How to Loosen Up Your Painting - 12 Easy Steps

We're talking about how to loosen up your painting in this video! There are so many things you can do to loosen up your painting, and here are the top 12 tips that really helped me.
0:00 - Intro
0:16 - Use big brushes
1:10 - Hold brush at the end
2:06 - Go without outlines
3:01 - Blend colors on paper
3:46 - Paint in layers
4:50 - Just put more water
5:19 - Dripping is good
5:55 - Add texture with non-brushes
7:00 - Non-brushes as brushes
8:05 - Add splatters
8:46 - Paint many at once
10:04 - Explore the medium
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[@Mlle_Bleue]

I like how Sandi Hester holds her brushes, like a sword. I've been playing with that for my bigger pieces. It's fun

[@polgara28]

Sounds like it! Going to have to check that out!

[@tamidolson7384]

I like the looseness of her style, and her personality !

[@Mlle_Bleue]

@@tamidolson7384 She's a hoot

[@user-om6mt2ny1r]

Your teaching is genius. Your videos have helped me more than you know. You have fantastic ideas. Thank you!!

[@Drumaier]

Amazing list! can I add one more point? do tons (and systematically), 1 minute or 30 sec gesture drawings to get comfortable and familiar with the whole idea of letting "loose ends" here and there and to move forward. Very similar mindset of the tip of doing 3 paintings at once. You somehow have to train yourself to care less about being accurate or literal.

[@lowlee78]

I appreciate your energy and teaching style! This is so reassuring and freeing. My end goal is to be precise enough and understand colors and color theory enough to do structured and relatively lifelike paintings of plants. But I am happiest when I explore the abstract forms the paint and water create on the page and then pull imagery and inspiration from that as I go. Coming back to art after a thirty year hiatus can be daunting. I’m trying to focus on the journey and exploration of the medium. It is too easy to let my lack of practice discourage me. This is the perfect reminder to root myself in what brings me joy and not sweat the lack of precision right now. Thank you!

[@WendyDewarHughes]

Thanks for the great tips and ideas. Another idea is if you’re having trouble not seeing all the details when looking at a subject, try allowing your vision to blur so you can’t see them. Or, put on a pair of glasses that blur your vision so you can see only the shapes and colours, rather than every little detail.

[@AussieLis3]

Brilliant idea! I'd have never thought about trying that! Goes right along with looser painting! 👍😀

[@WendyDewarHughes]

@@AussieLis3 Thanks!

[@keepyourshoesathedoor]

Squinting?

[@dnfeldstein]

Great food for the mind . . . thank you! I am right-handed and often hold my brush in my left hand to do portions of my work. I also recall Betty Edwards techniques such as drawing [painting] upside down.

[@gun-marienalsen3097]

Love your videos! You are so good explaining the watercolor painting!

[@nutmeg9892]

Thank you. Great tips. Another idea is to paint with your non-dominant hand.

[@PaulaScardamalia]

These are all great. Love them and can't wait to try some of them. Also appreciate the discussion of control and the idea of watercolor having a mind of its own. I think another way to loosen up is to use a color or two that you wouldn't normally, like an intense pink or brilliant orange. Color is another place that people get fearful and tighten up.

[@danellemalan]

Another great video. And I 100% agree that the unpredictability and playfulness of watercolour is one of its best attributes. I always tell my class attendees this. The lack of control can be one of the most fun parts of painting in this medium!

[@annenglish2935]

Painting looser is one of the reasons why I am having trouble... a beginner, but find it difficult to do!!! Needed this! Thank 😊 you!!! A California Gramma ♥️

[@tavenchristensen3157]

I LOVE to see your personal interests in watercolour art work!! ❤ I value your tips and all around information!!

[@patriciadaugherty3028]

I love using rubber band brushes to paint foliage. Not my original idea. I saw it on KZbin but can't remember the title or artist. Just cut the rubber bands, bundle them together and bind them at one end. Such fun.

[@Lemu_with_a_shirt]

I like to use extremely different qualities of paint. I have nice professional paints, as well as crazy cheap kids paint (the chalky stuff and tubes, those smooth pans are useless imo). It puts you in a different mindset as well as how different it looks and feels, just more variation and that extremely textured cheap look is actually something I love when working loose. Also if you can get cheap make-up brushes, they're actually great for watercolour.

[@LowKey_izildura]

Great video and great comment section! I love people sharing their knowledge and experience)) I agree on big brushes, painting with the non-dominant hand and would add that I like loosening up with long bristle brushes of all sizes, as well.

[@wileycom]

I am thrilled to have found you! I just subbed! Your hands on, practical approach and your warmth and generosity are so greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

[@phyllisalden9983]

Love the idea of painting several at one time. Will definitely try that technique to keep me looser

[@painterlypotts]

I like using colour-separating mixtures for loosening up- not necessarily pre-bought, but just playing around with textures of paints I've mixed up, bc I know I'm not gonna be able to recreate it or control where it separates. It's fun!

[@Ann-ey1tw]

Love these all, one I hadn't heard or used before is the baking sheet trick. Also, I love the idea of painting more than one of a similar theme. It's so true that I can get attached to one I thought was pretty good, only to find a year down the road that it looks pretty naive. Great videos!

[@bluedeva]

I just had to say a huge Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience Oto You truely demystify the “rules” of watercolour painting and have fun

[@jeanbeard178]

Working on several versions of the same scene at the same time. I have done that consecutively but never concurrently. Thank you!

[@taheraakter4477]

I am glad that I found you. Though it's 2-year old tutorial

[@troopofechos]

Thank you for these tips! "Big, wet, and explore" yes ma'am! 😂 👀

[@deborahthomas1617]

Thank you. My first painting looked like i had painted with acrylic using a small brush for detail. I worked that poor picture to death. Like using big brushes and holding back on the brush it helps to move my arm rather than my hand

[@annajones1426]

Thank you! Big brushes are fun but they are so expensive! I love sticks, feathers and bamboo pens. And chopped up credit cards.

[@keepyourshoesathedoor]

I swear they are.😭 I need bigger brushes but they’re expensive.

[@tamidolson7384]

Thank you for the tips! I'm now using bigger brushes and having a lot of success, I always have a spray bottle handy, I've taken a few classes with Anita Lehman where we use sticks and large brushes, Jean Lurssen also has great tools for getting loose

[@alejandromorales9516]

This was great! Thank you! I have noticed my brushes getting bigger and enjoying Princeton Neptunes which are a softer juicier brush ... they're great in initial washes because you get lots of happy accidents!

[@lightwavz]

Another Neprunes fan here! I also love the Jackson's dagger. And using striping brushes all wrong and wiggly is the best!

[@kayjellybeans]

love this! im currently creating more abstract work for my degree in fine art and its my final semester and these tips are going to help me so much! i find literally throwing watered down paint out of smaller cups is a great way to loosen work! lots of love Dr Oto! p.s your smile is so wonderful and contagious! i was smiling along with you the whole time!! :)

[@jannettebeatsonberger2516]

I'm inspired again. Thank you!

[@debbrantstevens8826]

Thank you for twig painting suggestion! I come to watercolour from painting oils ... and I always use twigs for painting beermat picture sizes! Nice for the same I'm watercolour!

[@BarBaraWhorleyCrawfordESS]

I just love your videos! I always learn and feel confirmed as an artist. Thank you. 🖼🎨🖌❤️

[@beckywebster90]

Yes! Great tips. I first heard lots of water with Steve at mind of watercolor and TWIGS from Karen Rice (both you-tubers). I also do Pastels and in my landscape I use foam packing (sheets, popcorn, you name it) tried it with water color and it gives an I'm mediate organic spotty look (like sands, shrubs, etc.) Loved it!

[@VitasArtworks]

cool tipps, thank you :)

[@deb.e.mixedmedia]

Excellent tips! Thanks for sharing! 🎨

[@babycakes1949]

This was one of the best lists for loosening up I’ve ever seen Oto. I totally agree with every one of them. I struggle with giving up control….it doesn’t come easy and the problem is, when you have to “think” about giving up control are you really doing it? I don’t know what the answer is. I want to get to a point in painting where I no longer think about it, it just happens. I hope I get there someday but for right now it just doesn’t come naturally to me. Some part of my brain keeps interfering. :( Thanks for a great video.

[@SarahNotSara]

I feel exactly the same as you

[@kristiw.1823]

This is the video I needed today!! Srsly! Thank you!

[@vlslatha]

Very useful tips.... Great! Thanks a lot 🙏🙏

[@cristinamedrano9127]

Thanks a lot, you are a fantastic teacher

[@maureencepiel959]

These are great tips. I need to try loose painting. And I just finished pruning my roses so I have lots of sticks!😄

[@hrt2art]

Thank you so much. I start with the idea my subject will be loose, and then before I know it, I'm painting tight because I want it to look like "something". The most fun I have is when I just let the colors run together and I'm not concerned with the end result. The best tip for me here is using a large brush. I guess I'm afraid of losing control, and that is exactly what I need to do! I painted with acrylic previously and I have fallen in love with watercolor for the past two years. It can be frustrating but I still love it. This video is exactly what I needed!!!

[@patriciagodlewski7473]

Great great ideas

[@lorirogers1911]

Such helpful advice!!

[@197432879]

Great advice!

[@ambrosesmith4150]

I'll be going twig hunting today! Thanks!

[@jamiewalkerhawk]

Loved your tips, tks 😘

[@melissaaldosari8024]

Fabulous tips Oto!!

[@stephanie_smith]

So Oto-matically Happy when I see your vids!!! You are like a kindred spirit for me. Thank you for being brave and you and authentic and Human!

[@stephanie_smith]

And have an Oto-matic awesome day! And if your day is less than...that is also oto-matically divine! Bc most us relate and that's why we follow you.

[@polgara28]

Great tips, thank you! 👩‍🎨

[@courtenay4130]

Thank you!

[@jeaniejean8200]

Great tips thank you 😊 I'll be trying them out

[@lenandtannismoody9890]

I absolutely loved this video. Thank you for these tips

[@glorianeiman726]

Thank you... I needed to be reminded to use larger brushes. Question even w smaller sized paper?

[@karenensemble7899]

Excellent tips (permission) to do some wild and wonderful things!

[@christinahutchison3967]

This is a great video . Made me look at things differently. Thank you for sharing.

[@judithhombsch1535]

Thanks for your suggestions 😊 which I can share to my friends

[@schuhujin5019]

Hi Oto, thanks a lot for all these tips. I really find it challenging to loosen up. And I wonder whether the loosening is for every kind of motiv? I like to paint unseen things like microscopic or ocean creatures. Would you say the loosening process is for those kind of things we are used to see only, because our brain is able to fix the style. What do you think about this?

[@kellyhalligan1328]

Good video

[@awatercolourist]

Who on earth is talking at 3:25? Has a ghost taken residence in your home?

[@OtoKano]

Oh thank you for pointing that out! I have no idea what that noise is! I didn’t have anything on in the background when I was filming this… I wonder if it was people outside… but it does sound more like something on TV? How weird!

[@awatercolourist]

@@OtoKano If you don’t know who made the sound then it’s a 👻. That’s my interpretation and I’m not letting go of it 😂😂.

[@julienotsmith7068]

I take my glasses off - makes it very hard to get serious about small details.