How To Avoid Muddy Colors In Watercolor (the REAL causes!)

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Have any of these tips helped you? Let me know in the comments and share your own tips too!

[@bokresik1]

Every one of the videos have helped. I started using a Correal dinner plate for my pallet. And two water containers.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

@@bokresik1 Excellent, good luck with your paintings, and stay safe Betsy!

[@jennifermayer5092]

Everyone who wants to work in a color medium (whether paint, pastel, colored pencils, fabric...) would be well advised to learn a black-and-white art or craft (charcoal, graphite, black-and-white photography...) first. That was how I learned the value of contrast. I think if you jump straight into a color medium, you tend to simply gravitate towards your favorite colors and shy away from the ones you don't care for. You may find that adding a touch of a color you may not love can really give it life.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Yes tonal work is very important :-)

[@stephanieh930]

My color charts took a long time to do but they are saving me a TON of time while painting and avoiding the accidental colors I sometimes create during painting time!

[@annettefournier9655]

Thanks Michele. Greens turning to mud were my nemesis for just about 6 months, also took me that long maybe a little longer to grasp the color wheel. I felt so stupid. I went to a split primary pallet and finally got it the greens. Then added back a few convenience colors and earth tones. Payne's grey and yellow make the most gorgeous olive green. I'm happy that I can now mix colors but do still keep a scrap of paper to the side to test on. I leave my pallet dirty if I know I'm going to use the same colors in my next subject. If I change subjects I'll clean the pallet. I've made swatches for my paints, and color charts. But I find in my case I remember more from actual use. I will mix and make notes on a thumbnail sketch. I have no formal training so its learn as I go from you generous KZbin artists. Thanks again. 😁👍

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No problem Annette, colour charts are like shopping lists, just making them helps to fix them in your brain :-)

[@MrApolloTom]

I'm so glad you mentioned lack of contrast. I keep having this argument with acrylic pourers that just because you have some unsaturated colour it doesn't mean it's muddy.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

It's a popular idea, but I have always thought lack of tonal contrast is the main problem. So many beautiful muted colours in the world.

[@gardengal9478]

Very helpful list. I find that forcing myself to a limited palette of say 4 colors helps a lot. It’s taken me a while to discipline myself to the technique. Also, the video you did on cool and warm color mixing was very eye opening when it comes to clearer colors. Thanks again!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No problem Susan, I started with a very limited palette, once you understand more it becomes easier to use a bigger range of colours :-)

[@ruthdallas6125]

Great explanations of how to avoid muddy paintings.

[@ShanaCali]

What a wonderful comparison of not understanding math or color mixing. My husband watches me create so many swatches but NOT the mixed swatches. I even write down the names for each color. Thank you so much. Your simply delightful and I love watercoloring so much, I refuse to give up. ~*Shana

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks so much for watching Shana, and good luck with your paintings. I really am awful at math (or maths as we call it here!)

[@OneTrueWord1988]

In the Studio with Michele Webber: I loved Algebra in college, but was hopeless with Geometry; which probably doesn't bode well for my drawing skills improvement! 😄

[@FaerieDust]

Ooh yeah, there are a lot of myths about what causes muddy colors! Colour theory makes a huge difference - I still often struggle with blues, if they're not very significantly cool or warm I can have trouble determining their "temperature". My fix? I mix them with colors I DO know! If I grab a very cool red, I can mix it with my trouble blues and see what those mixes look like. Makes it much easier on me when I've been staring at the same swatches thinking "I know they're different, I can see that they're different, but I cannot figure out which is cooler vs warmer". Mix it and see what the purples and greens look like! I saw someone, I'm pretty sure it was Denise of In Liquid Color, with a palette with dedicated mixing areas for different groups of colours - neutrals in one well, greens in another, purples in a third etc. That way you won't accidentally get green in your purple mixes! I love that method, it works particularly well in my Kuretake 14 pan travel palette - it's got nine mixing wells, so I can split everything up and keep my colors from contaminating each other. Re: paint quality: the super cheap, chalk filled paints really do get in your way more than anything. But there are really great affordable paints, too, like the MeiLiang/Pretty Excellent set - I got mine for £19 on Amazon, but I've seen it as low as £14! No pigment information, and it can be a bit confusing to have so many colors on your palette at once, but the paints are good and transparent, they mix really well... They're just incredibly good value for your money. The paints all have the "normal" names, too, so it's easy to follow along with tutorials. I know a lot of cheaper sets with have their own names for colours, but "brown" and "pink" aren't really helpful names. ...and also the tin is turquoise with a parrot on it and honestly the set would be worth it just for that 😁

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

I do love a pretty tin! Well the problem with blue is it sits between yellow and red in the primaries (both warm colours), so a green based blue could be described as a warm blue, but so could a red based blue. And because all blues are generally 'cool' it's just tiny graduations of some being warmer than others. Very confusing!

[@FaerieDust]

@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Yeah, blues continue to give me grief 😅 it's easier now that I've stopped trying to figure out what they're "supposed" to be and just see how they behave in practice. I don't need to be able to place everything perfectly on the colour spectrum, I just need to know how to get the colours I want 😅

[@OneTrueWord1988]

FaerieDust: I have that set too and really like it! 😄

[@SuperKabookie]

Very helpful information! Thank you!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Glad it helped Cheri!

[@rtistik94]

I love your videos, subscribed and looking forward to catching up with all of them.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks so much for subscribing, pleased you like the videos!

[@julialord9110]

Once again , helpful tuition

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks Julia 😀

[@valeriegehling4358]

Like your bluey sand coloured beach scene so pretty! This week have mixed disastrous muddy colours! Thanks for explaining & helping my future practices.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You’re welcome 😊

[@jackiehazlett7805]

You just get right to the point. I appreciate that. Also lots of useful subjects covered in ur videos.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks Jackie!

[@dixieoswald1234]

I really like your comments of various greens with their uses ie moss

[@votisit]

Thank you Michelle.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You're welcome Natasha!

[@irmareitz701]

As usual so helpful! I am so sick and tired of ending up with muddy, dirty looking paintings. So will take your advise and spend more time making charts of my colour and how they mix with other colours. I love your lessons.

[@votisit]

I will be making a green colour chart. Great idea.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Excellent 👍

[@cilene2805]

Thank you, Michele. These are very good tips for beginners like me.

[@ultramarinetoo]

Very informative - as you always are. Great to have a review of all the different causes, to reflect on which ones might be troubling us. Water, I'm looking at you...

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Ah yes, water... I like your user name btw!

[@sherryreilly6067]

Clear teaching

[@nikkiwells1688]

Excellent idea about just a green colour chart ….going to do that today!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Have fun!

[@sherrybyars4490]

Thank you for great tutorials.

[@sassycat378]

Great tip

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks!

[@1msfit]

Thank you. This information is invaluable. Quite sometime ago I saw someone’s video (sorry, can’t remember the name) that suggested charting out 2 blues (a red shade and a green shade) and Payne’s Gray mixed with a warm and cool shade of brown, red and yellow. I also used one that looked orange to me. Each was mixed with varying degrees of color added to the blue-at least 8 mixes for each combination. The results were a shocking variety of colors. With your advice I am going to chart out all the rest of my paints as well! I am also going to watch your video on mixing colors and the one on greens. I am still stuck in isolation because of being immunocompromised so I rely heavily on your tutorials for instruction and am very, very grateful for your generosity and hard work.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No problem at all Jodi, take care X

[@bokresik1]

Thank you Michele for your teaching. Pray you have a great day. Happy belated Easter!, Betsy

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Happy Easter to you too Betsy! x

[@LoriF25403]

wonderful information! Thank you

[@lindyh2009]

Your videos are tremendously helpful- I’m so pleased I discovered them!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Awesome, thank you!

[@loisbb]

Thanks that was very helpful!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You are most welcome Lois!

[@mafish7962]

Really interesting for a beginner, thank you, Laura x

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No worries Laura 🙂

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

Definitely a great video of some things that I would have never thought of that caused paintings to be muddy, too much of one color & paint granulation. I am definitely enjoying your videos & expertise on watercolor painting. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Glad it was helpful!

[@katarinaholik]

Few weeks ago I got some violet form Winsor and Newton and when I did a swatch I tought that there is something wrong with the pan, it was granulating like crazy but I didn't know how does granulation look like, just few weeks later I learned a bit more about granulation :)

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

So many new artists think it's a fault with the paints or the paper at first!

[@melaniebaynes2730]

@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Is there a list of all the granulating colours Michele, or is it a case of going through my whole palette and making swatches? I will definitely make the colour charts you have recommended, I just wondered if there was a definitive list of the granulating pigments. Many thanks for your help.

[@georgianairimia5109]

Thank you for your beautiful and helpful video lesson.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

It's my pleasure

[@poke_n_around]

Thank you Michele. I’m going to do swatch pages, as you recommend, it’s a wonderful idea and a great reference tool. Stay safe😀😀

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You too Annette 🙂

[@pamelawissinger1838]

Great tips. I took notes. Some ideas were new. Thanks!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No problem Pamela!

[@carolshappyplace5828]

So thankful to you for making this video. I’m so glad I am aware of these muddy color issues before I get into any potentially bad habits as a beginner.😊💕👍

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Glad it was helpful!

[@deboshreepaints9330]

Thank you so much.. they are very useful tips. 🙏🏽

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@JA-ed1tj]

As you stated, I think its good advice to start out with student grade and replace with professional as you run out of a color. Also I like the blue and yellow color chart idea. I have done color charts, but not exclusive to green. I am going to give that idea a go.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

A greens chart is so useful, I once made a huge one then lost it during a house move!

[@philipdown3147]

Thanks greatly Michele for sharing your skills and practical points to problems I have experienced, thanks appreciated.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Glad it was helpful Philip!

[@adriancirstei765]

Thanks. Very informed videos. Love them.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Glad you like them!

[@chrisblanco5499]

Helpful video, thanks 😊

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lindaking9222]

Good advice

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks Linda!

[@melaniebaynes2730]

I can't thank you enough for your excellent tutorials Michele! I have learnt SO MUCH from you! And I am still learning (got a long way to go!). I hope to subscribe to your Patreon channel eventually, but for now I am enjoying learning from these tutorials. Thank you so much!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

I'm so glad Melanie! Thank you for watching my channel :-)

[@donnacarraway9182]

Thank you! Very interesting!! Do you have a video about granulating colors? I love them! I am a relative newbie and I think that getting to know more about my colors is great advice!💕

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Here you go Donna 🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGfHo4mfnc1mqa8

[@beaulieuc8910]

Ah that is how to clean the pans, they have been a bit of a pain. Thanks for this.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No problem 👍

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

Extremely useful

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

So pleased it helped you :-)

[@OneTrueWord1988]

Very helpful video Michele! When you were discussing greens, I was reminded of your hilarious description on another video; something along the lines of "weird space alien green." It gave me another much-needed laugh! 🤣😂👍 Donna

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks for watching Donna, space aliens are probably not weird to other space aliens!

[@marcwheeler4406]

I loved this video as a horticulturist I see so many variations of greens browns etc, since I've only used regular color pencils I'm used to having multi different colors but going to watercolor pencils which are expensive I decided to grab some watercolor blocks( hope I'm saying that right I've git darker colors and brighter colors 16,in each student kind I'm hoping this will be sufficient as it will drive me bonkers if I cant get right shade as a horticulturist..lol thank you for making the videos...mikelle newyork strong ✍🎨😷👍

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Blocks is the correct term, they are also called pans :-)

[@bubskar]

Good advice there. I'm definitely guilty of more than a few

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Ah, it's easy to get lazy with things like water changing, we all do it!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Some very good tips here, thank you!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You are welcome Miranda 😊

[@crystalheart9]

This has always been a big confusion for me. Some artist's say never use tube earth colors and other list them in their colors they like to use. I do love the tube earth colors and use Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber quite a bit but I don't go crazy mixing them into other colors. I guess I'm lazy because I like the convenience of a tube of Burnt Sienna and don't want to have to mix it each time especially if I need a lot of it. I was happy to see you didn't think buying earth colors was a bad thing and are quite beautiful if used in the right places. Your video helped me a lot in understanding what makes colors mucky. Also how do you know what colors are transparent or semi opaque does it say on the tube? Your videos are great and I'm getting a lot out of them, thanks again.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Sometimes manufacturers list transparency on the tube or their website. The easiest thing is to make a chart. If you draw a permanent ink thick black line and then swatch your paint over the top you will see how clearly the line is retained and how transparent the paint is.

[@crystalheart9]

@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Thanks so much! I appreciate it.

[@phillipking3008]

I use a few reds blues and yellows and browns etc I extend my pallete

[@JustDustyB]

I learned to use 3 jars of water. One for warm colors one for cool and one for clean fresh water. Ì also keep a small spray bottle of water for wetting my paint.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Great tip!

[@sigrunsveinbjornsdottir685]

Thank you so much, i love your teaching .... i will do the greens ;)

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Thanks, so glad you liked it 🙂

[@Mins333]

This has been helpful for a novice like me. Thank you! I had stopped using cad yellow, red and cerulean as they always looked chalky mixed with a more transparent colour. The comparision of stained glass and brick wall was interesting. Would you consider doing a video on mixing greens and another one on opaques vs granulated vs transparent please.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Hi Niti, so glad you found it helpful, I will be doing more colour mixing videos and several on greens!

[@Mins333]

Super :)! Looking forward!

[@juliedavies3481]

I’m going to invest in a new palette after watching this, mine are square and horribly difficult to get really clean. I like the one you have with the lovely big mixing wells, can you tell me the make please? Thank you for sharing as always great information thank you 😊

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Hi Julie, the links to both palettes I used in the video are in the video description, if you expand it and scroll down 🙂

[@ouidacarrington4719]

Thank You!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You're most welcome 😊

[@katarinaholik]

Sometimes I use dirty water to neutralise or mute too bright colors :)

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Well that certainly works, and fine if you are doing it on purpose!

[@marynelson1349]

Thank you

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You are welcome Mary, thanks for watching!

[@phillipking3008]

In the past I’ve ended up making muddy colours it’s so annoying when that happens

[@dustydesert1674]

I would add - overworking a painting, adding more and more pigment trying to correct it. In that case, stop, turn the paper over and try anew.

[@liamwatson5125]

Actually Michele, I can’t tell if my colours are opaque or transparent. The only way I can increase transparency is by adding more water. And I always change my water from time to time so that all my colours don’t become mud.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

There's an easy way to tell. Draw a thick black line in waterproof ink on a piece of paper. Paint little swatches of your paints across the top, the black line will be clearer and easier to see throught the more transparent colours :-)

[@denismoran670]

No subtitles - thats one third of us stuffed, then! (Yes, one in three of the population suffer from some degree of hearing loss throughout their lives). Thanks for the effort you make with your wonderul talents, keeps us all going in these uncertain times. Take care, you and yours, cadw saf, Den Cymru. X

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Hi Denis, subtitles are enabled for this video, although they are automatic (I don't have the hours needed to go through every line of dialog). My hearing isn't as good as it once was either! Have a look at your settings, you may have turned them off accidentally. You stay safe too :-)

[@denismoran670]

@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Thanks, Michele. Turned it on now jest, and its working perfectly - go figure, as the cousins say ! Am starting to tidy my art stuff, not a huge job, more 'makework' really. Take care, Den

[@scoiataeli]

I had to laugh because in this video you really hit the “great” internet advices on how to do and not do things. Especially those one-pigment colours and mixing/not mixing together. I’m bumping into it quite often and while I’ve got an impression that beginners must be making those videos because I feel like if you have a general idea of the colour theory you can’t really end up with a horrible mud. Plus, what’s the point of playing with watercolours if you are not suppose to mix the colours?

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Well I would agree with that!

[@RivkahSong]

If you meant to make it look that way? We call them earth tones. If you DIDN'T mean to make it look that way? They're called muddy colors. 🤷‍♀️😂 Seriously, though, SO MANY problems are solved by studying color theory. Color theory upped my art game better than any other tip, trick, or technique I've ever learned.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Exactly! Understanding colour and tone is the key 🙂

[@Azure_Jewel]

Not to bring too much purple near yellow and red/green. Good luck ha ha jk

[@allanfink7816]

This is great and very insightful.

[@monicapanyi1906]

Good information. Thank you.

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

You're welcome

[@suzeaa]

Great tips! Thanks!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tbm7187]

Another great tutorial! Thank you!

[@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

No worries!