How to Paint a Watercolor From a Photograph

[@learntopaintwatercolor]

▶︎Free Downloadable Guide: 5 Steps to Plan a Successful Watercolor Painting www.learntopaintwatercolor.com/5steps

[@jameswburke]

Just a tip on taking reference photos - expose for the highlights and then you can boost the shadows later, even on your phone. On an iPhone, tap the brightest part and drag down to darken the scene to retain detail in the lightest part. Bring up the shadows when you edit your photo in the phone or on your computer later. It might not look great as an image but it will give you more detail to work with in your painting.

[@cpnoboat7659]

Great video! Thank you, Matt!

[@gingeranderson9701]

Lovely!

[@michaelbyrd7883]

Yea, I agree he was extremely helpful in pointing out clues, tips and permission to make changes so as to make the scene more interesting with changing the continuity of the painting.

[@sherryb1997]

Your teaching and demo are the best!

[@shellyparker8960]

This is a beautiful painting. I truly appreciate the format of your videos and your detailed explanation of what you are doing, the colors you choose, and why. So very helpful. Thank you!

[@MB-kf3yx]

Love the glowing sky/final painting. Thank you for your step by step instruction and showing initial, middle, and final washes....so helpful.

[@LuminousRaw]

Thank you so much for such detailed explanation! Very beautiful painting, and so helpful to watch step by step 🙏🏻

[@robinduke3446]

Stunning. Really well done.

[@lisbethjohannsen6613]

Your tutorials are excellent and thank you for also telling which colour you use 🙏😊

[@farzanehsadegh1319]

So so useful job thank you❤❤❤🎉

[@cindyhills5593]

I think you made this demo just for me. Thank you for the information!

[@normaspande3141]

Another great teaching

[@hibikino]

Great advice in this video. I've started painting some pictures from my travels but have not known how I should be composing my pieces from elements of the photos.

[@PaulReadMusic]

I learned a ton by watching this. (I’m a novice, but making progress quickly thanks to videos like these!)

[@orchidana6804]

❤❤❤❤thank you❤❤❤❤

[@artieross9537]

WOW!

[@normaspande3141]

Beautiful work…..

[@BossyTTV]

i love your videos. do you have art students that you guide? i take an in person class now but i am not seeing the benefit. i am working on creating my art studio and still want instruction from a teacher.

[@hardcoreresettifan5048]

at around 3:22 it looks like a hair comes off from your brush, and then at 3:57 it disappears like you removed it. I never know what to do when that happens, what's the best way to get their hair off the paper, or is it ok to just wait until the paper dries to remove it?

[@kevinbaltarejo4875]

What's people's problem with "wandering off into the details"? I'm autistic (Aspergers), and I don't understand why do impressionist artists (specially neurotypicals and non autistic ADHDers) seem to have such a big problem with painting detailed images. As if getting lost in the details is somehow a bad thing. I say this because of the way my brain works (monotropic thinking: needing to see the details of something to see the whole thing). For instance, I may have known someone for a very long time, but if I recognize you but I'm not completely sure if it's actually you I'm looking at (specially if you're a chick), it means something about your physical appearance was changed (maybe a different hairstyle, for instance) and I notice that first and have to hear your voice to actually be sure it's you. When I see an impressionist painting (in any medium) I feel like I've been given a purposely unfinished puzzle of an out of focus image, but everyone refuses to give me the missing pieces to finish the puzzle. Or, if someone asks me for a commission drawing or painting from a reference photo, but then absolutely refuses to give me the reference photo I need to use. Like I feel conned. Like a victim of a fraud or something. I don't know how else to explain this. Let me know if this makes sense to you or not, and explain why in each case (in detailed clear words, please, I will only understand any explanation if it's not vague). Drawing and painting loose feels completely unnatural to me. Also, why does it sometimes sound like impressionists need to simplify a scene in order to be able to draw or paint it just because it is a complicated scene, like it looks like it feels impossible to impressionists to draw or paint something if it's not simple. 😂 Can someone please explain this? 😂

[@SaskiavL61]

I have been painting for a few years, with oils and watercolor and my style seems to be quite detailed as well. But I do really love the looseness especially of watercolor paintings like Matt's. I don't know why. Is it because I feel it seems to be 'not done' anymore to paint details and I have adapted that? I don't remember. I can't do it, I have to force myself to go loose and that can't be right... But I can imagine that you want paintings to be loose because otherwise you might as well just look at a photograph?

[@kevinbaltarejo4875]

​​​​​@@SaskiavL61But that's the thing. I'm a hyperrealist fantasy and science fiction (comic book style) artist (with a little bit of action/adventure, comedy, and horror thrown in, for some spice), and my goal is not necessarily to have an image look like a photo, but at the same time, have it be hyperrealistic in terms of details. My goal is never to be looser, more impressionistic. Side note: My definition of an overworked drawing or painting is a piece that I've already finished, but went back to, to purposefully ruin it by making mistakes that cannot be fixed (like taking some indian ink and just cover the whole image with it, knowing full well that it will only ruin all the time, energy, effort, and money that I put into making that drawing). And my definition of perfection is the image that I wanted to draw/paint is exactly what I ended up drawing or painting.

[@Jacquie-y2o]

Love the trees! You mentioned you let the brush and the paper do the work to create the texture. What kind of paper is that? I’m thinking very rough?

[@cpnoboat7659]

It's not that painting details is bad by itself . It depends on your style. If you paint loose, you should add details only on those parts you want the viewers to focus on, because you want to attract their eyes to what's central on your painting. If you prefer hyperrealism, then you should add details on everything. With regards of people who don't share the picture for the commission they're requesting, I'd recommend that you ask for it when you're explaining the conditions of your work, the same way you explain the price, the deadlines, etc. Just tell them that when there's a commission, you need to keep a reference photo as a guide during your work. It's the usual, anyway, so it's not a crazy thing to ask.