6 Bad Habits in Watercolor You Should Never Have

[@pabloplato]

huh, don't think i have ever had a teacher tell me about working soap into the brush bristles before using masking fluid. always had to use an inferior brush just incase i never got it clean afterwards. great tip, thanks!

[@ciannacoleman5125]

Please use a cheap or old brush even with the soap method, I ruined my favorite brush because I didn’t resoap it often enough during a project (thankfully it was a cheap brush anyway)

[@markdonovan1540]

I use rubber tipped brushes to apply the masking fluid. No risk of brush damage and clean easily with water and kitchen towel/clean cloth.

[@macCALICOmac]

If you mix soap with your water, the paint spreads differently. It's pretty cool to play with.

[@fllini99]

Pippa oh really?!!!!! Would any soap work? Dish soap? TFS! 😘

[@rayray8687]

fllini99: Dish “soaps” are not soap at all but are detergents that are chemically different from soaps, and that is why they’re no longer called “dish soap”...because they’re not and therefore can’t be sold as such. I imagine they will also have some sort of cool effect on paint spread, but in the video the narrator appears to be using an actual soap. The above commenter might have been using either one, not sure, but without getting too technical, both are emulsifiers which break down grease, dirt, paint, etc into tiny droplets. So who knows, they might both do the same thing. Definitely worth a try!

[@moqsudayasmin8307]

So helpful guidelines…Thank you so much

[@nikkiswenson54]

Thank you! My calligraphy and flat brush arrived today! I am excited to try watercolor again after 20 years! I am happy for all of your teaching videos and tips and also what not to do!!

[@Roslyngal]

Another common mistake with masking fluid- don’t shake the bottle before using. The bubbles you get make it harder to use, and decrease its lifespan. Stirring gently is fine.

[@createinspain]

and, for goodness sake, if masking over painted area - MAKE SURE it's DRY!

[@Pugs25]

I store the masking fluid bottle upside down. Then you don't get a 'skin' on top.

[@usharajagopalan351]

Thanks for the useful tips

[@Angelwrites]

Gouache CAN be reactivated and reused with water when dried.

[@hamloaff]

depends on the type of guache also :D they have acrylic guache that doesn't reactivate hehe

[@justacatwhocantype]

@@hamloaff Acrylic gouache is not actual gouache though, it is acrylic paint with a mattifier.

[@cynthiaslater7445]

As a new watercolorist, these tips are very helpful. Thank you.

[@jackierudd2010]

Excellent advice, I'm glad I've seen this video, I've just bought my first supplies but haven't started painting yet , so perfect timing to prevent bad habits and wastage. Thankyou 😊 🌟

[@YongChen]

Have fun with watercolor.

[@judymills873]

Thank you! Didn’t know about the soap

[@htalif1173]

This is very important and useful for every watercolour painters......

[@Roslyngal]

You do more of these- they’re great! Maybe include ‘protecting’ the paper from too much pencil/eraser rubbing, oily fingertips, etc. Also knowing when your painting layer has reached the ‘leave it alone to dry’ moment.

[@lucassilva1706]

Instead of a brush with hair for masking fluid, you can use those brushes made of silicone, because they're very easy to clean.

[@森下典樹]

But when you need some sophisticated brush control and brush marks only can be achieved by using hair brushes,the silicone one would never do the job for you.

[@paintspirationsunlimited]

Doesn't hold as much fluid as it can. Also, the rubber tips can pick up a portion of a drying film on subsequent masking and tearing it off before totally drying ruining the overall mask film. I use to mask as fluid as possible and thin them in right consistency with water and they don't work well with rubber tip silicone brushes. A good cheap alternative is to use goat hair round brushes and use it the same way in the video. Holds lot of fluids and still have that fine precision and throw away when wornt out. Why burden yourself with half effective tools, plus i don't always use masking so it's not a big deal

[@lucassilva1706]

The ones I use work perfectly, and there's alot of different models. But everyone has utensils that work better for them, it's good to know about all of them

[@mariapetersdro]

Spektakulär! Ich habe Ihr Tutorial geliebt. Vielen Dank, dass Sie Ihr Wissen geteilt haben ❤️

[@saolyartstudio752]

Water color is hard.. thanks for sharing.❤️ I need to practice my watercolor more.

[@janc734]

Thanks Yong- good tips for sure -especially the soap with masking fluid

[@FrancesMacaulayForde]

Thank you from Australia, for your very useful video on bad watercolour painting habits.

[@rayvirgoe7231]

Thanks for the great tips. How to properly clean brush tips, why not to be negligent, and using bar soap to protect your brush using masking protects it.

[@adrianagarcia8426]

Muchas gracias por sus consejos,,,!!!

[@misaoce3423]

The masking fluid one was very useful, thank you!

[@alext9067]

The wealth of knowledge. Thank you.

[@thekitowl]

Great tips. I use a rubber tipped brush for masking fluid.

[@malakghaffari3028]

Very very useful. Thankyou.

[@artbykcappadona5166]

Now I know why I was getting little bumps in my paper and damaging it. I was dragging instead of dabbing. Thank you

[@alpinerose9181]

Hi, thank you. I did not know to apply soap to the brush before using masking fluid, that is helpful.

[@markdonovan1540]

Great tips: 1. Pallet cleaning - no need to wash away reusable paint. I tend to wash mixing areas with a damp kitchen tissue only when I need to mix a new colour that might be made muddy by existing mix residue. I don't wash paints that are in the slots - I want to use them again! 2. Caps to go back on tubes immediately - common sense really. 3. Leaving brushes in the water container will damage fine hairs of watercolour brushes. So rinse out the pigmented water by stirring in the dirty water container and then the clean water container, gently dab off excess water or any residues of pigment with a clean cloth ready and lay flat on a dry cloth. 4. Masking fluid is not water soluble, so if it gets trapped in brush hairs it will most likely ruin the brush. I have used old cheap brushes and cut down the hairs to leave a short stubby toe on the brush. Then I saw a video recommending the use of rubber tipped "brushes", they are very cheap and allow fine control as well as covering larger patches. They are very easy to clean and don't get damaged by the masking fluid. 5. Good quality paper and the correct type of paper is essential for a good painting experience and good quality finish. 6. Lifting techniques need practice, but just gentle touches will save damage and disappointment.

[@watercolourkeyes]

Thank you very much for your time. Very helpful tips.

[@rainbowfox1934]

You are a great teacher and a great artist.

[@kennyiklei]

Thank you so much for your advice. 😊

[@janbeane8330]

Loved your video. I am new to watercolor and the hint about masking fluid was so helpful. I already ruined one brush trying to clean it!

[@TariHuffaker]

really great adivice. thank you so much.

[@diannahauf5136]

Thank you SO MUCH!! Incredibly helpful AND useful!!!

[@LadyDragoncat]

Thank you for this video. I shall keep these tips in mind as I experiment with watercolour and ink.

[@missmatch9058]

Very helpful!

[@leslieaharden6183]

Thank you Yong! Great tips. Definitely taking advantage of these tips! Avoiding unnecessary struggle!! Hugs!

[@thrdwldgrlcollins8085]

Thank you

[@jane_7193]

Enjoyed your company and great advice, thank you.

[@sybileberhart3439]

Yes! Great. Thank you

[@eunicenield9631]

Very good information. Thank you.

[@gloriazambrano5674]

thank you Yong youare the best teacher for me I love the way you teach God bless you

[@ljbj4]

I just found your channel and am a beginner. This was very helpful and I do very much appreciate these tips! Tfs!

[@jessamelfujimoto6213]

Thank you for this tutorial,im always doing the bad habits now i know how to take care of my brushes.

[@meijin8681]

Very helpful! 👍 Thank you very much 🙏🙏

[@renatecormick7399]

Great points, wish I had known these when I first started out., but these fabulous types of videos didn’t exist back then (or I didn’t know about them) I don’t think you can ever get enough tips that help along the way. Thanks

[@vishalbhaskar8554]

Thank u very much Yong Sir for immensely valuable and helpful tips.

[@atokea77777]

Helpful and useful too ! 🙏

[@brightandsunny]

Thank you Yong!! Quick and clear tips that are so helpful!!!

[@shaileshsaxena]

Thank you for the excellent tips. It will be also helpful if you include colour mixing mistakes resulting in dull brown or grey colours, opaque vs transparent colours, colours that leave grains vs. those that don't. Thank you ❤️

[@marjo-riittareinikainen9740]

Good advices!

[@smrutirekha6070]

It's really very knowledgeable.

[@annajabonska2716]

Dziękuję za bardzo cenne rady, pozdrawiam serdecznie💕💕💕

[@newus0042]

Thanks heaps very helpful.

[@Coletta123]

Good tips. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@patriciacarter9774]

Thank you.... very helpful

[@htalif1173]

Thank you Sir Yong Chen

[@sylviahall5667]

Thank you Yong Chen

[@michaelparry1383]

Great information. I was pleased that I was aware of all of these "Don'ts". You are an excellent artist and an excellent presenter. Thanks for all you do. I see that you do most of your work with the three primary colors from W&N Professional watercolor paints. You have great porcelain triple container and the mixing plate. Where can these be purchased? I have the link to your brushes and other supplies. I like having only the choice of three colors, then you need to learn how to mix.

[@relevant_nebula]

Thank you so much for these great tips

[@agnescumin2276]

Many thanks !

[@s.mukherjee5613]

Very informative! Thanks!

[@ATATKDMama]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@lisafred1362]

So helpful. Just curious.. if you have some really bad cheap watercolor paper to use up, will gesso on top make it better? Thank you for all your posts.

[@liaclark2393]

great tips thank you

[@NMranchhand]

Great idea! Negative teaching! You should keep reminder notes of these “DONTS” when you work with your students and then make a video from time to time.

[@abrilspinoza]

Thank you!

[@vedantvinayakmane9406]

Thanku very much 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@awendaawenda8011]

I love Paul Rubens anything!!!

[@irinakrasovskaya5224]

Полезные советы, спасибо !

[@richardsilva-spokane3436]

Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

[@marthaeugeniaalvarezochoa7204]

Thanks

[@AlessandroZir]

verry useful, thank you so much!!! 💋💋💋

[@suecook5416]

Thank you for sharing your tips.

[@SIRKISSHY]

thank you so much for the tips!! your voice is very nice too. you just gained a new subscriber! 🐣

[@Nurse3811]

Great video! Subscribed.

[@patriziapacetti6365]

Thank u for these news

[@debbiemacrae3609]

Great tips - tks!

[@artemidaversal87]

Спасибо!!! Скажите пожалуйста,кисти какой фирмы вы используете?

[@joannekillian2889]

very helpful

[@jorgeoyuela9531]

Thanks Sir so much!!!

[@carolinafernandezoro733]

Thank you !!!!!!!

[@sandradelvecchio6894]

Thank you, Yong!

[@elenicefarias]

Great video!

[@vulnerablerummy]

the masking fluid with soap is news to me, nice to hear that. on the case of watercolor paper, maybe you could suggest your take on painting tips on low quality paper for another video? in Indonesia some merchant sold admittedly 100% cotton paper for cheap, but the quality's still inferior compared to professional ones (btw the brand is arto). arches is just too expensive for college studemt especially in developing countries :(

[@YongChen]

Very good suggestions. I will plan on that.

[@Adriano-do-Couto-Illustration]

Michael Goman I get small blocks of Arches from Jackson’s Art in the UK. Their shipping prices are pretty low.

[@vulnerablerummy]

@@Adriano-do-Couto-Illustration you from Indonesia too? how long does delivery time take?

[@geslinam9703]

Arches sells pad paper that is fairly inexpensive, maybe $15 USD for a 11x14” size.

[@Mrs.Sukesi]

Have you ever try baohong sheet?

[@kaboomsihal1164]

Gouache is the same as watercolour though, it can be reactivated when it's dry.

[@kaboomsihal1164]

Oh and no brushes should be left in water ever, no matter what medium they are for. The water will over time erode the glue holding the bristles and cause it to shed.

[@elsagrace3893]

White gouache is a problem if I leave it on my watercolor pallet. It’s mixes into colors that I don’t want it too. I keep my white gouache separate in a small Altoid tin in an empty metal Coke bottle cap with a magnet of the bottom. Works great. I use the tin top for mixing.

[@kaboomsihal1164]

@@elsagrace3893 yeah gouache and watercolour too close to each other is messy. I have a folding pallette with two sides so I keep watercolour on one side and gouache on the other. I was just talking about the part at the beginning of the video about not cleaning your mixing area because you can reuse it. It's the same for gouache.

[@macCALICOmac]

You get acrylic gouache, it won't reactivate as far as I know

[@kaboomsihal1164]

@@macCALICOmac yeah you also get some inks that are waterproof and some that aren't. Of course acrylic gouache doesn't reactivate, it's just more opaque acrylic paint. Gouache, however, is made of the same things as watercolour, simply produced differently. I don't know why you feel the need to argue semantics here. I was just pointing out that the video says watercolour can be reactivated unlike gouache, acrylic or oil and that that is inaccurate. Nothing more. Simply pointing out a small mistake to maybe prevent a little bit of misinformation.

[@Vgladstone1]

I always clean my palette between paintings. Especially yellow i hate dirty yellow! I start fresh,

[@elsagrace3893]

I used to do that to but now I realize that I rarely ever need to use a pure color for landscape or portrait. Muted colors are more natural for these.

[@Vgladstone1]

@@elsagrace3893 For me, there comes a point were everything is mud.

[@macCALICOmac]

I do the same but it's because I love mixing my own colors from scratch. I enjoy the process.

[@laurawhigham8492]

Thank you! So very helpful 😊

[@DrawWithSingh]

Its really helpful

[@pittkatt]

I heard an artist saying you should never touch the brush with your hands because you will get the natural oil from your fingers into the brush. This will cause it to hold less water. Dont know how much impact it has though..

[@SuperExadidas]

Really very useful tips. May we know the exact name of the 3 colors you are using? Thank you

[@eugeniabotezatu2423]

Grazie eeeeeh 😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤👍👍👍👍👍

[@nicolafortune587]

Thank you so much for sharing...

[@Engelhafen]

Good tips

[@dianadevlin3717]

Thanks, very clear and helpful!

[@justasmallartist2981]

This was helpful^^

[@stardoogalaxie9314]

I havent thought about the cup one! :O great tips!

[@Vixnart]

One problem with leaving any brush, watercolor or acrylic, in water, is that the water gets into the wood of the handle and causes it to swell. When it dries it shrinks back and the bristles fall out.

[@deniseewert6372]

Tanks mr.Chen!

[@Lucy586]

Wonderfullllllll

[@abbujaan]

Basics Very good advice

[@helloshiny8475]

I wonder if foam make up wedges or sponges cut into strips would be good to use with masking fluid. And throw away after use.

[@elsagrace3893]

HelloShiny I use a toothpick or paper clip end. I think makeup sponge would create some interesting mask marks. 👍🏼

[@elizabethprior4968]

HelloShiny I use a draftsmen’s drawing pen for fine lines with masking fluid. The nice thing is that you can adjust the thickness of the lines