Importance of Saturation in Watercolor Painting

[@Wal48]

Great lesson Liron! I recently was reading about this kind of thing in a book by Jeanne Dobie, ‘Making colour sing’. She was basically saying surround your gem of pure punchy colour with a grey made from its opposing colour, so red surrounded by a greenish grey to make the red pop. I liked your comment in your last vid, ‘making the viewer work for the hints of colour in the greys’. The trouble is remembering all this info while your painting!

[@LironYan]

Yes! That's one excellent way of achieving that punchy effect 😁 And it's indeed challenging to have that all in mind 😂 My tip for that is that beginners focus on practicing / improving 1 aspect at a time (:

[@stinar37]

thank you for this tip, Alison. An going to try it!

[@francoforleo4971]

Great lesson in muting colours.... I needed that!

[@LironYan]

So happy to hear Franco! Thank you for watching 😁🙏🏼

[@lesleydelacerda6278]

Lion, thank you for sharing this technique for tones and shades. I've struggled with pigment saturation and this exercise really helps.

[@LironYan]

So glad to hear, thank you so much for watching 🙏😊

[@Sam48772]

Best explanation of colour saturation I have seen! Thankyou!

[@jenniefrench1338]

Very good lesson Liron🤗

[@LingaBirdie]

I am so grateful with every exercise you present! I just spent 3 hours studying color theory and this video is a good starting point for my practical experience! Thank once again Lyron! You're a helpful and to the point teacher! Be proud!

[@salmant1643]

Superb

[@chantelmcskimming6633]

Liron!! WOW! I just love these clever exercises you give us 😊 I am grateful for this insight I love clear colors and avoid "muddy" paint but now I get it -- I can use the more murky paint to really showcase the clear! Thank you 😊

[@zerocalvin]

I started watercolor by painting very bright colors almost look like a cartoon, then I learn to paint using mainly muted color, but now what I'm trying to chase right now is colorful but not cartoony... like many of the impressionist old master, they are very colorful but never look like a cartoon...

[@LironYan]

Yes! It can indeed lead to this effect 😁 Let me know how it goes!

[@N_Patil80]

LOVE IT. Was just struggling with it when I was trying to learn from Zbukvic’s landscapes.

[@LironYan]

Yes! I had a VERY similar problem with doing master studies of his works! If you're inexperienced - it all looks like gray, so that's how you recreate it. But there's so much nuance and subtle changes of colors and temperatures - AND they are all placed in the right locations. Recreating that is much more complex than it seems, and it's best to take it slow and with the respect it deserves (: Thank you so much for watching 😊🙏🏼

[@N_Patil80]

Liron Yanconsky exactly. It’s frustrating sometimes but I’m happy that it’s complex otherwise I’ll lose interest..

[@z.z.1205]

Thank you. Very helpful.

[@pjs3514]

Good tip. Never really thought about this before. Thanks

[@LironYan]

Thank you! 🙏🏼😁 Happy this could help

[@krudler406]

powerful thoughts for pondering - thanks Liron!

[@LironYan]

My pleasure! 😊🙏🏼 Thank you for watching

[@wendydashwood7879]

This is a huge feature that I am only just getting to grips with. Thanks for sharing it makes a lot of sense!!

[@rodrigosalazar3635]

Great job, I really need this training!!👌

[@LironYan]

Thank you Rodrigo! 😊🙏🏼 Happy you found it helpful 😁

[@dandrawsok4123]

Love the video, I often struggle with colour either the whole thing looks too dull or everything looks too saturated, and therefore there is no contrast. So doing this value scale is a very helpful guideline to get contrast in colour.

[@LironYan]

Thank you! 😊🙏🏼 Very happy it could help. I can totally relate to what you're saying, and I definitely experienced this before - it's a tight rope and with time and practice you'll find the balance. I'm no stranger to making dull and too gray and awkward paintings.

[@krisp.1584]

You are my star 💫 in the watercolour sky, Liron 😊

[@LironYan]

Ohhh thank you so so much Kristiane 😊🙏🏼⭐️✨

[@Chiewere]

Hello :) Extremely good lesson. I haven't tried this, but I tried to paint shades of colors. The result strongly depends on the paper, the amount of the water, and the pigments. I have used Winsor&Newton watercolor paint, but among the colors there are huge differences. Some of them dissolve very good, but others not.

[@LironYan]

Yes, working with shades is another way of desaturating colors (: Thank you 😊🙏🏼 I don't use Winsor & Newton a lot - sorry to hear they're inconsistent!

[@FaerieDust]

I love bright, bold colors (honestly I think I love all colors at this point - the more I learn and experiment, the more I find uses for colors, be they vibrant and saturated or desaturated and muddy). Using muted or desaturated colors is a great way to make the vibrant, high chroma colors in a piece really pop and stand out - they'll look even brighter and bolder because of the contrast! I'm still learning how to apply that in practice, but it's fun work :)

[@LironYan]

Haha I'm so happy to hear - it means you're gaining more and more appreciation for the medium, when you start loving pretty much all colors 😁 Thank you for watching!

[@justacatwhocantype]

Love your videos, Liron! 💜 I always like telling people who are new to painting, that they should choose a subject that it not too difficult for them to paint, so they can put all their focus on the color, and do the whole thing with just one color, and then another version with two colors. It's a very fun and useful excercise that helps people understand and appreciate muted colors, values, saturation, etc. etc. And I really enjoy painting that way, too, it's a wonderful way to create great art and it's exciting because, depending on the pigments I choose, the results are so vastly different in so many ways. It's actually not just a great way for beginners to learn about color, it's good for anyone who wants to really get to know their pigments. I highly recommend. 👩‍🎨🎨

[@LironYan]

I wholeheartedly agree! That's exactly the point 😁🙌 And even if you end up preferring to make highly saturated paintings, at least it's by choice and you can appreciate its value! Rather than doing it automatically and not knowing about the multitude of other ways (:

[@justacatwhocantype]

@@LironYan Exactly - Get to know it so you can then decide on what you like, and like it because you understand it.

[@ladyt1277]

This is a great lesson, thank you! I never thought about this technique. After I practice, I’m going to incorporate into my paintings. Your videos are so inspiring. I also love your artist’s spotlights. I always like to hear about what you like about the different paintings and how you point different things/techniques out.

[@LironYan]

Thank you so much for watching, Kathy! 😊🙏🏼 So happy you find them helpful

[@barbarawilliams7012]

I associate 'saturation' with the ratio of pure paint to water. I can see here that there is less/more of the main colour but can you explain what you are adding at each stage (water, colour or both). at the moment it seems you are just using a dirty palette, and it is unclear whether you rinse/dry your brush each time. you have mad some lovely subtle colours but `I am not really any wiser about how to go about making them. Do you do lessons for dummies like me?

[@Wal48]

I think that if you want to grey a colour you add it’s opposite on the colour wheel, so if you want to grey yellow you would add a purple, red a green, and blue an orange. One of the best neutral greys is made by adding burnt sienna to french ultramarine. I’m not an expert though!

[@LironYan]

My bad! I forgot to address this technical side. I did mention it in the description, but it's not visible enough unfortunately (: You are correct in that adding water will lead to what's called a weaker tint - and that is less saturated. But remember that adding black (leading to a darker shade) will also result in a less saturated mix. And also adding gray. (Check out this video for a more detailed explanation, in case you missed it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h36zhGegqLubmqM) How I approach it technique-wise is either by mixing the other primary colors in (so if it's a blue - I'll add yellow and red, and so on...). And - if it's not a primary color, just like Alison Conway mentioned - I'll use its complementary color on the color wheel - so green with red, orange with blue and so on (which is exactly the same - as orange contains red and yellow). I hope this makes sense 😊🙏🏼 *Edit - forgot to mention that in this particular example, very often I created a gray using French Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna, and added THAT gray to mute the color.

[@imhumb1265]

This is such an incredible lesson!!

[@KrishanPatel]

Great excercise Liron! I enjoy learning from your videos! Saturation in watercolor helps create a more vivid image.

[@LironYan]

Thank you so much Krishan! 😊🙏🏼

[@SpottedOtter7]

I enjoyed this video and will definitely try it. I continue to be amazed at your art and I have learned so much from your videos. THANK YOU 🙏

[@LironYan]

Thank you so much Valerie! 😊🙏🏼

[@HerradaJulio]

Thanks good information

[@lindathaxton1994]

Great lesson! 🙏

[@messyjessywarren9273]

Omgosh Thank You SO Much! This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but I’m self taught and and I’ve never had this articulated to me in such a way where it was so easy to comprehend. Thank you again for doing these types of videos. It’s wonderful to have this information in such an accessible way. I’m hoping you have some color mixing videos for some of your favorite or most used colors/grays etc I love using Daniel Smith , but I buy too many colors when I should be working on mixing and using a very limited palette. 🤷🏼‍♀️❤️

[@felipecoelho1936]

Very nice, Liron! Can you make more videos giving tips on how you darken the collors? Its not so easy to me to get the right complementary collor...

[@aprilstark8887]

Great video, thanks!

[@MKOHVIDS]

Another good video with informative instructions. For artists who are having problems with too much saturation in their paintings and are unhappy with the "cartoonish" look, couldn't they go back and add light washes of contrasting colors to mute the colors and de-emphasize them (in the offending areas of the painting)?

[@stinar37]

Excellent video. Dumb question: what is relationship between grey and ultra marine. In other words, why go from grey to U.M vs the most watered down version of U.M to less saturated U.M.

[@CC-ho5lw]

Christina Ruggieri I wondered the same thing!

[@jdub3853]

I think he's bringing the hue closer to the center of the color wheel, being the muted grey without any ultramarine at all as opposed to just a very thin wash of UB, which would never approach grey in hue no matter how light.

[@stinar37]

JDub Thanks. I guess I an wondering why employ gray at all vs. just using more or leas water with each of the respective colors. Also, grays shown seem related to each of the three colors, so I am wondering how we achieved this.

[@LironYan]

​@@stinar37 Thank you Christina! 😁🙏🏼 Actually - my fully gray variations were intended to NOT relate to the base color, but rather be as "pure" of a gray as possible - just wanted to clarify that first (: Regarding watering down vs muting - these are very different. When adding water - you get a lighter tint of the same color. I think you can technically consider it as desaturating the paint - but not to the fullest extent! Plus - you make it lighter, which is not my intent here. What you suggest is essentially moving from the purest hue to white (left corner to top right corner of the triangle). What I suggest is moving from the purest hue to a perfect gray (left to right - which is the axis representing saturation!). This will make the color muted, and will preserve its value (and a reminder - value is on a different axis - top to bottom) (Check out my vid on color theory if you missed it, and it will make more sense: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h36zhGegqLubmqM) I hope this helps haha, a bit of a complex topic (: Let me know of any follow-ups you get!

[@stinar37]

Liron Yanconsky Tysm for taking the time to reply. Much appreciate it. I will definitely check out the video on color theory. Also, am loving your books that I got on Amazon. Learning for much!

[@ScottFree45]

Thank you

[@Fray4all]

Great overview, thanks. I’m completing a piece now and felt I missed the mark on guiding the eye.

[@LironYan]

Happy this could help 😊🙏🏼 This is indeed a great tool for leading the viewer (one of many tools, by the way!)

[@sallyfinch540]

This goes with your video on “Dirty Palette” and why that’s better than working with a clean palette.

[@LironYan]

Haha indeed! And it's a great way to not waste paint. I almost always need to mute something - why not use the gray leftovers? 😁

[@kellywilson2147]

This is such a valuable concept, Liron, and I'm going to give this exercise a go. You always have such super content on your channel. As a long time subscriber I've learned a great deal from you and appreciate your consistency and fresh approach to our beloved watercolor. How do you like working with the M. Graham paints? Keep up the great work!

[@LironYan]

Thank you so much Kelly! I really really appreciate that 😊🙏🏼 Regarding M. Grahams - I love them! Definitely top tier. As you may know they are a little softer and stay moist for longer. Despite that - I haven't even had a problem taking them with me for plein-air - no leaks at all! (Though this may very from pigment to pigment, some are significantly softer than others)

[@margaretmartin6620]

Good advice, Liron. Very helpful. I'm the opposite, though. My stuff doesn't seem "screamy" enough, many times. Too dull. Thanks. :)

[@LironYan]

Haha that's also a common issue! Have you tried introducing one very saturated paint into the painting, to a specific area? It often ends up making a great focal point (:

[@louisascott2959]

I was taught to use triads for paintings. Did you intentionally choose blue, yellow and red here? In your palette you have other colors. Do you use these others in addition to the triad for your grey?

[@LironYan]

I used primary colors because it makes the most sense for creating greys, and because I personally love them! (: But yes - I do use additional paints to create greys, such as purple + yellow, orange + blue and more!

[@L0ST-ALIEN]

This is good lesson.

[@LironYan]

Thank you for watching! 😊🙏🏼

[@michelleflick1937]

Perhaps I missed it at the beginning, but I am unsure what you muted each color with.

[@stinar37]

Ahhhh! I just watched the video and grasped the concept. You are juxtaposing “dull” (for lack of a better word,) gray with “ta-da” vibrance, so the “ta-daness of color vs grey is amplified. Now I get it. 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

[@LironYan]

Haha exactly! 😁🎨 It's in that balance! Find what looks best to you (: Will send regards to May 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@patriciacharrier3620]

What was the name of the gray yor used, or did you mix your own gray ?

[@LironYan]

I mixed my own (: Mainly from my primary colors: French Ultramarine, Yellow Ochre and Quinacridone Rose Or from mixing French Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna. That's how I usually create my gray and black colors

[@patriciacharrier3620]

@@LironYan thank you

[@kiachi470]

Could you use saturation for bright white highlights in a painting?

[@LironYan]

That's a great question! What often happens is that the center of the highlight is either a very light color (such as the light opaque reds and greens I often use), OR Very often the center of the highlight IS white, but it also has a fairly light colorful halo around it. So for example - you'll get a round white circle / dot, surrounded by a thin colorful halo. And when looking at it - your mind "reads" it as the color of the halo. You can see it in action with the white highlights in this painting process: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJ3PlJWBqcaDis0 I hope this helps 😊🙏🏼

[@aesea57804]

How are you making it gray and still a strong value?

[@stinar37]

also, what colors are you mixinc each of these three diff colors w to mute them? Black?

[@CC-ho5lw]

Christina Ruggieri I’m sure it the classic u.m. and burnt sienna gray mix.

[@LironYan]

As CC replied - I'm using French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna often in the video, but also the full 3 primary colors: French Ultramarine Yellow Ochre Quinacridone Rose ^_^

[@charlesfriedman9720]

What is the metal handle brush you use?

[@scottenosh4548]

Very good exercise. Ill tell you what though, with my partial colorblindness, this exercise is also good for not letting curse words 'slip' during momentary lapses of reason lol.

[@mikepolo2887]

I struggled with saturation a lot and worked a lot on muting my palette. I wish I had seen this video 10 years ago...;)

[@darrenfromla]

what is your initial grey made of?

[@carolatchley229]

Liron, I honestly never thought about this. Thank you. Also, I need to let you know that KZbin unsubscribed me from your channel. I had to subscribe again.

[@LironYan]

Thank you so much Carol! 😊🙏🏼 And it's really weird - thank you for letting me know. They sometimes do a bot "cleanup" and in the process unsubscribe real people, it's really bad for other creators, from what I've seen.

[@stinar37]

I’m a slow study this week. Please give my regards to May.

[@darrenfromla]

do you prefer reducing saturation with a color's complement or by adding gray? SO CURIOUS!