How to Blend Watercolor Paint Wet on Dry

Blending watercolor paint can be a bit puzzling for beginners. Its not difficult, it just takes practice and a different way of thinking than shading or blending with a pencil. We get into the basics in this video.
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for looking.)
Arches 140# cold press pad - amzn.to/1NDS3XU
Da Vinci Cosmotop Spin Brush #10 round - amzn.to/1roNSuI
Large Flat wash brushes (2" pictured but not used) - amzn.to/1VE4Y4o
My Amazon Store of Favorite Products:
www.amazon.com/shop/mindofwat...
___
Popular Uploads
• Art Journaling with Pr...
Watercolor Basics
• 5 Tips to Overcoming t...
Product Reviews
• Using the Water Brush ...
Mini Episodes
• How to Paint Bare Tree...
Paint With Me
• Paint Watercolor With ...
Subscribe:
kzbin.info_widg...
Follow me on Facebook:
smitchelldes...
Follow me on Twitter:
/ smitchelldesign
Help me make MORE great video content
My video content is free but consider supporting me through the "Support this Channel" box on my main channel page. Any donations large or small are always appreciated. Thanks!
/ mindofwatercolor
Show Theme Music
www.pond5.com/stock-music/2171...

[@judichristopher4604]

'HELLP ME... I CAN'T STOP WATCHING THESE VIDEOS... and I need to go to bed and sleep... but I keep hearing myself say, "Just one more video... " :)

[@mindofwatercolor]

😁

[@spillco53]

Hey Judi, guess who? A white one from Texas :-)

[@notfreeinamericatruthseeke7065]

Same!

[@judichristopher4604]

@@spillco53 ON MY GOD... Steve!!!!!! I was just thinking about you the other day.... WHAT.... This reply is 2 years old!!!! I just now saw it!!!! What in the world are you up to??? This is CRAZY

[@sebaceousgland5123]

ME TOO OMG IT'S 1 AM AND I CANT WAIT TO TRY ALL THIS OUT IN THE MORNING

[@kaoru3008]

As a beginner I'm so glad you show how you rinse and dry your brush and manage the amount of water, thats something I need to improve at

[@scribbleartie]

Oh I can't believe I actually found a How To that actually shows "How To", haha! Thanks so much. Great video. (a new "minder" from Scotland, UK)

[@mindofwatercolor]

Welcome "minder"!

[@nfc598]

I know exactly what you mean

[@angelaamorelli6475]

Scribble Artie w

[@larryglatt2548]

I agree, a first in how to videos for me as well. Wish I could give it 10 thumbs up. Fellow minder, happy I found this older video.

[@lisalaw4130]

Thank you so much

[@bardotte5757]

I spend a couple of hours each and every day “Practise Practise Practise” until what I am learning becomes natural & comfortable and then move on to the next that I wish to learn. I will do a small painting to put together what I have learnt. I only do a full painting when I feel up to it and I do get good critic complements which are encouraging. I started to learn watercolour a year ago, I love it, it is an exciting part of my daily life. Having someone like you ( a god of tutoring 😊) is a fabulous luxury I very much appreciate for you are clear, precise and take one through stage by stage that what you are teaching, falls right into place. Thank you & you have become a part of my practicing daily life. 🌈🎨

[@parvezmusharaf8834]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3qZd2ybf8SFiKM

[@eugenelayton5231]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm a beginner learning from books and KZbin. BTW...The Scripture at the end of the video just happens to be the memory verse I'm working on this week. God bless you.

[@kathymachado3652]

I still enjoy looking back at your old studies.

[@kathrynholden4223]

Not only was the technique explained thoroughly, but seeing how you manage the brush and eater is so helpful to an absolute beginner. Thanks so much!!

[@RobynPrestonphoto]

Thank you! I have been watching many beginning videos and none of them show what they are doing with their brush off camera. I think you should always include your water and rag in the shot. Thanks so much!🐣

[@mindofwatercolor]

Hi Robyn. I've had a few other requests to do that but there are several reasons artists don't record it. In watercolor especially its really not as instructive as you might think. You can't tell how much paint and water is actually being picked up on video which is the key factor. Its not like oils where the brush load can be seen. I did it here so you could see how often I dry my brush vs taking water for the blending and that really only works along with my explanation. In most subject painting sessions it would be repetitive and distracting. There are almost infinite amounts of paint/water ratio variations and they aren't visible on video. Its something a beginner just has to be experimented with to master.

[@cricketcricket9749]

Hi! I taught myself to paint with watercolors in the 80's. I learned from books and a lady that owned an art shop. Haven't picked up a brush since 1995. I'm retired now and I'm getting back into it. People learning today are so lucky to have this platform to learn from. Anyway, thank you for sharing your knowledge and time with us all. I subscribed because of all the other channels, yours suits my style to a tee! You are a great teacher and artist....thanks again!

[@poneyfeathersart1442]

I've tried watercolor off and on since I was a kid. It's always been impressive to see what others do in the medium. WC was so backward to all my thinking, got overwhelmed quickly, and gave up easily. Started my art journey in pencil, learned color pencil, followed by ink (very unforgiving). Dabbled a bit in copic (alcohol markers) and acryllic paint. Sculpting...photography... resin. I'm used to working from dark to light. Ink is unique in that it's like WC when wet, but permanent once dry. In the last couple of years, I've felt a revival of interest for WC. My grandmother has been my biggest fan and teacher all my life. She's battling with dementia now and hasn't done any WC in years. Want to dive deeper because I feel close to her when painting.

[@anneharwood943]

I'm practicing this and it's harder than it looks! But these kinds of exercises are very helpful. I want to paint something beautiful NOW, but I know I'll end up discouraged because of my lack of "basics."

[@mindofwatercolor]

👍

[@antoinettel4182]

No, you are not over talking this, it's another amazing lesson. Thank you again.

[@ethylschmidt2371]

I am a beginner at 73 years young and loved art all my life but water color is my passion now and cannot get enough lessons on it. Thank you for your encouragement.

[@mindofwatercolor]

You bet!

[@poneyfeathersart1442]

Thanks for this video!! Glazing and control of the flat wash... Game changer!! It seems simple... then you try to make it happen, a whole different animal. Patience is your friend, for sure.

[@fourroadsnorth2723]

Thank you for this very important technique. The repetitions and explanations really help a learner to recognize the process.

[@joshlynn7014]

Extremely clear demonstration. Thank you, it clicked 😉

[@MultiLeiden]

Man I love youtube for videos like this! Thanks

[@robbartlett4668]

I am one of your southern (Alabama) thugs. I do , however, realize you have a great many fans in the U.K. I appreciate the opportunity to learn from you and your videos. You just simply have the God given talent of being able to teach. Roll Tide Roll!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thank You! Roll Tide Roll!

[@donnamiller5936]

Thanks!!! I enjoy your teaching style!! It's NOT rushed!!! With having a Learning Disability this style of teaching really helps me to learn & get it with PRACTICE!! I enjoy the Zentangle Art & wanted to use Water Colors as part of my art . Your teaching has helped me to understand more about how to use the medium of watercolor!! Thanks for sharing the Scripture!! Sometimes, when I run into difficulty in learning how to use what you have taught; I stop and think how God created the means for watercolor, & He knows how my mind learns !! Then I am reminded of the verse " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13. Thanks again & Keep on Keeping on !!!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thanks Donna. Great comment. Keep at it for sure!

[@gorway7]

Its just clicked with me too, have been having so much trouble with blending out (getting halos) due to too wet a brush. Its been driving me batty. Cant believe I've finally cracked it...Thank you!

[@parvezmusharaf8834]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3qZd2ybf8SFiKM

[@christinezuercher6294]

Thank you for giving a beginner like me this video. Your explanation of the process was great.

[@DanimalGrrrr]

Thank you for your insight into blending. You make it look easy but I guess that's why you mention practicing the technique. Love your videos and getting much out of them!

[@walkoflife3274]

Please make a tutorial on painting sun light..:)

[@maygirl4086]

YES PLEASE

[@TheMarionetteKitty]

I cannot believe I'm finally getting the hang of watercolor. I have struggled with this medium on and off for decades. Your videos are so informative and straight forward. They're the perfect resource for someone like me who's been struggling and afraid of watercolor for decades.

[@JodiVerse]

I am overjoyed to have found you and your tutorials. Your method of instruction is exactly what I, as an absolute beginner, have been looking for. As I watch, the overwhelming "panic" that grips me fades into an excited, "I can do this!" Thank you. You have yet another new fan.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thanks for that positive feedback and welcome!

[@landissection]

This 6 year old video is STILL so helpful. Thank you! Keep up the great work for more people like me in the future! 😄

[@beetiebean]

Probably THE MOST helpful video I've found since I started trying this watercolor thing a few months ago. THANK YOU a million times!

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

Okay so I have been blooming instead of blending my watercolor. Thanks for explaining theses techniques for blending.

[@artieross9537]

Wow! This is just what I needed to get transparency in my watercolors. Thank you, Steve. You're an excellent instructor. It's because of your videos that I picked up my brushes to start painting again.

[@Ieat2much]

A few years ago I didn’t really understand the title of your channel. Now I do , esp as watercolour has become one of my most fav mediums and I have stopped fighting with it. Now I see it as yoga ,or even meditation, as the water ebbs and flows with the pigment. I don’t fight I just breathe along with it.

[@shirleymalar9323]

Awesome video! Lack of control with watercolor has kept me from attempting any serious painting. I would have done all the wrong things by adding water to blend, starting from the wrong direction, etc. This knowledge will make a great of difference in techniques that will enable me to feel more 'in control'.

[@maryalgar8779]

This is very helpful exercise Steve. I think I have to get over the feeling I'm wasting paint by wiping it off. I now better understand a part of the "mind" of watercolour. Thank you again for taking the time to create your helpful and fun videos.

[@mindofwatercolor]

You bet!

[@yyang3466]

Your videos are so useful as you don’t edit out those water control blotting parts. Thank you so much. Can you please do a lesson on brush strokes? For example how to use a round 10 brush to color a pretty big area

[@mindofwatercolor]

Experiment. There is no one way to use a round. This video shows how I get to know what my brushes will do. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2Sll2aFgduBeKs

[@ladyhecate9450]

Thank you for this information. I am just learning watercolor, having been working with colored pencils and before that, painting years with oil. Each medium has its animal and for some reason, I feel watercolor seems to have the biggest. It is not hard blending colored pencils nor with oil, but watercolor seems to snarl at me. LoLs. But watching this video helps that animal to not snarl too loud.

[@gerryhemmer1573]

I am a beginning painter of anything other than my house walls. Need I say that is not preparation for watercoloring or any other artistic painting. Learning to blend colors is an eye opener for me. Thank you for the wonderfully clear tutorial. Have book marked your series.

[@covid-19inthistogether96]

Thank you so much! This was extremely helpful :-) So many people upload time-lapsed videos so I never understood the actual process the way you describe here. Great video!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Glad it was a help!

[@tracydahlke3002]

Yours is an excellent tutorial. I’ve always had problem with this. I will practice this with you!

[@carolinewithers1647]

This tutorial is exactly what I needed. Glad I found it!! These ae fundamental lessons! Thanks.

[@ginettemelody1035]

Big thanks. I had hesitated for years to attempt painting with watercolour..... until now, this week , I discovered your lessons!!! Am excited about and ordered FC Alberch Dürer pencils. A French in Australia.... Blessings

[@melonie42O]

This is very helpful, I think that is one of the hardest things to learn when working with watercolor is figuring out how much water you should use.

[@sheehs2487]

I am so sooo happy to finally have found a channel Luke yours. These videos are really helpful. Thank you!

[@karendurston2528]

Thanks. The examples you did of two colors meeting in the middle with a lighter value would be a great way to "sculpt" volume.

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Karen Durston Exactly!

[@cananimal1]

Amen! Thanks Steve and Reece for sharing your gift!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+April Milbrandt My pleasure!

[@abby-fichtner]

WOW! This was SO incredibly helpful. Am just learning watercolor and I was thinking of it kinda like transparent acrylic or something - this clears so much up. Thank you!

[@galedar1537]

Steve, thank you so much! This video and your other one really helped me a lot and explained the reason for some of the problems I have been having with my washes. Now I'm going to sit down and practice along with your video!

[@skabettispaghetti5451]

Thank you, thank you! Every tip I get is so helpful. I'm a beginner trying to learn H20-color online, as my local art center either fills up fast with students, or doesn't fill at all and the class gets canceled. Your tips today are exactly what I need. SO glad I found you!

[@veaudor]

That's the best explanation on blending! It has really helped!

[@HandmadeByLinanne]

Extremely helpful! Your instructions are the best I've found. I've struggled with this, and you've made it so easy to understand. Thank you!

[@louiseeee1108]

Seeing how you manage to do it is so helpful thank you

[@rhuechantal6316]

Thank you so much, Steve, for discussing and demonstrating the mind of watercolour and blending techniques. You do not overtalk this at all. You explain clearly, and show the process. It's so fun and relaxing to learn from you. Thank you for showing the entire process in real time. Other watercolour demos often talk super fast, and skip to the end. This is much more instructive! Thank you for sharing your expertise with us!

[@tammyhampel1449]

Thank you for slowing things down and showing step by tiny step. It really does help! I am one of those beginners who keeps adding water trying to solve my problem, or worst yet sometimes, more pigment. Going in with a dry brush is a game changer.

[@lesleypaul920]

I am an experienced oil painter but love to switch to watercolor. No one that has taught me watercolor has really explained glazing and blending the way you have. Thank you so much for answering the questions nobody else did. Working on a new watercolor right now and I'm good to go thank you so much!

[@Connie201]

Really enjoying these tutorials. Great demonstrations and explanations. Thanks!

[@tammievallery4035]

Love your tutorials and the scriptures

[@Gwendolynwatercolors]

OMG I've been going crazy trying to achieve good blends and in one video you've taught me everything I needed to know! Thanks a million!

[@jillwiswall5386]

Really, really helpful to see the process multiple times including the blotting! I think I’ve figured out where things were going pear-shaped for me. Thanks again!

[@jaspermartin7444]

I appreciate you going into this much detail. I watched this once after finding your channel for the first time but amazingly enough, I needed to come back to watch this a second time! Suppose after awhile, manipulating the water becomes second nature but as a beginner it is surprisingly tricky.

[@tombryan720]

You have no idea how much this particular video has helped me. I use this as my practice guide and it's been a real learning experience. Thank you soo much, blending color was really getting frustrating and i see why many avoid it. Much appreciated, thank you

[@melvaloudrury7996]

Thank you, thank you for sharing the rinsing and wiping of your brush. This is the technique I have been missing. I really appreciate you breaking the process of controlling where the pigment goes.

[@M.Zitana]

I really enjoy your watercolor demonstrations and your humour, you're great!

[@keksness1767]

This helped me so so much! I used to get very frustrated with hard edges and blooming when trying to blend... and now I've finally got the hang of it! Thanks a million!

[@katherineelizabethco]

Your are one of my favorite watercolor teachers. The ways you keep the lessons tightly to the point makes learning easier for me. Getting the brush blotted out of water before going back into the color for blending is working beautifully for my work. I’m a total beginner. For decades I painted in oil on canvas. Making watercolors is like I’ve retired; it’s much less strenuous and clean up is a breeze. I wake up every morning excited to start my latest watercolor ! Thanks for being a thoughtful, generous teacher !

[@whysvert]

I've been looking for ways to improve an learn techinques and man, your channel is a treasure trove, sir! Cheers! Helped me a lot!

[@rachaelfleming8453]

Much appreciated. Discovered through your videos that I was going back in with too wet a brush.

[@YCauser]

You really are a great teacher. Thank you.

[@cmbergersct3492]

This tutorial really helps me figure out how to paint a satiny-leather jacket with very blended reflections. Thank you very much!

[@LightLynne]

🌿You are a terrific teacher! I am glad I found you! Thanks for a great lesson🌿

[@anyaforger7779]

Thank You Sir, this is really helpful, mostly for the beginners like me. This quarantine made me explore my hidden(possible)talents😅

[@cardsbypanda]

.Hi, I am in the UK and don't mind being a minder . Thanks for all your wonderful videos! We love you!!!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+Andrea Motta Awesome! Thanks!

[@nsavar5864]

thank you for creating a warm and inviting community for us "minders". I'm new to your channel and so fortunate to find it. How lucky to have your videos as I travel along my watercolor journey. You are a treasure. Thank you thank you thank you. Best to you. --nina from Chicago.

[@erwinramos6326]

omigosh, THIS is the kind of instruction that i’ve been looking for! Thank you!!!

[@pattycyr8662]

This is an excellent video. I've often had trouble blending, and this makes it easier to understand.

[@SparrowErin10]

Thank you for the reminder that doing these kinds of exercises over and over and over is what makes a good painter... I just want to paint, but having never learned, as you call it, the "personality" of this medium, it kept getting frustrating. For the first time, I feel like I'm making progress that will make me a painter rather than a dabbler.

[@mindofwatercolor]

👍

[@Jkw211]

I think I love u man.. ! At least I def love ur channel. I've been looking for this kind if info for a looong time. These basic skills are indispensable.Thank you very much for all this great advice 👍👍

[@betsykelley3561]

Thank you! Your videos are really helping me to become a better artist. This video is by far one of the best technique tutorials I've found!

[@SpottedOtter7]

Outstanding how to. Thank you so much Steve. So glad I subscribed to your channel.

[@pamelahubbell-gl7gr]

You are not over talking this. I am fascinated and I find it very helpful.

[@Tessanna12]

Thank You so much, Master Minder! Your instruction is so helpful and it is so generous of you to take the time to help us by really explaining the Mind of Watercolor! I've learned so much and improved thanks to you. Wish I had your natural artistic talent, though. Your art is amazing!

[@alesaglazier6168]

I'm addicted to your videos. Thank you for really teaching a how to... I've learned so much these last couple of weeks and can even see a real improvement. I'm subscribed and a huge thumbs up!

[@tubejtthomps]

steve this video is a great, it's like stuff they talk about in the beginning of a watercolor book but it's a lot more clear to see someone demonstrate it specifically and show how to practice it, thanks!

[@mindofwatercolor]

+tubejtthomps Glad it was a help, thanks for watching!

[@Howie875]

Thanks for the excellent lessons Steve. Have dabbled in watercolor but have always been real busy and could not seem to find the time to get serious. Just retired in January and now in quarantine like a lot of us. Plan on watching most of your videos and start doing some paintings!

[@lynnrush7166]

Thanks Steve, for a fabulous video that actually shows in real time how you achieve such gorgeous paintings. I’ve been watching for a few months. Now I know that I have to go back to your early videos! Stay safe from 🇨🇦

[@barbarawest1205]

Fantastic video, easily understood by this absolute beginner. I'm pushing 70 and have never tried wet media unless you count Tombow brush pens. I have subscribed and am really looking forward to learning more from your videos.

[@margaretbrownhill1193]

I really appreciate you doing these videos, at last I feel hopeful that I can get into the mind of watercolour instead of fighting it all the time

[@dianequinn1500]

Just revisiting this video by way of revision. Enormously helpful! Flew over South Carolina yesterday on my way back to the UK. Thought of dropping in if I could have done it as easily as wet in wet 😘

[@reneederoberval]

After so many videos about blending, now I finely got it. You’re an excellent teacher, you make everything look so easy. Thank you so much.

[@Sooz-gh7fb]

I'm new to watercolours. I'm learning so much from you. Thank you.x

[@cecilegorski447]

I love your videos!! I'm learning aquarelle and as a newbie, the things you teach are so helpful!! Now I understand why I usually " opened blanks" ( ouvrir des blancs, in french). I was going back in my wash with a wet brush, instead of what you just demonstrated!!!! Thank you sooooooo much from Belgium!! ❤

[@JDLandscapePainter]

I have yet to find another youtube tutorial that explains blending watercolour this well. Most will just teach you wet in wet blending or adding water to the hard edge which creates those blooms. Thank you so much!

[@melissaamyx2196]

And another amazing video! I can't thank you enough for all of them, they are helping me grow so much in watercolor. I love being a "minder", and I love how watercolor has a somewhat mind of its own. It completely fascinates me what it does on paper with a little help from me. Keep up these fantabulous videos!

[@TerrieJohnson731]

Thank you! I had a successful painting of a pear with Prima craft paints on sketch paper, and a total fail of an onion on watercolor paper taped to a new pro board. huh? Thank God watercolor has a mind, paper evidently has a mind too. My mind is like, ok, we shall try again, and I will get used to the Bee cotton paper, because I dont have to donate a kidney to practice on it. I also have new Princeton Neptune brushes. They are amazing, but we will all have to have a meeting of the minds. Thanks for this lesson. I will watch it 5 times and add it to my playlist.

[@judichristopher4604]

Terrie J I love reading your comment... You should take up Writing... You have a way with words... I Write and do Watercolor... W & W.... (I just made that up!) Seriously... Write a book... you're good.

[@goldingsen]

Wonderful! It's really helpful that you give a few examples, all with the same colour of paint. Now I get how it works. Thank you very very much!

[@makeitmakesense5577]

I know this video (& others) are 3 yrs old but I'm a beginner eager to learn & I just recently found you. Than God! What a wonderful teacher you are! All my work comes out MUDDY..augggh! But scrolling to here I just saw you have a video on that..yea!!!..im off to watch it! THANK YOU! I am a new fan!

[@notme3252]

This video was AMAZING! I had been failing because I’d been using clear water instead of a dry brush to fan it out. UGH I CANNOT WAIT TO GET HOME AND TRY IT LOL I appreciate this so much.

[@theshift2010]

I am really enjoying your videos they're well put together, they're fun and you explain things really well. Thank you for making them

[@JunkyardSam]

Super helpful. You teach techniques really well because you point out and show the critical details that make the difference. Little things, like how you wipe the paint out of the brush or dry it before spreading the existing color into a gradient, etc. Great video!

[@tammyhood5117]

Thank you! I just learned how to correct a mistake I've been frustrated by. You GEM.

[@lisam3879]

Great help! Thanks for the detailed instructions!

[@lindathaxton1994]

Need all the help u have to give! Thank you

[@billhughes8237]

THIS . IS . EXACTLY . WHAT . I'VE . NEEDED! You have obliterated so much of the wall that has had me blocked for some time now. You put an exceeding amount of joy back into my painting. THANK YOU!!!!