Understanding Watercolor's Hard Edge Personality

Why does watercolor have such a hard edge and sometimes an even darker edge than the rest of the color? A frequently asked question that I answer in this video?
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[@Tupelo927]

Please don't worry about being elementary or repetitious! As a beginner, watercolors intimidate & even mystify me. Thankfully, you're an excellent teacher- thorough, patient, & kind. I'm grateful to have found your channel.

[@PhuongNguyen-wm8wi]

I cannot even tell enough how grateful I am to find your series of fundamental techniques in watercolor. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and expertise with the world!

[@susanhamilton1822]

Those hard edges were my biggest headache when I first started messing with watercolour and you cured it for me a long time ago. It was such a mystery to me in the beginning and I can imagine the new painters out there just pulling their hairs out. Even though I knew this stuff I still think it is one of your best tutorials ever. Thanks Steve.

[@mikedimples]

Using hot water makes the water dry faster, but with less edge. Ice cold water dries slower, but with more edge. Thought that was pretty interesting. Thanks for another top quality video btw.

[@fish7719]

Cool tip (lol get it?)

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thanks for the input mike.

[@Toyon95]

I am gonna try that!

[@patrickhanley9049]

i want ice water then

[@pameladobbins1844]

Thank you. It's okay to let the more experienced watercolorists feel like they are in remedial school because for us newbies your expertise is invaluable!

[@BriggsMullen]

I like how this video explains why edges happen rather than just how to prevent them. I found this video trying to learn more about creating hard edges in a controlled way, and I learned a lot.

[@loricalass4068]

i get a lift from the Scripture verses you sometimes put at the end of your videos. You are a really good teacher, too.

[@user-ug1wj5yb7u]

I found your name on a FB beginners watercolor group recommending you. I’m 60 and just picked up a brush for the first time. I love your beginner videos. You have such a talent for teaching. I’m so excited to keep watching and learning. Thank you

[@Baobabaloo]

My go-to watercolor channel! I learn something everytime.

[@jobowers4225]

Just have to say- your videos are the best tonic for when I feel like throwing my paints, brushes, paper, everything at the wall and giving up. Your calm, non judgmental and detailed approach always helps me when I'm feeling overly self critical and negative. I always come back to these lessons because I know they help me get better and give me the confidence to keep going. Thank you for being here! :)

[@duke2011ful]

Yes!

[@clairetasker9181]

New to this channel and watercolour, can’t tell you how helpful these tutorials are and what a lovely presenting style

[@kathleengarness1660]

Great teaching. Also, I love your gospel witness

[@colleenkleinhans849]

Beginners thank you for what may be obvious to others

[@askialuna7717]

When I started watercolor years ago, I thought for a few years that these edges are special. Because in my watercolor books was nothing about it. I was always happy when I got the edges. Sometimes I need the edges, sometimes not :-)

[@UTleochi]

Haha, I love them, too! :D

[@gillyslikejillysart7458]

Always great info Steve! Thanks!

[@nancypalmer6729]

Great video! Thanks for the solid advice!

[@kenleyojones]

Great video! Appreciate you taking the time to explain.

[@terrymeechan2998]

TY. Great teaching, keeping it simple.

[@jaspermartin7444]

I need constant reminders, so thank you!

[@maryanharrell5642]

Another video that I needed! Thanks, Steve. You always seem to know just what I need, just when I need it!

[@debaccetta3982]

What a fantastic video, it was really helpful Steve! Thanks so much😊

[@cjgreen2198]

You are awesome -- thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

[@MrPuddinhead61]

Steve, this was wonderful and practical advice. You’re a great teacher.

[@Abstractaudrey7]

So helpful!! Thank you for being a fantastic teacher!

[@abby-fichtner]

Another incredibly helpful video. Thank you so much!

[@josephstanski5180]

Great video Steve - real important - Thanks so much.

[@bevroberts8440]

Great info and demo! Very helpful and glad I found this video.

[@valeriachilders]

All your videos are priceless. Thank you so much!

[@PHALOMOON]

Great lesson Steve. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge!

[@lindaoneill746]

This was so helpful! Thank you! Love your videos. Watch one per day with many teachers and you are my fav!

[@mooshibe]

Thanks for the lesson.

[@dinky..]

This is so so helpful! Thank you! I now understand what I was doing wrong!

[@sam11182]

I love it that also helps a ton. Layers. I should stop charging in at full pigmented brushes and start with thin soft layers and THEN do it until its fantastic

[@jessicasandberg5783]

Possibly the most helpful tutorial I've watched. Thank you!

[@mearis8133]

Your videos are always so informative. Thanks for the tips on lining up edges. I've had trouble with those and techniques for those weren't covered in the few classes I've had.

[@evilcruze]

There is so much I have learnt from your videos. Thank you!

[@markbranscum9855]

Cool! Now I know how to control those edges. Thanks!

[@HerradaJulio]

Thank you, the litter that I know of water color is thanks to your tutorials and I am grateful for that.

[@hswinehart]

This was very helpful for me as a beginner. Thank you.

[@jkirklen13]

This video is very helpful. Thank you for being such a good teacher.

[@cowboyblairehobbsarts5398]

Thank you Steve very helpful info

[@mschingacor]

such a good lesson ! i appreciate so much

[@sherrylee6719]

This is just what I needed to hear. I have been trying to get that look of objects overlapping, but I was outlining. Thank you for sharing this. It really helped.

[@Tiemi02]

Excellent video! Thank you sou much!

[@shyamalideb]

I am a new commer. Much needed. Big thankyou.🤗🤗🤗

[@ashleydellinger1506]

One of the most helpful tutorials Ive watched so far from anyone. Really grateful you made this; thank you

[@duke2011ful]

Love your explanations of whys

[@claudemaximus9409]

You are a great teacher, respecting all level of learning Thx

[@haticedemir2280]

Great, thanks for this video. I was looking for this info everywhere.

[@Michelle-hg3sv]

OMG, my shading mistakes solved! Thank you so much, Steve!!

[@LoriJMarshall]

Thanks. This was very helpful

[@belindahall5220]

Thank you so much Steve!!

[@Fitforthejourney]

This explanation was exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you

[@nancyleigh-smith2796]

Great video. Thanks for the information

[@ennieharrison8177]

Yessss!!! Thanks a LOT, I was really getting frustrated at those edges and backruns happening and you really helped me understand my mistake and how to solve it. Great! :)

[@vickiehaushild3824]

I am 100% new at this and love your videos. You give me courage:) Thank you very much.

[@liliawebb9377]

It's always good to have a review and I always manage to learn again what I forgot or something I didn't even consider. I liked the look of the darker behind the lighter at the edge. It was a reverse of how I think in watercolor. It isn't really behind the paint just the allusion that the sphere is behind; something I've never considered in placement. Thanks Steve, just another door opened to explore.

[@feverheat]

Awesome skills and demo

[@Zoomfreaky]

Wow...ok...watching this again. I know most of this stuff and still mess up often. Gonna practice this tomorrow! Thanks again!

[@1violin1minor]

After a tiring day of teaching, your video gave me peace of mind and a restful, fulfilled evening of sketching. Love your videos and art on Instagram.

[@pjlewisful]

Yes! Edges were a pesky problem in my watercolors. Thanks for making this so understandable.

[@rainbowfox1934]

These tips are excellent and can make a major difference in how a watercolor looks.

[@anamarf]

I actually like those edges, and try to make them in a 'controlled' way when I paint. But it was good to understand why they happen. Thank you!!

[@violinzeta]

Thank you for this video!!!!!!!!! 👍👍👍

[@helenschaefer1167]

Thank you so much for sharing this video with us. Edges are so important. I did learn about the shading one and I'm glad that you did it the second time. The explanations are very clearly shown. You did keep me on the edge. In the past, I saw the edges forming, but never thought about the reason for the formation, so happy to see the light. Thanks again, now I will watch it again.

[@Pyjamas112]

I love your videos mate. I appreciate how much detail you provide and they actually take my mind off work and stop me stressing out about crappy things haha Been using this medium for ten years now and I still find these tutorials very helpful and comforting to watch when I can’t sleep. Keep up the good work. Thank you from Australia

[@angustimmons729]

Wow... this is hugely helpful! This video and the ones on blending have totally explained most of the problems I've been having. I'm going from oil painting to watercolour and it's a steep learning curve. Thank you !

[@essietangle9931]

Your into to me to the phrase Hang 10. I looked it up the other day. They explained that the surfers on the long board and while they are a top the wave they stand at the very front of the board and have to have all ten toes hanging over the edge of the board. I watched a few videos and I was amazed. Okay what does this have to do with your video, you give us amazing clear details to watercolor insight. Thanks see ya Edgeman, it is so important.

[@deelarsen5]

Thank you so much for this.... I will look at your videos

[@spud357c]

Thanks Steve, very informative and agree a video on shading and shading placement would be really helpful to us beginners.

[@robyncutts628]

Thank you Steve!

[@endingit12]

I’ve recently attempted to get into water colour and your channel has helped me a lot

[@DS40764]

So helpful,to say the least. Thank you. Both soft and hard edges are needed depending on what your painting and this helps to control this

[@TheGaia2012]

Thank you so much. This tutorial was really important to me that I am just a beginner.

[@rhuechantal6316]

Thank you so much for taking time to share your teaching. It's a pleasure to learn from your clear and concise videos. I also appreciate your suggestions on products, and have purchased through your channel and links. Some items made their way onto my Christmas list for excellent gifts. I took a watercolour course in university, and found most professors just sit back and watch the class paint, offering no demos and little if any instruction. While practice is pivotal, I prefer a variety of approaches to inculcate and inspire. Thank you for the tip about pulling the shadow away from an overlapping object. Shadows provide great exercise in adding depth and expression.

[@lindathaxton1994]

Thank you for patiently & clearly showing us minder principals & techniques that are probably 2nd nature to experienced water colorists. So NICE to be able to learn correct techniques, I’m a happy minder!,

[@jillwiswall5386]

As a newbie, this was really helpful, thank you!

[@joshuamichael2421]

He must have kids because his dad jokes are ON POINTE! Thank you for your informative videos, I've learned so much I didnt think I even needed to know

[@Frieda_Kamstra]

Thank you so much!🙏🏼

[@birgitblume4980]

I am a relative beginner and really thankful for your videos!!

[@mindykeys206]

You have the best tutorials I have found anywhere. Thank you so much for sharing your talent, and doing so in such a great way. I have taken classes (many) which gave me nowhere near this much usable, understandable info. Thank you so much!! You are the best.

[@mindofwatercolor]

So kind and encouraging, thanks!

[@robertweinblatt2018]

Repetition is what jams that stuff into my mind🤪

[@greje656]

Thanks a lot for this video. Im a water color noob and this clarified so much for me. Thanks!

[@prachigoyal668]

I can't thank you enough for your videos. Water colours would confuse me so much because I did not know how to manipulate the components. You are a wonderful teacher. Lots of love, and stay safe!

[@catherinelevison3310]

That was really helpful. At first, when I was newer to watercolor, I liked those edges and thought they were a built in watercolor feature that you had to live with. Somehow over months of experience I did get rid of them but this video taught me exactly HOW to get rid of them. Watercolors are so multi-faceted that no one really knows what all they need to learn at the beginning. As they always say...practice, practice, practice and learn from this KZbin channel to save yourself years of wasted time. MY NEW PROBLEM is I can’t keep my paper wet for very long. It seems to dry out as fast as I can wet it. Some Arches is on the way. I’ve been using Strathmore as an affordable way to learn.

[@maryb.9546]

I am a beginner. I watched this video a few days ago and I had the biggest breakthrough in my watercolor journey ever. I painted a robin and was able to blend several colors without a hard edge. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!!

[@patrickhanley9049]

hard edge looks great. that's what i want :)

[@InLiquidColor]

Oh man, lining up edges between two washes are my watercolor nemesis haha. Now, I've always worn glasses, but as I've gotten older, not only do I have to lean in, but I also have to do the wide eyes 😳 I'm sure it looks ridiculous and I'm often glad I don't film my face while painting 😂

[@cassiescreations9828]

It gets worse the older you get!😊

[@mindofwatercolor]

LOL! Yep. I do the squint/frown then lower my glasses to make sure the prescription is still working. Coke bottle lens are probably in my future! Sigh! Thanks for dropping by Denise!

[@farmwife7944]

One of the good things about aging nowadays is that when you get cataracts then you can have the surgery to remove the old and get implanted corrective lenses and these babies are awesome. I was legally blind without glasses and now I only need them to fine tune my vision, in fact I can pass my driving test without glasses. I have never experienced such wonderful vision. I got the most basic kind, the ones covered completely by Medicare, and let me reassure you that they are something to look forward to. So don't lose hope you young folks, the best is yet to come!

[@cassiescreations9828]

@@farmwife7944 Congratulations! I'm glad you are so happy with the implants - never heard of them.

[@darlenevandyk7390]

Very helpful!!

[@brenttaylordotus]

I just tried my first watercolor ... thing... and saw some weird edges. This is so helpful! Thanks

[@sltravis66]

I ran across this because i’m trying to learn to do loose painting, i still am a beginner because most of what i have done are with tutorials or online classes. Hard edges are a problem, i get very frustrated. Have tossed a lot of paintings for that very reason. I’ll try your tips, thanks😊

[@Ieat2much]

Love the dad jokes😂 thanks for this. I always thought it’s me/my lack of skill. Now I know It’s so many variables plus the nature of the medium it self. These tips are gold 🙏

[@stephw1363]

Wish i had your tshirt collection to go with the watercolor tips!

[@sachihonjothornley9366]

Thank you!

[@sarahnorthrop9823]

very helpful thanks 😊

[@MelanieMaguire]

Aha! One of the very first watercolour sketches I did was some bluebells - I got that hard edge effect and I liked it - it defined the bluebells very delicately. The paper I was using wasn't watercolour paper (although I didn't know that then, because I bought it from ebay and it was listed as wc paper...). Later I got some proper wc paper and tried to do more bluebell paintings and couldn't replicate the first painting. I think I tried about 15 times. They were all fuzzy at the edges and no matter what I did, I couldn't reproduce the style of my first painting. It drove me mad! I never imagined it could have been the paper - I thought I'd peaked on my first painting and it seemed to be all downhill from there!!!!! Having watched this vid, I'm now thinking that the paper I was using had created (or helped to create) these hard edges that I liked so much and I'm going to experiment to see if that's the solution to repeating my bluebells. Thanks so much for this, Steve - all this information is golden. :)

[@haybee1148]

Thank you so much for this video. I'm new to watercolour and this makes such sense now to what I'm doing wrong.

[@gracegrace4116]

Thank you very much!

[@eepaulsen]

Your videos are the best ever. I’m grateful for your effort. FYI beginner artist 1 year in

[@reaperish]

I have been searching for a proper explanation for those hard edges with the darker outline! I actually really like the darker lines on the edge because I think it gives a unique look to a piece, especially when you overlap 2 different colors with the hard lines at the edge. However, I never understood how to make them consistently until your video! Thank you so so so so much!

[@BIGPROWLER]

Agreed, if your not already familiar check out Ali Cavanaugh she has an approach almost antithetical to traditional methods.