How To Mix Watercolors for Beginners (AVOID these Mistakes!)
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2024
- In this video I show you how to mix watercolors and avoid some of the most common color mixing mistakes. Whether you use tube or pan paints and even if you are a complete beginner, this tutorial will help you effectively mix your paint to get the results you want from your palette.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
0:26 How I can help you avoid color mixing mistakes
0:51 Not swatching your colors
3:31 Mixing the wrong color first
6:42 Not stirring granulating colors
8:56 Not considering the undertones
12:25 Not making color charts
14:49 Not adjusting ready-made greens
16:30 Not swatching as you paint
18:17 Not using a limited palette
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• How To Mix Watercolors... 
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Let me know if you were making any of these mistakes? Next try Watercolor Mixing Tutorial (Green Shade vs Red Shade EXPLAINED!) ruclips.net/video/u9OtRl1prHE/видео.html
I was definitely noticing the granulation separation but I didn't realize why it was happening!
I still make mistakes especially with colors from different brands, however your videos are
so helpful thank you.
@@debh3404 First time I used a granulating color, I thought the paint was defective. ;-)
Michele, thank you so much for this video. I was going about mixing entirely wrong, now I have a plan!
I have a tip of my own: Some time ago, I started writing (gently, in soft pencil) on the backs of my paintings: 1)Paper used, 2) Paints used; brand, colors, and any mixes. I finally got tired of looking at a painting thinking "I wonder what that wonderful color is; I want to use it again!" And not having the slightest idea. I still have a swatch of a blue mix that haunts me to this day. 😟
I do that too, but on the tape along the edge of the paper :-)
I love the tip about swatching your colors. I recently gifted a semi-professional pan set to my 13 yo granddaughter. We do art sessions a LOT! Before she started with the new set I suggested that she swatch each color and label it, which she did, and was very surprised to see the actual colors compared to what she had anticipated them to be. At the same session, I opened a new professional pan set from a new-to-me manufacturer. However, I did NOT swatch because of course "I've been doing this for quite a while so I think I know what will be." HA!!!! I can not explain the MESS I had before I just gave up for the day! I have changed my work habits! :)
I do that with my sewing, think, oh I don't need to read the instructions (find unpicker!)
Great video as always. It's clear you're not just an artist, but a teacher too.
Thank you!
Even knowing those things, is good to be reminded of, from time to time, to not forget. 😊 Thank you!!
Yes we all need reminders, thanks for watching!
Great insights and tips as always.
1. Yes, swatching is very helpful. I use my sketchbooks to swatch my palettes, which I mainly make up myself from tube paints and/or pan paints from brand palette sets. I also swatch all paints I have, over 150 now (OMG! - I need help...). I group them into each primary colour, secondary colour, tertiary colour and earths.
2. Mixing paint is something I have been doing more and more over the last 2 years. Prior to that I used paints straight out of the pan. Mixing is a skill that takes a lot of practice, but I find it's best to do with good quality paints (artist grade) and only use single pigment paints where possible.
3. I wasn't aware of the effect with granulating paints, although I would always re-stir whenever I see inconsistency in the puddle mix.
4. I like trying mixes of two colours mainly, occasionally adding a third if I'm trying to get a specific earth or shade tone. Warm and cold colour awareness is also helpful when mixing colours.
5. Colour charts are a great tool, again I use these in my sketchbooks. It makes sense to keep a record of the mixes that work for you and avoid the ones that don't. My colour charts are quite small, but I have some specific ones for greens and greys. I've found some wonderful mixes that are far better to use than straight out of the tube paints.
6. Ready-made greens are handy and wonderful to use, but I also tend to add another green, or yellow, or blue to the mix to give more variety for foliage, grass and trees for example. Great tip about the Pink to neutralise. I have Opera Pink and Potter's Pink that I'll try next time.
7. I have a few limited palettes now, which I occasionally swap out some colours. It's great to focus on mixing and values instead of going COLOUR CRAZY (a well-known illness of the newbie watercolour painter like me!)
Michelle, you should easily smash 100k subscribers, just keep at it. Top tip: ask viewers to share and copy link, even if they don't send share link itself, as it also helps the algorithm.
Thank you. I can help with the too many paints issue. Stop counting them ;-) ;-)
Thank you, Michele, for these brilliant tips. I am reminded how important it is to keep making those colour charts. And so much more!
Thank you, Michelle! I have learned so much from all of your videos and am always excited to see when new ones arrive. Your tip about stirring mixes with granulating colours was helpful. Also, your further explanation of knowing undertones when mixing helped me understand this better, and gave me a better sense of neutralizing colours and why this happens. 🌈
You are very welcome!
Thanks Michele 💜
Very helpful. Thank you💜🌹
Wonderful instructions! Thank you.
An excellent tutorial. Thank you.
Thanks for tips I learn a lot
Thanks Michele, always great tips from you.
Super idea with the mixed colour chart.
I found your Demonstration of how you set up your color chart to be Extremely helpful . Thank you
I never knew many of these concepts. Thanks!!
Thank-You Michele!!!!
Any time!
I love the clear explanations and examples!
Glad you like them!
Very helpful. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
A year ago I would have struggled to understand this instruction. But I found it today and I’m gobbling it up like a warm biscuit! Just what I needed! Thank you!
Excellent!
This was incredibly helpful, thank you!
No problem!
Wonderful tips and so helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
Very helpful, thank you 🙏
You're welcome!
Learned so much!
Great!
Thank you so much for this video!
You are so welcome!
Thank you, very useful information for someone new to watercolor.
thanks for the videos. Very helpful!
My pleasure!
I adore your watch,with that beautiful green strap,it is a delight❤️
A great tutorial Michele, thank you for sharing.
No problem!
so informative thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
Loved the info. Thank you 🦋
Thanks for watching!
You are always so helpful, and a delight to watch. Thank you so much for sharing your skills and your time with us.
Thank you!
Loved the demonstration about granulating colors settling. Thank you 🙏💙🌵🌵🌵🌵
Thank you for watching!
Great tips, Michelle. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Excellent lesson. So helpful.
Glad you think so!
Great tutorial, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fabulous video with so much helpful information! Thank you!
Thanks so much!
Very useful reminder particularly about mixing which red and blue to get a decent purple. While we are on the subject of phthalo green I did find that a watered version was the perfect color for a green that occurs in the ocean around here. The reminder about limited pallets is very well taken
I love your color mixing videos. Very informative!!
Thanks so much!
Awesome, I have just found your channel. Thank you for sharing
Awesome! Thank you!
Thank you so very much for the wonderful helpful information Michele! So helpful
Glad it was helpful!
I’ve only seen a few of your videos but always great tips.
Not that I am any great painter, but I’ve managed to avoid all those mistakes as I spend a lot of time just tinkering with colors, mixes, how they interact, always have a little patch of paper for tests all in an effort to make my actual painting effort more effective and less stressful. I’m actually just waiting for two more colors to add to my three color palette… I gave away my first set as it had too many colors for me. I’m expanding my green range and bringing my yellow intensity up… we have a local flower that I cannot duplicate the colour of with my current yellow as it is inherently too orange leaning.
Thank you so very much for being so with the beginners as we discover what works and what doesn't work. Your tips make it so much easier to get better at this.
Blessings!
Happy to help!
Great tips, professor!
Why thank you!
Thank you for these wonderful tips!! They have been so helpful with mixing my own colors. Again, thank you so much!
You are very welcome!
The info on granulating colors w as new to me and. This will help me to keep from more mistakes in the future. Thank you.
I'm so glad!
Great video as always. So useful and I enjoyed seeing the progress of your new painting 😁
Thank you!
Thank you Michelle. You have given me so many useful tips and explanations, I’ve lost count! 👩🎨🎨🖌😻
Happy to help!
Your videos are by far the most informative and useful art videos on RUclips.
Thank you for the hard work🌷💗
Wow, thank you!
Thx Michelle
No worries!
Very informative . Made me very aware of how I can so easily improve . Thanks.
Great to hear!
Thank you.
You're welcome!
*very helpful information...especially with the distressing and layering techniques i've been using for sketch journals...sometimes hard to restrain how much i add to one page to prevent a muddy mess but when the layers fall into place the results are gratifying*
Glad it helped!
I"ve been watercolouring for one year now and I think I went through all these mistakes and learned by myself I shouldn't do the way I did. When I get a new colour or if I notice I never use one colour I swatch it mixed with every color of my palette. I've learned a lot this way about my paints.
Swatching is most helpful!
You are an Amazing teacher. Everytime I watch a video I learn so much.
Wow, thank you!
Thank you for all that you do to help us! (I got my other eye fixed recently, too!). 😊
Thank you so much! Glad to hear!
Thanks for your efforts in making us all a little better with each new video 🦋
My pleasure 😊
Thank you
You're welcome :-)
Color mixing is really difficult for me. This helps quite a bit. Thanks
You’re welcome 😊
Stirring granulated mixes ... THANK YOU.
No problem!
Lol Michele, sometimes I feel like you’ve got a camera in my home. I’m guilty of never swatching any of my colors. Although, I do try out my blends on a scrap piece of paper. Excellent video. Thx as always. 🥰💕🐶💕🥰
Check the pot plant ;-)
Hop to it , Missy! You won’t be sorry. 🥰
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Great video and information! You are very organized. Like the color charts in your notebook. I am going to start swatching my paints for quick reference. I did not know that the color on the front of the tube is not true color when painting. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
thank you so much for yet another great video. as a beginner for me your tips are always very helpful :)
No problem!
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so, so much for this. I am a beginning watercolor painter and I really struggle with understanding color and mixing colors. This has been so helpful.
I'm so glad!
Great information
Glad you think so!
Ohh yes, I am guilty of 2, 3, 4, & 5. Definitely learning a lot from the color mixing journey. Thanks for explaining these things & the correct solution to fix them.
Happy to help!
My fault is trying to decide which colour palette to use - Buying art supplies is a separate and wonderful hobby in itself lol, but it does get overwhelming at times when you want to use them all at once or can’t decide which group of things to use, especially in mixed media . Thought I’d be a grown up by now. But no. Lol love your videos so much - they set a great example to a scatterbrain like me! So we’ll organised its almost hypnotic and you don’t bang about you keep it moving - it’s great, thank you!
I agree color charts are most necessary.
I find them really helpful!
I love your hair Michelle.
Thank you :-) I am growing it again! It just doesn't feel like 'me'. Everyone else likes it though (!)
This was very helpful! I switched all my colors years ago but never really did a mix chart. And switching colors in a painting, very hit-and-miss. As I've started painting again as I've recovered I'm rediscovering the old tools I used to use and it's helping. The tips about granulation, very helpful! Don't think I ever heard that one before!
Glad you liked it :-)
Hi Michelle,
I don't usually comment but you are so easy to follow and you aim your camera properly so that we can perfectly see all that you are teaching us. When you speak you totally remind me of Elizabeth Hurley lol.
Anyway, really enjoying your flower videos, and I haven't even searched yet for your fur or animal tutorials.
It's exciting when you find a teacher as good as you are. Thank you Thank you Thank you !!!
Well thank you for your lovely comment! And you are very welcome :-)
Wonderful info, thanks - I've noticed these things but never knew the 'why' or 'how' behind a lot of them. I wish I had seen this just over a year ago when I first picked up a paintbrush. I can laugh now, but imagine ... favorite color = purple, beginner painter who thinks every color the human eye can see can be mixed from from 3 tubes of paint (one red, one yellow, one blue). Not knowing anything at all, I started with manganese blue, cadmium red, and a cadmium yellow. LOL, you know how that worked out! Happy to say I carried on, learned a little color theory, and own a few more paint tubes (none of which say 'purple'). I find that I learn MORE with LESS materials. Your videos are always excellent information and examples! I love that you show us the results of something and ways to make it better or worse (great learning for us!) rather than saying what a person must do or not do.
So glad you liked it!
Yes I'm afraid so ! Particularly guilty of choosing the wrong colour first! Thanks for showing me what I've been doing wrong - going to save such a lot of paint now !
That's great!
Watercolors hate me (I’m an acrylic artist.) While I have a solid understanding of color theory, this was very helpful as it applies to using watercolors. Thanks!
You are welcome Sally!
Okay so thank you very much for this video its a good technique to know go from light to dark.....enjoyed video..will be rewatching this video alot to really grasps the concepts i due keep a sscrap near me before i paint so i can try out colors that was the one thing i learned from you three years ago......Mikelle art mom 👩🎨🎨✍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Your video is full of great tips and right on time for me bc I'm currently in the process of swatching and charting - if not all - 90% of my watercolours. I have a ton so it takes foreeeever, but it's also so rewarding! And it's a good exercise to see and understand how your paint work like, I mixed my Red Sennelier and WN Cobalt turquoise light and somehow the pigments separated on the paper? Idk if I stirred well enough or not (I kept stirring so I thought it was ok), but it was most interesting to see that.
Granulating pigments will always separate on paper, stirring doesn't stop that happening, but it gives consistency and means you aren't applying a totally different colour 10 minutes after you made the mix.
I have only just after 2 years worked out that I need to add a to b rather than the other way around. I still get it wrong often especially when mixing greys. I use pans made from my tubes but I think I must use a limited palette as some colours are used more than others and when I look at my paintings side by side they mainly harmonise well Really helpful video. Thank you
You're welcome!
This was very helpful. I make a few of these mistakes. Color mixing is hard for me. Still trying to learn which of my paints are considered warm and cool and which ones I should mix or shouldn’t mix together.
I do have a video on warm and cool colours if you have a search :-)
When I first learned colour theory and all that, I remembered by thinking of cool colours as being light and pastel-like, and warms being dark and heavy-like
In a video quite a while back, you recommended that we get a pink for our palette. I bought Opera Rose and thought, "Eh, I might use this. But somehow I doubt it." I reach for that Opera Rose all the time for mixes. The tube is nearly empty. And, wow - I LOVE the Opera Rose + Ultramarine mix--such beautiful purples from that!
Another helpful video. Thanks!
You are very welcome!
I've been selling my watercolors for years and today I learned new things that will definitely help. Thanks.
Wonderful!
So helpful! Trying to get my 70 year old brain back into gear on colour theory 50 years after art collage! Thank you Michelle it all coming back to me with your help 😊
You can do it!
Thank you Michelle for an interesting video, but I confess that it blew my mind.
I didn't know the first thing about colour mixing, because I learned years ago that I am red/green colour blind and was dismissed at school as stupid and have been afraid all my life to learn to overcome the problem. I know I could have ignored the resulting mistakes but dare not:. Even drawing or sketching is a similar no no. So I can only envy those who can and do. So I thank you for sharing your talent and skills.
You are so welcome! Many men are colour blind to an extent, it's genetic. I have taught some very severe cases. The main thing is not to get frustrated or upset about it. Accept it as part of how you see the world. Colour doesn't really exist, our brain just interprets light bouncing off surfaces, we all see something different, animals more so, there's no wrong or right. One chap told me he thought the family cat was green growing up, and he used to paint pink shadows on snow.
Having watched a lot of your other videos I have managed to avoid most of these problems. However, I did recently come up against the granulation problem. I had a mix of 3 colors, 2 of which granulated. I did stir every time I went into it, but the mix separated again on the paper! Since it was used on a distant mountain side, it looked great-very natural. The painting is very amateurish but it was a great learning experience. I made a swatch and a note of the mix for future reference because I have found my memory to be unreliable at times🥴
Even with stirring granulation will still happen on the paper. The trick is using it when you need it :-)
Thank you again for another great video! And let me just say: Pay no attention to those rude, boorish slobs who rush to criticize you! We, your loyal and sweet, grateful followers love you, and that's what really matters. You are awesome!
😊💐♥️
Bless you, you are all awesome too!
I'm a beginner so my journey hasn't evolved enough to know how I should do many things... I realize I need to color swatch on good paper, as it does look different on copy paper - lol! BTW, I love the Phthalo Green to practice 🍃 leaves... Winsor Green... thank 😊 you Michelle... loved the picture of the Abbey your daughter took... love to hear you process your painting! A California Gramma ♥️
Thanks Ann!
Really useful, i have been mixing muddy colours and wondering what has gone wrong. Swatching colours before putting them on the painting sounds a brilliant idea.
Glad it was helpful!
almost there!
I know!
Hello Michele, I started drawing about 18 months, and pretty soon I found your videos and I've learned an awful lot from them - thanks! I kept to drawing because I am colour-blind, but then I met someone else who was colour-blind and he has been working in colour for years. So, I was inspired and I am now working almost entirely with watercolours. But what I am short of is some help and guidance, and I would love one of your excellent videos on the subject!
Do let me know what in particular you struggle with, many men are colour blind I know, it's genetic :-)
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Hi Michele,
The number one problem for me is to make any use of subtle colours. The colours I am confident with are strong, clear colours, such as most blue, red, yellow and green. It starts to get uncertain, when those colours are mixed in some way. So I know (because I've been told) that purple is a mixture of red and blue, but it usually looks blue to me, and if it's pale it tends to look grey. So you can imagine how frustrating swatching is - there are a lot of similar colours, which are given fancy names for no obvious reason!
But I do like colour (even if I can't put a name to the colour I'm seeing), and I do a lot of paintings that are abstract, and even some that are more realistic. The more realistic ones are (I hope) those where exact colours aren't that important. But I would like to extend my range a bit, if possible. That's why I posted on your 'How to mix watercolours' video.
I would love to see a figure drawing video showing us how to use the "bean" technique for understanding form and gesture
Great suggestion!
when you stirred that pigment and how much it completely changed you literally made my jaw drop . Well done lol
Thanks, yes it's amazing to see it!
I must swatch my colors. I'm learning so much from you!!! My hardest part is shadows and highlights, it's hard for me to imagine how the light will fall and where all the shadows should be. I'm trying to imagine a light source but it doesn't help yet, I'm utterly mooing for help!!!
I'm going to have some simple tutorials later in the year, should help with shadows.
Thanks for asking the question
Dear Michele do you have any guide on painting dark or foggy weather backgrounds? Thank you
It's hard to say without seeing your subject. Do pop over to my facebook group (same name as the channel if you haven't already joined). It's easier for me and others to advise you when we can see photos :-)
I’m guilty of starting with the wrong color and wasting paint. I do have a huge binder of swatches. So glad I did that. I’m guilty of owning too many paints but you didn’t ask that question. 🤪
That's because I think it's fine to own lots of paints!
Oh yes, the wrong colour first... Happens sometimes. Lately I wanted a nice neutral grey and I had some leftover to start from. I always use the same colours for that (I was painting a bird, so I had browns and some Payne's grey already on the palette for this), but this time it got to be a huge puddle of a lovely warm mud colour instead of my desired grey. I just stared over in an other clean space of the palette to get the colour I needed. But I still have the leftover mixture, it turned out lovely, I just need to find something I can paint that colour 🤣 It is sometimes hard to estimate how much paint I get from the pans on my brush, especially if I worked some time and it is fairly softened up already with water. For adjusting greens I usually use burnt Sienna, it works great to get a lovely natural warm green. I like my happy accident colour mixtures, I sometimes save them for later use if they inspire me. They happen less and less though, I learned a lot from you (and others here on RUclips)
That's great. I used to keep little swatches of colours I made by accident!
I paint with a "less is more" idea. I don't use a lot of different colors in a painting (unless it's a wildflower theme) nor do I paint every square inch of the paper. I like and paint simple themes, sometimes a single object on the page. However, I'm much too impatient to swatch my color collection, though I DO swatch while I'm painting and never touch my paper with a color unless I check it out first on scrap paper. Thank you for your very informative videos.
Swatching can be boring. I am about to re-do mine. The trick is just to swatch one per day, or just the ones you are using. That way you don't have to commit hours to it :-)
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Oh! Excellent idea! Thanks.😊
Thanks! It wad ahmazzzing!!! 🥰 I'm going to follow you on IG now 😁
Thank you!
I've not started any painting yet, as I'm 60 yrs old and I've got early onset Alzheimer's, it's so hard to concentrate on anything for long, but I've subscribed to your channels & love your teaching methods, blessings from Glasgow X
Thanks William, glad you are enjoying the videos, take care :-)
Regarding which color to start with when mixing purple- I find that phthalo blue is the most powerful color on my palette, and it makes a brilliant purple when combined with a cool red. I usually start with red and add a tiny amount of the blue at a time. Ultramarine, on the other hand is much less strong and I might start with it and add red in small diluted amounts.