As a frustrated beginner, this is exactly the tutorial I needed. So many creators focus on applying the paint in a certain way, but never mentioned this was an option. Thank you!
I use an eye make up brush with very short soft bristles and love it. There are many to choose from and they don't cost much. It's just stiff enough because of the short bristles to lift color and soften lines. Works well for both cold press and hot press paper.
Dear Rachel, I'm greatfull that I found you here on UA-cam. I'm a 63 Years old German, living in Spain/Canary Islands and just started to "paint" since 4 Month. Your Explanations are unbelievble good and clear and I don't need any Translation, because I can understood you so well 🙏🙏 Normaly I like to pay you Something on Patreon, but it is not possible. You deserve a great Rankingplace as Artist and Teacher and I'm a real Fan of you. Hugs from Lanzarote, Andrea ❤❤❤
Long ago i thought scrubbing was cheating. My very first painting i was quite happy with, except that the ferry (my focal point) appeared to be smiling, in the darkness of the car bay. At the time, i knew nothing about intional lifting techniques. This is an excellent tutorial. Good to mention to avoid staining colors for lifting.
Best examples of using scrubbers/eradicators I have ever seen! Louise Di Masi uses Eradicator brushes a lot and recommends the soft ones from Rosemary and Co. The only place I found in the US to purchase them is Wind River Arts in Texas. (The customer service there is awesome!) I got some, and gifted some to my sister as well because I love them so much! I have tried using stiff ones, too, but like my soft ones better. I also discovered that Arches does handle it better than any of the other brands of paper I tried it on. But as another commenter mentioned, the inconsistent sizing sometimes is an issue for me. Since I haven’t run into very many people that have had problems with it I wonder if they just had some bad batches of paper at some point and I got ahold of a bad lot. Anyhoo, thanks for the vid!
This is a wonderful tutorial, Rachel. Thank you! I am a beginner in watercolor, though, I have been an artist literally since childhood. I initially got a set of Royal and Langnickle brushes that has the large scrubber and I aslo bought a small and medium Rosemary and Co set of soft scrubbers. I didn't know what the white scrubber brush was for initially. Since then I have purchased Aqua Elite brushes and a Princeton Neptune. Also, I recently ordered a silver black velvet to see if I'll like it as good as the Aqua Elites. They're my favorite brushes. I am continually buying new Art things. And I am so thankful for your tutorials, here. Because of your kindness in sharing your knowledge I have learned a lot about watercolor and scubbers. I also bought one of those goat hair Asian calligraphy brushes to do fur that you suggested. ( Though, I haven't used it yet.) I'm actually thinking of buying a set of chinese calligraphy brushes because they are all natural bristles. Calligraphy has always been my first love, but a hand injury over 20 years ago, put an end to the ornate style I liked. So after all these years, I decided to try my hand at watercolor. I love your style and I love birds and animals. So that will be my focus. You are truly an inspiration to me and though I haven't painted much yet, I continue to learn and be encouraged by your vidoes. And a few other ladies who do birds and animals too. I'm so grateful for your kindness and helpfulness to us here. 🌹
I'm so glad you're enjoying my tutorials and I bet you would enjoy Chinese calligraphy brushes - I enjoy the ones I have. Thank you for always being so supportive!
Very, very informative! Thank you. I am surprised that most watercolor instructors do not mention scrubbing! One instructor, who has several watercolor books out, not only explained what the "eradicator" brush" brush does and sells the brush on her website. I took paid lessons and was instructed to buy quality hot press paper, which I did. I struggled with the hot press paper constantly. The paint seemed to sit on top of the paper. I then started taking lessons from another botanical tutorial instructor from Patreon. She used cold press paper watercolor paper. So I bought quality cold press paper and found that their was a huge difference, which I liked. I mentioned to the instructor that I had been struggling with hot press paper and not so much with cold press. She stated that she preferred cold press paper and explained why. I then noticed other instructors using cold press paper. Unfortunately I have a lot of hot press paper in different sizes just sitting in my art room. Occasionally I go back and try once again but never satisfied.
Hot press takes some getting used to, and it's really fun to paint more all prima Charles Reid Style drippy loose paintings on it. But it's also really great for super sharp details. Cold press is great for easy blending and fixing with a scrubber, especially Arches Cold Press
@ladyhecate9450 I have always used cold press till recently i tried hot press. I am having SO much trouble with creating lost edges on this type of paper. I have to spend so much more time and effort with my edges and also blending is not as seamless. Light washes and transparent staining pigments are especially troublesome on this paper. Did you have the same problems and experiance?
@@blankmission5369 I find that when painting on hot press, anytime you want to have a good blend from light to dark or one color to the other or a lost edge, paint on wet paper. However I paint on wet paper more often than on dry paper no matter what I'm trying to achieve, unless I want super hard edges or pure white paper
@@rachelparkervarner I did get the links and I’m already in the middle of watching the foxes- I feel so stupid that I threw out that old hake brush I had lol was one of my first brushes I had and I thought it was defective cause of the way it looked dry 🙃go figure - but I think I got another brush that might do the ‘scruffy’ job - love your tutorial- thanks
That was an amazing demonstration. Thank you for showing such a powerful technique. Not only did it break up the line, but it was a very effective way to re-deposit pigment and create a beautiful shadow so softly. As long as you have strong paper, that certainly puts more control back in our hands. I have a scrubber, but it’s way too big for the size I work. This tip about making a scrubber out of an old soft brush is a great idea. I always save my old abused or poor quality brushes for making different random marks, but I haven’t thought about using them to remove marks. Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge and experience with those of us that are still learning. This is my first time seeing your channel and I just had to subscribe because of this tip .❤ P.S. Your painting is gorgeous, you must’ve spent some real time around horses or you have an amazing eye when it comes to reference photos.
I have enjoyed using my set of Royal Langnickel Hard & Soft Scrubber Brushes that I bought a couple of years ago because of your earlier videos on using them. This video is filled with more great tips for using them for correcting mistakes & edges. Thanks 😊 so much for sharing this video! 💕
Amazing and helpful. Would you consider taking a ‘before’ screenshot to compare after scrubbing? I can see the changes happening, clearly, but I think a before/after shot would help solidify the understanding of this really valuable technique. I didn’t know it was possible!!! Thank you!
I’ve used scrubbers for a while now and have even discovered I could use a soft water color brush to scrub lines and break up unintentional blooms. However, you’ve opened my eyes to other great ways to use scrubbers! Thank you so much.
Thank you so much. I don’t have the best paper but inherited a couple of scrubber brushes. I had a rose painting that looked so flat. With a little scrub and repainting it looks so different. Wish I had a before.
😮 i’d die without my scrubbers. ➡️➡️ listen to this pretty lady edit: lol yes, im giving an artist highest marks because she uses one tool that i also use. nothing about me is too trivial for a yt comment
If you watch just one of my tutorials closely from start to finish you will learn so much about how to get dreamy effects : ) But you have to watch the entire thing and pay attention. ANd maybe watch a few times and paint things more than once to get a feel for uncomfortable new techniques.
It doesn't say on the tubes but you can test your paints by painting them on scraps of watercolor paper, let them dry, then use lifting techniques like scrubbing to see how much they lighten.
Some brands state it on the packaging. There are great websites about pigments, too, and you can find information about the qualities of individual pigments, too. I find phthalo pigments (very) staining, but my experience is still limited.
@@jvisser4848 I look at handprint.com a lot - even though it hasn't been updated in years it's quite extensive and covers all the pigments. Formulations may have changed since then, but the actual pigments used have not, so it is still extremely useful.
🌸🙏 Question- In one of your videos, you showed off a shirt with your butterfly printed on it. You mentioned a company that does print on demand. For the life of me I can’t find the video nor the name of the company. Please help ❤🌸🙏me
Hi Rachel, thank you for all the wonderful tips! Animals and fur can be so tricky. (Voilà is a French word of exclamation meaning "Here it is!" or "There it is!" V is evident, no W.)
Thank you and good to know! The French language is beautiful. The Olympic opening ceremonies were the best I've seen, thanks to the sensational Parisian backdrop!
Friesians are black though. Unfortunately the photographer does not share where this horse is from, but my guess would be maybe Iceland? www.boredpanda.com/photographs-horses-fairytale-petra-maria-leifsdottir-iceland/
I used to live in Myrtle Beach area where they had a 'knights and jousting' show that featured world class Friesians - I would go during the day and take pictures and talk to the grooms - they were bred and trained in Europe and were world class dressage horses, and were only a 15 minute drive from where I lived. It was such a treat to go visit them often.
Pony can be a technical term or it can be a generic term. Pony club horses are thoroughbreds or warmbloods and technically not ponies but they still call it the pony club.
WHY are you pushing the archers paper so hard? It is overpriced, and is not the quality that used to be with many many sizing issues.! for a paper that is far more predictable but equal quality to archer when it was good is Hanemuhle cold press 300 or 600 g!
As a frustrated beginner, this is exactly the tutorial I needed. So many creators focus on applying the paint in a certain way, but never mentioned this was an option. Thank you!
There are so many ways to apply paint with things other than brushes too - watercolor is fun to get creative with techniques.
I use an eye make up brush with very short soft bristles and love it. There are many to choose from and they don't cost much. It's just stiff enough because of the short bristles to lift color and soften lines. Works well for both cold press and hot press paper.
Great idea!@@gigiartstudiowithartistvir3919 great
Dear Rachel, I'm greatfull that I found you here on UA-cam. I'm a 63 Years old German, living in Spain/Canary Islands and just started to "paint" since 4 Month. Your Explanations are unbelievble good and clear and I don't need any Translation, because I can understood you so well 🙏🙏
Normaly I like to pay you Something on Patreon, but it is not possible.
You deserve a great Rankingplace as Artist and Teacher and I'm a real Fan of you.
Hugs from Lanzarote, Andrea ❤❤❤
I appreciate that so much Andrea!
Long ago i thought scrubbing was cheating. My very first painting i was quite happy with, except that the ferry (my focal point) appeared to be smiling, in the darkness of the car bay. At the time, i knew nothing about intional lifting techniques. This is an excellent tutorial. Good to mention to avoid staining colors for lifting.
I've actually been liking q-tips to scrub; they absorb the paint well and tend to be very gentle on the paper 😃
Yes, I've used those but it just never stuck with me - I'll use a thirsty brush a lot though.
I'll give it a go! Thanks.
So creative and relaxing. I love your paintings. Thank you for sharing! 💜💙💜💙
@@teresajordao6634 my pleasure, it's always good to hear from you Teresa!
Best examples of using scrubbers/eradicators I have ever seen! Louise Di Masi uses Eradicator brushes a lot and recommends the soft ones from Rosemary and Co. The only place I found in the US to purchase them is Wind River Arts in Texas. (The customer service there is awesome!) I got some, and gifted some to my sister as well because I love them so much! I have tried using stiff ones, too, but like my soft ones better.
I also discovered that Arches does handle it better than any of the other brands of paper I tried it on. But as another commenter mentioned, the inconsistent sizing sometimes is an issue for me. Since I haven’t run into very many people that have had problems with it I wonder if they just had some bad batches of paper at some point and I got ahold of a bad lot.
Anyhoo, thanks for the vid!
This is a wonderful tutorial, Rachel.
Thank you!
I am a beginner in watercolor, though, I have been an artist literally since childhood.
I initially got a set of Royal and Langnickle brushes that has the large scrubber and I aslo bought a small and medium Rosemary and Co set of soft scrubbers. I didn't know what the white scrubber brush was for initially. Since then I have purchased Aqua Elite brushes and a Princeton Neptune. Also, I recently ordered a silver black velvet to see if I'll like it as good as the Aqua Elites. They're my favorite brushes.
I am continually buying new Art things. And I am so thankful for your tutorials, here. Because of your kindness in sharing your knowledge I have learned a lot about watercolor and scubbers. I also bought one of those goat hair Asian calligraphy brushes to do fur that you suggested. ( Though, I haven't used it yet.) I'm actually thinking of buying a set of chinese calligraphy brushes because they are all natural bristles. Calligraphy has always been my first love, but a hand injury over 20 years ago, put an end to the ornate style I liked. So after all these years, I decided to try my hand at watercolor.
I love your style and I love birds and animals. So that will be my focus.
You are truly an inspiration to me and though I haven't painted much yet, I continue to learn and be encouraged by your vidoes. And a few other ladies who do birds and animals too. I'm so grateful for your kindness and helpfulness to us here. 🌹
I'm so glad you're enjoying my tutorials and I bet you would enjoy Chinese calligraphy brushes - I enjoy the ones I have. Thank you for always being so supportive!
Very, very informative! Thank you. I am surprised that most watercolor instructors do not mention scrubbing! One instructor, who has several watercolor books out, not only explained what the "eradicator" brush" brush does and sells the brush on her website. I took paid lessons and was instructed to buy quality hot press paper, which I did. I struggled with the hot press paper constantly. The paint seemed to sit on top of the paper. I then started taking lessons from another botanical tutorial instructor from Patreon. She used cold press paper watercolor paper. So I bought quality cold press paper and found that their was a huge difference, which I liked. I mentioned to the instructor that I had been struggling with hot press paper and not so much with cold press. She stated that she preferred cold press paper and explained why. I then noticed other instructors using cold press paper. Unfortunately I have a lot of hot press paper in different sizes just sitting in my art room. Occasionally I go back and try once again but never satisfied.
Hot press takes some getting used to, and it's really fun to paint more all prima Charles Reid Style drippy loose paintings on it. But it's also really great for super sharp details. Cold press is great for easy blending and fixing with a scrubber, especially Arches Cold Press
Hot press is perfect if you want to add colored pencils on top of watercolor. Very smooth for portraits! 😊
@ladyhecate9450 I have always used cold press till recently i tried hot press. I am having SO much trouble with creating lost edges on this type of paper. I have to spend so much more time and effort with my edges and also blending is not as seamless. Light washes and transparent staining pigments are especially troublesome on this paper. Did you have the same problems and experiance?
@@blankmission5369 I find that when painting on hot press, anytime you want to have a good blend from light to dark or one color to the other or a lost edge, paint on wet paper. However I paint on wet paper more often than on dry paper no matter what I'm trying to achieve, unless I want super hard edges or pure white paper
I was so happy you shared this tip - the struggle is real 👩🎨👍💕🤷♀️so as a thank you I just ordered 2 lessons 🕺so excited to start the ‘foxy mama’ 😊
@@evapmama-blue77 oh thanks! I also sent you an email a little while ago to make sure you received everything ok 🥰
@@rachelparkervarner I did get the links and I’m already in the middle of watching the foxes- I feel so stupid that I threw out that old hake brush I had lol was one of my first brushes I had and I thought it was defective cause of the way it looked dry 🙃go figure - but I think I got another brush that might do the ‘scruffy’ job - love your tutorial- thanks
@@evapmama-blue77 I'm glad you're enjoying it! Yeah those crappy cheap brushes can make great texture!
That was an amazing demonstration. Thank you for showing such a powerful technique. Not only did it break up the line, but it was a very effective way to re-deposit pigment and create a beautiful shadow so softly.
As long as you have strong paper, that certainly puts more control back in our hands.
I have a scrubber, but it’s way too big for the size I work. This tip about making a scrubber out of an old soft brush is a great idea. I always save my old abused or poor quality brushes for making different random marks, but I haven’t thought about using them to remove marks. Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge and experience with those of us that are still learning.
This is my first time seeing your channel and I just had to subscribe because of this tip .❤
P.S. Your painting is gorgeous, you must’ve spent some real time around horses or you have an amazing eye when it comes to reference photos.
@@boopeep9670 I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I was and am obsessed with horses. I studied many books, had horses as a teen, and now I love to paint them!
Lots of great information here. I have several scrubbers, and now know more ins and outs of how to use them. Thank you!
If you paint with them they make nice soft marks too@@eileencollins3126 if
My go to paper is Fabriano Artistico 140# cp, never had problems with lifting or scrubbing or painting over scrubbed areas!
Thank you for showing how to use scrubbers.
My pleasure!@@crystalheart9 my
I do like hot press for fine details even though layers are more difficult.
Yes, it's really fun to paint with loose more a la prima approaches like how Charles Reid painted.
I have enjoyed using my set of Royal Langnickel Hard & Soft Scrubber Brushes that I bought a couple of years ago because of your earlier videos on using them. This video is filled with more great tips for using them for correcting mistakes & edges. Thanks 😊 so much for sharing this video! 💕
And thank you Colleen! I always enjoy hearing from you. @@colleenmcchesney1482 And
Amazing and helpful. Would you consider taking a ‘before’ screenshot to compare after scrubbing? I can see the changes happening, clearly, but I think a before/after shot would help solidify the understanding of this really valuable technique. I didn’t know it was possible!!! Thank you!
That's a good idea - next time I use my scrubber I will try to remember to do that!
I like to pick up a scrubber whenever I can.
I bought these a while back but didn't really know how to use them properly. Thanks!
Glad I could help! I can't live without them!
Scrubber scrubber and scrub again! So much learned today! Thank you, I’m off to try. Thank you again, Karen Dirmish, learner
@@karendirmish2696 so good to see you here Karen, let me know how it goes!
I’ve used scrubbers for a while now and have even discovered I could use a soft water color brush to scrub lines and break up unintentional blooms. However, you’ve opened my eyes to other great ways to use scrubbers! Thank you so much.
My pleasure!
Thanks, that’s a huge help!😀
I love your art. Amazing!❤
Thank you so much 😀
Thank you so much. I don’t have the best paper but inherited a couple of scrubber brushes. I had a rose painting that looked so flat. With a little scrub and repainting it looks so different. Wish I had a before.
Yes you can really change a painting a lot with scrubbing, especially on decent paper.
😮 i’d die without my scrubbers.
➡️➡️ listen to this pretty lady
edit: lol yes, im giving an artist highest marks because she uses one tool that i also use. nothing about me is too trivial for a yt comment
I can't live without my scrubbers either!!
Yes to every question!
If you watch just one of my tutorials closely from start to finish you will learn so much about how to get dreamy effects : ) But you have to watch the entire thing and pay attention. ANd maybe watch a few times and paint things more than once to get a feel for uncomfortable new techniques.
I look forward to finding out what paints you say are non staining. It would be nice to have a list. I guess it might say on the tubes?
It doesn't say on the tubes but you can test your paints by painting them on scraps of watercolor paper, let them dry, then use lifting techniques like scrubbing to see how much they lighten.
Some brands state it on the packaging. There are great websites about pigments, too, and you can find information about the qualities of individual pigments, too. I find phthalo pigments (very) staining, but my experience is still limited.
@@jvisser4848 I look at handprint.com a lot - even though it hasn't been updated in years it's quite extensive and covers all the pigments. Formulations may have changed since then, but the actual pigments used have not, so it is still extremely useful.
Sometimes i think what you scrub off your painting is more important than what you put on!
YES!
🌸🙏 Question- In one of your videos, you showed off a shirt with your butterfly printed on it. You mentioned a company that does print on demand. For the life of me I can’t find the video nor the name of the company.
Please help ❤🌸🙏me
Can anyone help me please?
I think I answered this but it's artscow.com - they have such a HUGE variety of clothes, bags, linens, etc
Does this work on staining colours?
It works but you can't get it as light if that's what you're going for, as you can with non staining paints
What about your paper getting pilled when scrubbing?
@@lahaza6515 on the hot press I don't scrub until the very end. With Arches, it doesn't pill with small to medium amounts of scrubbing
What about those plastic scrubbers. They look like a hard plastic(?)
They have synthetic bristles, if that's what you're asking.
Hi Rachel, thank you for all the wonderful tips! Animals and fur can be so tricky.
(Voilà is a French word of exclamation meaning "Here it is!" or "There it is!" V is evident, no W.)
Thank you and good to know! The French language is beautiful. The Olympic opening ceremonies were the best I've seen, thanks to the sensational Parisian backdrop!
I saw a huge difference in your swimming girl painting! An extra brush is not needed! You just re-wet the edges!
Yes a lot of brushes would work on hot press because you don't have to rub the edges much.
Definitely not a ‘pony.’ Looks like a Friesian which is a large horse . . .
BTW - I love your artwork and thanks for sharing all that you do.
Friesians are black though. Unfortunately the photographer does not share where this horse is from, but my guess would be maybe Iceland? www.boredpanda.com/photographs-horses-fairytale-petra-maria-leifsdottir-iceland/
I've painted many many Friesians - you can see at www.etsy.com/shop/rachelsstudio?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&search_query=friesian
I used to live in Myrtle Beach area where they had a 'knights and jousting' show that featured world class Friesians - I would go during the day and take pictures and talk to the grooms - they were bred and trained in Europe and were world class dressage horses, and were only a 15 minute drive from where I lived. It was such a treat to go visit them often.
Out of curiosity I looked it up and the show is still going - www.medievaltimes.com/experience/the-animals
Pony can be a technical term or it can be a generic term. Pony club horses are thoroughbreds or warmbloods and technically not ponies but they still call it the pony club.
WHY are you pushing the archers paper so hard? It is overpriced, and is not the quality that used to be with many many sizing issues.! for a paper that is far more predictable but equal quality to archer when it was good is Hanemuhle cold press 300 or 600 g!
@@Fluffylilly22 Hahnemuhle isn't bad but isn't as good for scrubbing. I wanted to love Hahnemuhle.
Omg! You're not supposed to scrub watercolor paper!!
They make scrubbers specifically for scrubbing watercolor
Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not.
@@vermis8344 watercolor paper is better quality, but it's still easy to ruin. No sarcasm here