I love your humility, talking about what you would do differently on a second take, what you learned about this particular process, and what you learned about yourself as an artist. Your tutorials are so fresh and honest. I keep coming back to your classes over and over again. Thanks so much for taking the time to do these.
I think that painting is absolutely stunning. There is something ethereal about the way it appears to be lit that makes it appear strong and imposing. This video showed me that I need to stop rushing to get to the end but instead spend more time in preparation.
Happy little tutu trees! Each piece I do, whether it is a study, a sketch, or even a finished work, I learn something new from them each time; as it should be. It is actually *this* that is my favorite thing about Art/being an Artist. 🎨🖌️💜
Whenever I’m deciding on whose vid to watch, if yours is one of the choices there’s no choice! Thank you for all the pro info, it’s important stuff❤️🔥🥇🙏🏻
You can imagine how beginners must talk to themselves... all I see is love of creativity and beauty. I learned, wherever you are on your watercolor journey... you always are learning... as a new beginner(a few months old) I may stop painting for a week... Thanks for the music also - absolutely perfect... sounds like a tune from days of yore ... Welsh?, Irish?, please tell us! Thank you for sharing your gift with all of us around the world 😄🌴🌺 California gramma 🌺❄☃🎆🌘
I love that you see the good in everything. I believe so much that something good comes out of everything, after all as you said, it's how we learn. 😁 I loved this painting when the tree was white and you had pulled some colour over the branches, ever so subtle, it made the beautiful, dramatic background stand out. 🤩
I, too, get centered and cozy when I do a small "developing" painting. I don't consider them any less than a painting that encompasses the whole paper. There is a validity to them. There is something personal about them. The experience, for me, is akin to meditation. Thanks for sharing with so many. You, sir, have depth.
Thank you for this demo, I am still at the beginning learning to UNDERSTAND the mind of watercolour and all the different techniques involved. Like learning how to walk.
@Hero Kaur Hello, there! I am obviously not Steve, but I appreciated your inquiry & thought I'd share my thoughts. I've grown quite partial, surprisingly, to the DS Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Quinacridone Deep Gold, and the Piemontite Genuine, (the Piemontite truly being one of my absolute, all-time favorites I cannot go without!) I enjoy experimenting with mixtures of these pigments in varying degrees and will, at times, add a bit of MG's nickel quinacridone gold. Happy painting! *P.S. - I've a paint set in an Altoid tin as well. I cleaned out a pack of the chiclet-type, mint, "Dentyne" gum. It is the pack with the plastic inserts that contain the small, square indentations with foil over them. The packaging is surprisingly perfect for this, & I highly recommend it! My Mijello Mission White Class set, the gouache/watercolor hybrid, lives in it. 🎨🖌️😉
So informative! I very rarely use masking fluid as it ruins my brushes.....Didn’t even know there were applicators, this is a revelation! Thank you for sharing your reflections with such honesty.
Okay! This definitely goes down on my "Favorites" list. It also made me think I should list which of my colors are nonstaining so I can use them on the background and maybe soften and lift easier.
Thank you so much! I was struggling with masking fluid and this explained a lot!! Also, your study is gorgeous - it looks like the tree has the Northern Lights behind it - lovely!
Your Spirit and love of watercolor reminds me of bob ross with oil color you don’t teach just to teach you teach so people will love watercolor and I have grown to love watercolor more every day thanks to you xoxo
Soooooo. After using some older cheaper brushes for scrub a dub scrubbing , I recently purchased some very nice brushes used for the purpose of scrubbing. No, erasing. No, LIFTING!!! After all these years (2 to be exact) of making somewhat of a mess of my paper with pressure to the brush this video has set me on the path to lightness and patience while lifting out a mistake or lightening an area on my painting. What a difference! Thank you! Mary
I've learned that if your paper tears, you can use a cold damp spoon to "glue" the tore paper back down. It helps in small areas only of course....but it helps.
Well, that tree may be wearing a tutu, it remains a wonderfull painting. Even if you call it a study. I just discovered your youtube channel, and I'm already hooked ! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expérience !
Excellent video. I learned right along with you. BTW using heat to dry masking fluid basically fuses it into the paper making it very difficult to remove without tearing even the toughest paper. You can use a hairdryer on cold and more like a fan just circulating air over the paper, not blowing directly at it to dry the fluid faster. Air drying is still the best.
U've turned my masking nightmarish experience into a dream here, so filled with renewed hope & grt insights to make it a better learning experience the next round. Thanks much Steve! It's an eye & heart opener to make painting such a great learning adventure!
Too hard on yourself. This was a wonderful teaching and learning video. And watching your patience awes me! The music was wonderful as it coincides with me watching and listening and re reading Brother Cadfeal stories. Your spontaneous work is inspiring. I love to watch what you do and am often surprised with what happens. Your love of watercolour is infectious! You were my first UA-cam guru and I come back to hear your peaceful, funny and thoughtful teachings often. Be safe out there, and thank you for your gifts.
Love the thinner Pebeo brand. There was a time I didn’t have something to pour it in so I used the top of the lid. Put it back on the bottle and used it that way. Thank you for covering softening techniques. All too often I get to ruff with it or I get in a hurry. Thanks Steve
I found that adding a small amount of water to the mask that I have poured out into a cup will thin it down enough that I can make my lines finer and have better control with it.
I've learned a lot from this video .. I see it has already been a year but my thanks for such an informative lesson. Also, if you want a study near to the form your tree took, check mountain juniper and high altitude pines and especially the more primitive pines. they often have lower and upper die back and a more deciduous tree form. I hike near a lot of old warriors like this and think it looks splendidly natural.
Thank you Steve for talking about all the ins and out of masking. I'm one of the guilty who took the term "scrubber" literally. What a mess i made! Where there was a Hosta leaf now resides a deep gully in my painting! Lesson learned! The scrubber brush is now highly respected and used very gently & tenderly! 🤣
Hi Steve, I’m a new Minder and am blown away by your ideas and techniques. Been binge watching all your stuff until I’m blurry eyed and exhausted, but so happy. Thank you for sharing your talent and huge wealth of knowledge with us. You’re a national treasure. You crack me up.
Very informative. I've used masking fluid several times but never liked the hard lines - always felt a bit stark. Softening the edges was a great tip for me. The difference was noticeable. Beautiful background. As always, a great video.
Great tips on masking fluid and softening hard edges. The whole video was educational. Thank you,,, I always learn something from watching your videos, and I appreciate your service to the art community.
Thank you Steve for posting this. I don't have any skill yet, but now I understand better what masking fluid is used for and I see your technique for using it, and it will surely come in handy for me later on. The actual tree you are working on makes me remember a biologist who is based in Florida. That scientist stated there is an entire zone of unique life in the upper reaches of trees. I've seen photos of her scientific team high up in the treetops, using various methods to study organisms living in that zone. The green wash at the top of your tree made me hazily recall that and I started wondering what plant and animal life might be lurking within the top of your tree. Another thing that resonates with me is that you say hope should be driven by gaining more information to make that hope a reality...something like that. I agree that doing anything worthwhile always involves learning new things and exploring new frontiers. Thank you for posting this video. Thank you, most of all, for enabling that closed captioning, because that is what makes your thinking, your ideas, your goals accessible to me as a deaf person. It amazes me how creating a work of art makes such sense to me when the artist explains it -- and in your case you explain it very well indeed.
Robert Cochran. You stated you are deaf but your wording is beautiful. Your spirit hears everything and there's beauty in the way you expressed yourself. God bless and when you start painting, don't give up ever.
At 22:19 when all the softening was finished and a tree trunk has been painted I wished the masked off areas where less detailed, because it looked like shiny snow on the branches is reflecting all the colours of the background. Looked so cool! That is why experimenting is great, you newer know what will come up.
To keep your masking fluid like new for much longer drop glass marbles in the bottle to displace the air as the fluid level drops from use. Once you have too many marbles to add any more move the rest of the fluid to a new, smaller container or use it to top up a new bottle.
This was so very helpful. Thank you so much. Masking scares me and I’m not scared anymore. Am going to buy a “scrubber” brush and silicone masking applies that you used. Destroyed an old brush yesterday. And the tip not to shake masking was good as I have done that.
Magnificent! I use masking fluid a lot and you’ve shown me why I was using the silicone applicator wrongly. Thanks Steve, I love how your subject matter is so diverse, very inspiring. Oh, and give me tutu trees any day if they turn out as well as yours. :)
Heh, heh. I’ve been hitting the Zoom figure drawing with live models using watercolor a couple times a week. I have that talk with myself during. ‘It’s only practice. It’s all practice. You can’t learn without trying things.” Thanks for sharing your experiment.
Thank you for this, I see it is a year old, but on time for me and where I am in my art process. Thank you for always teaching us, and sharing your knowledge.
Thank you as always for such instructional videos (tutu tree looks great). For those of us "noobs" the idea of "studies" is so much more approachable that "a whole painting I can screw up". It makes painting so much more approachable while trying not to be perfect while learning! THANKS! Happy holidays from a binge watcher :)
Hi! This is so wonderful and relaxing to watch with important and valuable tips not only on watercolour but on life: paper is going to pill. You said is so calmly... usually it's mentioned as some kind of horror scenario, but you're right. It will occasionally happen on non cotton paper, but it shouldn't prevent anyone from painting. Thank you!
I was looking for liquid friskies alternatives. Then I remembered back to high school about 20 years ago. One girl was doing ocean waves and she used what every school has - Elmers Glue. I remember her being atop artist in the class so I suspect it was successful. People on youtube have also tried deodorant but it has nill to zero ability to paint in the spots reclaimed from the deodorant and you get grease marks. One second alternative I might suggest then because it can be brittle and pulled up easily is the tan colored wood glue with the orange tip.
Well done Steve! You have done another wonderful video about using maskit! I am also one who dislikes the smell! I have used a drafting rule tool for most of my application of masking fluids. I was recently given a Pebeo masking marker and I liked it very much! It even came with a replacement nib! I think it may last longer due to the marker aspect of the maskit! I hope you get a chance to try it out!
I love your humility, talking about what you would do differently on a second take, what you learned about this particular process, and what you learned about yourself as an artist. Your tutorials are so fresh and honest. I keep coming back to your classes over and over again. Thanks so much for taking the time to do these.
Your study would be my masterpiece. I like how the grass mimics the tree shape.
I think that painting is absolutely stunning. There is something ethereal about the way it appears to be lit that makes it appear strong and imposing. This video showed me that I need to stop rushing to get to the end but instead spend more time in preparation.
I like how you remind us to look at a study in order to remind yourself what to do and what not to do.
Even the finished masking is beautiful.
Happy little tutu trees! Each piece I do, whether it is a study, a sketch, or even a finished work, I learn something new from them each time; as it should be. It is actually *this* that is my favorite thing about Art/being an Artist. 🎨🖌️💜
Whenever I’m deciding on whose vid to watch, if yours is one of the choices there’s no choice! Thank you for all the pro info, it’s important stuff❤️🔥🥇🙏🏻
OMGosh.........I love your magic and mystical creations.......and the vignettes you do are to my delight.......Thank You!
Looks pine to me and I love it, it is rich with color and light and shadow, yep.
You can imagine how beginners must talk to themselves... all I see is love of creativity and beauty. I learned, wherever you are on your watercolor journey... you always are learning... as a new beginner(a few months old) I may stop painting for a week...
Thanks for the music also - absolutely perfect... sounds like a tune from days of yore ... Welsh?, Irish?, please tell us! Thank you for sharing your gift with all of us around the world 😄🌴🌺 California gramma 🌺❄☃🎆🌘
Gosh! I found your masked work lovely and worth framing, no need to add paint!
I learned a neat little trick for getting a fine line, which is to draw through a piece of waxed paper.
You're a class act guy!! A true creative artist and great sense of humor to go along with it!! I appreciate you !! From San Francisco!
I agree with your honesty about your painting but I still think it was a fab painting and very helpful to me. Inspirational
I love that you see the good in everything.
I believe so much that something good comes out of everything, after all as you said, it's how we learn. 😁
I loved this painting when the tree was white and you had pulled some colour over the branches, ever so subtle, it made the beautiful, dramatic background stand out. 🤩
I, too, get centered and cozy when I do a small "developing" painting. I don't consider them any less than a painting that encompasses the whole paper. There is a validity to them. There is something personal about them. The experience, for me, is akin to meditation. Thanks for sharing with so many. You, sir, have depth.
Hey, that tree is perfect, and absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you for this demo, I am still at the beginning learning to UNDERSTAND the mind of watercolour and all the different techniques involved. Like learning how to walk.
@Hero Kaur
Hello, there! I am obviously not Steve, but I appreciated your inquiry & thought I'd share my thoughts. I've grown quite partial, surprisingly, to the DS Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Quinacridone Deep Gold, and the Piemontite Genuine, (the Piemontite truly being one of my absolute, all-time favorites I cannot go without!) I enjoy experimenting with mixtures of these pigments in varying degrees and will, at times, add a bit of MG's nickel quinacridone gold. Happy painting!
*P.S. - I've a paint set in an Altoid tin as well. I cleaned out a pack of the chiclet-type, mint, "Dentyne" gum. It is the pack with the plastic inserts that contain the small, square indentations with foil over them. The packaging is surprisingly perfect for this, & I highly recommend it! My Mijello Mission White Class set, the gouache/watercolor hybrid, lives in it. 🎨🖌️😉
I got a great little mini ice cube tray made of silicone - it came from China - and I made about 5 little paint boxes using Altoid tins.
So informative! I very rarely use masking fluid as it ruins my brushes.....Didn’t even know there were applicators, this is a revelation! Thank you for sharing your reflections with such honesty.
Okay! This definitely goes down on my "Favorites" list. It also made me think I should list which of my colors are nonstaining so I can use them on the background and maybe soften and lift easier.
The only way you could be a better artist in my eyes would be if you were a lefty. Love what you did with this.
This was very eye-opening. Thank you for this instruction--masking fluid had always been a mystery to me in the past.
I love it, I’m going to make some for my Granddaughters.
Steve, to me this painting is BREATH TAKING! OMGoodness! I LOVE IT! It touches my emotions, seriously.
Thank you so much! I was struggling with masking fluid and this explained a lot!! Also, your study is gorgeous - it looks like the tree has the Northern Lights behind it - lovely!
I love this one! Love foreground runs
I really learned alot and enjoyed the music choice. Thanks 😊
Steve, you are my GOAT watercolorist and I can only hope, one day I’ll be half as good as you. God Bless.
Again, thank you for this. More ideas to work on. Cheers
Bob
Thanks a lot for filming all your process ! I wish I could give a 1000 thumbs up.
This is a great demo! I was not expecting the twist of bringing details back in to the masked area! I appreciate this tutorial.
I loved the music and the paint! Best wishes from Brazil! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Your Spirit and love of watercolor reminds me of bob ross with oil color you don’t teach just to teach you teach so people will love watercolor and I have grown to love watercolor more every day thanks to you xoxo
Thanks! This was a great! Keeping my bottle of masking fluid away from heat, really helps it last longer.
Everything you do is beautiful! Thanks for sharing and stay safe❤️
You are such an amazing teacher and artist. Easy to listen and follow, and great insights. Thanks Steve!
Soooooo. After using some older cheaper brushes for scrub a dub scrubbing , I recently purchased some very nice brushes used for the purpose of scrubbing. No, erasing. No, LIFTING!!! After all these years (2 to be exact) of making somewhat of a mess of my paper with pressure to the brush this video has set me on the path to lightness and patience while lifting out a mistake or lightening an area on my painting. What a difference! Thank you!
Mary
You are so talented and inspiring! Thank you for sharing your talent and knowledge.
I've learned that if your paper tears, you can use a cold damp spoon to "glue" the tore paper back down. It helps in small areas only of course....but it helps.
Well, that tree may be wearing a tutu, it remains a wonderfull painting. Even if you call it a study. I just discovered your youtube channel, and I'm already hooked ! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expérience !
Excellent video. I learned right along with you. BTW using heat to dry masking fluid basically fuses it into the paper making it very difficult to remove without tearing even the toughest paper. You can use a hairdryer on cold and more like a fan just circulating air over the paper, not blowing directly at it to dry the fluid faster. Air drying is still the best.
What a wonderful tutorial. Thanks for posting this one.
That was very informative and honest. Very interesting and enjoyable. I learned a lot. You communicate in A very helpful way. Thank you.
U've turned my masking nightmarish experience into a dream here, so filled with renewed hope & grt insights to make it a better learning experience the next round. Thanks much Steve! It's an eye & heart opener to make painting such a great learning adventure!
I love your work and humour, thank you for sharing your talent!
Great way of looking at things Steve! Thanks
Too hard on yourself. This was a wonderful teaching and learning video. And watching your patience awes me! The music was wonderful as it coincides with me watching and listening and re reading Brother Cadfeal stories. Your spontaneous work is inspiring. I love to watch what you do and am often surprised with what happens. Your love of watercolour is infectious! You were my first UA-cam guru and I come back to hear your peaceful, funny and thoughtful teachings often. Be safe out there, and thank you for your gifts.
Thanks so much Alison. Just so you know though, I'm not hard on myself, I instruct myself. There is a big difference.
@@mindofwatercolor that is good to hear. I like how you word that. You are truly a special person.
Yes, I will explore masking more, thanks to you for convincing me to do so.
Can't unsee that tutu! ;-) Loved this demo as usual.
That's a nice study, after watching your demonstration, I might try a few different studies of a same picture, some using masking fluid.
Love the thinner Pebeo brand. There was a time I didn’t have something to pour it in so I used the top of the lid. Put it back on the bottle and used it that way. Thank you for covering softening techniques. All too often I get to ruff with it or I get in a hurry. Thanks Steve
I found that adding a small amount of water to the mask that I have poured out into a cup will thin it down enough that I can make my lines finer and have better control with it.
I will definitely be trying your tip!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you
YAY! Thanks
I've learned a lot from this video .. I see it has already been a year but my thanks for such an informative lesson. Also, if you want a study near to the form your tree took, check mountain juniper and high altitude pines and especially the more primitive pines. they often have lower and upper die back and a more deciduous tree form. I hike near a lot of old warriors like this and think it looks splendidly natural.
Thank you Steve for talking about all the ins and out of masking. I'm one of the guilty who took the term "scrubber" literally. What a mess i made! Where there was a Hosta leaf now resides a deep gully in my painting! Lesson learned! The scrubber brush is now highly respected and used very gently & tenderly! 🤣
Great demo... I loved how the studies came out. Even though there were things you didn't like about it. ☺️
This painting is just stunning! Happy you studied it!
This was so helpful! Thank you for sharing useful information and the scripture at the end.
I also like using a glass dip pen with masking fluid, since it comes off the pen so easily.
Great lesson Steve, thanks!
Hi Steve, I’m a new Minder and am blown away by your ideas and techniques. Been binge watching all your stuff until I’m blurry eyed and exhausted, but so happy. Thank you for sharing your talent and huge wealth of knowledge with us. You’re a national treasure. You crack me up.
Very informative. I've used masking fluid several times but never liked the hard lines - always felt a bit stark. Softening the edges was a great tip for me. The difference was noticeable. Beautiful background. As always, a great video.
Thank you for this beautiful tuto and very useful tips ... as usual a pleasure to watch and listen to 🤗💕
After having a bad experience with masking fluid in the past, I’ve avoided it. This video makes me want to try again. 😊
Equally, I also love your music choice.
I’m a hot mess with masking fluid. Thanks for is one.
Great tips on masking fluid and softening hard edges. The whole video was educational. Thank you,,, I always learn something from watching your videos, and I appreciate your service to the art community.
Great tutorial! Lovely end painting too! ❤️
Thank you Steve for posting this. I don't have any skill yet, but now I understand better what masking fluid is used for and I see your technique for using it, and it will surely come in handy for me later on. The actual tree you are working on makes me remember a biologist who is based in Florida. That scientist stated there is an entire zone of unique life in the upper reaches of trees. I've seen photos of her scientific team high up in the treetops, using various methods to study organisms living in that zone. The green wash at the top of your tree made me hazily recall that and I started wondering what plant and animal life might be lurking within the top of your tree. Another thing that resonates with me is that you say hope should be driven by gaining more information to make that hope a reality...something like that. I agree that doing anything worthwhile always involves learning new things and exploring new frontiers. Thank you for posting this video. Thank you, most of all, for enabling that closed captioning, because that is what makes your thinking, your ideas, your goals accessible to me as a deaf person. It amazes me how creating a work of art makes such sense to me when the artist explains it -- and in your case you explain it very well indeed.
Robert Cochran. You stated you are deaf but your wording is beautiful. Your spirit hears everything and there's beauty in the way you expressed yourself. God bless and when you start painting, don't give up ever.
This was a master class...I learned so much...Thank you Steve :)
Thank you so much for sharing the masking fluid tips.
At 22:19 when all the softening was finished and a tree trunk has been painted I wished the masked off areas where less detailed, because it looked like shiny snow on the branches is reflecting all the colours of the background. Looked so cool! That is why experimenting is great, you newer know what will come up.
Exquisite painting process, beautiful works, I care about the pen you use!
Thanks, Steve. I learned a lot and really liked your pine tree and flowy colors!
The only channel I never skip adds on 👌
every time I watch any of ur videos, I learn something new. a great fan of urs.
To keep your masking fluid like new for much longer drop glass marbles in the bottle to displace the air as the fluid level drops from use. Once you have too many marbles to add any more move the rest of the fluid to a new, smaller container or use it to top up a new bottle.
Spot on, I am so motivated by your love of the mind of watercolor, high five
This was so very helpful. Thank you so much. Masking scares me and I’m not scared anymore. Am going to buy a “scrubber” brush and silicone masking applies that you used. Destroyed an old brush yesterday. And the tip not to shake masking was good as I have done that.
Magnificent! I use masking fluid a lot and you’ve shown me why I was using the silicone applicator wrongly. Thanks Steve, I love how your subject matter is so diverse, very inspiring. Oh, and give me tutu trees any day if they turn out as well as yours. :)
I love watching your videos, I learn a lot from you, thanks for sharing!!!👏👍
Heh, heh. I’ve been hitting the Zoom figure drawing with live models using watercolor a couple times a week. I have that talk with myself during. ‘It’s only practice. It’s all practice. You can’t learn without trying things.” Thanks for sharing your experiment.
Thank you for this, I see it is a year old, but on time for me and where I am in my art process. Thank you for always teaching us, and sharing your knowledge.
So special and beautiful!
Wonderful in many ways! Thank you for sharing this, Steve👍🏼
Thank you as always for such instructional videos (tutu tree looks great). For those of us "noobs" the idea of "studies" is so much more approachable that "a whole painting I can screw up". It makes painting so much more approachable while trying not to be perfect while learning! THANKS! Happy holidays from a binge watcher :)
You’re a really good teacher. It’s especially cool that you shared your process of looking over the study and seeing what could be learned from it.
I really like the main bare tree trunk and the bare branches, they look very real.
Que lindo!!! Beatifull watercolor 👏😍!! I am Brasil🇧🇷🇧🇷 ❤❤ love watercolor!🎨
A very instructive vid thanks so much! The final piece is beautiful - I love it!
Hi! This is so wonderful and relaxing to watch with important and valuable tips not only on watercolour but on life: paper is going to pill. You said is so calmly... usually it's mentioned as some kind of horror scenario, but you're right. It will occasionally happen on non cotton paper, but it shouldn't prevent anyone from painting. Thank you!
muchas gracias por la información excelente felicitaciones éxitos
Mesmerizing!!
Love this! I really learned a lot. Thank you.
I'm going tomorrow to purchase some mask to see how masking will hopefully help my car art.
Excellent tutorial, Steve. I had a few aha moments, thanks!
I was looking for liquid friskies alternatives. Then I remembered back to high school about 20 years ago. One girl was doing ocean waves and she used what every school has - Elmers Glue. I remember her being atop artist in the class so I suspect it was successful. People on youtube have also tried deodorant but it has nill to zero ability to paint in the spots reclaimed from the deodorant and you get grease marks. One second alternative I might suggest then because it can be brittle and pulled up easily is the tan colored wood glue with the orange tip.
Well done Steve! You have done another wonderful video about using maskit! I am also one who dislikes the smell! I have used a drafting rule tool for most of my application of masking fluids. I was recently given a Pebeo masking marker and I liked it very much! It even came with a replacement nib! I think it may last longer due to the marker aspect of the maskit! I hope you get a chance to try it out!
Lord of trees!! Beautiful demo!
Timely! I have a masked off painting taped to my board at the moment. Thanks!