I'm by no means a good painter, but here's a tip I discovered entirely by accident actually: Before you even put paint on paper, re-draw your sketch on a smaller piece of paper and paint _that_ first. Since you have a much smaller, less-detailed painting to work with you can figure out what colors you want, where they want to go, and make your mistakes without ruining the final painting itself. Once you have everything figure out with your thumbnail/test painting, you can move on more confidently with your final piece.
drawing/painting thumbnails is what its called! also, when youre painting or drawing something, always take a break and check back later and you might see a mistake you haven’t seen before!
I just realized something now watching your video. I've been browsing different types of art on the internet for years. It was always frustrating for me to spend so much time to make a lackluster piece for myself when I could just open a browser and find a thousand works on the same subject that were better than my own. But I would never feel satisfied just browsing art... I would always want to see more no matter how much I liked any individual piece. For example, I read through the entire series of a webcomic I found recently in just a day or two. Four years of regular updates and hundreds of panels for the artist, two days for me to read it all. It made me think: perhaps it is only the artist that gets to fully experience their work? From brainstorming the idea, making sketches, inking the outlines, finally adding color and shades, sharing it with the world, and being able to reminisce on a job well done each time they view the finished piece. I figured I just didn't have the patience to be an artist, but seeing this makes me want to try again.
I used to be like "i won't allow myself to do the fun part that I'm excited about until i do the boring parts" to get things done, but dang your suggestion is such a better planning strategy lol XD
Thank you so much for this! I am afraid of bigger watercolour pieces even though I’ve been getting better generally at the medium.. I even ended up colouring my kids book digitally for comfort and safety. But next time I’ll do them traditional! I just enjoy the whole process so much, just have to get over the fear :)
Good luck with your next book! Keep in mind, that a full watercolour kids books will be a much more time consuming and complicated task, make sure you're ready. I know your schedule has been busy, thats why I am saying it. I look forward to your book :).
Dina Norlund I hope your work goes well. I’m working on a bigger piece than usual as well, so hopefully, these tips will help us both. Congrats on your kids’ book~ Also, holy smokes! I know your stuff from Instagram! Thought your avatar looked familiar... 🤔
This video is so informative and there is just something about this paint that makes me happy. I also love the animation of “little Chris” at the beginning.
I'll never get over how great you are at glazing! You're palette seems very well curated, and lends a certain cohesiveness to your work. I'd love to know more about why you chose the colors you do :)
this was sooo helpful, thank you! i recently ruined a complex drawing because i was so impatient. it was my third attempt at redrawing it and i got frustrated and made too many mistakes. this tips are going to be so helpful the next time i do a more complex piece
The octopus is supercute! Scratch that, the whole painting is supercute! Very informative video :D I'm not doing big pieces like this currently, but I'll definitely keep these tips in mind!
finally someone who gives actual concrete tips, and not vague stuff like "don't worry about it" or "you just have to start". this really helped, thanks!
oh my i'm speechless , i still didn't get how to do that light affect but i guess i'll have to practice , this piece is Incredibly beautiful you're truly Amazing , you choose a perfect colors for this piece it's so big and charming AHHHH 😍😍 ❤️
I just found you and am absolutely enamored by your pieces. I just want to encourage you that with every video I watched I asked myself, "why do these pieces make you say, wow I love this?" It dawned on me that your pieces make me feel the same way I feel when looking at Norman Rockwell art. I was just watching the first date video and when you said you were inspired by Norman Rockwell, I felt as though I should share with you that your pieces are as endearing and personally touching as you seem to be striving to create. I also just want to encourage you that in the world of art, of any kind, commissions occasionally may come by but otherwise always feel as though you should stick to what you love --without explanation or apology to anyone. When we stick to what we love, our love for it will shine through. Keep working and striving and being hard on yourself, your talent is growing dramatically with each piece. I have a feeling you are going to do very, very well. Hoping to buy prints and originals in the near future to help keep you financed. Heavy expenses in the here and now make me have to wait. May your days and your art fill you joy. Care
I GO THROUGH THIS PROBLEM SO MUCH AMD HONESTLY U R THE ONLY ARTIST WHO HAS ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS! I don’t see many people talk about this problem and just talk about general stuff. Thanks a lot ❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤❤❤Your work is sooooo beautiful and just so warm and whimsical!! The colors you use and the soft but bold textures are amazing. If you’re not a Children’s book illustrator you should be. This piece I would have remembered as child for years to come. 😊 Your talent is off the charts. It just brings happiness.
I absolutely adore this painting! It was magical watching it come to life 💕 I love all of the quirky details - my favourite is the Angler Fish lantern!
Isn't it just great when it all just comes together! I learn so much from your every brush stroke, just fabulous. The lamp fish in the lamp is adorable.
There are surprisingly few helpful videos like this, discussing how to approach composition. This is definitely informative. And that's a great illustration, too!
Ohh it felt so nice listening to you in the background and then watching again the process. I like your chitchat. Thanks for sharing our knowledge and your tips!
Im so in love with your work... I have never used watercolors... only colored pencils. But I would love to try watercolors... I look forward to seeing more of your lovely work 💕🤗👍
I really appreciate your tips! I’m finding myself in the middle of a very large spread, and I have been getting overwhelmed and stuck. Now I feel like I’m on the right track and I know what to do next! Thankfully I wasn’t too far into it, just working on the main focuses in the foreground.
I'm rolling through your vids and I have to say, you are such an underrated youtuber!! The concepts you share are so helpful to the intermediate artist who is struggling moving forward from that middle-stage. Thank you.
I love your style! I enjoyed the video and it inspired me to paint as well. I feel reassured somehow.. when I paint in many layers I feel like I'm doing it wrong and this painting helped me remember/realise that there's no wrong way to paint, really. Thank you. :)
great tips! im always nervous about doing the face or whatever first because a lot of the times im not in "the flow" yet at that point and am more likely to mess it up. but i definitely have saved it for last and then messed it up too soooooo
I used to be like that too XD I mean I don't go STRAIGHT into the the face haha I'll kind of.. set the tone a little bit, take out some of the white of the page, and then go into the face XD
I'd recommend stretching your papers first to avoid crumpling, by wetting either side using water then taping it down on to a board to let it dry. Since it's been wet and stretched it won't crumple when you apply water to it!
My biggest challenge now is shadow color. Marco Bucci recently released a video on how to go about it, but since my recent drawing studies has been mecha stuff and it having so many details... dark blue dark brown everything~ When I see works that use saturated color for shadows and it still works, it kills me inside T_T Maybe once I've practice enough all these(color theory, environment lighting) and it becomes 2nd nature then I wont have to think about it =(
it will totally become second nature to some extent! I def used to think a lot more about the colours I'm putting down before, but with practice it does come more "naturally", though I still make a ton of mud sometimes! I love Marco Bucci btw! A fellow Canadian :D
I’d like to get over the ”just slap neutral black over it” -style of going about painting shadows :’D Hope i get somewhere with the DS shadow violet x)
What a great video - so glad I found it! Im about to take on a daunting piece (for me at least) and this really helped me calm down and prioritize. Plus, your painting is adorable! 💜
Your art is amazing! love your style and all of your videos! Keep posting more often since they inspire a lot of people and bring joy across the planet! Kind regards from Colombia, South America.
OMG!!!! that is an amazing piece of watercolour 💙💚💜💛 I love your style I could watch you paint for ages. Thanks for the great tips I'm definitely going to keep them in mind
This is absolutely lovely, and full of tips for me to use on a watercolor piece I'm going to be illustrator later today. Lovely process, and beautiful piece! Love how it all came together! Great job, and thanks for the tips!
Your videos are Amazing and I love this one specially. I just wanted to tell you that in Schoolism there´s a Lighting Course by Sam Nielson that is amazing and teaches a lot about light and how it works. I personally think it´s an essential thing to know if you want to manipulate this kind of information in your painting and I've learned a lot from that. Keep amazing!
![Watercolour Illustration PROCESS! [Bayou Bliss pt.2]🐊✨](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HrKBoxveK6k/mqdefault.jpg)
![Watercolour Illustration PROCESS! [Bayou Bliss pt.2]🐊✨](/img/tr.png)
I'm by no means a good painter, but here's a tip I discovered entirely by accident actually: Before you even put paint on paper, re-draw your sketch on a smaller piece of paper and paint _that_ first. Since you have a much smaller, less-detailed painting to work with you can figure out what colors you want, where they want to go, and make your mistakes without ruining the final painting itself. Once you have everything figure out with your thumbnail/test painting, you can move on more confidently with your final piece.
Oh wow! I never thought of doing that! 🤯 Thanks, dude!
Ain’t that called color thumbnails
I do this digitally x)
drawing/painting thumbnails is what its called! also, when youre painting or drawing something, always take a break and check back later and you might see a mistake you haven’t seen before!
I’ll try this on my art tomorrow. Thanks!
I never got overwhelmed I just get lazy and start denying the existence of the piece 😂
That's one way to cope XD
WAHAHAH SO ME
Meeeee too
Lol
Isn't that the actual definition of overwhelmed? XD
I just realized something now watching your video. I've been browsing different types of art on the internet for years. It was always frustrating for me to spend so much time to make a lackluster piece for myself when I could just open a browser and find a thousand works on the same subject that were better than my own. But I would never feel satisfied just browsing art... I would always want to see more no matter how much I liked any individual piece. For example, I read through the entire series of a webcomic I found recently in just a day or two. Four years of regular updates and hundreds of panels for the artist, two days for me to read it all. It made me think: perhaps it is only the artist that gets to fully experience their work? From brainstorming the idea, making sketches, inking the outlines, finally adding color and shades, sharing it with the world, and being able to reminisce on a job well done each time they view the finished piece.
I figured I just didn't have the patience to be an artist, but seeing this makes me want to try again.
I used to be like "i won't allow myself to do the fun part that I'm excited about until i do the boring parts" to get things done, but dang your suggestion is such a better planning strategy lol XD
Thank you so much for this! I am afraid of bigger watercolour pieces even though I’ve been getting better generally at the medium.. I even ended up colouring my kids book digitally for comfort and safety. But next time I’ll do them traditional! I just enjoy the whole process so much, just have to get over the fear :)
Good luck with your next book! Keep in mind, that a full watercolour kids books will be a much more time consuming and complicated task, make sure you're ready. I know your schedule has been busy, thats why I am saying it. I look forward to your book :).
Dina Norlund I hope your work goes well. I’m working on a bigger piece than usual as well, so hopefully, these tips will help us both. Congrats on your kids’ book~
Also, holy smokes! I know your stuff from Instagram! Thought your avatar looked familiar... 🤔
Dina Norlund any tips or suggestions for me on how to start using watercolors would truly be appropriate?😊💕
The layering is outstanding!!!!!!🌺🌸💐🐝
This video is so informative and there is just something about this paint that makes me happy. I also love the animation of “little Chris” at the beginning.
hehe "little Chris" 😚 I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I'll never get over how great you are at glazing! You're palette seems very well curated, and lends a certain cohesiveness to your work. I'd love to know more about why you chose the colors you do :)
haha "glazing" is a good way of describing my style XD funny thing is though that I rarely glaze in oils o_O
Ah! I too would love to see some of the thought work behind your colour combinations!
I have no sense of colour whatsoever, i admire people that do!
this was sooo helpful, thank you! i recently ruined a complex drawing because i was so impatient. it was my third attempt at redrawing it and i got frustrated and made too many mistakes. this tips are going to be so helpful the next time i do a more complex piece
"Patience" is something I should've brought up as well! XD wish you the best on your next big piece! 💪😤
The octopus is supercute! Scratch that, the whole painting is supercute! Very informative video :D I'm not doing big pieces like this currently, but I'll definitely keep these tips in mind!
looks so good, love the moustached octopus waiter. What a great character.
finally someone who gives actual concrete tips, and not vague stuff like "don't worry about it" or "you just have to start". this really helped, thanks!
That new narration with animation is really cute ❤️
A childrens book in your artstyle is what I would have loved as a child ❤
oh my i'm speechless , i still didn't get how to do that light affect but i guess i'll have to practice , this piece is Incredibly beautiful you're truly Amazing , you choose a perfect colors for this piece it's so big and charming AHHHH 😍😍 ❤️
I just found you and am absolutely enamored by your pieces. I just want to encourage you that with every video I watched I asked myself, "why do these pieces make you say, wow I love this?" It dawned on me that your pieces make me feel the same way I feel when looking at Norman Rockwell art. I was just watching the first date video and when you said you were inspired by Norman Rockwell, I felt as though I should share with you that your pieces are as endearing and personally touching as you seem to be striving to create.
I also just want to encourage you that in the world of art, of any kind, commissions occasionally may come by but otherwise always feel as though you should stick to what you love --without explanation or apology to anyone. When we stick to what we love, our love for it will shine through. Keep working and striving and being hard on yourself, your talent is growing dramatically with each piece. I have a feeling you are going to do very, very well.
Hoping to buy prints and originals in the near future to help keep you financed. Heavy expenses in the here and now make me have to wait. May your days and your art fill you joy.
Care
I GO THROUGH THIS PROBLEM SO MUCH AMD HONESTLY U R THE ONLY ARTIST WHO HAS ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS! I don’t see many people talk about this problem and just talk about general stuff. Thanks a lot ❤️❤️❤️❤️
That was super helpful. Seeing how to started with light washes and building up to darker coor was great info
Hmmm....this makes me want to paint something in the morning...thank you!
Beautiful painting. Reminds me of the early fantasy artists like Rackham and Dulac.
❤❤❤Your work is sooooo beautiful and just so warm and whimsical!! The colors you use and the soft but bold textures are amazing. If you’re not a Children’s book illustrator you should be. This piece I would have remembered as child for years to come. 😊 Your talent is off the charts. It just brings happiness.
I like how the octopus has a mustache & a top hat. It’s so cute.
Omg...YT just showed me this video of yours...you are my new watercolour hero 😂 super lovely work, love your style. just subbed. Xo
aww thanks for stopping by Margarette! 💕😚
I absolutely adore this painting! It was magical watching it come to life 💕 I love all of the quirky details - my favourite is the Angler Fish lantern!
aw hehe thank you so much! 💕☺️
its such a delight to see you add layers of colors to this painting.
Isn't it just great when it all just comes together! I learn so much from your every brush stroke, just fabulous. The lamp fish in the lamp is adorable.
That is a magnificent mustache! It really looks like an underwater scene.
Woah! The colors changed so dramatically once the painting dried
There are surprisingly few helpful videos like this, discussing how to approach composition. This is definitely informative. And that's a great illustration, too!
Ohh it felt so nice listening to you in the background and then watching again the process. I like your chitchat. Thanks for sharing our knowledge and your tips!
So much useful advice. I also just love watching people watercolour.
How wonderful is this painting!!!! Thank you for your helpful tips.
I love this painting. It has a great mood.
I love how fairytale-like your paintings are ❤️❤️ and how detailed it is..
You have a gift of making your spectacular imagination come to life on paper. I thoroughly enjoyed this video and stored away some info for myself.
I have so much commitment anxiety when it comes to more involved pieces, but these tips really help. Thanks a lot!!
Love the characters!
LOL, this was a very cute and funny piece with the 'child like' drawings of you explaining your thought process.
I so love your painting style!! It's fantastic to watch how you create your magic 😊
Thank you for this - I found it very helpful - especially regarding focal points and values.
Love your art style.
I love all of your under water scapes, this is no exceptions!!! ❤️❤️❤️
The little cartoon Chris at the beginning was soooo cute.
hehe 😚
Im so in love with your work... I have never used watercolors... only colored pencils. But I would love to try watercolors... I look forward to seeing more of your lovely work 💕🤗👍
Really lovley piece. Great to watch the magic come up out of the page as you worked. And very informative.
I really appreciate your tips! I’m finding myself in the middle of a very large spread, and I have been getting overwhelmed and stuck. Now I feel like I’m on the right track and I know what to do next! Thankfully I wasn’t too far into it, just working on the main focuses in the foreground.
Hey, i just wanted to say, your work is amazing. Watching you paint and seeing your pieces brightened up my day
This painting is so beautiful. 😍
This pieces is beyond beautiful! It’s simply breathtaking!
That painting is GORGEOUS!!
Oh, that filtered-light effect is nice, very nice. God, I love it so much. Lol it's amazing.
I'm rolling through your vids and I have to say, you are such an underrated youtuber!! The concepts you share are so helpful to the intermediate artist who is struggling moving forward from that middle-stage. Thank you.
I love your style! I enjoyed the video and it inspired me to paint as well. I feel reassured somehow.. when I paint in many layers I feel like I'm doing it wrong and this painting helped me remember/realise that there's no wrong way to paint, really. Thank you. :)
this is actually the first talk-through video giving art tips that i've found indeed helpful, wow. definitely learned a lot from you!! thx subscribed
I'm so glad to hear that! thanks so much for stopping by 💕☺️
Just one word.... WOW!
SO CUTE!!!
This is very helpful! Oh my gosh.
Thank u. I think I'll be keeping this.
great tips! im always nervous about doing the face or whatever first because a lot of the times im not in "the flow" yet at that point and am more likely to mess it up. but i definitely have saved it for last and then messed it up too soooooo
I used to be like that too XD I mean I don't go STRAIGHT into the the face haha I'll kind of.. set the tone a little bit, take out some of the white of the page, and then go into the face XD
This is one of the most educational and helpful videos about drawing I've watched in a while, so thank you 😄
Love your music selections, Chris. Great vid 👍
Wow, this video is so helpful and so logical, i will definitely watch this before starting comlex piece next time!!
❤️it and the light 💕💞💓
I'd recommend stretching your papers first to avoid crumpling, by wetting either side using water then taping it down on to a board to let it dry. Since it's been wet and stretched it won't crumple when you apply water to it!
Thank you for this video!! I’m doing a mural for the first time next week, and this really helped me break down a new, overwhelming process!
a mural! that's a huge project, best of luck with that! 💕
this is ADORABLE!!! thank you so much for sharing. Super cute piece. Love it!
This was a delightful watch. I am glad I found your channel :)
I love it!!! The underwater squarish shadows are such a cute & cool detail💛
Great! Thanks! Lovely painting 👌🏽
Gosh!such a beAutiful illustration!I wish you made a colouring book with your gorgeous picures too🤗🤗🤗
My biggest challenge now is shadow color. Marco Bucci recently released a video on how to go about it, but since my recent drawing studies has been mecha stuff and it having so many details... dark blue dark brown everything~
When I see works that use saturated color for shadows and it still works, it kills me inside T_T
Maybe once I've practice enough all these(color theory, environment lighting) and it becomes 2nd nature then I wont have to think about it =(
it will totally become second nature to some extent! I def used to think a lot more about the colours I'm putting down before, but with practice it does come more "naturally", though I still make a ton of mud sometimes! I love Marco Bucci btw! A fellow Canadian :D
I’d like to get over the ”just slap neutral black over it” -style of going about painting shadows :’D
Hope i get somewhere with the DS shadow violet x)
What a great video - so glad I found it! Im about to take on a daunting piece (for me at least) and this really helped me calm down and prioritize. Plus, your painting is adorable! 💜
I would love yo see how you mix colors!
one day I'll be able to film my palette as well! >< but it's really nothing special haha
This is beautiful! Thanks for showing the process 🤗
Your art is amazing! love your style and all of your videos! Keep posting more often since they inspire a lot of people and bring joy across the planet! Kind regards from Colombia, South America.
Absolutely amazing
love the little 'animated' girl you added to this. Love your work. So happy you're posting your process
glad you enjoyed the intro hehe 😘
That's a great talk and a great painting. Thank you for sharing!
This painting is so awesome !! I love it and the tipps really helped and motivated me
OMG!!!! that is an amazing piece of watercolour 💙💚💜💛 I love your style I could watch you paint for ages. Thanks for the great tips I'm definitely going to keep them in mind
This is amazing! I feel inspired to go do some watercolor
I just Love this style of painting! Thanks so much. Fun to watch and educational, too. :)
This painting is incredible!! ！😱
Amazing work. Cheers from Brazil!
Love your creativity, very inspiring ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Wow this so beautiful remind me of my childhood old book story about lost mermaid in the sea. I love your videos so cute it’s my favourite.
I love your style! Can't wait to see the others
Okay, but the music really fits your style it’s so darn cute 🙈💞🌸✨ love everything about the video 💜
This is absolutely lovely, and full of tips for me to use on a watercolor piece I'm going to be illustrator later today. Lovely process, and beautiful piece! Love how it all came together! Great job, and thanks for the tips!
Your such an amazing artist your art never ceases to inspire and amaze me!💖
Thanks for the great tips! I really like how you explain the process step by step and in great detail. :)
Omg you're doing this with hot pressed paper !? Incredible !
I love it! Love the dress details and so much about this piece. Great advice. Thank you!
Normally i hate octopus but this one is cute :)
such as beautiful painting❤❤❤
You have great advice and I love your art ;)
You sound a little like a calm Gaelrice~!! 🙀 sooo cool!! ❄️
This is so Beautiful! Your style is gorgeous, I don't even have the words 😍
wow your art is brilliant !!!
Oh Lord I have this exaaaaact problem. I love this video! I always want to work in layers like this but I need to get more transparent colors!!
Your videos are Amazing and I love this one specially. I just wanted to tell you that in Schoolism there´s a Lighting Course by Sam Nielson that is amazing and teaches a lot about light and how it works. I personally think it´s an essential thing to know if you want to manipulate this kind of information in your painting and I've learned a lot from that. Keep amazing!