SHOULD I JUST GIVE UP ON USING WATERCOLOURS?

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Holbein Acryla Gouache: amzn.to/3MSZmAt
Turners Acrylic Gouache: amzn.to/3avzpJj
Fabriano 140lbs Hot Press Watercolour Paper: amzn.to/46Ux7v5
RedGrass Wet Palette: amzn.to/417zCZk
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✿ VIDEO EQUIPMENT ✿
Sony ZV-1 to film
Rock Band Microphone (to record voiceover)
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✿ MUSIC ✿
“Aries” Copyright Chillhop Music - chll.to/b6b436be

[@cute2death810]

Give up watercolor?! NEVER. 😢I love your watercolors ❤

[@chuchubebop]

Appeasing the algorithm overlords!

[@Lauraisabelgonzalezart]

PLEASE... don't ever give up on Watercolors. You are such a skilled Artist and do so well with them. Paper is a huge factor when using them. I love Meeden/Baohong and Arches myself. I stay away from HP paper unless I'm doing Colored Pencils over the Watercolor. In any case, just know that you pushed through and Aries is beautiful! My Daughter is an Aries... just turned 28 last week. I'm 46 myself so just know you have a diverse audience from all over the world cheering you on!

[@julesv5511]

Agreed about hot pressed paper potentially being the issue here, ESPECIALLY for using Daniel Smith watercolors! I absolutely love DS watercolors but they're definitely designed to have a mind of their own. I personally love using hot pressed paper but getting high levels of control over your paint while using it seems to require really smoothly mixed paints that aren't granulating. I love using Holbein watercolors on hp paper because they match the smoothness!!

[@nonspecificnonsense6780]

dude tbh watercolor has a mind of its own sometimes 😭 I’m a hobbyist so I’ve kinda just embraced the chaos

[@nailinthefashion]

Hi, after a couple decades, I work with watercolor often, it’s my most used medium besides crayons. I recommend using a little blow dryer btwn layers and experiment more. You seem to be carrying over more rigid ideas from other mediums, but water has a mind of its own and you need to respect that it is, in a way, alive! You also should realize that mixing mediums does not denote failure within one or the other. Each tool is just something to use, so don’t worry about something being patchy, or not getting quite the effect as desired, you’re right, trust the WHOLE process, cuz this turned out beautifully! Can’t wait to see more!

[@abby3637]

I'm SO GLAD someone finally talked about feeling like a newbie with the same medium over and over! I suffer from this so much, and I personally get so frustrated by it that it stops me from painting more. It makes it so much easier to be unhappy with myself and my work when it doesn't come out how I want it to, and left wondering why when I've used gouache and acrylic for years now (and the same brand and other materials, generally). I'm so glad that you keep going and keep painting, despite it, and it's honestly SO inspiring and I adore all of your work and your style overall so please never let it hold you back or get you down or doubt your skills in any way!

[@eparker]

Neon and fluorescent pigments seem to be a pain to scan because they reflect light. It’s not that they disappear per se but they’re brighter. Like trying to scan a lightbulb. There are scanners, however, that have sensors that can detect them better. There’s also the RGB capacity of screens to take into consideration.

[@gojosrealwifey]

i am in LOVE with the way you colored her eyes!

[@cherryboom_15]

I love that you are brave enough to show us the struggles as well as the success. Please don’t leave watercolor! You do it magnificently. I think your main challenge was doing watercolors on hot pressed paper. If you did it on cold-pressed watercolor paper, its absorbed instead of having a pooling effect. If you saw SSavart, you would understand what i mean by the impact of using watercolor on hot instead of cold pressed paper. If you want seamless skin on hot pressed paper, did you try wet on wet technique? I think that makes less patchy skin. I”ll experiment on my hot pressed paper to let you know since I actually have the same Daniel smith paints. Good luck and don’t give up on Watercolors! Love your videos~ thanks to you im exploring Acrylagouache. I still dont get how to get smooth brushwork with acrylagouache but im guessing I’m probs missing layering. Thanks for being so inspiring❤❤❤

[@eparker]

Your colors blend on hot press paper when you mist it with water first. Almost like a primer.

[@pinktetris]

I'm sorry you felt like giving up watercolor for a moment! Do you think maybe the actual issue is that you prefer the cold press paper?

[@joanneb5307]

I was thinking that as well! The only time I used hot pressed paper, everything became so patchy 😨

[@theswithjj]

pls, don't give up on watercolors. Your work is amzing

[@rebeldown771]

Sometimes your water can have surprising effects on how the paint behaves, you could try different types (distilled, mineral water) and see how your paint behaves.

[@kyleedoma]

she's got so much personality ☺

[@LamdaMahryaArt]

Don’t ever give up!!! Your paintings are beautiful. What you might consider a struggle with your process might be the exact thing that makes your art unique. A tip that I could offer to make it a little less frustrating is that when working on hot pressed paper it’s easier (for me anyway) to work with wet on dry glazes. This makes those color blooms a bit easier to control. Hope this helps 🫶🏾

[@gutohenrique3108]

I think when we use watercolor, we have to let go of everything being super smooth, and accept that this type of material kind of does whatever it wants, is unpredictable, and that's the beauty of it.

[@elizathepainter8604]

The water color + acrylic mix does require a certain ratio. But you always get there in the end and it all looks beautiful and intentional!

[@sabiflor2180]

The zodiac collection is so awesome. I love the background slowly transitioning with the first three post cards from sky to the sea.

[@Piasays]

This is such beautiful work. Maybe some studies with watercolor would hell you get more comfortable and accustomed to the characteristics. I think your work came out beautifully but i can understand your frustration

[@Doootjeee]

Love how dynamic this one turned out!

[@lolathecoconut]

I mean, the end result is always beautiful, ofc, but hearing you talk about the uncertainties that you deal with during the process makes me just imagine the raw audio of your footage as just distant kpop music intercut occasionally by your voice going "ugh, why???.........I need more matcha....". But then also sped up the way the video is, so it's all in chipmunk pitch

[@imawonder]

LOL oh yes, there's always bad chipmunk k-pop singing

[@leonvadala1194]

Love her hair! Her skin turned out amazing by the way❤

[@harperllyod1084]

This is so pretty 🤩 I actually really love the approach u used in this video I really wanna try it for myself since I find that watercolours are more difficult to control tho I love the layering process with them but I always struggle to preserve highlights in the face. This seems like a really smart way to overcome that

[@PinkWytchBytch]

🤩 you’ve done my Sign justice! This is soooo well done! Aries seal of approval ♈️ the sheer vibes of this sass!!! PS: With watercolors, I find it’s a LOT easier to lay down the shadows and blush first, let them mostly dry, then do a watered down wash of the skin tone, get some good blending in the spots where the skin turns to blush!!! that sort’ve blends everything in a way I’ve always found decent

[@minakinna]

You continue to blow me away every time with this series! I think you manage to create a really "airy" feel to the pieces even with acrylic gouache. So it basically still feels like watercolor in my opinion 🤔

[@imawonder]

Thank you! 😊

[@MayContainBirdseed]

Thank you for another video! I'm personally not one for zodiac stuff but I am loving how this series is turning out.

[@imawonder]

I definitely had the intention of this series not being super ~zodiac~ feeling so that it could appeal without that context, so I'm glad to hear that! I have the Epson Perfection V550! I'm so glad your V600 has been a good investment for you!

[@Raish_Phoenix]

You rendered this piece so beautifully! Appreciated seeing how you transformed the watercolor stage with each medium you added after! The color palette is gorgeous!💜🧡💛🔥😍😍😍

[@whowhat.wherewhen]

She turned out BEAUTIFULLY!!!!!! ❤🎉❤

[@faemonae]

I love watching your illustrations come together so much

[@zara4leafclover]

I find hot press much harder to work with. It blooms much more and I find it harder to do gradients. Hot press dries faster then cold press so you have to work much quicker and hence the blooms and back runs. Maybe try stretching the paper beforehand as this helps the paper absorve the water slower

[@missclawsomecatlm1866]

Cold press is a lot more fogiving when it comes to multicolour gradients. Hot press paper on the other hand makes the watercolour harder to control, esspecially when trying to both diffuse and blend multiple colours together. Your end result turned out beautifully, but if you want a more controlled approach from the get go without the patchyness on hot press, I would blend one colour into the paper first (placing it how you'd want it on the final layer) and then repeat that with the second colour in the blank areas, adding a glaze inbetween if you'd like to homogenise the colours a bit. Repeating this to build up colour will be more stress free than trying to do both colours in one layer if you want a seemless finish.

[@imawonder]

Haha yes, that's why I had been exclusively a cold press girlie for so long! But I wanted to use coloured pencils with minimal texture so ... here we are! Thanks so much for sharing, I'll keep that in mind!

[@oulayaedrif7540]

Whan i was a kid i hated watercolors because i always made a mess but now i loooooove them

[@tolido20]

Your problems might be due to the paper. Even if it’s watercolor paper, it’s not always suitable for smooth transitions. I recommend going for 100% cotton paper. My favourite is from Arches, and it’s definitely worth the price

[@niftyflex]

It was super satisfying and relaxing to watch your process and hear your thoughts - excited to receive her in the mail! About the fluorescent colors not showing up with dimension, is there any way to make it pop more through editing digitally before it goes into print?

[@ventrirose3738]

Her eyes are absolutely gorgeous

[@meowkat347]

It looks beautiful!

[@Jeanne88B]

Omg this is so beautiful!❤❤❤❤

[@lozzasmitta]

everything about this is ✨perfection✨

[@missblisspresents]

Love love love this excited to receive it ❤❤❤

[@Janna_Ash]

Great work as always!

[@georgiarjf]

beautiful!

[@ErinLKramer]

Amazing series! Really enjoying these.

[@aghawaiifan2538]

Oh wow, she does give me a Lalisa vibes from BlackPink. 😮😍 Plus sending you loads of unconditional blessings and prayers in your way. 🙏

[@zoestratton9412]

Your art is so beautiful, and I am just amazed by your talent. Thanks for creating these videos!!🥰😍

[@devonrex4]

Amazing! 💖💖💖

[@jennaiii]

Gorgeous, as always

[@Cl0udyang3ls]

Your art is amazing

[@AndreeaEremiaArt]

Another amazing video 😊😊😊

[@jessicamelanson4740]

I love you use of colour always 😊❤

[@naveenadeborah5472]

I was waiting for your rendition of Aries and trust me when i tell you, YOU DIDNT DISAPPOINT!!!!!!🔥🔥

[@jdgayer2160]

I love this! thanks for another great vid :)

[@imawonder]

Thanks so much JD!

[@laeeb]

I love this sm❤

[@gabbywilliamson76]

Beautiful ❤

[@tallboysgaming7799]

Always happy to leave some engagement! Beautiful painting as always

[@imawonder]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Vagabondwitchh]

Dear god, how much i love your art!😍

[@imawonder]

Thank you so much 😀

[@richatdastkey3555]

I tried out acrylic inks bc of this channel. I tried watercolors seriously for the first time about a week ago and I didn't like how easily it moves once you touch it with a wet brush. Maybe I'm just not that good at it but I LOVE the acrylic ink comparatively. Idek where them watercolors ARE

[@imawonder]

Something that I've done that you might enjoy is using watercolours on top of the inks! Best of both worlds :D

[@Decimus421]

Girl, I love your art! You should make your life 10x easier and just use masking fluid!

[@imawonder]

Ahhh yes I know but I've had so many cases of masking fluid not working for me T^T I should do some more tests with it

[@Min_HaYeonnie]

She looks so much like Lisa from BlackPink. So beautiful, with her short hair, and so much personality, with a fierce and striking look.

[@beelicious7962]

Cant wait till taurus ♉️💜✨✨

[@CreativePhenomenonArt]

So beautiful 🥰🥰🥰

[@serenasilvercrest3154]

She is very pretty I like the colors

[@stinnje]

She is 🔥!

[@oneinathousand2156]

4 down, 8 to go!

[@chedoodles]

I honestly think that it's the paper you're using rather than the paints themselves. Watercolor is a womderful medium if done right.

[@alanna2378]

Absolutely No, don’t quit using watercolours because you’re getting better at using them when you are making arrangements/edits on your drawings or after you put color pencil to make it look real I want you to keep using watercolor it will work and believe In your self instead of giving up

[@Alona86]

I am not confident with watercolor paints but I am better with water color pencils.

[@irisouyart]

Sooo I see that you use Fabriano hot press paper… I just recently stopped using this brand because each time I would use that paper I would struggle. I thought the problem was me, but each time I would switch to Arches then magically things would work out. I am looking for a new paper to use that is different than Fabriano and not as expensive as Arches… I just got Baohong, I still have to try it. All this to say that your problem might not be you nor the watercolors, but the paper.

[@imawonder]

I've had an artist friend tell me the same thing! I still haven't tried Arches yet (due to the price lol) but maybe I really should bite the bullet and give it a go! Thanks so much for sharing!

[@irisouyart]

@@imawonder Yes Arches is so expensive, that is why I got Fabriano thinking that the difference could not be that big. At first I did not see a difference, but now I definitely see a huge one.

[@mmmshellyfire938]

super sassy!

[@six.studios]

Never been prouder to be an Aries >:)

[@imawonder]

I'm so glad!

[@DevonMeyersArt]

I am loving the bad bitch energy that she is giving off. This piece makes me wish that I was an Aries 🔥❤

[@ladyree7575]

Absolutely not ❤

[@elan218]

☄️☄️

[@chedoodles]

Nooo

[@alstonsingletary7183]

Tina, you not gonna get me with that click bait. I know you love yourself some watercolors. 😂 I think you’re referring to this specific process of having to use watercolors as a base even though they are not blending and then having to use acrylic gouache and colored pencils on top for seamless blends and to bring back some color vibrancy, respectively. I totally get it. Should you just go in with the gouache to start is the question, right? I’m primarily an alcohol marker artist, so please take this with multiple grains of salt, but I think your apprehension has to do with the surface of the paper. It seems that hot press watercolor paper is not the optimal paper for the way you work, and you yourself have said this many times, which is why you’ve stayed away from it. I remember you said you had some, so you decided to use it. It just doesn’t allow the seamless blends, gradients, and blooming that cold press does. You’re fighting that paper and making it to do something that it just doesn’t naturally do and with all that said, when I look at your hot press and cold press paintings, I can’t tell the difference because you’re bending that paper to your will and this is an incredible feat. Use that paper til it’s gone, girl. It won’t be easy, but you’re making it look easy in that edit like you said, lol. I hope you don’t take offense to what I’m saying. I pray I’m not mansplaining or anything. This is all meant as a compliment. You and watercolors and acrylic gouache are like this 🤞🏾 otherwise, you wouldn’t be imawonder. ☺️☺️

[@imawonder]

HAHA you know me too well Alston!! I think I was underestimating how much water the hot press paper could handle and so I was being overly cautious with it when I was using the watercolours. But I think I'm slowly getting a better handle on it! Trial and error really does end up being the solution a lot of the times haha! No offence taken at all! Thanks so much for the comment!

[@yukouri]

Have you thought of trying a new paper? I think it may be your paper that is making it a hard time...

[@imawonder]

I've been hearing a few people say I should try Arches but...it's so pricey :') lol!

[@yukouri]

@@imawonder look at your local art store. They may have their own name brand of paper at a reasonable price OvO.

[@jillg.1391]

Hot 🔥

[@AfroditeKillsDemons]

Love this (as usual) !❤❤

[@stupidlamekids]

I'd love to see you incorporate some Gaurav Gupta for an air sign design (maybe Gemini or Libra?) and Mugler

[@imawonder]

Ooh I've always been a big Mugler fan! And Gaurav Gupta work is stunning too!