahong or Medan cotton press watercolor paper, Princeton Neptune, aqua Elite. I will also say this, I’ve switched to Daniel Smith watercolors and the pigment is so much better than any of the cheaper watercolor that I’ve used that I use much less so I believe it’s going to last longer.
So glad you popped up in my feed! I have been painting for a few years but I have had some difficulties that I now know how to fix! Thanks for the tips. Liked & subscribed. ❤
Once I found Arches 140lb blocks it was a revelation 😀my advice is to see what other artists use and buy the best equipment and paint you can afford. Things are normally cheap for a reason! I use Sketchers waterproof ink in a variety of fountain pens, Lamy pens are inexpensive and come with easily changed nibs of different sizes, but the best secret of all is to find a Sailor Fude de Mannen pen these have funky bent nibs that give varying line weights, today my new Parker Urban in London Taxi black and chrome arrived I cannot wait to try it out. Agree about black, my art teacher Mrs Connolly at school told me never to use black she said to always mix your own darks and to never stop drawing and painting.
Thank you very much for this video. It was very informative. I was wondering about Cottman watercolor paints? I am a beginner watercolor painter and would like to know if I should bother with the Cotman or just cough up the money and get the good paints?
Why are some people getting mad that she is recommending higher-quality paper? She is correct. The paper used in watercolor is crucial. If you are on a budget, you can start off with six tubes (or pans) of high-quality paint and a pad of Arches (or Baohong--less expensive). The paper can be cut in half and you would just have to paint small. The paint will last a long time. This is all you need and your experience painting will be much less frustrating and the results will be better. Of course, you can use a pad of cheaper paper to test things out.
OMG, THANK YOU! we don't have a lot of money. When I switched to better supplies, I bought ONE pad (12 sheets) of 9 x 12 arches for $19 and one aqua Elite brush from Princeton in a black Friday sale for $8. I cut each sheet of paper into 4 pieces and practiced on them. It's not like I am recommending Escoda brushes or Kolinsky sable! Who knew this would be so controversial??? UA-cam is a weird place.... Anyway thank you so much for standing up for me! I appreciate it!🧡
@@winterwoodsstudio You're so welcome! I would just try to not to let the comments from people who are getting personally offended by this get to you. It's so silly.
The point of using good quality goods is this, if you do a painting, that absolutely turns out how you have envisaged it, and it's on bad paper it will not last, it'll yellow or buckle and all that effort is wasted. I have a full set of faber castell pencils. Did I buy the lot at once? No, pencil by pencil, over a long time. The same with prisma, a pencil or two at a time. And I bought a block of arches, cost me $95 , and I'm cutting it up into halves or quarters, because I like small drawings. Shop around, find art supply shops , try stuff out and don't buy unseen from online till you know what you're doing.
The algorithm brought me here; I agree with all your takes while-heartedly, although like you mentioned black has a place in certain techniques/urban sketching. For those who have budget limitations or can’t otherwise afford lots of cotton paper - 1.) Use both sides of the cotton paper. (High-quality paper is typically usable on both sides) 2.) Use watercolor/absorbent grounds to correct mistakes, prep low-quality paper, or completely cover an old practice painting. 3.) Experiment with sizing! Sometimes a cheaper paper can be made to feel more premium with the correct sizing. 4.) Some surfaces (like Ampersand Aquabord) feel different than cotton but are re-usable; just wash the old stuff away and try again! 5.) Gouache is more tolerant of cellulose/cheap paper, although it feels better to use cotton. I found non-US stores (like Artemiranda and Jackson’s) have frequent sales on non-US brands (like Arches,Roman Szmal, Schmincke, Etchr, etc), although you may need to spend a bit to get free shipping. Hopefully some folks found your video useful, and don’t take it too personally that cotton is a pretty great surface to use!
Absolutely agree with regard to the paper 100% cotton. Next is get good quality paint. For me, brushes are last. When I taught beginners watercolor I would illustrate with a landscape done entirely with a toothbrush ( it sold too). For me, everything else is a personal preference. A key concept is just paint, experiment!! Over time and practice your own style will develop. Every painting that you do will not be a masterpiece, but every piece will teach you something!!!
A good paper is an absolute GAME CHANGER! I was surprised how much it makes such a huge difference. My suggestion for pencils would be to use a lighter pencil. A 4H is my go to for that.
Great video! I’m a long-time watercolorist and teacher and I’ve definitely experienced some of the same things…especially that weird little bend that cheap brushes get at the tip! I also love the Princeton Neptune brushes! At that point of the video you mentioned that you like synthetic brushes because of your pet ferret. Since you are obviously a person who cares about animals (as am I) I just want to point out that certain watercolor papers, like Arches, are not cruelty free. “Everyone” loves the Arches paper…and I must admit I used it too, years ago, and then I found out it’s gelatin sized. There’s a LOT of animal cruelty hidden in the art supply world, and I’ve made a point to search out high quality art supplies that are also cruelty-free. Why should innocent animals suffer for us to paint? One of my favorite paper companies is Hahnemuhle. Their papers are cruelty free, environmentally friendly, and high-quality!
I agree about the paper I mostly agree about the brushes although don't take it to extremes. No doubt a fine watercolor brush is a thrill to use but no need to spend $80 on a brush when a $30 brush will do what you need. However, a $3 brush is not likely to be fun to use or work for you. It is a matter of degree...a really super fine brush is likely to far exceed my ability to make use of it 🙂I do like Princeton Neptune brushes very much. And synthetic brushes seem to work just fine. I tend to draw for watercolor with mostly watercolor pencils being careful to not press hard. I do also use graphite and lighten it like you or use a harder pencil...unlike many others I do not really care if the graphite shows on the final painting. But not all the time 🙂 I should say that I have no rule or method that I follow 100% of the time. What I am trying to accomplish is my guide to materials and techniques. Brown ink..Walnut ink works well if you like the look. Black paint...well what can I say...there is definitely a place for it. I have painted entire paintings in black paint along with diluted black paint. I suggest not to use it to darken or dull other paints as it makes them look dirty most times. Shadows, where most black paint is misused most often aren't really black or gray, shadows do all have a color cast. Definitely a niche paint IMO.
I'm glad you find it useful! I always try to point out the things I've learned over the years that have made my work easier. And the aqua elite, the one i showed in the video, was $8! Lol! I love it though! Thanks for watching!
I’m so glad you made this video! These are excellent tips for watercolorists both new and experienced! Especially glad that you mentioned the tip about using black. That’s something I learned in college and I haven’t heard hardly anyone say it since then! My art professor told me to use Payne’s gray instead of black. Great job on the video!!
Lol! Yep! I was just talking with another veiwer in the comments about how one of my more temperamental art professors back a million years ago, whether through all our paints and threw out any tubes of black he found! That was 23 years ago. Not sure if they would still do that now! Thanks for watching!
Great video! I'm definitely guilty of using straight black when painting, mainly because I'm too lazy to mix haha I would love to see a video that shows the best time to use wet on wet + wet on dry, I feel like I always use the former wrong.
I recently needed some larger hot press watercolor paper and absolutely couldn't afford 100% cotton paper in the amount I needed. So I found some 20% cotton for a lot less and it's working really well all considering. Not a bad option for needing to work large at volume, especially if you're not making money from this.
I still like using normal pencils for my watercolor sketches, but I have found two exception that don't smudge. The most expensive option is a Blackwing pencil. They are GREAT for non-bleeding graphite. My second choices is Pentel Hi-Poly mexhanical pencil lead. This one you will need to let set for about five minutes before you start putting water on it, but it is also really good (and a LOT cheaper than a Blackwing pencil). I like these better than usung colored lead or colored pencil for my sketch lines.
That was an interesting video, with plenty of suggestions for anyone who's finding it difficult to get the results they want with their watercolour painting. My own personal 'revelation moment' came when I switched to 100% cotton paper for anything other than line & simple wash sketches. Suddenly, layering, blending etc became so much easier to achieve - whereas with wood pulp paper they had been almost impossible. When I started out about 20 or so years ago, I splashed out on some quite expensive kolinsky sable brushes (at the time I naively thought that we got the fibres a bit like the way we get wool from sheep! After I discovered the truth, I went over to synthetic only - although I still use the kolinsky sable brushes every so often, as they're holding up pretty well even after 20 years). Anyway, thanks for the much-appreciated video. Kind regards, Brian.
Yep! That was my exact same ah ha moment as well! I don't think people realize how much of a difference the paper makes until they try it! But holy moly did I make people mad with this video! I was not expecting it to be so controversial! I was just trying to help! You live and you learn I guess! Lol! Thank you for your continued support of my channel since the very beginning! It means a lot to me!
I think “ruining” is too strong a word. Using cheap supplies will probably make your watercolor painting journey more difficult. If you’re a hobbyist and aren’t trying to sell your work, you can get the cheaper stuff, but you might be more frustrated by them. The cheaper stuff (often known as “student grade”) is not meant to be archival, meaning it lasts a very long time. That might not be your goal. Arches (pronounced “arsh” - it’s a French product) paper is one of the most expensive brands. Great paper, but expensive. As a professional watercolorist, I use Fabriano Artistico - also expensive. But yeah, watercolor paint is not going to behave well with cheaper paper. Big frustration!
I've heard some youtubers pronouncing is arsh, but I've been saying arches ever since I left art school 23 years ago (where everyone at that time said Arches). And I guess I'd feel silly changing it now? I'm a product of my time I guess! LOL! Oh well! thanks for taking the time to watch!
@ I always thought it was Arches, too! When I found out it was a French product, I was surprised! Drawing upon my semester of French LOL, I realized everyone was wrong! 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you for the tips! Now I know why my skins are so muddy, (well it could be me) , but I’m definitely going to try this. So if I understood correctly, erase some of the pencil, then wet it with a fine mister or brush with water and let it dry before painting? You went kind of fast on that tip. Always love your videos!
Brilliant suggestion about using a needed eraser to soften the graphite and then spraying it with water to let it sit for several hours if not overnight.
Hi Amy I definitely learned some things today thanks for the tips and the Craftsy link too I just signed up for the year! I don’t comment much but I enjoy your Patreon lunch breaks too!!
I did not know about graphite. The solution is to draw with watercolor pencils. You can use darker versions of the same color for shadows. Great video.
I see a lot of very pro painters use neutral tint and Wayne’s gray it works for me some but yes black is a duller paint I confess I use some on black noses mixed with blue 🥸
Boy would we ever get in trouble if we used black paint back when I was in art school! I remember one somewhat temperamental professor going through all our paint kits and if you had black he threw it in the garbage! Lol! Paynes grey was okay because it's really just a dark, desaturated blue! I don't think we had neutral tint back then, but that was 23 years ago! Thanks for watching, Eldrid! I appreciate it!
@ I know how colors mix and I just always stick to rules lol. Dyeing shows the break out of pigment it’s interesting how blacks are so-purple I never use black in dye. I have like 3 types if you use the powder straight on wet it will remain black
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I have lots of other watercolor videos up too if your interested. Especially some of the older ones! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Big fan of domestika, never tried craftsy ( tried skill share before). But i don't like to subscribe for a year...i prefer to pay for each class...because i had bad experience on being billed without my approval after the free peroid. But i am sure some people will be glad to try this :) thanks for sharing
Yep. I had that happen with a photo website once. For what it's worth, I haven't had that happen with crafts but you need to do what you are comfortable with! Thank ypu for taking the time to watch and leave a comment! I appreciate it!
Well, we all have different opinions and that's what makes the world a beautiful place! Plus, I haven't been in art school since I left university 23 years ago, so I may not be up to date on what's being taught there now! It would be awesome to go back and do it over again if i had the resources and lived close to one now, just to see what has changed! Thanks for taking the time to watch!
Another item that can be absolute death to a painting is Payne's Gray. It is a blended color so, not all brands are created equal. Some lean towards blue, some are absolute 'battle ship gray'. And some (I forget which brand....I tested them years ago, and just don't use them at all)...some have some opacity to them and make a painting murky.......my advice is just DON'T!!! I can see it from a mile away!! (so sad, and easy to prevent this one!!).
Yes! I never got good results with different pre-made Payne's Grey that I tried and couldn't put my finger on why. It always had a muddy undertone to it, so I just left it alone. I realized later that a lot of them actually use black pigment in their formula, which was something that I paid no mind to as a beginner. Oddly enough, that experience is what eventually led me to using single pigment paints (almost exclusively) and avoiding black.
I started back in highschool, my parents bought a few supplies but back then it was mostly pencils, charcoal, graphite and paper at home. A few years ago I got back into it with a cute metal box travel kit, paper from Michael’s. Amazon brush set. Eventually I realized my work didn’t look like the tutorials. After 2 years I took a Scott Swinson class. His supply list had 5 tubes of paint, Arches paper, a few brushes. He walked thru- no ad, no promotion, the differences in products. I eventually found websites with great products at lower prices like Artarama and Cheap Joe’s. I donated my old paints to an after school program for special kids. Lukas paints from Artarama are shockingly good. Half pans for dry paint and tiny tubes before I commit. The quality of my painting has grown and I definitely see a difference. If you’re just starting out and happy with what you have, great! Really you only need a detail brush, a 12 round brush. A tube of Permanent Yellow light, either cobalt or Phthalo Blue, and a nice primary red. Like crimson aliziron. (Or quicridone magenta)- spelling is off but it’s pink. Maybe a black and guache white. You can mix every color from those primaries. Search color theory and color wheel. Make one with your colors. Have fun! Hope this helps someone Winter Woods is just trying to explain the benefits of quality supplies. Not mistakes We grow into them
Agree completely, Nicole! Took lessons from a pro and she said: 4-5 paints as you can mix others from those, 2 good quality brushes, and ARCHES paper. Don't compromise on the products you buy.
Hi Amy! Just found your channel the other day and subscribed today. You have a wonderful way about you, and are very informative. I find watercolor very hard. I have no problem with acrylic, colored pencil, or pastels. Your tips were so helpful. I’m self taught so I make a heck of a lot of mistakes. So many things I was doing wrong. Thank you so much for these tips
I FEEL ATTACKED lol, aside from using black I am an o victim of all of these. very curious to see how my painting would improve with the right supplies. This is helpful, thanks!
Just started following you, this is a Really helpful vlog, I learned these lessons the hard way! I would add, for me I out grew my student quality paints very quickly too. I wish I'd bought a limited pastel of good quality paints over a large pallet of student quality.
I would just add for a substitution of graphite pencils or colored pencils, you can use watercolor pencils and then pigments and lines dissolve completely without creating "mud"
The one thing you didn't mention was the actual paint itself. I started trying to paint with a no-name set of paints. It was horrendous. Switched to mostly Daniel Smith and got much better results immediately. Id love to use Winsor aand Newton professional, vut really can't afford it. Maybe a pro can get good results with cheaper paint, but not me.
👉The first 1,000 people to use my link will get a full year of Premium membership to Craftsy for only $1.49: go.craftsy.com/winterwoodsstudio/ I hope you like it as much as I do! 🧡
I just tried the link and it offered me the $1.49 offer so I paid with PayPal The site charged $149.00. What happened?
PayPal charged me $123.00. Not $149.00.
It also needs to be affordable. Context is important here. Arches, Princeton and other 'professional' products are far too expensive for those of us who paint for joy and for noone else. If you can afford it - go for it. Otherwise look out for the sales and other brands.
Also what's available in your corner of the world !😮😮
Princeton brushes are quite affordable compared to Escada and others
that's true. Try your local brands, try watercolour paper in single big sheets - usually they are cheaper, and try partly cotton paper - sometimes they good.
Baohong Watercolour paper..available from Jackson’s…is very reasonable and excellent quality. Buy the loose sheets unless you like beige ish colour that’s in the watercolour pads
100% agree. I sometimes get really fed up of being told you always have to use this and that ..... when you then look it up it is way beyond what many ordinary people can afford, especially if you are just painting for your own enjoyment. It doesn't always have to look perfect as long as you have enjoyed the process. I can't afford to practice on pieces of paper that cost £1,000 per sheet!!!
Paper type is super important but 100% cotton paper isn’t for everyone and can be super expensive when practicing! If buying cheaper paper means you’ll use it and practice more often then it’s absolutely worth it 🥰
If you get the Baohong Academy Paper, you will find that it is both cheap and 100% cotton. I don't agree, respectfully, with you about using cheap paper. It may streak and lay down in unexpected ways. This can be very confusing and frustrating for beginners especially. I recommend using the best paper you can afford.
@@heathersherlock not true, it's not cheap everywhere. In EU Amazon stores Baohong is more expensive than Fabriano! And it's not available at all in art supply stores I normally shop from.
I was going to make this comment too. It isn't just the price. I like mixed media paper for urban sketching and actually 100% cotton paper is so thirsty that it takes some adjustment. When I first used it, my work looked faded because I wasn't used to having to use that much pigment and that many layers. By contrast I get a bright and pretty picture with a couple of layers quickly on less absorbent mixed media paper, and it doesn't clog my fineliners with fibres.
Yeah, I totally didn't mean you needed to use 100% cotton paper all the time! I should have specified! I mean, you've been here on my channel with me for quite a while! (PS- you were my fourth most active commenter on my videos this past month! Thank you! 🙂) You know I use royal talens sketchbooks and strathmore bristol paper etc, but all the new people who showed up to watch this video yesterday don't know that and I didn't even think about it. I'm not used to a huge influx of new people. Im used to having the same group of viewers, a lot of whom have been with me since the beginning! Oh well. You live and you learn I guess! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!
Super!
I like to sketch out my watercolor compositions with Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer water-soluble pencils. I use colors that will be compatible with what is going into the painting, I use light pressure so I don’t get impressed lines; and once the watercolor gets applied, the lines dissolve into the wet watercolor 😊
I’m so glad you found a technique that works for you! Thank you for sharing your tip! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Me too, I decided to do that when I didn’t want the harsh lines of black ink sometimes, and the Albrect Durer won’t leave any hard lines behind either!❤❤❤
I have Derwent Academy watercolour pencils. Are they comparable to the Faber-Casterll?
@@melindaavila498 I haven’t used the Derwent pencils, but I’m sure they’re similar to the Faber-Castell ones.
@@cglaurerThe Derwent Academy watercolor pencils are no where near the quality of the Faber-Castell Albert Durer watercolor pencils at all since they are made in China for students and I don't mean college and university students to use.
NO, please do NOT follow all the rules that the video states if you are beginner artist with a budget on watercolours, they are not necessary for you to enjoy watercolouring. I am so glad so many other people on the comments are also saying the same. You do NOT need expensive Arches paper, Silver brushes, and professional brand paints to start your watercolour journey and enjoy it. Don't get the cheapest things for kids either, that's not the idea because of their bad quality but there is plenty of perfectly student grade materials for you to choose from and not spend a load of money on something you are not sure if you are going to like or keep doing. I wish some youtubers would not stress so much begginners with how their paintings have to be perfect, done with perfect materials. Painting is not just the destination, its the journey, what you see on the road, what you learn, the joy it gives you making it. And of course you can use white gouache, white markers and black paint to enhance or give your paintings that extra special touch, it is not a cardinal sin and it will not make your watercolours paintings not be watercolours. Art never has fixed rules and they are forever changing. Many artist movements would never have existed if artists just followed the rules and never bent or broke them.
I'm just telling my experience. I struggled with cheap supplies and eventually bought a $19 pad of arches watercolor paper and one size 8 aqua elite watercolor brush for $8 and a whole new world opened up for me. I started with mission gold watercolors after struggling with daler rowney from Walmart. The mission gold set was $30 I think? And it's clear that you don't watch my channel because I AM all about inexpensive art supplies. I have NEVER said you need expensive art supplies to make good art. But you do need 100% watercolor paper to make good paintings. I am not a youtuber. I am a professional artist who has a youtube channel. I went to art school after high-school. Granted that was 23 years ago but I did go. I try to make my videos to help other artists so that they don't have to struggle like I did. This video wasn't geared to a beginner. This was more for an intermediate artist who would like to have some sort of career with their art. That's my two cents worth anyway. Take it or not, it's up to every person to follow their own heart!
Right. Use white if that's what improves the picture in your own eyes. It doesn't have to be PURE watercolour to be a good painting experience or a good painting. On the other hand it's good to put limits on yourself too, don't use white if that's a challenge.
All of this. These videos always seem so discouraging. Don't even bother if you don't use what I use kind of thing.
If you are a beginner and want a less frustrating experience with watercolor, you absolutely should use high-quality supplies, especially paper. Even if you start out with six tubes of high quality paint and a pad of Arches (you can cut the paper in half and paint small) this will go a long way.
Just be aware of the limitations you can get away with cheaper materials but they often give inferior results.
Yes!! The paper!! So important. I think when people are first starting they don't want to invest in the higher priced paper, brush or media and I get that too BUT the frustration using inferior materials will kill the enthusiasm you may have the starting this journey in the first place.
Hey Amy!, You are absolutely correct about the paper BUT, HOWEVER - You don't have to throw out your "other" paper because they are good for pencil sketching and even charcoal!
Amen!
Gouache, acrylics, and pastels, too🎉
THIS! i love using wood pulp watercolor paper with dry media, such as graphite and color pencil.
I use an HB (hard lead) pencil for sketching, then I roll a kneaded eraser over it like a rolling pin to pick up any extra graphite. Works beautifully!
That is a great technique! I'm glad it works well for you! I use it often myself!. Thanks for sharing!
Totally understand the struggles with some expensive supplies - however I changed to cotton and what a difference - it made me finally understand why I kept thinking it was me. Over the years I kept trying to figure it out and then abandoning it. Then I would come back and try again. It wouldn’t work and I would put it aside then I would come back and try it again. The more expensive paper has changed everything so I totally have to support what she says about the more expensive paper, but I do understand the cost prohibition.
I’d love to see a side by side with the bad vs good of the same painting
Excellent idea!! So would I!! I wish more UA-camrs would do the *exact* same project using 100% cotton paper, and lower quality paper, high quality paintbrushes vs cheap brushes,
and student grade vs. artist grade paint.
I don't know how I missed this video before! I've been using the kneaded eraser trick for years now and it is priceless. I started painting without black watercolour this year and noticed the improvement almost instantly. Thanks Amy!
This does help explain why I've struggled with some things, especially with the Canson paper. Unfortunately, I can't justify the expensive supplies suggested here as a relatively new hobbyist. I'm still using cheap (dry) pan paints in the plastic tray and cheap brushes. I figure once I work my way through all the cheap supplies, I'll be (barely) skilled enough to justify spending more on better (even Student-grade) stuff. ;)
Jackson’s art supply sign up for their newsletter they have sales on everythinggggggggg. Also Michaels has their 30% off coupon online and in store use.
I've used both 100% cotton and cellulose. I definitely would not say that using cellulose is a mistake, it depends on what you are painting and the technique that you are using. Some of my paintings came out better on cellulose and some I wouldn't dream of doing them on cellulose. I love my 5 below and meeden brushes. Heck even my water brush is great. I don’t have the puddling problem that she is talking about. I just use watercolor pencils or the kneaded eraser. I use black ink and never had a problem with it and my paintings are not flat. I use black paint all the time and don't a problem with it either. I know how to use it and sometimes mixing a dark color that looks like it is trying to be black doesn't look right. It depends on what you're painting. I've taken color theory courses and I still use black, not to mute my colors though.
If someone is new to watercolor or on a budget videos like this can be very discouraging. Buying expensive supplies to learn with as if that is going to make the art "better" isn't realistic. I've seen amazing watercolorists use cheap supplies and make amazing pieces. Supplies do matter to a certain point, but you don't need expensive supplies to make good watercolor paintings. Art is expressive so saying/having "never do" rules can sometimes spoil being creative for some people. It is like saying "if you do this (fill in the blank) then it's wrong", when that's not always true.
💯 enjoying the process is the most important aspect!!, no one should get SO bogged down with rights and wrongs….thats when you lose the enjoyment
This video could have been presented as an "If you are struggling with x and y, try doing this" instead of "You need to do this instead of that".
@SotaliaTucuxi facts!
@@SotaliaTucuxi yeah except the UA-cam algorithm wouldn't have liked that, unfortunately! Lol! Oh well. Thanks for watching!
@@willowtreecottage8233She is giving people tips that will enable them to enjoy the process more. Watercolor can be extremely frustrating when you're a beginner. If one keeps getting poor results you can start to think that it's you when it's actually the materials you're using.
Different cotton papers can be wildly different. It has to do with construction and sizing. Sizing can make or break vibrancy from absorption level. Cotton is great though, but you definitely get what you pay for no matter what paper you buy.
I mostly agree, and... Cotton is not good for every technique! Recently I had to start a painting over on cellulose paper because cotton paper took ages to dry and my brush strokes just blended together and I completely lost the feathery texture I was going for.
Cotton is great for large areas of wet in wet, but I actually don't like it that much when painting details.
Black paint has a purpose. It's a good practice for beginners to learn to mix blacks and grays, because certain black pigments (like ivory) are just creating an ashy look. Most Payne's gray, indigo, and sepia convenience mixes contain ivory black, and they're quite popular among artists.
However, there are black pigments that add a lot of interest with their granulation (like Mars / Lunar / Hematite black) which is super useful for organic textures like rocks, tree bark, moss, etc.
Thats true! I have lunar black and love its granulaiton effect! I don't use it often but i do sometimes! I didn't even think of that! I would have had an exception to the rule for special effects! Good call!
Thanks for the tip on granulating blacks! I hadn’t thought of using them that way.
@@winterwoodsstudio Glad to hear you enjoy it as well! Yeah DS Lunar black has especially strong granulation compared to other available Mars black paints.
@HeatherHogue73 always happy to spread the joy of black paints 😊
If you need to use a cheep brush, it helps to touch a paper towel with the loaded brush of color.. This way you don't get that blob of water so you now can get a more even color lay.
Good tip! Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
That’s what I do 😁
I wish I had heard advice like this when I first started out. I understand why this is the case, but all the advice for beginners I saw was, 'buy what you can afford' and, 'these ..insert cheaper brands..are just as good if not better then any artist quality you can find'... I am someone who doesn't have expendable income, most recommended supplies are out of my price range, even if they are cheap. So I bought the cheapest most recommended supplies I kept seeing, (cotmon and canson xl 😑) and I absolutely regretted it. I wasted money on supplies I hated and never used again after a handful of tries. I noticed (because of the fillers in the paint, ) I was already hitting pan on certain colors after just a few paintings, and I mean like 4 or 5 small paintings. In reality I would have to replace them more often then I had thought, ( it took me a few months to save up for them in the 1st place,) and I didn't even enjoy using them. It wasn't until I got to the fine art side of art youtube that I realized ' oh I am not their demographic and you get what you pay for.' It took me alot more time to save up for the artist quality, but I use them all the time. It is completely worth it imo, to just take the time to save so I can then splurge and use the best quality for myself. I am not a professional artist, though I have been drawing for most of my life, just a good ole #2 pencil and some printer paper. I only paint for my own enjoyment, and so I actually want to enjoy using my supplies. I'm sure there are people out there that appreciate the cheaper stuff and enjoy them. For myself now that I'm more experienced, if I went back to the supplies I first bought, I'm sure that I could make them work and would be better prepared to use them in a way that works for me; however I still wouldn't enjoy doing so. I appreciate when people specify that there is a difference in how your supplies will work for you depending on the price, what subjects your painting and what your intentions are in progressing your art/style. To know the full reality of what your getting before you buy it or if in my case you already bought it, then to not just give up and call yourself the problem. It's fine if you can't afford the more expensive stuff, so long as you enjoy what your using and it's worth it to you. But this idea that because your a beginner you don't need/deserve artist quality until your "better"? Or that there's no difference in practicing on cheaper supplies? Bs, painting on celulose is completely different then painting on 100% cotton and "cheap" supplies are not cheap if your burning through them at break-neck speed. The 5ml paints I 1st bought of artist quality? I'm still using them and I paint all the time, it's been a few years. Also Paul Rubens and Bao Hong watercolor journals? Etchr? They have 100% cotton sketchbooks that are relatively cheap in comparison, and saving up every couple months for a skecthbook at a time is worth it to me, while slowly building up my paints. Again it depends on what your painting and what are your intentions behind it. To improve? To have fun? Crafts? Fine art? Abstract? Different priorities are going to have different approaches and expectations of what your looking for.
You sound like you walked the exact same path that I did. We too don't have a lot of money and I did the exact thing, bought supplies at Walmart (canson paper and daler rowney watercolors). And even though we don't have a lot of money, I eventually spent $19 for a pad of arches paper and $8 for an aqua elite brush and it opened up a whole new world for me! I am so glad ypu found something that works for you too! Thanks for watching!
The story of my life. Almost put me off for good.As I’m not particularly talented I thought it’s me , but decided to save up, & buy a good ones. One of the best decisions I ever made 😊.I use the old supplies for practising now.
Very informative! Thank you! I'm just learning... Retired RN and having fun with this! Never had time before. I will be joining Craftsy, too, and thanks for the heads up on that!
Good points to keep in mind if your painting isn’t working for you. I would add one thing to the discussion about paper: sizing matters almost as much as cotton content, so brand (and grade - student vs artist - within that brand) does matter in some cases. I have used some cotton paper which works less well than does some cellulose paper. It can have too much external sizing and resist paint too much, or it can have too little internal and external sizing and be almost like painting on a paper towel. (Yes I know paper towels are made of wood pulp.) I have used some wood pulp-based cellulose paper which results in vibrant colors, not fading/dullness/sinking in, but otherwise doesn’t have the performance of the best cotton papers. And of course some are exactly as you described. There is also some element of personal preference - for example I don’t like the newer Fabriano Artistico which now supposedly has easier lifting - I think it is too heavily sized. Some people would love that. Also I guess it’s worth noting that many people are choosing to work with water colors in a less traditional manner so some of these things, including even brushes, aren’t as important, but I think you are speaking of a more traditional watercolor practice.
I am so glad you mentioned sizing! I need to do a video on that soon! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
@@winterwoodsstudio That would be great! I have some sense of it from using different papers, but I’m not sure I have ever seen anyone online demonstrate similarities/differences in different papers which can be attributed to sizing. That would be really interesting to see. I think it’s misunderstood, too, by a lot of popular but not formally-trained artists on UA-cam. I know there is one who has completely steered clear of cotton paper until very recently because she thought it would be extremely absorbent (likely imagining cotton balls or cotton clothing.)
@@winterwoodsstudio A sizing video would be so helpful. I've come across some 100% cotton paper that is just awful - one brand was so bad that I couldn't even use it for gouache. But it I was able to save a bad purchase by turning it into collage fodder...lol....the place where bad paper and art get to live again! haha
I agree about sizing. For example, Michael's sells a 100% cotton paper that is awful.
The sizing in papers can be more of an issue than fiber content. Soft papers will pil and stain so the watercolors will not flow whether rag or wood pulp. Cotman makes a great affordable wood pulp/celluose watercolor paper. True it may dry unevenly and sometimes create blooms but that can be managed by water consistency . Learning water to paint ratio is the key to a good painting.
I was with you on everything until you mentioned don't use black paint. There are so many ways to do things to keep your color vibrancy when painting, but there are things that black paint can do that no other color mixture will be able to do. At least no mixture I've tried has been able to do it.
Plus there are black paints that are capable of doing things with flocculation that none of the mixtures I've tried have been able to handle.
And there are plenty of black things in nature. I have found when painting to try and match only the values you see in nature with watercolor or acrylic or oils or whatever you want to use can cause the painting not to be nearly as effective as you wanted.
I guess I learned how to mix colors earlier than most people like at about eight or nine years old. And I learned how to mix colors using a fairly high number of colors.
I guess I have a hard time understanding why color theory is pushed so hard by so many artists, when is only a small part of learning how to mix colors.
Learn to use whatever sets of colors you want to use and have on your pallette, have a lot of fun AND STOP BEING AFRAID OF EXPERIMENTING AND RESEARCHING! Researching and experimenting does not have to be thought about as having to climb sandpaper mountains in your bare feet. I have done a heck of a lot of art and I have done a hell of a lot of research and enjoyed it through successes and through failures.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on black paint! I should have made an exception for granulating black paint but I forgot! I do use lunar black sometimes! It's granulation is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
@@winterwoodsstudio Yep! Daniel Smith's Lunar colors are wonderful! And at least two of their Primatek colors are able to produce a brown to burnt sienna flocculation in a field of green. I think Serpentine is one of the colors, and yes I have used them. Very interesting stuff!
I usually just use a kneaded eraser, and nothing comes up, but i also use a mechanical pencil and the ones i use dont really smudge. But watercolor pencil in a lighr color is good too.
My favorite colerase is actually the one i thought id hate. Its a mid green color and it looks so good
I haven't tried the greens! Now I totally have to! Good thing I have the set here! Maybe I'll have sometime to play with them this afternoon! Thanks for watching!
Great video! Everything you suggested to check for, if one is struggling, is spot-on. I'm not sure why some are having kittens over the suggestions, but there's validity to all of the items you touched on.
I wish I had come across a video like this when I first started with watercolor a little over a year ago. I learned of these "trapdoors" fast, but unfortunately not fast enough to have avoided wasting my time and money.
The quality tools issue is so true in just about any hobby (or development of a talent) but it always presents a dilemma for beginners. The expense of good tools vs the need for lots and lots of practice.
I have a particular question about young beginners. My grandson is six and loves watching watercolor tutorials on UA-cam. I would love to get him started painting (I am only a wannabe painter) but realistically, what supplies does a child that young need to have a good experience with watercolor?
I am wondering if you consider Paynes grey a good color to tone down or mute other colors?
So I mostly use the complementary color to mute or desaturate. Some Wayne's Grey's lean moreltoelward a dark grey and somemlean toward a dark blue. I might use a dark blue Wayne's grey to desaturated an orange. But if I were trying to tone down a too bright green for example, I'd use red. Hope that helps!
Great list of tips! I'm stubborn and the last thing I changed up was moving to 100% cotton paper, and it really does make all the difference. My frustration dropped from high to very minimal levels. Love your videos :)
I am so glad you are having better luck with the cotton paper! It makes all the difference in the world! I lived through the exact same thing! ;) Thank you so much for taking the time to watch!
2 years ago I began my watercolor journey. So much learned. And now I find I am very picky on my paper brushes and watercolor. I am even very particular to my color with in the brand of watercolor, and texture within my watercolor paper. Loving the rough paper and texture that evolves . Still have so much to learn on the different shapes of brushes.. great video. Thank you
My beginning watercolor teacher said my paper was bleached so that was why I was getting dull colors. Cheap brushes are also bad because bristles come out every time you paint onto your painting.
Huh, that's interesting! I've never heard of bleached paper causing dull colors. But paper with bad sizing can do that, maybe the sizing and bleach react? I'll have to look into it! And aren't the bristles in the painting the worst??? I especially hate it in my acrylic paints! Thanks for watching!
Super new to watercolor painting. I’m curious what you think of paynes gray for a darker color. I really love this color.
It's kind of hard to do all that when you're on a fixed income and trying to learn watercolor painting. I guess we shouldn't try since we can't afford to. All the practice I do cotton paper is just too expensive. I'm just learning.
Please don't do that. You don't need all those expensive supplies or have to follow the rules that she is talking about. My old professor is still in the industry with a lot of published works and he uses 5 below and other cheap supplies and his art is amazing! He makes videos using cheap supplies to show people you don't need super expensive supplies to create good art. His videos are not sponsored or anything. Videos like this one can be so discouraging when creators put the rules out as if it 100% fact and it's not.
Make your art with whatever supplies you have. Don't worry about buying all that expensive stuff.
There are channels that dedicate videos to encourage people to just create with what you have.
Try Baohong Academy watercolour paper. It's a good paper and price. When we do a hobby it's going to cost some money. There are good value products out there. Keep going!
@@Decopainterandtea I like thr Boahong ones too.
@@cbond007 Thanks for being so encouraging ! I use left over poster paints and ordinary brushes and paper to enjoy myself ! No rules for me !
There are decent quality watercolour papers that are not cotton on the market. Some professional artists choose to paint on watercolour paper of good quality that is not cotton. They are not all cheap, but are not quite as expensive as the cotton papers. Canson Montval is a decent quality non cotton watercolour paper. I have painted on both cotton and non cotton paper. I don't have any problems with either. The Canson Montval paper is made by the company who makes Arches cotton watercolour paper. So, it you can't afford the best do not be discouraged by someone elses experience with non cotton paper. Try it for yourself, and have fun creating ! 😊❤️
I totally agree about the importance of good paper-it will cost you more in the long run if you try to learn as a beginner on cheap paper, because it just won’t respond well, and you’ll use way more paper experimenting.
Everything you covered was also told by my art instructor. She stressed to not get art supplies from Walmart or even Michael's. Even hobbyists can get a few good supplies and see a major difference in quality and satisfaction. Also, she was anti-black watercolor. Mix dark umber and ultramarine to get dark greys. Add a tiny bit of a warm color like red or opera rose for warm shadows. Or greens and turquoise for cool shadows. I have cheap stuff to play with and better stuff for special paintings.
I am using a Moleskin Watercolor Journal at the moment. It has a 25% hybrid watercolor paper. It’s been a nice experience thus far.
I live the moleskin art journals! I've gone through so many of them. Unfortunately, there's been a huge influx of people on here who don't know me and they are assuming because I said that I struggled less when I switched to cotton paper that means I never use cellulose. Sigh... I use a ton of cellulose as a simple scroll through some of my 180 videos would show. UA-cam is an place. Oh well! Thanks for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Of course, thank you for sharing your knowledge on watercolor. It’s very much appreciated.
I wish you'd do a video of the do's and don't of using masking fluid. I have a hard time using it without getting a dirty blue stain even after lifting it. I have tried diluting with equal parts water. When it works well, it's fabulous, but I have ruined too many paintings with it to risk using it.
Sometimes for a really dark color I'll mix an Indigo or Indanthrene Blue with a Dioxazine Violet, and a touch of Burnt Sienna or a bit of a nice red. Makes a rich, more natural dark color for a silhouette style painting.
Hullo Amy, I found this video to be spot on! Great information and I am always telling people to upgrade their paper first to see an improvement in their paintings! I was taught with just 6 colors, a split primary palette, for the first 4 1/2 years that I was learning watercolors. I have learned how to use a neutral tint for so many mixing techniques, it can save so much time! I look back and don’t see how anyone could use a graphite pencil and not use a kneaded eraser! It was something that was a step to clean up your paper before adding ANY Paint! I have used color pencils and the col-erase pencils are very nice too! You should be very happy with this video, well done!
Thanks for showcasing your sketchbook and the paper. May I ask some questions, is it a rough surface or smooth? It looks smooth but the link in your description says rough. Was shipping to the Netherlands expensive? I don't have a Jacksons near me. Does the paper buckle a lot under many washes/layers of watercolour paint or seep through to the other side when you use both sides? Thanks for answering my questions. I appreciate it.
Arches is #1 I believe in buying the very best i can afford, quality = better results!!!
I just stumbled across your channel and I’m so glad I did! I just joined Craftsy for $1.49 and I wouldn’t have even known about the discount without you. thank you!
Turn off auto renew now so you don't get hit with a big charge in a year. You have to phone to do it.
ALL OF THIS. YES. in my experience, a cheap cotton paper is always better than an expensive wood pulp paper. i have found that pigment ink pens bleed a bit on cheaper cotton papers, so i’m absolutely seconding using color pencils for line work (and sketching). agree 100% with the brands you have recommended - those are my go to brands, as well.
Thank you for this information. Very helpful, especially since i am just learning. Thank you so very much.
You're welcome! I hope it helps you make amazing art!
how do you feel about using Neutral tint to darken your colours?
I've actually never tries it. I don't think it was a thing when I went to art school 23 years ago? If it was, I don't think it must have been used a lot because no one ever talked about it. I should check it out to see what I think and maybe do a video on it! Thanks for watching!
@@winterwoodsstudio I am of the understanding that it allows you to darken your colours without muddying them. Black is usually a mixture of a few colours which can create an issue when mixing with yet another colour. I hope that makes sense. I would love to see your review.
@@winterwoodsstudio I don't use it often (Daniel Smith's neutral tint), but from time to time I will. It's transparent so it 'plays well with others' and doesn't muddy the work.
Good paper is worth it definitely. Even if you have to scrimp and save, cotton is well worth it.
I did sign up for the craftsy classes. Thank you. I have heard recently several people mention lightfastness. Have you done a video on this?
Lol! Like All my videos are on lightfastness! I talk about it all the time. Was there something specific you wanted to know.
Great tips, Amy! I will often use brown ink because I am really not that skilled of an ink artist and brown doesn't magnify mistakes like black does. How awesome for the Craftsy membership! Thank you!! I paused your vid and quickly got re-signed up for it. It states for new members only, but i guess they figure that my membership from several years ago puts me into the new member category. I used it for a lot of sewing stuff I was doing back then. Glad to see that you have a sponsor that you can totally get behind! I look forward to getting some use out of it this year.
Canson XL spiral bound watercolor pads are great for beginners and for practicing. I've been urban sketching for a couple of years using slightly more expensive watercolor sketchbooks, but I still use Canson XL to try out color mixes and just general messing around.
Being a beginner, I still struggle to find the best technique for every painting or even just parts. And I struggle with composition. Then I use the Canon XL paper. I've found it's decent for a cheap paper. And sometimes when I just want to do something super simple or "play" with my paint it's perfectly good for that.
Thanks for the info Amy and the discount link. Looking forward to trying Craftsy!
You’re very welcome! I hope you enjoy the classes as much as I have! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Great tips
I don't know if it is only in EU but what are your thoughts about toxic watercolor paint? I see that with some brands, they write very toxic for water living animals, and I love animals and nature , so will not buy that these brands.
Is there good watercolor brands that are not toxic?
You're going to want to pick a professional brand of paint and steer away from the colors that are toxic. Any of the cadmiums or cobalts are what's going to make a paint toxic. They are both heavy metals.
My Daniel Smith watercolor palette that use all the time is made if only non-toxic colors with no cobalt or cadmium. I might have added a cobalrlt in recently. But most of the Daniel Smith colors in my palette are non-toxic. you're going to want to pick Separate, individual tubes of paint or pans so you can steer clear of the ones with heavy metals. if you pick a professional brand that lists what the pigments are, you should be able to do at! Good luck!And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
I’ll just add that you might see colors labeled something like “cadmium red hue”, for example. Cadmium red is a popular, well-known historic pigment which is not only toxic, but also expensive. Paint manufacturers have created new formulations that give a very similar color, without the genuine cadmium red. The word “hue” in the name tells you it has no cadmium. A lot of watercolor professionals still cherish the historic pigments, however, which is why they’re still available.
If you’re a paint nerd like me, you can get the pigment information on-line from most big name manufacturers (Winsor Newton, Schminke, Daniel Smith) to see which colors use toxic pigments - I trust these companies to put out correct info. Others, well, maybe some do, but a lot companies (esp. new ones) are very secretive about their pigments. On the other hand, cobalts and cadmiums are expensive pigments so cheaper paints are (probably) less likely to use them. But if you care about the environment and your own exposure to toxins, it’s well worth learning about pigments and using brands which divulge this info.
Obsidian if you chip it thin it’s either brown or grey it’s not even black
Thanks for sharing that! I've never chipped obsidian but that makes perfect sense! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Investing in good paper is worth it. I usually buy paper in packs of 10 sheets when they’re on sale. Then, I cut them to the sizes I need and store them in clear bags for future use. Sometimes, I work on full-size sheets, especially for commissions. Jerry’s has excellent Italian cotton papers, and I’ve done the math-based on how many smaller sheets I can get from one full sheet, I end up paying less than $5 per 140lb 100% cotton sheet. While the initial cost may seem high, it’s much more economical than paying $1 per tiny page in a pad! As a professional painter who sells my work, I always aim to get the best quality materials for the best price.
I switched to light gray water markers which disappear when you start panting. I hated using graphite with watercolor. I found the kuretake ones to work best.
As an artist returning to watercolours, I have found this so very useful - thanks for all the information. Have hit like/subscribe and will be watching the videos you suggested towards the end of this one... Might even end up subscribing to your Patreon! There are never enough hours in the day to learn everything that interests me...
I love the three Princeton watercolor brushes you mentioned. Some of their sets are great buys as well.
F or those looking for higher grade, less expensive products - mei liang watercolors 36 pan, boahong or Medan cotton press watercolor paper, Princeton Neptune, aqua Elite. I will also say this, I’ve switched to Daniel Smith watercolors and the pigment is so much better than any of the cheaper watercolor that I’ve used that I use much less so I believe it’s going to last longer.
So glad you popped up in my feed! I have been painting for a few years but I have had some difficulties that I now know how to fix! Thanks for the tips. Liked & subscribed. ❤
You're welcome! I am really glad you liked the video and subscribed! Thank you so much!
Once I found Arches 140lb blocks it was a revelation 😀my advice is to see what other artists use and buy the best equipment and paint you can afford. Things are normally cheap for a reason! I use Sketchers waterproof ink in a variety of fountain pens, Lamy pens are inexpensive and come with easily changed nibs of different sizes, but the best secret of all is to find a Sailor Fude de Mannen pen these have funky bent nibs that give varying line weights, today my new Parker Urban in London Taxi black and chrome arrived I cannot wait to try it out. Agree about black, my art teacher Mrs Connolly at school told me never to use black she said to always mix your own darks and to never stop drawing and painting.
Thank you very much for this video. It was very informative. I was wondering about Cottman watercolor paints? I am a beginner watercolor painter and would like to know if I should bother with the Cotman or just cough up the money and get the good paints?
I have never had a problem using graphite to draw my picture BUT I draw lightly with a hard lead (2H). It has worked well for me.
Why are some people getting mad that she is recommending higher-quality paper? She is correct. The paper used in watercolor is crucial. If you are on a budget, you can start off with six tubes (or pans) of high-quality paint and a pad of Arches (or Baohong--less expensive). The paper can be cut in half and you would just have to paint small. The paint will last a long time. This is all you need and your experience painting will be much less frustrating and the results will be better. Of course, you can use a pad of cheaper paper to test things out.
OMG, THANK YOU! we don't have a lot of money. When I switched to better supplies, I bought ONE pad (12 sheets) of 9 x 12 arches for $19 and one aqua Elite brush from Princeton in a black Friday sale for $8. I cut each sheet of paper into 4 pieces and practiced on them. It's not like I am recommending Escoda brushes or Kolinsky sable! Who knew this would be so controversial??? UA-cam is a weird place.... Anyway thank you so much for standing up for me! I appreciate it!🧡
@@winterwoodsstudio You're so welcome! I would just try to not to let the comments from people who are getting personally offended by this get to you. It's so silly.
The point of using good quality goods is this, if you do a painting, that absolutely turns out how you have envisaged it, and it's on bad paper it will not last, it'll yellow or buckle and all that effort is wasted. I have a full set of faber castell pencils. Did I buy the lot at once? No, pencil by pencil, over a long time. The same with prisma, a pencil or two at a time. And I bought a block of arches, cost me $95 , and I'm cutting it up into halves or quarters, because I like small drawings. Shop around, find art supply shops , try stuff out and don't buy unseen from online till you know what you're doing.
The algorithm brought me here; I agree with all your takes while-heartedly, although like you mentioned black has a place in certain techniques/urban sketching.
For those who have budget limitations or can’t otherwise afford lots of cotton paper -
1.) Use both sides of the cotton paper. (High-quality paper is typically usable on both sides)
2.) Use watercolor/absorbent grounds to correct mistakes, prep low-quality paper, or completely cover an old practice painting.
3.) Experiment with sizing! Sometimes a cheaper paper can be made to feel more premium with the correct sizing.
4.) Some surfaces (like Ampersand Aquabord) feel different than cotton but are re-usable; just wash the old stuff away and try again!
5.) Gouache is more tolerant of cellulose/cheap paper, although it feels better to use cotton.
I found non-US stores (like Artemiranda and Jackson’s) have frequent sales on non-US brands (like Arches,Roman Szmal, Schmincke, Etchr, etc), although you may need to spend a bit to get free shipping.
Hopefully some folks found your video useful, and don’t take it too personally that cotton is a pretty great surface to use!
Absolutely agree with regard to the paper 100% cotton. Next is get good quality paint. For me, brushes are last. When I taught beginners watercolor I would illustrate with a landscape done entirely with a toothbrush ( it sold too). For me, everything else is a personal preference. A key concept is just paint, experiment!! Over time and practice your own style will develop. Every painting that you do will not be a masterpiece, but every piece will teach you something!!!
A good paper is an absolute GAME CHANGER! I was surprised how much it makes such a huge difference. My suggestion for pencils would be to use a lighter pencil. A 4H is my go to for that.
Great video! I’m a long-time watercolorist and teacher and I’ve definitely experienced some of the same things…especially that weird little bend that cheap brushes get at the tip! I also love the Princeton Neptune brushes! At that point of the video you mentioned that you like synthetic brushes because of your pet ferret. Since you are obviously a person who cares about animals (as am I) I just want to point out that certain watercolor papers, like Arches, are not cruelty free. “Everyone” loves the Arches paper…and I must admit I used it too, years ago, and then I found out it’s gelatin sized. There’s a LOT of animal cruelty hidden in the art supply world, and I’ve made a point to search out high quality art supplies that are also cruelty-free. Why should innocent animals suffer for us to paint? One of my favorite paper companies is Hahnemuhle. Their papers are cruelty free, environmentally friendly, and high-quality!
I agree about the paper
I mostly agree about the brushes although don't take it to extremes. No doubt a fine watercolor brush is a thrill to use but no need to spend $80 on a brush when a $30 brush will do what you need. However, a $3 brush is not likely to be fun to use or work for you. It is a matter of degree...a really super fine brush is likely to far exceed my ability to make use of it 🙂I do like Princeton Neptune brushes very much. And synthetic brushes seem to work just fine.
I tend to draw for watercolor with mostly watercolor pencils being careful to not press hard. I do also use graphite and lighten it like you or use a harder pencil...unlike many others I do not really care if the graphite shows on the final painting.
But not all the time 🙂
I should say that I have no rule or method that I follow 100% of the time. What I am trying to accomplish is my guide to materials and techniques.
Brown ink..Walnut ink works well if you like the look.
Black paint...well what can I say...there is definitely a place for it. I have painted entire paintings in black paint along with diluted black paint. I suggest not to use it to darken or dull other paints as it makes them look dirty most times. Shadows, where most black paint is misused most often aren't really black or gray, shadows do all have a color cast. Definitely a niche paint IMO.
I'm glad you find it useful! I always try to point out the things I've learned over the years that have made my work easier. And the aqua elite, the one i showed in the video, was $8! Lol! I love it though! Thanks for watching!
I always use black paint. No rules in Art. 😊
Thank you! This is the best art channel! ~
Another great video! Thanks for the information!!
I’m so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for taking the time to watch!
The graphite tip is brilliant! Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! You are so welcome!
This was a great roundup, thank you! I'd never heard of the spraying graphite tip. Those Princeton Aqua Elites are my go-to brushes, I love them. :)
I’m so glad you made this video! These are excellent tips for watercolorists both new and experienced! Especially glad that you mentioned the tip about using black. That’s something I learned in college and I haven’t heard hardly anyone say it since then! My art professor told me to use Payne’s gray instead of black. Great job on the video!!
Lol! Yep! I was just talking with another veiwer in the comments about how one of my more temperamental art professors back a million years ago, whether through all our paints and threw out any tubes of black he found! That was 23 years ago. Not sure if they would still do that now! Thanks for watching!
I signed up for Craftsy and I'm looking forward to learning all things art! Thank you, Amy!
I am so glad, Tammy! I hope you like it as much as I have over the years! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
@winterwoodsstudio thank you for all the useful and knowledgeable information you share with us. Happy Thanksgiving!
Only the 2nd or 3rd video of yours I've seen, just found you the other day- but now I have a Craftsy membership-THANK YOU!
Great video! I'm definitely guilty of using straight black when painting, mainly because I'm too lazy to mix haha
I would love to see a video that shows the best time to use wet on wet + wet on dry, I feel like I always use the former wrong.
I have one up for that already! You can find it here: ua-cam.com/video/2U41nbleDXg/v-deo.html ! Hope that helps! And thank you so much for watching!
@@winterwoodsstudio Ooo nice! Thank you!
I recently needed some larger hot press watercolor paper and absolutely couldn't afford 100% cotton paper in the amount I needed. So I found some 20% cotton for a lot less and it's working really well all considering. Not a bad option for needing to work large at volume, especially if you're not making money from this.
I still like using normal pencils for my watercolor sketches, but I have found two exception that don't smudge. The most expensive option is a Blackwing pencil. They are GREAT for non-bleeding graphite. My second choices is Pentel Hi-Poly mexhanical pencil lead. This one you will need to let set for about five minutes before you start putting water on it, but it is also really good (and a LOT cheaper than a Blackwing pencil). I like these better than usung colored lead or colored pencil for my sketch lines.
That was an interesting video, with plenty of suggestions for anyone who's finding it difficult to get the results they want with their watercolour painting. My own personal 'revelation moment' came when I switched to 100% cotton paper for anything other than line & simple wash sketches. Suddenly, layering, blending etc became so much easier to achieve - whereas with wood pulp paper they had been almost impossible. When I started out about 20 or so years ago, I splashed out on some quite expensive kolinsky sable brushes (at the time I naively thought that we got the fibres a bit like the way we get wool from sheep! After I discovered the truth, I went over to synthetic only - although I still use the kolinsky sable brushes every so often, as they're holding up pretty well even after 20 years). Anyway, thanks for the much-appreciated video. Kind regards, Brian.
Yep! That was my exact same ah ha moment as well! I don't think people realize how much of a difference the paper makes until they try it! But holy moly did I make people mad with this video! I was not expecting it to be so controversial! I was just trying to help! You live and you learn I guess! Lol! Thank you for your continued support of my channel since the very beginning! It means a lot to me!
I think “ruining” is too strong a word. Using cheap supplies will probably make your watercolor painting journey more difficult. If you’re a hobbyist and aren’t trying to sell your work, you can get the cheaper stuff, but you might be more frustrated by them. The cheaper stuff (often known as “student grade”) is not meant to be archival, meaning it lasts a very long time. That might not be your goal.
Arches (pronounced “arsh” - it’s a French product) paper is one of the most expensive brands. Great paper, but expensive. As a professional watercolorist, I use Fabriano Artistico - also expensive.
But yeah, watercolor paint is not going to behave well with cheaper paper. Big frustration!
I've heard some youtubers pronouncing is arsh, but I've been saying arches ever since I left art school 23 years ago (where everyone at that time said Arches). And I guess I'd feel silly changing it now? I'm a product of my time I guess! LOL! Oh well! thanks for taking the time to watch!
@ I always thought it was Arches, too! When I found out it was a French product, I was surprised! Drawing upon my semester of French LOL, I realized everyone was wrong! 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you for the tips! Now I know why my skins are so muddy, (well it could be me) , but I’m definitely going to try this. So if I understood correctly, erase some of the pencil, then wet it with a fine mister or brush with water and let it dry before painting? You went kind of fast on that tip. Always love your videos!
Yep! That's exactly it! Sorry if I went to fast! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Brilliant suggestion about using a needed eraser to soften the graphite and then spraying it with water to let it sit for several hours if not overnight.
I don’t know if it’s me …but, Arches is one of my least favorite to use with watercolor painting.
Thanks for your information.
Would love to hear what the differences are between the Princeton brushes eg pros and cons for different uses
It's coming next week! ;) hope that helps and thanks for watching!
Perfect! Wonderful tips! Thank you!
You are so welcome!And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Hi Amy I definitely learned some things today thanks for the tips and the Craftsy link too I just signed up for the year! I don’t comment much but I enjoy your Patreon lunch breaks too!!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the classes! And thanks for being a patron! It means the world to me!
I did not know about graphite. The solution is to draw with watercolor pencils. You can use darker versions of the same color for shadows. Great video.
I see a lot of very pro painters use neutral tint and Wayne’s gray it works for me some but yes black is a duller paint I confess I use some on black noses mixed with blue 🥸
Boy would we ever get in trouble if we used black paint back when I was in art school! I remember one somewhat temperamental professor going through all our paint kits and if you had black he threw it in the garbage! Lol! Paynes grey was okay because it's really just a dark, desaturated blue! I don't think we had neutral tint back then, but that was 23 years ago! Thanks for watching, Eldrid! I appreciate it!
@ I know how colors mix and I just always stick to rules lol. Dyeing shows the break out of pigment it’s interesting how blacks are so-purple I never use black in dye. I have like 3 types if you use the powder straight on wet it will remain black
I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this to us, maybe with this knowledge I might be able to knock out a decent painting finally 😊
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I have lots of other watercolor videos up too if your interested. Especially some of the older ones! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Big fan of domestika, never tried craftsy ( tried skill share before). But i don't like to subscribe for a year...i prefer to pay for each class...because i had bad experience on being billed without my approval after the free peroid. But i am sure some people will be glad to try this :) thanks for sharing
Yep. I had that happen with a photo website once. For what it's worth, I haven't had that happen with crafts but you need to do what you are comfortable with! Thank ypu for taking the time to watch and leave a comment! I appreciate it!
That was such a great tip about setting the graphite with water before painting on it!
Great information especially about graphite. THANKS
I’m so glad you found it helpful! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Interesting and well put together video. As a art teacher I am not sure I agree with everything that was said, but great video nonetheless.
Well, we all have different opinions and that's what makes the world a beautiful place! Plus, I haven't been in art school since I left university 23 years ago, so I may not be up to date on what's being taught there now! It would be awesome to go back and do it over again if i had the resources and lived close to one now, just to see what has changed! Thanks for taking the time to watch!
Another item that can be absolute death to a painting is Payne's Gray. It is a blended color so, not all brands are created equal. Some lean towards blue, some are absolute 'battle ship gray'. And some (I forget which brand....I tested them years ago, and just don't use them at all)...some have some opacity to them and make a painting murky.......my advice is just DON'T!!! I can see it from a mile away!! (so sad, and easy to prevent this one!!).
Yes! I never got good results with different pre-made Payne's Grey that I tried and couldn't put my finger on why. It always had a muddy undertone to it, so I just left it alone. I realized later that a lot of them actually use black pigment in their formula, which was something that I paid no mind to as a beginner.
Oddly enough, that experience is what eventually led me to using single pigment paints (almost exclusively) and avoiding black.
I started back in highschool, my parents bought a few supplies but back then it was mostly pencils, charcoal, graphite and paper at home. A few years ago I got back into it with a cute metal box travel kit, paper from Michael’s. Amazon brush set. Eventually I realized my work didn’t look like the tutorials. After 2 years I took a Scott Swinson class. His supply list had 5 tubes of paint, Arches paper, a few brushes. He walked thru- no ad, no promotion, the differences in products. I eventually found websites with great products at lower prices like Artarama and Cheap Joe’s. I donated my old paints to an after school program for special kids. Lukas paints from Artarama are shockingly good. Half pans for dry paint and tiny tubes before I commit. The quality of my painting has grown and I definitely see a difference. If you’re just starting out and happy with what you have, great!
Really you only need a detail brush, a 12 round brush. A tube of Permanent Yellow light, either cobalt or Phthalo Blue, and a nice primary red. Like crimson aliziron. (Or quicridone magenta)- spelling is off but it’s pink.
Maybe a black and guache white.
You can mix every color from those primaries.
Search color theory and color wheel. Make one with your colors.
Have fun!
Hope this helps someone
Winter Woods is just trying to explain the benefits of quality supplies.
Not mistakes
We grow into them
Agree completely, Nicole! Took lessons from a pro and she said: 4-5 paints as you can mix others from those, 2 good quality brushes, and ARCHES paper. Don't compromise on the products you buy.
Hi Amy! Just found your channel the other day and subscribed today. You have a wonderful way about you, and are very informative. I find watercolor very hard. I have no problem with acrylic, colored pencil, or pastels. Your tips were so helpful. I’m self taught so I make a heck of a lot of mistakes. So many things I was doing wrong. Thank you so much for these tips
I FEEL ATTACKED lol, aside from using black I am an o victim of all of these. very curious to see how my painting would improve with the right supplies. This is helpful, thanks!
Glad this video could help!
Just started following you, this is a Really helpful vlog, I learned these lessons the hard way! I would add, for me I out grew my student quality paints very quickly too. I wish I'd bought a limited pastel of good quality paints over a large pallet of student quality.
This was very helpful thanks for sharing
Glad it was helpful!
I would just add for a substitution of graphite pencils or colored pencils, you can use watercolor pencils and then pigments and lines dissolve completely without creating "mud"
Great tip! Thanks for sharing! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!
Thank you!❤
You are so welcome! Glad you found it helpful!
Graphite! Ouch but you are soooo right! Thank you 😮
Thanks for the confirmation about supplies-especially paper.
The one thing you didn't mention was the actual paint itself. I started trying to paint with a no-name set of paints. It was horrendous. Switched to mostly Daniel Smith and got much better results immediately. Id love to use Winsor aand Newton professional, vut really can't afford it. Maybe a pro can get good results with cheaper paint, but not me.