Getting Started in Watercolor Portraiture
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- Опубліковано 18 сер 2014
- Join me as I work on illustrating a portrait of Obi-wan on Arches Watercolor Board. This was for a Star Wars challenge but I also talk about how to get started drawing and painting portraits.
My Pintrest board for drawing reference
/ drawing-reference
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Whos is this guy? He demystifies so much about watercolour technique (that's how we in the Antipodes spell it) that I'm at last feeling in some sort of control over my art output. Thank you so much, Steve, for your help and encouragement; from a long-time teacher, your presentation is superb. You have me hooked.
Great video! One very liberating thing a teacher said to me when I was working on a portrait was that even if it did not look just like the model, it was a good painting and that the model wouldn't be there when they put the painting up. This actually relaxed me to the point that my subsequent paintings started looking a lot more like the models!
One of my most favourite videos!!!!!
Love the portrait and who doesn't love star wars anyways.
Thank you for sharing your art and knowledge.
That was so awesome! please, please do more portraits, please Steve? Thank you!
Watercolor portraits
I really enjoyed this video. I am now learning to paint and draw potraits. Your words were very encouraging. Thanks for all u share!
I really like this format. You explain things really well too.
Thank you for sharing all the videos you share. I am a total beginner with no previous art skills but I am loving all of the challenges..you make me laugh and you're right, sometimes you look at a face You made and you're just like "Ugh". Lol
God bless
You are "The Master"!! I'm from Mexico and really like your videos. Great work! Great art! Great videos. I really admire you! Thanks for your work and art.
+Lissa McGregor - Yes many more basic tutorials coming! Glazing too, my favorite process. Thanks!
Nice! I'm surprised by detail @ 9:19 I didn't know you could achieve that with watercolors!
Peter Brown Thanks Peter! Yes, a very versatile medium.
Amazing portrait! I'm thinking of learning watercolor painting and am loving and learning so much from your channel. Thank you! 👏
It is so helpful to watch your technique as you paint. I love your passion for watercolor.
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What a awesome portrait, big star wars fan and I love love love water coloring :D
Love watching your magic - thank you very much :)
I love McGregor as Obi Wan too!
Wow! Fabulous portrait, Steve. Thanks for sharing. :)
Great portrait! Thanks for explaining the process... that is a lot of glazes!
Congrats also to Artedar! :)
I love the simple color combination! The result is truly awesome.
+Farty Pants Thanks!
Thanks for posting :D Your drawing and painting are inspirational.
Congratulations, Artedar! What fun to win!
Your enthusiasm and personality makes me check my feed every week!
+herlittleway Aww, very kind, thank you.
Oh yes if i was gonna try portraits i think Obi wan is the choice! I love that you have such good star wars shirts too its inspiring....maybe i should try to paint an x wing?
Its relaxing to do art like blending color or outlining ! Love your videos
👍
Kya Bat hain ! Marvelous !
Yes +Hazy A. a lot of glazes but it goes quick since they dry so fast. Thanks for watching!
That’s a great piece!
It's time to grab my pencils and watrecolours again! Thank you for this!
I'm a big fan. Enjoyed this video tremendously. Thank you sir. Cheers, Ralph
Beautiful work & so very fun to watch! Thank you!
+Julie Barneson Glad to hear it!
I'm so glad I found your channel, Steve! You're welcoming, talented, and great with explanations. Can't wait to see more videos!
Christopher Miller Thanks so much! Very encouraging words. Welcome to the channel.
I really love the portrait, what a great likeness! Will you be posting more basics tutorials? They're so helpful, its really difficult to find good quality watercolour tutorials that covers the basic stuff. I hope you are able to do some tutorials on glazing. Thanks and may the force be with you.
Always helpful !
next one I will join along with you. I am working on a Mara Jade piece.
Brilliant portrait!
crystalheart9 Thanks so much!
The first thing I thought on seeing the first frame was why you even bothered painting it lol. The drawing itself looks like a painting like wish I was this good.
This is amazing! Great Job! And Congrats to the winner!
OUTWOLVY Thanks!
Wow really cool!
wow... beautiful
Strong in the force he is great portrait.
total sick nuts portrait mate!
I love ur work❤
This is so gorgeous! :O
oh my! and here I was thinking Reece was the artist behind it all! magnificent! I would pay for a real lesson video in making portraits like this!
👍 Thank you !
im a watercolor beginner im looking forward to get better and your videos its motivation to me watching and learning the techniques of watercolor! by the way great work!
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Great! Masters work
This is beautiful. I really hope you do more portraits :)
+Kester Orbiso Yes, I most certainly will. Thanks!
Excellent advice. I have found, since trying to come to terms with "basic" water colour, that my drawing skills really do require a lot of work. The skills that I had way back in the 60's when i was a student, have vanished due to lack of constant use. It leads to feelings of frustration and not joy. I really must remedy this situation. Thanks L
Drawing is the key to everything. The skills do come back rather quickly though.
Your probably really busy, but I wish you'd make more videos. I love your channel. You have a fun personality and a lot of knowledge.
Thanks
SuperXrunner Yeah, I wish I made more videos too.. Hee. Thanks for the kind comment though! One day, hopefully this will be full time and more videos will be possible.
Inspiring video. Loved the format but would have loved to see those glazes build on the face, just so I could learn your building techniques. Even so, wonderful, thanks.
Great portrait! And congrats to Artedar!
1200blackdog Thank you!
I hope to do some painting myself someday. Thanks for the videos.
David Egesdal Hey guy! Glad you were able to watch. I hope you do try painting someday. You're definitely artistic. You'd probably do well. Hope you and your family are well.
I try to redo this style. Thanks so much for your great videos.
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fabulous! this is.
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Thanks Steve this is incredible :-)
v50howAsh Thanks!
I just discovered you! Great lessons and presentation. I am a beginner, have watched hundreds of videos and love yours. You have already addresses some of my problems such as fear of blank paper. Thanks so much and please keep the videos coming.
Judith Williams I will indeed, thanks for watching Judith!
my other teacher says to me after I spent $100 on 5 sheets of Arches 300lb 22 x 30 cold press. It just paper. /facepalm. 1 year later and now, finally, It's just paper. not $2 every time I screw up.
nice work!!! i have never used wate colour before but this has enticed me to try in the future. subbed!
LHudsonART Thanks and welcome!
what a nice video on portraits! kind of funny- I started out by drawing portraits ( And figuring my own proportions by eyeing with my brush/pencil) and then moved from there to still lives, and recently landscapes. and now after watching this I know why my landscapes stink! I've been trying to keep them tight or find a formula to fit them into, just like faces, when that's not what matters in landscape. thank you for your assistance.
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Beautiful work, Steve! Congrats ArteDar :-)
Dede Willingham Thanks Dede!
Absolute fantastic artwork dude 🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀 Really cool
Thanks!
So beautiful ! :))))
Great video! Very encouraging. BTW, that shirt is a power color for you. Does happy things for your complexion! You should do a selfie and paint your own portrait! Love all your vids, Friend!
Yeah actually something I've been meaning to do. Thanks!
Please do more portrait tutorials. I have a real problem doing nice smooth blending
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Hello Steve, this is great! I just started watching your channel and it's been fun. Hope you'd have an in depth video about glazing. I really have no idea what it's about and it's fun learning from you. Thanks! :)
+Tamie C Glazing is coming for sure. Its a technique I love and an important one. Stay tuned.
It would be helpful if you could list in your description or tell what colors you are using as you go along. Love your videos!
grate vidoe as alway thank you .an congrates Artedar
kathy reast Thanks Kathy!
My husband took notice of your Star Wars tee shirt in one of your videos.
Great
Thanks
Yehuda
Wow. been watching you for awhile. Didn't know you were a fan. I'm guessing, like me you were in High School when Episode VI came out. I've done a few fan art pieces from The Hobbit in acrylic. Thanks!
Actually I'm older than that. I was a sophomore in college when Ep. IV cam out (1977). Yikes!
Hi Steve. I'm a new subscriber and I've been binge watching your videos. I've done a few portraits several yearsago, but now I'm wanting to do a elderly person. My "blank-canvas fear" has kept me from it for too long because it's a painting of a couple of elderly people. They both have a lot of wrinkles (life lines) and I just can't seem to wrap my head around rendering them properly so that they look like wrinkles and not just dark lines. I've tried shading and high lights on the sides but they still just don't seem to be convincing. I would love for you to do a video on painting an elderly person, especially with LOTS of wrinkles. Thanks and please keep up the great work. I love watching you paint.
The most common mistake is that wrinkles are painted too dark. They're almost always lighter than you think. It takes very little to get across the idea of a wrinkle. Also, they have a hard edge side and a soft edge side because of the light. Wrinkles that just look like lines usually don't have a softened side.
great tutorial. .thanks.
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Thank yu.
Eve, Okanogan Valley BC
I am still having trouble mixing colors for portraits. I don't seem to understand what colors to use in the shadows. I understand you start using light washing and gradually darkening colors.
This is AWESOME, LOVE UR WORKS, ur making it looking very easy, I usually use pencils and graphite to draw portraits and I am thinking to try using watercolors watching ur videos, just a question about the white areas in the hair and beard, how u managed to keep it white even after brushing the whole portrait with a yellow color at the beginning of the video?!. thanks very much :)
+TheSpanishmatador900 Much of that is masking fluid. Its a latex rubber fluid you apply that rubs off after the painting is dry. Thanks!
More portraits please sir.
Really enjoy all your demos, very helpful. Can you let me know why after you put the yellow gold wash at the back and then added the blue into the wet yellow wash - why didn't it go greenish?
+Elaine Hyde It was actually a purplish gray which does not mix a green. 😊
+The Mind of Watercolor OK thanks, it looks quite cobalt on my screen. Thanks for very prompt response
Thanks
nice
This is amazing!! May I ask which wash brush you're using at the beginning? I've been hunting for a good quality wash brush for watercolour for such a long time.
Thank you!
It was a 2" Golden Taklon brush but I don't remember the brand. I have a Terry Madden and a Master's touch. Probably one of those.
Thank you very much!!
ha ha ha! your intro cracked me up
+David Bell :-)
👌👌👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿
Should I use hot press for portraits. Takes a long time to dry. I am a Arches fine 140# or 300# for pretty much everything
Hot or cold press both work fine for portraits. Hot press dries quicker than cold usually and keeps the color a little more vibrant.
I am brand new to watercolors ... I would appreciate an explanation of the technical terms such as washes, glazing, scrubbing, etc.
A wash is just a wet, area application of watercolor. Most watercolor is applied as a wash. As for the other terms do a search on my channel page and you'll find videos demonstrating scrubbing and glazing.
where can I get that paper? I cant seem to find it anywhere. great work BTW
Thanks for sharing your work. I've painted in most all media. Water color not as much. I need to buy the brushes and the paper for one thing. I am 72 years of age and have taken art classes. I should paint more. Why don't I? What is holding me back?
Nina Nina Three things hold me back when I am trying new materials. Cost of materials, weirdness of the new, and available time. ( 1. ) Start with just a few colors or a travel set to try out the medium instead of buying every accessory or the priciest professional paints/brushes. I have a White Nights and a Van Gogh set that are strong colors in midrange price. A Daniel Smith sample set is good too. Prima Confections Tropical set is super compact with brilliant colors. A thirsty pro brush might be hard to manage at first. Just get a round brush that shapes nicely to a point so you can do thick or thin without needing a tiny brush. Do not get too drippy, touch the side of the well to drop off excess, and avoid puddles on the paper. You just want a sheen at most. Or paint with a friend who will advise, share and recommend materials, andencourage to start out. ( 2. ) A student grade watercolor pad is inexpensive enough to experiment a lot without trying to make everything perfect. Also try quartering the pad into stacks of smaller cards for small, paintings. The more you paint, the more familiar it will feel. Some papers are sturdy enough to wash most of the non-staining paints off and reuse when dry, and you can paint on the back of heavier papers. Thin paper is weak and buckles and you should avoid the frustration of thinner than 140 lb papers. ( 3. ) A travel kit with small papers clipped to a heavy back card is very portable and convenient to paint in the odd moments without needing to haul out a lot of supplies. Cleanup is simple too.
My purse kit is in a zippered pencil bag with a travel paint tin, a few brushes (plus an Aquash water brush) , and a little pad of Strathmore paintable postcards. I painted dozens of small paintings on vacation and it was quick and easy. I got to stop and build up great memories of the things I saw by painting, even when a sketch did not come out as planned.
I hope this helps you. Have fun!
You're an incredible artist! Just one question: what kind of pencil did you use for the drawing part?
Again, you're terrific! I'll stay tune for new videos.
Hugs and kisses from a fellow watercolorist from Argentina :)
+Barbara D'Aversa Thank so much! I used just a standard HB drawing pencil.
MAGNÍFICO TRABAJO, ¿qué cámara usas para tus grabaciones?
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men, what camera do you use for your recordings?
I have 3. Pentax K-01 DSLR, Canon Vixia R500 camcorder and GoPro Hero 4 Silver
you helped me. I'm a graphic disenagor in Peru and would like to make videos of illustration art, and other techniques. But I still do not know certain things, and I would exantamente know the type of brush you use 6:17 minutes. And thanks for the tip of the camera.
Thanks for this Steven. I love your channel! I have a couple of questions for you: 1. what kind of brushes are you using for the initial washes (the flat and round big ones) 2. what kind of pencil did you use for your underdrawing? I noticed the lines stay put even after applying those big washes. Kudos and keep up the good work!
+xnografikz The brushes are a 1 1/2" flat wash brush. In this case its a Master's Touch synthetic squirrel. The round it a #6 Silver Brush black velvet. Its just a standard graphite pencil. Graphite won't usually lift or move around unless you get softer than HB.
Thanks man!
Can you recommend a source for the watercolor board? And what masking fluid do you use? Thanx.
+Dawn Schiller I get mine at a local art store but you can order it through various online dealers. Even Amazon carries it. Here is a link. Comes in hot press (smooth) amzn.to/1JJvPlk or cold press (textured) amzn.to/1TpRAvS
cool, what did u use to make the sketch? pencil? cause the water does not erase it (sorry about my english)
Yes, pencil.
thanks
what colors are you using for facial tones
I am unable to be able to look at, let's say Daniel Smith paint, and be able to tell whether it is warm or a cool color. What's the best way to learn this?
This may help ua-cam.com/video/Px9um1IBiCY/v-deo.html
Can I please ask a question. I bought a role of watercolour paper great quality. Cut out a huge sheet busy on massive commission. But I've noticed now that on larger areas the paint doesn't absorb into the paper. Kind of blotchy. I've been busy with this piece for about a year. The paper isn't so easy to work on any longer. Big lesson here. But no ways I can start again 🙈
I don't really understand what your question is.
I would love for u to do a drawing video then pant👍
What is the brush you used in this initial coloring?
A 2" flat I think. Masters Touch brand from Hobby Lobby.
what do you use to draw the pic?
but is the watercolor board something he bought or made himself? I searched on Amazon and can't find anything.
(I saw the video a few days ago and now I'm not finding the point where he talks about it)
I bought it, but Arches doesn't make it anymore. Crescent has a good cotton alternative though. amzn.to/3xM0yka
Thank you. And Thank you for all your videos.
did you use a pencil to draw the portrait ..what is the type of it?
+Badreya Alhassab yes standard HB
It's space jesus!
Hi, you mentioned a Facebook page at the start of this video. Was just wondering what it is called?
Facebook.com/smitchelldesign
what's that colour of wash you put down? (first wash)
+Anya Starr Actually I don't remember. Just a pale wash of quinacridone gold or brown iron oxide I think.