How to Paint Light in Watercolor - Step by step

▶︎Free Downloadable Guide: 5 Steps to Plan a Successful Watercolor Painting www.learntopaintwatercolor.co...
Today I'm showing you how to paint light in watercolor.
I am painting on Saunders Waterford Cold Press 140lb paper. I have my surface tilted to 35 degrees. I use a variety of brands of brushes. I mainly stick to a large mop, medium round and smaller synthetic brush with a point.
Here are the list of pigments on my palette:
Burnt Sienna
Cadmium Red
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cerulean Blue
Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Teal Blue
Cobalt Turquoise
Lavender
Neutral Tint
Payne's Gray
Quinacridone Gold
Raw Sienna
Raw Sienna Light
Raw Umber
Rose Madder Permanent
Ultramarine Blue
If you would like to purchase some of the brushes I feature in this video you can take a look at my Amazon Affiliate link: www.amazon.com/shop/m.white.art

[@learntopaintwatercolor]

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

[@coneyisland4568]

I know what that urge to 'jump ahead' feels like only too well. Because I usually paint with oils, I'm used to putting in my dark values early in the painting.

[@scottenosh4548]

Hey Matt....if you havent already, could you make a video of your favorite paintings...that you produced???

[@learntopaintwatercolor]

Good idea!

[@RumoHasIt]

Your best tutorial yet. So much insight into your thought process! Thank you so much!

[@Andy_S.]

Бесконечное спасибо! Великолепный урок для меня! Благодаря Вам я перестал бояться акварели. Благодарю Вас, Учитель!

[@dianebast9714]

This is one of the best videos I've seen summarizing and demonstrating step by step the process of doing a watercolor painting. It's a plan that helps launch me to start. It might be helpful to do a video just dissecting Step 2, the middle values, and connecting. Thank you, Matt😊

[@franhodges9959]

I am always amazed when I see your tutorials, You are a great teacher and explain things so well. Thanks Matt!!

[@celsom5692]

Matthew, your teachings are amazing, I'm starting to paint watercolors almost a year after I retired, and I'm really enjoying it, thank you, who knows, maybe one day I'll be painting about 2% of what you paint. 👏👏👏👏

[@RonAlbers]

Thanks Matthew, very informative.

[@cindyhills5593]

I love the way you talk through everything you are doing. I am still working on the stages and the correct brush size. Thank you for the help!

[@min8522]

Loved the vid matthew 👍

[@MB-kf3yx]

Very helpful...still working on the three stages.

[@oljastevanovic]

Great ! Thank you :)

[@dominiquebrechemier-baey]

As usually. Your tutorial : it's always very interesting

[@shahzadqurashi7728]

Amazing

[@christer8964]

Really nice!

[@orcbilgin8959]

Excellent tutorial

[@barbaragemin5117]

I’m going to try a painting using your method again. It works so well for you Matthew. I think I probably wet the sides too much. I notice your first wash doesn’t all merge together like mine does. It’s exasperating. The greens with the greys and blues. Could you tell us just how wet the sides should be? Thanks.

[@gingeranderson9701]

Love it!

[@learntopaintwatercolor]

Thanks!

[@lisaherrero7453]

Très bien expliqué merci! Vos vidéos sur patreon ont elles des sous titres en français?

[@kristapedersen1828]

Great to have your videos reinforcing Andy’s method. Thank you! Your paintings are lovely. Question: why did you decide to cover over the light on the road in the foreground?

[@vanwheelsontour]

Great explanation

[@crystalcup244]

❤

[@stefannorinder2892]

Thanks for all your great content. Could you explain what you mean by *connecting* shape and *connecting* values and why this is important to do from the wet edge?

[@johnytwo]

You „need“ to include all the middle values in the second wash, so that the painting is nice and clean and connected. So you paint all the values you guestimate to be „middle values“ in one connected wash. The wet edge helps with this, because as long as it is wet, there is not gonna be any visible „connection“, which could happen, if you were not fast enough and the shape dries up and forms a hard edge. For more info see Andy Evansen „value studies“.

[@gennydavidsonsmith85]

Thank you Matthew. Are you using rough paper?

[@learntopaintwatercolor]

Cold press 140lb.

[@kristinelockwood2431]

You make it look easy. I feel like I stop my paintings either with the first wash and they look flat or don’t have the middle values so they don’t look connected between light and dark. The birds, why must there be birds? It doesn’t always add perspective and doesn’t seem real. IMO

[@johnytwo]

My rule: Add birds when needed :)

[@johnytwo]

What percentage of your painting time are you squinting?

[@learntopaintwatercolor]

Mainly when I'm determining the large middle shape. It's good to step back and squint from time to time to make sure you are simplifying.

[@johnytwo]

@@learntopaintwatercolor That is good. I feel like I need to squint all the time, to prevent myself from painting too much detail. But I paint trees a lot, so that is why maybe.

[@iqa1705]

How does your paper not crumbling???

[@stefannorinder2892]

Good question. I also want to know.

[@johnytwo]

Because it is wet on both sides ,) Some painters even wet the paper just on the back and when the water soaks the whole paper, it is also straight.