Exploring Brush Strokes and Watercolor Brush Warmups

Explore all the capabilities of your brushes, learn new strokes and techniques, build comfort and confidence, and get yourself warmed up for that next big painting project.
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[@alang253]

just got some new brushes and this was soooooo much fun, almost therapeutic! also I'm embarrassed to say I've been water coloring for quite a bit of time and I had no idea how to creatively execute and vary strokes like this video. I think I've just been doing the same exact stroke a million times! doh

[@bocephus41]

Steve, I enjoy how you break down watercolor painting into the building blocks with your wonderful attitude and sense of humor. The brushstrokes you showed in this video are essential to success.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+bocephus41 Yes, very true. We need to know what our tools will do.

[@robertweinblatt2018]

I treated myself to 6 new Escoda Perlas and3 Rosemary brushes and man oh man do these brushes give you some butt kickin results comparative to inexpensivebrushes

[@henrita44]

absolutely wonderful!

[@auntyangie33]

This is great. I am going to practice this today. Thanks.

[@karendangelo6879]

This video is so helpful! I just started watercoloring recently and I don't consider myself as having a knack for visual art. For instance, I can't draw at all. The feel of doing the painting really draws me to it. These brushstrokes you demonstrated open up so many possibilities for making nice looking art that I can actually do!

[@susanhepburn6040]

Really helpful, Steve - thank you very much.

[@katriter1]

I love all your videos and am a patreon of yours now. This is one of my favorites as a beginner. Thanks. Kat

[@FreeSpokenOne]

This was excellent, I'll have to try your techniques and as always I get a kick from your good humor.

[@marinadossantos7822]

Another valuable video. Exercise to get to know the brushes, have ideas... and evolve! Thanks a lot! This will be my exercise for today!

[@lessatwi1]

First rate tutorial. Absolutely indispensable for beginners. Thnx.

[@lindsayjayne2169]

My favorite has to be ..the Squibble!☺️

[@rainbowfox1934]

Nice application of how the strokes can be used. Thanks.

[@denisechapel1040]

Very helpful! Appreciate your tips and insight! Thank you!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Denise Chapel 👍

[@seahorse5689]

Steve, another fantastic video. So helpful! Thank you.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Judy Mason 👍

[@homeschooledaroundtheworld4660]

Very helpful to get to know your brushes. Love the idea of warming up prior to get to your real work. Thank you for another wonderful video🍂

[@cherikuhne5620]

So helpful. I am taking a class and have not learned these strokes. Amazing

[@stephw1363]

I have that neptune one and a bunch more i tried.....i love them! I have never had such nice brushes until my mom gave me my dads old watercolor ones and i expanded the collection a bit now with some more. He had a sceptre gold rigger size 3 which is my new favorite thing!

[@cuca1957]

This is an amazing tutorial! Love it, Thank you very much, I'm learning a lot from you.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+cuca1957 👍

[@allanfink7816]

Oddly I think this is one of your most practical and useful videos I have seen. Very cool. Thanks.

[@mooseballet]

Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing!

[@mindofwatercolor]

👍

[@constancejenkins8140]

Thank you for these videos, they are very helpful.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Constance Jenkins 👍

[@owingsart]

Hi Steve - You are both a Master Watercolorist and Master Illustrator. Your techniques are straightforward and super helpful. Here's the thing, I watch many of your videos, sometimes multiple times and I've noticed my own painting improve as a result. As a traditional oil painter, I can appreciate the years that go into the craft and these tips on brushes are super AWESOME if folks want to advance their work. - Marty

[@mindofwatercolor]

Very kind Marty, thanks! Improvement is the result every teacher likes to hear about.

[@owingsart]

The Mind of Watercolor Yeah man, you're honestly my go to Watercolor Jedi and for my money, you're as a good or better than any of the pro's getting big time gallery time. I need to get a collaboration going with you.

[@mindofwatercolor]

😀👍

[@rhondamagee7459]

+Owings Art +The Mind of Watercolor...that would be awesome, the 2 of you should do a LIVE show together, through You Tube, and a Q&A..so everyone could ask you both questions and have you answer our questions...please? I love watching the 2 of you :)

[@owingsart]

Rhonda Magee Hi Rhonda - That sounds like a great plan, now Steve and I just need to get it going. :-) - Marty

[@chrissymurray1643]

Thanks Steve, I always learn heaps from videos.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Chrissy Murray Cool, thanks!

[@TeresaMArsenault]

Excellent video, Steve. I am eager to try this and become more comfortable with my brushes. Thank you.

[@mindofwatercolor]

You bet, have fun!

[@docsavagefan2795]

I have a Da Vinci round brush and its my favorite I love the shape of the handles they just feel right. Thanks for the video.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Mark Desrosiers Yeah the handle is pretty nice in the hand!

[@barbararosenthal4220]

I loved this video as I do your others. Your videos are wonderful, so easy to understand. You are an awesome teacher! Thank you for making these available to us.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Barbara Rosenthal Thank you very much!

[@richardlumpkin4607]

Thank you for helping my painting. Much appreciated.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Richard Lumpkin 👍

[@mrs.homemaker9939]

Thank you!

[@ventzislavayousif9529]

Thank you so much! I'm a beginner with watercolor and have been really looking for techniques and helpful videos like these.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Ventzislava Yousif 👍Welcome!

[@anitaholmes9713]

Great tips...thanks for sharing!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Anita Holmes 👍

[@rebeccasharp7924]

I agree with Marty....you are the Jedi. Every video makes watercolor less intimidating!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+REBECCA SHARP So cool to hear that! Thanks!

[@pam.g.56]

Love how you can create something so cool with seemingly little effort. I'm gathering my watercolor supplies and will be playing soon. I will definitely be doing the warmup exercises with my brushes. Thanks for the video!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Pamela Goodman You're welcome, enjoy the play!

[@heartchitect1960]

I found this one. I think it's what I'm looking for. Thank you very much.

[@KJayPlays]

Thank you SO much for showing the Da Vinci CT Spin brush! Da Vinci is the only brand of quality synthetic brushes I have found here in Denmark (Northern Europe) where I live. I'm so happy that one of my favorit artists on youtube recommended these brushes! Now I can go buy them with the knowledge that I'm getting a quality product. Thank you again! :D

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Kirstine Jensen They are very fine indeed! Enjoy.

[@CathyMiller0711]

Thanks, this is very helpful.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Cathy Miller 👍

[@flarose97]

Really helpful! Thanks!!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Christine Rose 👍

[@roden70]

Great tips as usual. Thank you for sharing Steve. And may the watercolourforce be with you. ;-)

[@mindofwatercolor]

+roden70 😄👍

[@roseryan1542]

Thanks for this tutorial. For a beginner, I agree that doing little studies like this is extremely helpful. It takes away the anxiety of thinking of a entire composition while proving the tools you'll need when you decide to do that painting. I liken it to building a foundation before you put a house on it. I think that's what people miss sometimes in their quest to do a painting without putting in the time to practice. The foundation makes everything else comes together. Your videos are awesome and your way of teaching is precise and easy to understand.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Rose Ryan Much thanks! And even this rudimentary exercise can be exciting when you discover something new and that Ahah! moment occurs!

[@jennygort]

great video and very helpfull thanks!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+jenny gort 👍

[@bartholoclumpdink7246]

Thankyou Steve.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Bartholo Clumpdink 👍

[@JaneArtsyOtternutKirkwood]

Thanks for the great tips Steve. As a beginner, it's definitely something that I'm going to do. I've even saved it to a play list with other lessons of yours that are so helpful to keep referring back to. Thank you :)

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Jane Kirkwood (Artsy Otternut) Cool, glad they've been a help!

[@JaneArtsyOtternutKirkwood]

+The Mind of Watercolor Definitely, thank you :)

[@LuliLulu]

This is so relaxing to watch :)

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Witch 👍

[@cmleite]

That's very helpful. I am wanting to learn watercolor, this is just perfect. Thank you

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Camila Leite 👍

[@cmleite]

+The Mind of Watercolor I'm starting my practice right now

[@kelcardsilva]

Im Learning a lot with you. Thank very much, Sr.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Kleberson Cool! 👍

[@kelcardsilva]

+The Mind of Watercolor 😃

[@hattdeb1]

Another wonderful tutorial. You are not only a talented artist, you also have the gift of teaching. The content of this video reminds me of the type of "exercises" all forms of art require ... By Art in this last statement I mean not just visual arts, but music, dance, creative writing, and sculpture as well. I teach piano, and know the importance of finger exercises. Well, this little video reminds me of a painting type of "finger exercise." Hope this makes sense. I missed your usual verse at the end. I always look forward to the insight, wisdom, and encouragement those quotes always offer. Thanks for another great video, Steve. They are always so helpful to this old lady dabbler.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Deborah Hatt My daughter is a pianist and piano teacher. I often made the same comparison as I listened to her practice. She would play though a recital piece and get to a trouble spot then play that part over and over and over until she got it right! Watercolor mastery is no different. Thanks!

[@mariakellner2221]

Great demo,i have another brush technique,using a dry puddle of pigment with a round brush i splay the brush tips by placing it on the pigment pulling it against the palette ,makes a mini fan brush .

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Maria Kellner Cool, thanks for the input!

[@cutepearslimes2802]

You really do love your watercolours!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Gaming Manar Yep! 😊

[@cutepearslimes2802]

:)

[@HajraMeeks]

nice video! funny thing, I'm wrapping up editing a brushes vid myself (it was a subscribers' requested video)--always interesting to see what other artists make of the same topic.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Hajra Meeks Cool, I look forward to seeing it.

[@tammieroth2608]

Really useful

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Tammie Roth 👍

[@rainskitchenandgarden]

LOL...okay I believe that you might not speak from experience about the mascara ;), but honestly that was pretty good to describe the stroke! I love that drag technique, thanks so much!

[@jujackson3306]

Now my brain is in a whole different place when holding a brush 👍🏻

[@janetgeist8505]

Thanks again...

[@mindofwatercolor]

👍

[@hankvana2149]

Hi Steve, I received a lot of watercolor gifts this past Christmas including a variety of brushes so I will be spending quite a bit of time exploring. I am just starting to get the feel of the pigment to water ratio to achieve the results I am looking for (which means I am not being surprised as often and I used to be :-) ) May be a weird comparison but I noticed a similarity between water color and soldering - in soldering you add heat and feed in solder to create a puddle of liquid metal and move that puddle around with the iron to flow/wick to the items being joined. Controlling the liquid/pigment and manipulating the "wet edge" of the brush stroke is very much the same. Cheers and Happy New Year Steve! Hank

[@mindofwatercolor]

Nice comparison, yes, similar. I suck at soldering though...😖

[@kymdempsey]

Great advice as always. TFS .. Mimi

[@mindofwatercolor]

+kymdempsey 👍

[@DrWhom]

Excellent stuff! Growing up, we were poor, so all I had was cr*p paper and a run-down frayed flat. And I learned to do _everything_ with just that...

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Deipatrous Doable. Harder but doable!

[@nighthawksblues3081]

LOL I love that little SPLAT at the beginning. ;-)

[@mindofwatercolor]

😀

[@gnostie]

There was a book that went into a number of brush exercises and variations, and advised readers to consider such muscle memory skill building a kind of scales and arpeggios musicians would practice. I wish I still had that book to refresh what the author said. If anyone remembers what it's called, please tell me, I'll try to re-buy it.

[@rhondamagee7459]

Steve...I love watching you, you are AWESOME!! :)

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Rhonda Magee Thanks Rhonda!

[@rhondamagee7459]

I made a comment to Marty (Owings Art) that the 2 of you need to do a LIVE show, so all of your followers can do a chat session, with you both, it would be AWESOME, and very helpful for all of us. A great learning session, how's about it??

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Rhonda Magee Yeah, we may do that. He and I have been talking about doing a collaboration for months, similar to one of his art adventures but that will probably be a different thing.

[@rhondamagee7459]

come to the beautiful state of COLORADO :D and meet lil ol me. I look out my windows and see the big ol mountains. Have muledeer roaming in my yard, all of the time.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Rhonda Magee Thats pretty cool! Thats a little beyond Marty's and my travel radius at the moment (well mine at least). I've always wanted to visit Colorado. Maybe some day. I know you love those mountains and wildlife. I love the outdoors and wildlife. I'm watching a yellow bellied woodpecker from my easy chair right now (out on my bird feeder). We've had whitetail deer come through my yard and a couple wild turkeys too. Owls hooting at night. I would hate living right in the city.

[@aciddemons]

I actually did need a reason to get my paints out. So, thank you.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+RedStarLights 👍

[@mikedimples]

Love all your videos, I'm a huge fan. Something I have trouble with is how my brush strokes tend to end in a glob of watercolor at the end when I lift the brush. Watching you, you don't seem to have this problem. It seems like a very smooth distribution of paint when you do it. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

[@mindofwatercolor]

Its usually due to either too much water or cheap synthetic brushes. Better brushes are designed to release water gradually. Cheap synthetics will release it all at once. However, if you have too much water it doesn't matter how good your brush is, it will blob on you.

[@mwippa18]

i always enjoy my watercolour warm ups more than painting pictures haha

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Melissa Vella 😄👍

[@camilcurn]

For the wash you planned to glaze, how do you get such a light value without tons of water?

[@mindofwatercolor]

Less pigment dissolved in your water. Take water out of your brush. Practice adding water and removing water from your brush. This is the best exercise for that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3fIn3tsicmGq9k

[@meccamw]

I've been following you for some time now and I find your videos valuable. However, the one thing I am struggling with is when or how much water to keep on the brush. I can do the the exercises you have put up but when I try to do a full painting I can't seem to put it all together. Either the paint is too wet or too dry. What are the rules for putting more water on the brush?

[@mindofwatercolor]

Check out this video if you haven't yet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3fIn3tsicmGq9k

[@s.d.3222]

Does anyone have an opinion about which brush is the most versatile/useful? I only have a handful of teklon craft brushes and I'm not learning much with them. My painting looks like a 3 year old finger painting. Nice brushes are above my budget so I can only buy one at a time. I cannot decide which is the best first brush to start with.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Flashbackpat Definitely a round, like the first brush I used in this video. Many artists never use any other brush. Something like a #8, 10, or 12 is usually a good starter. At Hobby Lobby they sell a nice Master's Touch synthetic squirrel and regularly put them on sale for %50 off. Will end up costing you about $4-5.

[@s.d.3222]

Thank you! :)

[@saharistanbouli4446]

When using a rigger how thick should the paint be ?i

[@mindofwatercolor]

Like ink.

[@johnnyrbattaglio6943]

👍

[@gms9810]

Vegatative things? Learn something every day.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+gms9810 👍😃

[@yelsyels]

Techniques and styles!You fall in love with them move on....then you step back

[@Fonkemman]

This pad says "bloc" but not a block. Probably in french 😅 kinda confusing

[@OrionFineArt]

The irony! I'm painting in watercolor on a tablet while watching this video!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Orion-Fine-Art 👍

[@deafblood]

Maybe you can help me with the issue I'm having with my paintings- I'm not even sure what keywords to google to get the right answer. Lately I've been noticing marks on my paintings- almost like I placed a wax resist on the paper. I have to go over it multiple times, sometimes making sure the paper absorbs the pigment before moving on to my next brushstroke. I've tried many different paint brands, on many different papers, and have even splurged on better brushes specifically meant for watercolour, but the problem persists. I've heard that you shouldn't erase watercolour paper too much, and not to touch the paper too much because the oils on your fingers can mess up your paintings. Is this what I'm seeing?

[@mindofwatercolor]

Not sure. Very unusual. Sounds like something's gotten on the paper. Oils from your hands usually isn't enough to matter. With it happening on many papers with many paints that sounds like a technique issue.

[@deafblood]

+The Mind of Watercolor I've used natural brushes, synthetic, in flat, round, and I've even gotten this wax resist effect with waterbrushes. I've tried a lot of water and very little water. I don't know what's causing it, but it makes painting a frustrating experience. Maybe my environment is getting to my paper (I recently moved into a basement. I keep my paper in the pads until ready to use, but it's a thought.) Thanks for reading~

[@lazulianwater]

I bought the da Vinci cosmotop spin brush and I find that it is an extremely soft brush. It feels a little hard to get a very concentrated amount of pigment in the brush without using a lot of pigment, especially when initially mixing with some dried paint. (feels like it takes a lot of effort to get the pigment off the dried paint and into the brush because it's so soft and simply just brushes very softly against the top of the paint instead of digging in more). It distributes pigment very evenly though and I can tell it's quite a nice brush. This is my first time using a higher quality brush so I was just wondering if you feel the same or if all high end brushes just tend to be softer as they more imitate natural hair brushes. Is this something I should get used to as I use better brushes or are there good brushes that are stiffer? Thanks!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+lazulianwater very different than my impression. The DaVincis have more snap than most of my other brushes. You may just be used to a very stiff brush. My silver brush black velvets are much softer and my favorite brush.

[@lazulianwater]

The Mind of Watercolor ok, must be that my beginner brushes are just extremely stiff. thanks so much for your quick response! love your tutorials. :)

[@mikeschwarz7439]

thats a beautyful idea for to day gg .. no it's good to becam more practis have a good Start in the new week and I have a exersice for you when you love landscape give Bad Bergzabern in Rheinland Pfalz at googel I live in beautyful town with wine hills castels ... and more Lg Ellen

[@mindofwatercolor]

👍

[@yelsyels]

Thank you!