Making Art With Supplies I Fear: Watercolor

[@BrendaFOBRocks]

im the exact opposite, i love watercolor/gouache but i'm terrified of acrylics and oils lol

[@sunnyshadowart6435]

High five! But I still love to challenge with different media. 😉

[@BrendaFOBRocks]

@@sunnyshadowart6435 i'll take any medium that's not acrylics or oil lol!

[@BrendaFOBRocks]

@j b they are opaque watercolors!! you can water them down enough to be able to use them like watercolors, using them to create really pigmented glazes, or with enough pigment that it looks completely opaque. really fun to work with!

[@madelynmorgan2999]

BrendaFOBRocks saaaame

[@BrendaFOBRocks]

@j b np! i hope you love them! they can be tricky to get a hang of, but so much fun to experiment with :)

[@noellecurtisart]

Alrighty so as a watercolor artist, I actually really like this painting as is. With that said, I can tell you approached this piece as an acrylic/oil painter by the way you lay down colors and layers (which still looks really pretty, it’s a good look!) I was surprised that I didn’t see you use washes to lay down large areas, rather you just added paint little by little. Also, the way I achieve dark colors is by layering at LEAST 2 layers of paint, it is very difficult to get a solid black with just one layer. And like you speculated, there is a line between a neat layer and being overworked. I feel like the trick is to keep it clean and purposeful where I think you struggled on the right half. Watercolor, of course, is what you make of it! I’m not too against using white gouache to add highlights and mix with watercolor for details. This is also why I think you would like gouache better since you have that opaque option (and since I see you like to mix water with your acrylics a lot). I love what you added to this piece, like the sunset, great job! I’m usually too scared to attempt a wave with watercolors so I applaud you

[@blessedwhitney]

I think Noelle is right -- When Robin said that she did many layers but was still able to see the paper, I knew she was still thinking of this from an opaque medium's perspective. You're always going to see the paper to some degree. I think the point that you have managed to get enough pigment down that you don't get the glow of the paper reflecting through it anymore, is definitely into "overworked" territory in watercolor, which is an inherently transparent medium.

[@noellecurtisart]

blessedwhitney It’s also possible Robin was using a more opaque pigment or added too much water, since I mix black all of the time without looking overworked (I’m pretty sure). Ultramarine blue is a great color but it’s usually semi-transparent, so no matter how many layers you put on it won’t appear dark enough. More opaque paints are good to achieve more vibrant colors, but transparent colors are best for mixing and layering (and darks!). It’s a learning curve Robin isn’t used to

[@alliedarda7375]

This is such a succinct and well written critique. I feel like it's so rare to actually see something like this on youtube.

[@colbysmith4079]

Doing it little by little isn’t exclusive to oils and acrylics. I’ve seen many watercolor artists do a piece little by little

[@abbystevens5693]

As a watercolorist just as the person starting this comment I agree with the original commenter. Learn layers and you ll like watercolor more and more.

[@coloureleven]

Make this in acrylics please so we can see the difference between a medium where one is comfortable and where they're not

[@zimrianispresent8123]

Such a good idea

[@kavya914]

Yes

[@lourdesrivera5102]

I love acylic you just have to know how to mixs colors and figure a way to blend them out in way

[@mindofwatercolor]

NICE, you did great! I've admired your wave and sea work and you did this one justice. The "don't-use-white" purists can go jump as far as I'm concerned. I think you kept the integrity and character of the medium and used just enough white to accentuate the piece. You seemed to paint fairly dry (ok also) and thats probably because of your familiarity with more viscous mediums. Watercolor is a journey of discovery and letting it loose in a wet fashion is a fun aspect to explore too. You got this Robin! Do more!!!

[@mandyg5747]

I find it easier to paint in this 'dry' way that I learnt at school and am still trying to find the Fun in letting it go and do it's thing on the paper in a loose wet in wet way! Channels like yours really help with mini tutorials tho :-)

[@angelarafael9875]

Well said from a well seasoned watercolorist 😊

[@mirrormirror444]

Love your channel, neat to see your opinion on other artist work

[@lovepraypaint]

Watercolor pencils might just be your best friend

[@marinakukso]

watercolor pencils are so much fun!

[@MasonBoy87]

I think they are harder than watercolours. The way they become suddenly more intense and vibrant when wetted makes it difficult to get the result I in vision. But yes they are quite fun to play around with.

[@dakotagrundeenstrehlow30]

I use watercolor pencils with a brush that dispenses the water out of it, because they are far more portable than other methods of watercolor (like, I use them to doodle in school and they take no time at all to take out of my pencil case and put them back), and also you can draw with the pencils both with or without the water. They are not super messy or anything, and I love them. I am not a very experienced artist, but I have managed to get some pretty good results from them. But that's just my opinion, I have a very limited exposure to other techniques, so I may be quite a bit biased on them.

[@SwitchfootRocksUrBut]

M Mason you could always make a swatch chart for all your watercolor pencils. That way you can easily see how it each pencil will look after adding water?... people make swatch charts for normal colored pencils & watercolor paints, so making one for watercolor pencils might be smart too.

[@avereynakama9854]

@@SwitchfootRocksUrBut Yeah, I usually do this with any of my water soluble pencils. I take note of how they look dry, wet with a brush and after dipping this tip in water then drawing on the paper.

[@TessaAvonlea]

The result looks great, especially with a challenging reference photo. But can definitely tell that you're painting with more of a "oil/acrylic " technique than watercolour. Though that's also inevitable if it's what you're used to!

[@terrysharing]

Be brave! After 40 years of doing "commercial art" and now, being retired, I've decided on painting Alla Prima. I don't have a clue but thanks to YT there are those of you who are willing to teach. I started out a million years ago with watercolor. I don't even remember how I did that. But that was my favorite. Long gone now. I will say Robin, that you have inspired this old guy to keep moving on and just be creative. Just make something. That's all that matters.

[@gurm1155]

Terry reading your comment inspired this trying artist so much! This absolutely warmed my heart!

[@Mojichan13]

I'm surprised that you fear watercolor, since it is my main medium. Also it's interesting to see how you use/paint watercolor like acrylic paint. For the white: You could use gouache, a white gel liner or masking fluid.

[@RobinSealark]

thank you for the tips!

[@akiahara]

I'm also primarily an oil painter and watercolor was super intimidating... until I took a class with a professor I loved. Now it's just part of my repertoire and quite enjoyable!

[@InLiquidColor]

I'm excited to see you try watercolors! Water is an extremely difficult subject and I think you did very well considering, especially on that left side as you mentioned. There are so many factors to the questions you asked about the supplies. The quality of the paints, the type of paper (both the consideration of cotton vs cellulose and the amount of sizing used), and even the stiffness of your brush can affect how the colors glaze and deepen. I would suggest softer brushes in the future if you give it a go again :) I love using white for highlights as you did in the spray, but you're right in your assessment that if you use it like you did on the right side over larger, darker areas, it will usually muddy up the color and look chalky. I hope that helped a bit! I'm no amazing water painting expert as you are, but happy to answer any supply questions you may have 😁

[@chickennoodlesoup4918]

A tip for water color is to work in really really pale layers one at a time. Like cover the whole painting in a layer then work on the next layer. Rather then working in sections or parts like you do with acrylic. Adding layers is how you achive deep colors, it doesn't overwork the painting. But I loved the way this turned out ❤

[@wannabepronstar9186]

The day I'm as good as you, is the day I know I've made it as an artist. You're an inspiration.

[@RobinSealark]

dawwwh you'll make me blush

[@sheeprverycool]

Subscribed a long time ago, forgot (sorry), saw the beginning and heard “when I was a young warthog” and immediately loved this channel. That’s my story. Love this video!

[@RobinSealark]

haha XD yay glad you're back

[@BigBear-qr4zn]

My favorite when I was in the elementary I'm 51 now and I'm getting back into art. I never measured anything but I would picture in my head what I wanted than I would start. And after I was done the kids were blown away as to what I painted. Even in my teens I was getting way lot better and very creative with all sorts of art stuff, my biggest challenge was making human faces and still is Grrrrr. I'm getting my art-on lol😜😀🎨🎨🎨🖼️🖼️

[@strawberryredz1997]

Me too!! I did some water colors and after school would show my kid's, they would say "you didn't do that "lol, but we had fun those day's. This past Christmas they got me painting materials and looking forward to starting real soon. I just haven't found something I'm confident in yet, to start. I'm also in my 50s, I find it very relaxing! Good luck w yours:)

[@BigBear-qr4zn]

@@strawberryredz1997 im thinking my art will come out picture perfect, actually both of ours. Right now I'm sketching with pencils, but I want to do faces really bad and am hoping I nail it. But can't wait to get my water colors than after I get that done I want to move on to other paints. Being a kid I got fascinated by the charcoal in a fire so I would drag one out and waited for it to cool down and would use that to sketch that was a challenge and I sketch out some beautiful birds and flowers. I thank God for giving me this ability to do art work. Strawberry redz thanks again 👍

[@strawberryredz1997]

@@BigBear-qr4zn , wow!! I have these wooden sticks, I burn them and use the ends for charcoal, lol. I'll sketch a tree's w them. I found a mountain view w pines I'm going for that first until I get my own visual. Good luck w those faces. You will do fine w your determination. :)

[@BigBear-qr4zn]

Thank you

[@liaammm396]

BigBear21 21 how did your faces turn out?

[@sambeawesome]

Yesss, join us watercolorists! :D I think you're off to a great start. My main advice, if you would like to pursue this medium further, is to not do full paintings like these too much. Use up your sketchbook in doing sketches, washes, etc. Back to the basics, as I'm sure you're familiar with. Like others mentioned, I could tell you were going at this from an oil/acrylic mindset, so it might help you a lot to do a bunch of junky throwaway pieces. You also might like masking fluid, if for nothing else than peeling it off when you're done ;) If you want some YT tutorials or inspiration, two of my favs: The Mind of Watercolor and Watercolor by Shibasaki.

[@nidhirao1489]

Haha I absolutely love your editing at the beginning

[@RobinSealark]

Thank you!!!

[@daniellecoxdance]

That’s such a lovely painting! I love working with watercolour and think you did a great job with it 👌🏻 I wish I could edit and make videos the way you do, you are in inspiration to keep working at being an artist. Thank you! Xx

[@dareimagine7219]

You skill as a painter, even with an intimidating medium you don’t normally use, is wonderful. The luminosity that you pointed out on the left half is something watercolorists work for years to develop. In the right half you were fighting the medium and using it like acrylics, where it was begging you to use more water to create thin, layered washes. Your skill as a painter is amazing and the painting is very successful, especially considering you reluctance and inexperience with your watercolors. Great video, Thanks for all you do.

[@thewonderforest]

I’m a watercolour artist and still find water scenes especially difficult. I think you chose one of the tougher subjects to dive into right away haha! Even still, I think you did a good job and it portrays your own style :)

[@lemony0506]

im experienced with watercolors and your attempt was really great, in my opinion. somehow you made it look like this was done with color pencils like how ahahah. i was you when i was a kid, i despised watercolors SOOO MUCH like i couldnt stand it especially the drying part. as i grew up as an artist, these were actually my medium of choice so far, next to markers and acrylics.

[@juliagonzalez1537]

You should recreate this piece in acrylics for a comparison

[@missFingernagel]

this is so interesting, because dealing with the color white was also a problem for me, but the other way around. i started painting in watercolor, because i loved the challenge of a medium that is so difficult to control. however, when i switched to oils and acrylics, i struggled hard to mix my colors. finding balance between "oversaturated" and "grey" wasn't that big of a problem with watercolors, but in oils/acrylics you actually have to know how much white you can add in before it gets muddy.

[@alexisfuller1503]

I just can't get over how GORGEOUS Robin's hair looks!! That color looks stunning on her! 💕

[@ur_manh2808]

Use alcohol to remove the acrylic stains

[@TheBakingSlave]

This was so cute, it makes you realize that even artists can get nervous with other mediums. When you aren't an artist (me) you always automatically assume everyone who is an artist is just amazing automatically at every medium and isn't afraid to try any art. Also, you are really talented :-).

[@ivanulyanov3461]

I think watercolours are a great medium for learning to abstract and simplify your subject. It looks its best when you mix the clean, sharp details with large loose areas of colour, so you really start looking for ways to create that contrast of detail and to strip down your reference to its bare essentials. And that's a valuable skill that you can then use in a medium that doesn't make you want to burn your house down in frustration!

[@KinasumeVids]

I used to absolutely hate watercolor back in the day. I hated the transparency of it and the way it always made my paper warp. Somewhere three to four years ago I think? I started getting into it, and now I actually struggle with opaque media lol. In regards to your concerns with the intensity of color and layering, part of it could be the paint you're using. I always like to do large swatch sets when I'm working with new watercolors, so I get an idea of just how intense the paint will be in a single layer, and how it reacts to more and less water. That said, watercolor is absolutely meant for layering! You just have to be careful with the paper you use, as lesser quality papers cant handle as many layers without losing structural integrity as higher quality ones. I love the way the piece turned out! Water as a subject has always terrified me, you did a lovely job with it 😊

[@hosamfikry2924]

I have the same exact fears! If you split the painting diagonally, the top the left is brilliant, and the bottom right is inconfident! Love your work and your free soul

[@mjpete27]

Even1 year later this is still a favorite of mine! As a watercolor painter who does everything else . . . I still believe you did a wonderful job with this subject! I still find the joy you project an asset and still brings a smile to my face! I still enjoy and find watercolor painting a chore at times! SO I do not think it ever ends. If your true to yourself and your Art journey nothing is ever "easy" if it is worth doing that is . . . Please take care and be safe, have a lovely day!

[@tusharkaul3602]

As a primarily Watercolor based artist, I can assure you that this looks great. I'm still in highschool but I started watercolors when I was around 5-6 years old (my first art medium was watercolor and not pencils so yeah) Watercolor is a very fluid medium, therefore, it's uses are fluid as well. For maintaining the integrity of the painting, there's a few factors you need to assess before you can plan to comment on the integrity of a painting. Firstly, since you are a person leaning towards realism, you need to know how most realistic watercolor paintings look. From my observation, most acrylic and oil paintings have a more softer texture, irrespective of the texture of the canvas /base. In watercolor however, the integrity of the painting is enhanced by the texture of the paper, since you can get too opaque or translucent to not show or show enough texture respectively. Now with the amount of water relating to the integrity of the medium. Watercolors can be used as a bold / translucent medium. Since an artwork, like waves in your case had both opaque and translucent areas, to maintain that factor, you need to work around how paints work after drying. In watercolor, you need to be patient with the paint and work on your layers after the paint is dry (you can use a hairdryer for faster drying) If you paint immediately for the next layers, there's going to be bleeding and blotchy areas that aren't visually appealing in all scenarios. For the white watercolor debate, In my experience it is a useful tool when it comes to blending two colors. It acts as a softening agent for the overall texture (This might be a subjective observation considering the brand of paint) But in most cases, leaving the area white is a more appropriate option. You can use a masking fluid for that purpose or white wax oil pastels. Now to the brand of paint, Mostly student grade paints have a more translucent consistency due to less amount of pigment to binder ratio and Artist grade are more pigmented, affecting their prices. Therefore, for more opaque effects, artist grade watercolors are the go to kind. Another type are the liquid ones that come in small inkpot-esque bottles that are concentrated pigments.. Those are pretty good when you require more opacity. Finally, I would suggest that before starting a piece, just see how your water dry vs how they act in water because some watercolors do dry differently. I suggest swatching your paints for this observation. I love your honesty and personality. Keep being awesome 😊👍

[@clarekelley2934]

Watercolor painting is the only kind of art I've ever done, and I've only done that for a year and a half. I tried acrylics a bit last year but got SO frustrated. It's a completely different game!!! It's like how rock climbing outside and rock climbing in a gym have the same name but require totally different techniques. It was interesting to see that you used the acrylic techniques. For the first time ever watching your videos I thought, "I would have done that totally differently". I realized I've gained some knowledge and felt really pleased with what I've learned so far. And since I've used your videos for learning so many different techniques and inspiration, it was cool to see you make yourself vulnerable and experiment. Luh you!!!

[@MK-db8sk]

I loved this. Even if you have been avoiding watercolors forever, you still made a painting way better then anything I could have ever done.

[@sarabrownthumb1509]

I find it amazing that a lot of artist find watercolor so intimidating. Watercolor are so incredibly portable the are practically the only medium I use, so to me they are warm and friendly.

[@emiliaheslerosztafi6568]

I love watercolour and gouache, and I agree that it can be difficult at times to figure out how muc blank space is necessary, but honestly time and practice is all it takes xx

[@angeladatseri5254]

I love watercolours! I started painted with them, then went to acrylics, tried oils for a little while but it wasn't my thing. I think the beauty of watercolours is to create a bit more freely with them and let them do their own thing a bit :) I enjoy that part of them. Your painting is beautiful, it takes a while to get used to new supplies.

[@PeterBeckleyArt]

I like what you did here, you should be proud. It's clear you're an acrylic/oil painter because I feel like you approached this as one, jumping in with finer brushes and saturated colors at the start. Like oils, you need patience with watercolor, using layers and less saturated washes to build up deep colors, while allowing yourself some wiggle room to change your approach between one layer and the next. I'd definitely still call this a success, but much more important than my unsolicited critique, I think it's great that you jumped in to face the fear or anxiety of working with watercolors! I hope to see more in the future, I always love watching your videos even though I don't de-lurk very often.

[@sarahvella4713]

Girl, you're not the only one! I refused to use watercolour last year as it really stressed me out, but like you I really want to try and dive in this year. You have inspired me to hurry up and give it a go!Xx love you 😘

[@creativelyrevived2099]

Up until last year I was scared of watercolor, but I just decided to go for it and try and now I love it! I would say keep working with it and push yourself outside your comfort zone! I think you did great and I loved the way you used the white to make the reflections in the water! One of the tips I recently learned which has helped a lot is giving each layer a good amount of time to dry. That changed the look of my watercolor pieces tremendously.

[@LeLuvicks]

Love that you challenged yourself to do something like this! I'm familiar with watercolor and wanted to give you some tips. As some have pointed out, you approached watercolor with an oil technique. You should definitely try making some big washes before putting down thicker layers; watercolor is great to mix on paper, they create great color depth with few layers by working wet on wet and letting colors stain each other. Round brushes are your best friends! It was awesome to see you opening up some whites with the tissue! That's a good way to do it, but sometimes it can work the paper a bit too much. Also, white watercolor mostly makes a blurry effect rather than whiting out an area. Masking fluid may work well for you, but what I mostly use is either white gouache or indian ink. They work very well with watercolor and are much easier to work with The painting looks awesome! Colors on the sky look great, you nailed the foam, and the light coming through the wave is spot on. You could make use of the watercolor's lightness and translucent...ness(?) to improve that effect You should absolutely try gouache. When you were painting the pink part of the sky that's all I could think about! It gives that smooth, opaque coverage you were looking for that's very hard and frustrating to get with watercolor. It's the middle ground between acrylics and watercolor and you would do great with it!

[@rso2o3-pj8jg]

She did better than I could have ever done in my entire life.

[@nikolkuhar8127]

I am quite open to all medias. First I was in pencil realism, then turned to pastels, after that got into acrylic/oils. At that time I hated watercolors, but wanted to try it out. So I bought cheap dollar store quache, and loved it. Decided to buy more expensive watercolors, and now that is my favourite media💖 I am not master at it, but I love it the most and find it the most fun

[@Mimiwi]

The overall finished painting looks amazing! Just a tip that might be helpful: Dont be afraid to use water! If you use less water, some of the brush strokes will be grainy, and will not blend as smoothly. I always make a little pool for the color im doing, and if it needs to be darker, I just add more paint, because you want it to be more water than paint, or else it's gouache!

[@quicklysketch]

there is a type of masking fluid you can buy, where it basically resists the watercolour paint. once the painting has dried, you can rub off the masking fluid to reveal the whites of the paper, so you dont have to worry abut leaving small areas (like white hairs or the white foam of the waves)

[@katiesmith7900]

quicklysketch I use liquid latex - it works well but REALLY stinks

[@AFKDINOSAUR]

You did fantastic! I was always a black and white sketcher and started with acrylic but recently moved over to watercolor. I enjoy the relaxed approach and the overall fluidity in which you can take your painting. I hope you continue watercolor, it would be fun!

[@billkirbymusic]

Very nice work. Thank you for facing your fear. This weekend I’m snowed in with my dog and facing my fears of drawing from imagination. It’s hard not to tell myself that I’m not good enough. I have to tell myself that I’m the only one that can be me. Have a great week! Bill

[@Chloe-ef6vq]

For your first time in a long time, this turned out really great :) I’ve found that doing a wet-into-wet wash wash first and letting it dry is best. Once it’s dry, then you can start layering with wet-on-dry (sharper brushstrokes.) That initial wet-into-wet wash helps to connect all the elements and helps it look more realistic in certain cases. Also, if you like using the white watercolor paint to get splash marks and add white back, then I would suggest using white gouache instead of white watercolor. It’s more opaque and stands out more. You could always preserve your whites with masking fluid too if preferred. 🌈 you always inspire me, so thank you for sharing this!! 😍

[@skystygian]

I definitely was afraid of water color as well but I think watching lots of youtubers who used it as their main medium excited me. I even followed step-by-step tutorials after my first few failed attempts. It’s a difficult medium which I’m not used to because I usually pick things up right away, but it’s a very fun challenge! I’m definitely not an expert but I’m much more comfortable with it. Although I still prefer to use it with some other medium like oil pastels or colored pencils at to take away some of that stress.

[@bobhalowell7688]

Very beautiful! I wish my first watercolor paintings looked that good. There are certain guidelines that help when painting with watercolor, like laying down light colors first and darker colors on top. Watercolor is a wonderful medium for many reasons, transparency, portability, and the challenge. Don't worry about being too traditional on your approach: its ok to use Chinese White, Payne's Grey, and Ivory Black; and have lots of color choices. Quality paper and brushes are more important than the paint brand. You don't have to spend a lot of money on the paint, but instead it is more a matter of preference. Don't worry too much about lightfastness/permanence, just use a fixative spray if you are going to hang your picture on the wall (not in direct sunlight) to protect against fading. Looks like you have nothing to fear-your already pretty good!

[@katienixon4311]

You definitely painted this as someone who uses oils/acrylics. Usually with watercolor artists start with large washes of light color and work toward darker colors and details. As a medium you're afraid you did a great job!

[@amermaid8400]

Dear Robin, I think you made a beautiful painting! Go you for leaving your comfort zone! 🥰🙌 My favourite part is the inside of the wave. 🌊 💓 I think my main tip would be to use a decent watercolor brush, it has to have a little bit bigger body of hair and come to a fine tip, so it can hold more paint/water and also be softer than acrylic/oil paint brushes. I noticed you approached the painting from a oil/acrylic painting mindset, which obviously turned out fine, but you could try layering the colours like this: apply a wash of pure water over the larger area you want to paint, eg the whole blue-ish part of the water, next dot in different shades of blue, they will flow in the water and create beautiful effects. This is called wet on wet technique. Let it dry completely before adding more colour to deepen parts you want more intense. :) The water to color ratio will also determine how bold colours are, so use little water for richer colours. But consider that with watercolor the white of the paper is part of the painting. Not just as you said with being the white, but also because of translucency of the paint. Eg if you want a bright spot of blue in your painting, using a light wash - the white of the paper will shine through, will create a more intense colour than going over the blue part with more and more blue, as it will just darken and not make the colour more bold. There is a point, like three? times going over a colour might make it more intense, but after that it will get too dark, because the white of the paper can’t shine through. I hope this makes sense! I can’t explain it very well. :‘) Some of the beauty of watercolor is it’s „messy tendency“ letting the colours flow, so don’t be shy to add more water in the beginning and start loosely, as it well help! :) Lastly, 100% cotton paper is expensive but worth it, and a porcelain palette with little wells is also very useful! Your mixing part of your palette didn’t seem to work well anymore for watercolor. and maybe try using masking liquid, you apply it beforehand to the painting to the parts you want to stay white, let dry completely, (but test the making liquid first, some papers it won’t work & don’t use a blow dryer to dry faster, as that will mess with the masking liquid!) apply your colours more easy going as you won’t have to paint around tiny white details, dry completely and gently rub off the masking liquid. Tadaaa! :) All the best for future watercolor experiments, I would love to see them! 💖 I really enjoy your videos! Have a nice day! :) Hope my tips can help you, as watercolor can make STUNNING effects. :) And can also be very bold! Some watercolor artists I like on KZbin are pearfleur, agnescecile, iraville and kelogsloops! 💕

[@Boredinthebronx]

the way you feel about water colors is the way i feel about oils. Its so scary but I'm going to try and dive into them again.

[@heisamonster]

Your courage and honesty are refreshing and inspiring. Thank you!

[@darlenesmith515]

Great job on you first attempt on a watercolor painting. I’m tend not to be a realist in my watercolor paintings sometimes I just use it as a background to my art journals. Thanks for sharing, Robin.

[@designerdhivya2282]

Yep you did actually well but i think right down corner could be a little better if you try on this medium water colours are really cool and so easy to use cause we can create many effects with them

[@AndraMarieArt]

I love watercolors but I was scared of it for the longest time. My art class in highschool didn't really have watercolors and for our "watercolor" class we used diluted acrylics. I was scared of it for the longest time. The watercolors I had seen were very tight and realistic. I actually stumbled into Lindsay, the Frugal Crafter's youtube channel and the way she does her pieces are very loose and fun. She had this tutorial where after she finished some flowers she splattered paint onto the piece. It looked like so much fun! I fell in love right there! Don't get too caught up in all the particulars of watercolor. There are so many different was of doing it. There's tight and realistic, with no granulating colors, no added white or black paint. And there's loose and wild where you have large messy washes, blooms, granulation, white gouache. Different people have different opinions on how to use watercolor (and they can be quite adamant about how to do things). With watercolor there's a limited amount of things you can do to fix a mistake. Sometimes it can be lifted away or layered over but a lot of times you just have to work with it and incorporate it into the piece. That's one thing I love about watercolors is that you don't always have complete control and it's an adventure to see how the paint is going to "behave" and how you're going to make it work. There's this element of surprise that I just love. For watercolors the paper is often more important than the paint. Different papers will behave differently. For the most part I only use a very limited amount of paint brushes. I use mostly a large round brush that comes to a fine point ( a #12 princeton brush). And then one large square brush for washes. That's all I need. One nice brush can take you a long way. I keep my watercolor brushes away from my acrylic paint. It helps keep it nice and soft and a watercolor paint brush lives a much longer life than an acrylic. I would recommend experimenting with granulating paint (like Ultramarine). The granulation of the paint can't be controlled and it creates some amazing textures. People either love it or hate it. I hope this was helpful/encouraging for someone!

[@ilvaens2899]

It's beautiful. ❤️ The moment you added green-ish color to the wave I felt like it came to life. Also, I'm not an artist, but imo your use of white was absolutely justified and the result is so worth it!

[@angiewright-artist8246]

Hey Robin just wanted to tell you I was in the exact same situation as you a year and a half ago. My memories of watercolors were using old prang and Crayola sets as a kid and hating them. I used exclusively acrylics, chalk pastels and colored pencils for my artworks. A year and a half ago started watercoloring and had the same challenges and difficulties you found. I used it as a challenge and made myself do an hour a day watercolor practice paintings before going into my acrylics and professional projects. It took about two months to really familiarize my self with the medium and learn how to use the transparency and white of the paper. Although like you I use white if I feel it will benefit the piece I'm working on. Now I'm completely in love and it's a regular part of my professional work and sometimes even prefer using it over other mediums. I enjoy that I can do a full painting in an afternoon. I think it was very brave of you to video tape and I greatly enjoyed and reflected on when I was just learning it and terrified lol :) just wanted to send love your way, it was a great video! Xoxo

[@aglaemichael1263]

omg....yasssss make more watercolor...gurl you achieve what i would never have in just one painting...oh god i love it keep it coming..im also an art student from Mauritius and i found this piece just amazingly beautiful..ill be waiting for more ...that totally made my day

[@laurenthompson2067]

You are so inspirational to me. You’re art helps me with my depression

[@dazedrawz8763]

Hello! I'm only a very young artist, but I've been using watercolours throughout ages 9 to now. But I think what has helped me most is to layer water on top of the paper, then use the lightest tones and go from there. Light to dark helps me!

[@micheal2458]

I struggle a lot with watercolour as well! It was really, really nice to hear an artist on here do a very technical breakdown of the medium, technique, and questions, though. I've missed that part college a lot since finishing.

[@liura1]

I LOVE THIS PIECE. I fell in love with the way people do watercolor paintings and as an artist that wants to get better it's something that really interests me but it is SO difficult EVEN THOUGH SOME PEOPLE MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY UGHGAJKFCAD AND IM SO HAPPY YOU DID THIS, HONESTLY LOWKEY BEEN WANTING TO SEE YOUR STYLE WHEN IT COMES TO WATERCOLORS. You did well, I am really inspired to try something similar now.

[@leilaniambrose7079]

This turned out beautifully! I can relate in feeling a bit intimidated by watercolours. I used to avoid using them a bit as well because I thought it would be too difficult... But I've recently fallen in love with this medium and am surprised at how quickly I've picked up the layering and different techniques! So I say stick with it 🙂

[@trina7531]

2:33 “since I’m a beginner” GIRL YOU VERY GOOD ALREADY WDYM

[@ZaiyaFineArt]

You did well for your first time in a while to try watercolors, very proud of you your technique closely resembles your acrylic technique very amazed at how you did the layering, as a watercolor advocate for many years I really like your darks and lights you made the richness stand out very nicely. The light against the dark blue and the way you did the foam of the wave. Very good job Robin!

[@ellahopkinson]

I actually recently painted this exact photo with watercolour! I too had difficulty getting the right foreground dark and contrasted enough. I love how your sky turned out so much 🙂

[@SarahNewburyArt]

I think you did great! It was quite a challenging reference picture but I love the sunset and the colours you used -especially in the left hand side of the painting 😊😉 it’s good to tackle your fears as you can learn so much as an artist when you do- thanks for a great video! 👍🏻😊

[@aartadventure]

Watercolours are my jam, and I think you did an amazing job! It is funny that I was able to tell how used to acrylics and oils you are from your painting style though! Meanwhile, I bought my first oils 6 months ago, and they are sitting in a drawer because I'm too scared to use them :P This has encouraged me to try them sooner rather than later though, so thank you!

[@Smmurrs]

This is gorgeous! I've been doing watercolors since kindergarten. Acrylics scare the shit out of me! I find with watercolor that the quality of paper makes a huge difference. Cotton paper with a good weight can really help. And then there is hot press vs cold press, I prefer the latter. The quality of paint comes next. The cheap ones can dry chalky or get muddy easily. My favorite is Daniel Smith paints. They have a fabulous dot set you can get from amazon that has all their colors! The granulation of their paint is gorgeous! I think it would be super fun to see you try gouache sometime. Love your work!

[@BrandyKelleyArtVids]

For me, it's oils that are most intimidating. Mostly because when I want to work on a painting I don't want to have to stop because the layers need to dry. Gouache has been my go-to for a couple years now but I'm really starting to love acrylics! I've found that gouache is a nice "alternative" to watercolor because it allows for some really deep contrast and rich colors while also being able to maintain the softer effects you can get with watercolor. And it just dries so beautifully matte!

[@diegoa4683]

The clouds look sooooooo FLUFFY!!!!! 😍😍😍😍

[@chelsealoeffler2945]

my first attempts at art were all watercolor because i felt like it was more forgiving... the funny part was i found i ended up building up paints to be a medium like acrylics! I still admire the whispy blends of watercolor and the mysterious imaginations of fog... so amazing.

[@RobertHopkinsArt]

Really nice work Robin! It's really okay to dabble in each of the "big three" mediums. All three have their strengths and weaknesses. Tired of the drying time of acrylics? Try Oil. Tired of the mess with oils? Move on to watercolor. Fighting with watercolors? Go full circle. :)

[@starvingartistscollective]

A great first attempt Robin! TFS!! As others have said, you approach w/c as an oil painter but that can work too as you proved. As for the right hand side of the painting....chop it off! Cropping is always option too! Personally, think it would look better as a square format anyway with the wave curl as the focus and drawing the eye around in a circle within the square picture plane.

[@seanhastings9349]

With watercolor and gouache, you have to also think about your colors before hand because it's harder to change a color than it would be with acrylic. I think you did pretty good with this piece for not having done much with watercolor before.

[@FuriedHearts]

Another good tip for whites in watercolor: you can also use white Gouache paint for highlights and any white areas

[@callmekite]

Layering depends on the pigment. Some are more opaque than others. People debate on whether or not to build up opacity. You seem to work with a high paint load upfront and then bully the colors into submission. If you do a light painting of the subject and then add on top of it, you may have a better time. You’re so talented- and brave to face fears like this. Definitely encourages me to delve into the mediums I’m not familiar with! Charcoal and oil to name only two.

[@bigspice1408]

I like how you try and go out of your comfort zone and try something you have a fear of. It makes me want to push myself and go out of my own comfort zone. So yeah, just want to thank you for making this video ^-^

[@keilanicurran4344]

This was so interesting to see - you paint it in similar ways to how you paint acrylics - at least from what I can see. I recommend leaving more white than you feel is necessary as you can always cover up what is needed to be covered later on but you cant get that white back in the future unless you, of course, use the paint. Really loved the video

[@doodlebirdy9175]

I love watercolor~ You did so amazing on it! It's all about those layers!

[@tatitheoverlord]

Paper is a big factor in the ability to layer, and I personally use a lot of paint to achieve deep colours, too much water will give you a lighter color. White paint is essentially watercolours too you can use it . Check out the work of James gurney. The white of the paper though will be the brightest white you will ever have even compared to white paint. You can use it to your advantage. I’d recommend masking for the highlights! You did such an amazing job robin !

[@TheDog2137]

you are the most inspiring art person on youtube, thank you for that ❤️

[@sergiogonzart]

Great sense of light through the water.

[@shopmeganrose]

I’m definitely a white paint person, I’ve been painting mainly in acrylics & just started using oils, & I go through SO many tubes of titanium white! I love the look of watercolors but it’s really hard for me to get used to the idea of leaving blank areas as you said! It’s a work in progress for sure. 👩🏼‍🎨

[@user-lh3nu9dv9b]

I think you did really amazing, even when you said you’re not good with watercolours, you’re honestly so talented Robin!

[@Sarah-oj7bh]

I acknowledge that you're a far better painter than me. That being said, I think instead of going in with the pure ultramarine and then trying to layer the stuff you could have mixed something beforehand and maybe used more wet in wet, or even let things float around more and leave more to chance. It's a different look and if you don't want it, that's ok. But I think that's what watercolour is really good for, to partially let go of control (which often will yield better results if it happens in a well-defined frame, so I think your intuition to have a very solid sketch was spot-on).

[@marinakukso]

thanks for the process video & i think the final painting came out gorgeous! i'm currently working with chinese inksticks, which are also a water medium. what i'm struggling with is figuring out how to turn all the various interesting visual effects you can get with the brushes and ink into coherent images. also, the emphasis in that tradition appears to be on long strokes that do a lot (a single stroke might define both the shape of something and shading on it), so i have to practice really thinking through what each stroke should accomplish. thanks again!

[@madelainebates]

If you ever feel like you started with a really wet layer, dont be afraid to pause and pat up the water with a paper towl. You can even blow dry it and paint in sections. I love to make really deep colors with little water in seperate dishes and mix my own colors.

[@kayleehutchins1103]

“I’m terrified of using watercolors” *art looks deadass amazing*

[@venitacason9753]

I've LITERALLY been trying for YEARS to advance my watercolor skills and I CANT. No amt of books or classes or practice makes me better. 2019 is the first year it was scrapped from my goals list lol! But your painting looks great!

[@harshithagade9500]

You should try painting the same thing with different mediums like watercolor, oil, and acrylic! It would be really interesting to see the differences between each

[@faithpigeon8242]

I love painting with watercolor but I am terrified of oil but I paint with acrylics from time to time...so advice for white you can probably use gouache or a gel pen to get a really pigmented color and also you could use Sakura Micron pen to get a pigmented black or to line your art with! (This information is just from experience and if it is incorrect please comment the correct statement and/or information Thank you)

[@faithpigeon8242]

ALSO for paper the most expensive (but worth it) is Arches Watercolor Paper but if you want a more cheaper option Canson or Strathmore Watercolor paper will do just fine

[@heytogrey]

Brave going after a wave painting in watercolor! It looks gouche-like at the end. As a watercolor user and lover, waves still make me nervous, mostly because I prefer to use the white of the paper as my white, so there are SO MANY white shapes to mask off or paint around. Definitely try using a brush that's softer and can hold more water. Paint brands can help or hurt when it comes to vibrancy, but I find that using cotton paper instead of cellulose is more important than using expensive paint, as is getting a juicy enough wash with a brush that holds more water than the ones you use for acrylic. The paints you are already using are pretty good paints anyway.

[@kuromi_xo]

I have been doing watercolour for 3/4 years and now i feel bad because in a first try you managed to create something more beautiful than i have ever made. Although your aproach to the medium was in a very "oil/acrylic" mindset i think you managed to pull it off, well done

[@hannahnott-concepttoart7141]

I love Oils and watercolor. They are my main media. Watercolor the key is this: less is more. To attain a color or effect, do it with less layers, strokes when possible. It flows more naturally and creates smooth transitions. This is why watercolors is renowned for being the most unpredictable medium. It uses very quick and intuitive reactions when painting, whereas oil you have time to think and plan as you go. Watercolor needs a plan beforehand and quick execution.

[@ArtbyBrooke]

This turned out really nicely, especially for a medium you weren't comfortable with. Thank you for sharing!

[@ainternetperson4660]

O:26 ahh yes as you can see the majestic artist come oit of it slumber. This is quite lucky as they only apear evry hundread years. Till it goes back it suclution.... So majestic

[@ShadowLamperouge247]

Hi Robin! I absolutely love your ocean paintings. The sea has always filled me with a deep longing and other hard-to-describe feelings, it's nice to see someone who can capture so much in their paintings. I can definitely tell you were nervous using watercolors. I feel with this piece there was restriction, not able to branch out and fully experiment, just yet. For facing your fear and utilizing this medium how you did, it turned out very nice though! A medium I'm personally scared of going down is colored pencils lol

[@videogamegirl133]

That's funny, I'm afraid of watercolors but enjoy painting with acrylic and still learning oils (you're channel has been very helpful in gaining more confidence in that area). I remember using watercolors often in school when I was really young but it bothered me that I had less control over the colors muddying let alone bleeding everywhere on the paper (in hindsight probably needed to work on how much water to add to the paint) and I have disliked using it ever since. I'm glad you gave it a try despite your fears and yes even though the right side of the painting was lacking in comparison to the left side, it's awesome that you made that on your first try. Im confident if you tried that reference again it would be stunning and could easily be sold in a heartbeat. But that's if you wanted to, you can still be an inspiring artist in acrylic and oil paints that shape many younger artists lives and not be the best at watercolors :)

[@RobinSealark]

thank you Rebekah. Really glad to hear the acrylic and oil videos have been helpful too!

[@leoninenoble]

Watercolor paints will only go where there is water; they do not bleed or go anywhere that you haven't placed them on dry paper. Even if it's just ever so slightly, the TINIEST bit wet, it will move. My advice would just to be patient and make sure you let everything dry absolutely 100%. The waiting isn't for anyone, but if you have a blow dryer on hand, use the lightest setting on cold to help it along. Have to stress not to go too heavy with the blow dryer as it can force the wet paint to move if it is REALLY watery, so make sure just to use the lightest setting possible.

[@annnoyez]

Congratulations on your painting. I understand your struggle I think. It is so different from acrylics... you have to you start from light to dark, white is the paper so you have to think negative, to have light colour, you « mix » with the papier, dark colours you make with washes and layering, etc... You are use to utilise acrylic and oil. So it’s hard on you. But all this said, you did a great job. I think it is wonderful. I use masking fluid for my white, and if it is to late, I take watercolour pencils or a white gel pen to do corrections or highlights. Also like you did white gouache. For me you can use that and still call it a watercolour painting. It’s the result that counts and the fun doing it. Art is a personal thing. So you can do what ever you want... and perhaps you find a new style... xxx

[@belindahugheslifestyle]

Hey Robin, great video. I've been a lifelong fraideycat toward watercolor, too. Hopefully, thanks to your courage, I can at least give it a try this year and see what happens. Lotsa love from Louisiana. 💖💖💖