How to produce different watercolor tones. Most important way to add depth to a watercolor painting.

[@sarathsen1]

I am glad that I found Joe Cartwright finally. I have been loving water color since small days (now I am 61) but couldn’t pursue it due to circumstances. Started a bit during Covid but was going slowly. It’s been a few years reading , going through videos but didn’t get it properly . Now I got a good start through your beginner series 1,2,3 … now I am here . Your teaching, content and presentation is very clear. I saw there is a lot of tutorials I can watch . Hope I can master the art. 🎉

[@JoeCartwright]

So glad my videos are of help to you. Enjoy your watercolor journey!

[@janettepolt2815]

Hi Joe Cartright (Bonanza). Thanks for all your help. U R a rockstar!

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad to help!

[@sharonk9831]

I’ve always wanted to learn watercolor. I’ve tried off and on for several years, but it’s different instructors on KZbin, but I have to say you are the best instructor on KZbin. I started with your first class and every night I progress to another class. I really look forward to it. You explain everything so well and you make things easy to understand and follow. I’m not crazy about the music. I’d rather just hear you because you have a peaceful way about you and the music kind of doesn’t blend, but it’s OK, I’m really glad I found your program

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you are finding my videos helpful. Yes, the music in my earlier videos were a bit loud. 😒

[@fizishn]

Agree with above. You’re the best on KZbin for the above reasons.

[@JoeCartwright]

@@fizishn Thank you for your kind words.

[@Lestanymanshouldboast]

Very, very cool excercise. Definitely a challenge, but loved it! Thanks!

[@JoeCartwright]

You're so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@esling77]

Tones . It will make or break a Painting for sure. Ty Joe for sharing your knowledge and skills with us.

[@JoeCartwright]

You are very welcome. While excercises like this can seem simple, they are very important for future painting development.

[@dianemcgregor6171]

Gosh..This is the first time i have understand that tones are really to do with the concentration of the pigment in water! I thought I had to make it blacker to make it darker. Thank you so much for this clear explanation!

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad it was helpful!

[@irmareitz701]

I like the idea of using a limited palette. I know I have too many colours and get quite confused as to what colour I should be using. I have just bought my first 3 professional watercolour tubes (yay) and am really looking forward to getting to know them thoroughly before adding any more. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

[@JoeCartwright]

Starting with a limited palette is a good way to learn. For my advanced students we use a palette with about 13 colours - which is still not very many out of potentially hundreds. Glad you are getting something out of my videos.

[@pouyatavassoli]

Please make a video showing how to make color palettes like the ones you show at the end of video

[@JoeCartwright]

I will some time, but you need a 3D printer

[@pouyatavassoli]

@@JoeCartwright sorry I think I was not clear enough. I actually meant those color swatches you created on the paper with the headings written on top of them with pencil that you show in the last few minutes of the video.

[@JoeCartwright]

@@pouyatavassoli OH, I see. Really there is no need for such a video. You just take each color and produce a color swatch for it as I showed earlier. I don't have all those colors any more. :-(

[@meenapardeshi5860]

Sir, you are simply great. Your detailed explanation is very useful to improve our watercolor paintings. Thank you !

[@JoeCartwright]

You are most welcome.

[@deborahamaral8470]

Thank you for all you have been teaching us!! I am sorry I would kindly suggest that you turn off the background music. 🙌🏼🙌🏼☺️

[@JoeCartwright]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, in my latest videos I have stopped using background music. :-)

[@deborahamaral8470]

@@JoeCartwright thank you! I am going to see them! 🙌🏼🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@m.e.langieri4957]

Great video with a lot of information in technique in one seemingly simple exercise. Thank you! I love that you begin with darkest, lightest and mid tone and then find the ranges between them. The changing it to a black and white photo also great trick (I first learned this trick in a quilting class). Wonderful exercise for developing the eye and sense of color. Loving each one of these lessons. Have a lovely week!

[@JoeCartwright]

Very happy your are enjoying my videos.

[@grantellis2840]

Thank you Joe for another very informative lesson, I really need to practice this one as I have never really made up a chart like those and I can see how vitally important being able to use the same colour but different tones is. Once again fantastic lesson, thank you so much for your time and effort

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you found it useful Grant. Getting these basics right can really help your paintings in the future.

[@ErlingJellum]

Hi from Norway. Another great video. Really enjoy following along and I am learning a lot! and It was interesting to try to create the full range of tone possible within each colour. I do not have not gotten the windsor colours you recommended, but rather have a set of 12 different pans of color. I notice that these colors have noticeably smaller range of tone than yours. I am guessing that this stems from one out of two things: 1) My colors are of lower quality (they were cheap) 2) There is an inherent difference between colors in tubes and in pans. Can you (or anyone else) shed some light on this?

[@JoeCartwright]

Glad you are enjoying my videos. Yes, cheap pans have very little real pigment in them so it is hard to create the stronger tones.

[@kaystoecklin4343]

Thank you for your tutorials Joe!! Are you standing up to paint, instead of sitting?

[@JoeCartwright]

Hi Kay, I mostly paint standing up. The only times I sit, when painting, is when I run a workshop or am doing a demonstration for an art society.

[@dorianformosa6439]

Thanks for this amazing tutorials. Do you use pans or tubes ?

[@JoeCartwright]

I only use Tubes. I let the paint dry in in my palette however.

[@aleksandergumos8508]

I would do this differently. Prepare darkest mixture,next for every tone-down I will be adding same amount of water dilute...moving from left to right, till the box of white paper..

[@JoeCartwright]

Whatever works for you is fine.

[@Fonkemman]

What brush size are you using here? 🙂

[@JoeCartwright]

It is a size 8. The width of the hairs at the ferrule is 5 mm and the length of the hairs are 21 mm. There are no standard sizes amongst different watercolor brush manufacturers.

[@Fonkemman]

@@JoeCartwright Thanks Joe! Yes I have noticed that as well. I had an old Van Gogh Royal Talens number 8 and I just bought a number 6 daVinci. I was surprised of the difference in size. Then I saw online that the number 8 Royal Talens was a number 10 in daVinci size.

[@paulzegers2438]

What are the colors in your palette?

[@JoeCartwright]

I have added them to the description. They are also in the video.