Easily Paint an Architectural Detail with Watercolor & Colored Pencil

[@wistad]

THANK YOU for giving permission for guilt-free tracing!

[@puffyjo]

OLD school artists thought the same way that you should never trace. My Father went to school to become an artist , and He always said never ever trace its cheating , or you are not a real artist if you trace . So.... I who liked to draw . I would trace the outline of the subject in which I wanted to draw through the light of the window when he was at work LOL then fill in the rest in my own . and I felt guilty about doing it . Years and years later my youngest son wanted to take an extra course at school for art and they TAUGHT him to trace LOL so I found out that when you Trace it builds your muscle memory that eventually you dont need to trace anymore and that's exactly what happened to me .

[@mindofwatercolor]

Well, artists like Norman Rockwell did it all the time but he could also draw like a boss if he wanted. Camera Lucida's were used as far back as the Renaissance. No pro I've ever met said that tracing is cheating. If you're in a drawing class for school perhaps. But you're so right. Tracing is an excellent training tool.

[@puffyjo]

@@mindofwatercolor my dad was born in 1921 so when I said old school I meant OLD school LOL too funny I know . I came into his life late in life as I was adopted .

[@TrueLoveX1027]

As a mixed media artist, it was a real treat to see an artist who is so well known on YT as a watercolor artist, use other mediums to enhance a painting. Thanks as always for sharing your immense abilities. Blessings to you and your family. ❤

[@awatercolourist]

5:20 Thanks for the tips on using hot-press paper 🙂.

[@rebekahcrossman4690]

Charming. I’ll make sure to check back after my first 50 practice paintings!

[@GabrielleCarbonneau]

Steve, brother, I appreciate you so much! I hope you never leave KZbin. You are a breath of fresh air! God bless. ❤️

[@mindofwatercolor]

I appreciate that

[@rleeelliott4597]

One of the greatest American artist ever was an avid tracer, Norman Rockwell. Great job Steve, as always.

[@rebekahcrossman4690]

And thank you for explaining those characteristics of hot pressed. I used 300lb hot pressed last night and it still dried so fast and the paint didn’t move like I expected it to. I was painting monochromatic because I felt it would be good to learn that way. Anyway, thanks for your video👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@artonthecreek]

Thanks for sharing this, Steve😊 I have a sketchbook dedicated to architectural styles. I focus on small areas like this beautiful Builtmore railing, a gargoyle, a chimney…whatever catches my eye. I paint small vignettes in this same style…leaving pencil lines exposed & finishing with an “unfinished” look. I have found that these small vignettes make for honing observation skills. Beautiful work, as always, Steve. Thank you!🙏🏻

[@CarlosCrisóstomo-j7y]

Great ,,.... Super ! Congratulations from Portugal Carlos

[@deborahbloom4624]

I recognize that railing, Steve! I live in Asheville and have had the pleasure of visiting the Biltmore Estate many times. Thank you for showcasing the Gansai Tambi graphite paints. I've got them and they are LOVELY as is your rendering of the railing. 😊

[@mindofwatercolor]

Very cool!

[@angelawalker9793]

I always go to the end of your video first 😊 and then go back and watch from the beginning, taking in every detail. Thank you!

[@OkieSketcher1949]

In 8th grade art class we were told “never trace!!” It will adversely affect your drawing skills. Years later I have found there are times tracing is the only way to go. I still do plein air strictly by sight, but I also take pictures of the subject for later use. More than once I have felt the need to go back to a plein air sketch and shape it up a bit by tracing. My hands are not as steady as they once were and that affects your plein air work. Once I get home I have a window to support my hands. Sure makes a difference. As for the graphite, I have yet to try it but it sure is enticing especially when doing buildings such as old barns, fence posts, etc. Once again, great video and a great lesson on how to use a different medium. Thanks for this one.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Every aspiring artist should learn to draw well if possible. Having been a pro illustrator for 35 years, you can't be successful without it, but it's a bit comical to hear the "tracing is cheating" trend repeated. I never heard of it until KZbin where I think it started as a bit of a flex by amateurs who think they draw very well. Tracing is an important tool and any pro who draws has no need to try and prove something to those people.

[@zenlife1200]

I've noticed on Etsy that there's a few sellers making plastic palettes to hold the Kuretake pans and they have the usual built in mixing areas in the lid, that you expect on a palette box. It makes them a bit more travel/plein air friendly than the cardboard packaging. The palette sizes seem to be 6, 12, 18 and 24 pans.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Interesting!

[@silkspinner7010]

@@mindofwatercoloror you can stick them in an empty pencil tin with either magnets or blue tack

[@TammyLML]

I would love to share your statement about tracing on all the socials, and maybe shout it from the rooftops as well - thank you, thank you, thank you for saying it, Steve! The looks I get from some people when I say I traced something, you'd think I'd just confessed to stealing from an elderly nun or something. 😩 (And then I feel like I've done something wrong, when I know in my heart I have NOT.) You got a great big AMEN from me - out loud - when you said that!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Please do. Tracing is cheating, is a myth mostly proliferated on KZbin and it’s so misleading and false.

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

I’m thrilled to see this multi media painting, how you use tracing as a tool in addition to the free hand drawing. I have been wanting to try the graphite watercolor & graphite pencils both, so this is a wonderful helpful video of how to go about it. I also appreciate your sharing of pros & cons with Arches hot press paper. I have use hot press paper & sketchbooks a few times but I am still learning with that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts & knowledge with us. It is very beneficial for me. 💕

[@DotyML]

I have used the same graphite set and this was a great photo to us. I have also using them on weathered wood especially old farm buildings. There is so much subtle grey in these buildings.

[@lynnslawson7576]

I love how your paintings can start with such a loose wash of color and then stroke by stroke, they turn into a beautiful detailed image. It's fascinating to watch the process. And I feel no guilt about tracing an image. I consider any way you can get an image on the paper or canvas fair game.

[@paintlady2268]

Love this, Steve. 😍 ❤ 👏 And thank you for giving us all kinds of permissions. I think the imaginary Art Police rules/restrictions can get stuck in our minds and could use an extra boot to the behind to help them out the door.

[@MrsBarnabas]

Hi, paintlady! Back in the early days of internet forums, my nme was Painting Lady - I didn't notice your till I checked to type in "Hi...".! Anyway, what I came to say was that you have given me a great idea for a sketch for my current art challenge. Thank you!!! (Not exactly what you wrote, but the version which came into my head as I read it.) 😊

[@ChantelleArts]

such an amazing video, you are an incredible inspiration ☺☺☺

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thank you so much!!

[@puffyjo]

this is the one thing I never thought I could never do was to watercolor . I always told my Dad that I cant paint . But today all thanks to you I can paint its not Picassos but I am happy with the results . I need to practice more is all. I love painting architecture and landscapes the best now.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Yay!

[@delyta.]

Oooh I love this! I married an architect and he's getting a new office soon so doing an enlarged architectural detail like that is a perfect idea as I want to provide some art for his office. I really like those paints and never heard of them but I like using liquid charcoal, too, so I'm not sure yet. Thanks for this wonderful tutorial.

[@silvertales]

As an illustrator, I paint on hot press all the time. I have to say, if you want sharp detail and the ability to lift out well, hot press is the way to go. That said, Arches changes their sizing recipe when they changed the block color indicator. The older orange block hot press handles MUCH better than the pink block. It’s one of the reasons I’m moving away from Arches as I paint through all the blocks I bought during pandemic.

[@lacamasprairie]

Thank you for the video! You might consider trying mixing regular watercolor paints with Kuretake fluid graphite. You can vary the amount of graphite from a lot to a little, and it gives a very interesting gradational affect :-)

[@pjlewisful]

I find your videos informative as well as relaxing.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Awesome, thank you!

[@lorraineclark7455]

Through your channel I have been introduced to wetable graphite material. I like to use some of the brands & enjoy tonal renderings.

[@mchris1020]

Very nice.

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Steve, thanks for sharing this amazing architectural detail painting with us! I read a lot of comments about the tracing and I believe the only place it is truly unwelcome is in a freehand drawing class! I have spent to much time trying to get details correct and tracing is the tool most use to avoid wasting time to get the project finished by a deadline! Thank you for sharing this lovely painting with us! I did buy a 3D printed palette made just for the Gansai pans and having the lid mixing area is truly wonderful. No extra plates or other items to be carried about! I may even buy more as they did not offer a 48 kit!

[@roxannerosecrans4441]

Awesome dude 😎👍

[@TheLiznz]

I love that Steve, will definitely be trying it

[@connied8507]

I have difficulty with line and wash on cold press so I ordered hot press. Thank you for the hard edges warning. I'm looking forward to some practice 😅❤

[@mindofwatercolor]

Hope you like it! You'll just find that you have to pre wet areas more often to avoid hard edges.

[@Bre_Creatively]

Really interesting! Side note: your dissolves and transitions are INSANE! Great edits and cuts!! 💯

[@francescacatlow]

Love this! I have an almost identical photo that I can use to try this. I never use hot press paper but I might try it for this. Thank you.😊

[@cindybohl9593]

Thanks Steve! This was very informative! I live in Illinois but have visited Biltmore three times. I just love it and if I lived closer I would visit it all the time. What a treasure it is! This tutorial was great! You are a master! Now I will need to go buy that Gansai Tambi graphic set! LOL!

[@TJPruitt]

Loved this, thank you!

[@pamfox2192]

Thank you. Great information

[@saraalbirawi]

Nice! thank you for sharing!

[@anitadavidson1266]

A very enjoyable video. There is something about architectural paintings that seem to draw me to them. This is one such painting. Many thanks for your time and expertise. One of your generally silent lurkers who are subscribed to. 🎨🖌️👩🏻‍🎨😁 From Scotland

[@mindofwatercolor]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@CayGjertson]

Love the way you interpreted the detail in this painting. Good choice with the graphites you used!

[@jamesgsr8587]

GREAT video! Thanks for explaining the pros/cons of hot press paper (I know you’re not a fan of it, lol). This helps a lot. Also, this ended up as a beautiful painting. Makes me wish I could be a Patron. Thanks again for all you do!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thanks. I actually do like HP. I'm just aware of it's negatives. It's great for the right purposes.

[@eileengoldenberg270]

Great ,helpful video! I am going to Cadiz, Spain in April and this will come in handy! As always thanks for showing my watercolor bowls! I will be sharing this post!

[@mindofwatercolor]

My pleasure!

[@dianeknott3655]

Love this, Steve, for its simplicity and seeing the graphite paints in process. I've been looking for an affordable set, so also thank you for the link. Just purchased. Happy painting!

[@ralphanderson2603]

As my mentor that showed me I CAN paint advised... "copy, copy, copy - even masters did as shown in my History of art book

[@tinakoyama8258]

I enjoy watching the various media you chose to mix here! I use all of those products, yet I never think to mix them in the same piece. At the end when you added gouache highlights, I immediately thought that I would have used the white Derwent Drawing pencil, which is nice and opaque. Is gouache your go-to for that purpose, or do you sometimes use white pencil? Just curious. I guess I'm just more comfortable with a pencil for fine details.

[@mindofwatercolor]

I sometimes use white pencil if it’s a linear or thin edge highlight but for area coverage I use gouache.

[@RubyKumari-rg7jz]

Thank youu

[@olgasoares-rodrigues4268]

This was great. Thank you for explaining so well. What sharpener do you use to get a long point on the pencils?

[@mindofwatercolor]

Xacto School Pro.

[@olgasoares-rodrigues4268]

@@mindofwatercolorthank you!

[@louisklein9207]

What light box do you recommend? I’m always fearful the ones at the local craft stores won’t be good enough to see through watercolor paper

[@dr.robertt.mullaneiii1561]

Tracing is only cheating as much as a mathematician using a calculator is cheating. Sure when you are learning your multiplication tables a using a calculator would be cheating. If an art class emphasized learning to draw figures from free hand then tracing may be cheating. I think too many of us form our reluctance to trace in childhood from adults asking that bloody question "did you really draw that or did you trace it". What a revelation when I realized professional artists used all kinds of tricks to get their art just the way they wanted it: anything from projecting pictures on walls and canvases to using grids or making transfer paper. But the truth is all is fair in love and art! ❤

[@mindofwatercolor]

Exactly! It's also become a shaming trend used by amateurs here on KZbin sadly.

[@awatercolourist]

First (non-Patreon)!

[@ralphanderson2603]

$126 over my budget {B-economics hitting us hard} Can I just buy the book?

[@nyreeandstephenbevan5120]

While you should learn to draw, there is nothing wrong with tracing. If you don't get the drawing right the painting will suffer.

[@mindofwatercolor]

It will indeed!

[@adelehammond1621]

I quite like the freedom of drawing being looser But i strongly believe you should paint or draw the way you want theres alot of elitism If someone wants to trace you do it