As a self-taught watercolorist, I can attest that everything said here is 100% true. I only wish I'd had more resources at a younger age. If you are reading this, you have Internet access and therefore the WORLD at your fingertips. Take advantage of it! :)
This message, your message, is a message I wish more RUclips artists (or any artist that is giving advice) would give, and stress, to new and intermediate artists. So many are just too negative telling people what they are doing wrong, instead of encouraging people. Well done Matthew! 😊
I needed to see this today. Feeling very defeated trying to paint pine trees and still stuck in overworking all my paintings, but there is improvement in the "overworking" part.
Such great advice! Thank you! I was trying a new course and had a couple failed paintings and thought I just sucked at this. I guess everyone sort of struggles in the beginning. Thanks for sharing your progress it's amazing and inspiring!
If it's worth having it's worth working for. I used to divide sheets of paper into quarters and paint four small paintings or practice pieces...turn paper over and do four more. I would paint clouds until my blotches begin to look like clouds. I did the same thing with trees and with water and rocks and everything that gave me problems. My wife was my best supporter. My wife died twenty-eight months ago and I have not felt like painting since. I don't know if I will ever paint again. It will be what it will be
This makes me very sad. Being your best supporter, your wife would have wanted you to continue painting. Painting will be a connection to her, and that’s a beautiful thing. I hope you get inspired soon.
Lol.. I'd be thrilled to be able to paint the "from this painting"... obviously you have some inborn skill to even create the left side ones... but I'm encouraged by your progress and will stop my "naysaying" and just continue to practice!!
Thank you for sharing this. I love what you said about circling the date on the calendar every time you showed up to draw. I also love how you tell us to change our thinking. This video was very reassuring.
I mainly do sketching/drawing and charcoal work and acrylics. However I do venture into watercolours occasionally and I do find it's a totally different thing altogether. I do enjoy it when it works out but I've learned to think that the one's that didn't are the learning step to doing more better. This is an excellent video and explained clearly,good advice Matthew White.
Thanks for your wise words Matthew. Everything is spot on. I follow most of your advice; large shapes, values, no problem. The only thing really holding back my progress is, and has always been, interpretation and SIMPLIFICATION of a reference photo. I look at my photos ( many) and just don’t know how to simplify. My paintings turn out quite well sometimes but too tight. Any advice on that?
Couple months late and i'm not Matthew, but... Pick an area to be your focal point. If you don't know where that should be, ask yourself why you like this scene? Are you telling a story? Where do you want the viewer to look? Once you have the focal point, decide to give that spot the best detail, most contrast, best color, etc. Everything else should have less detail and softer edges, gentler contrast. Let the rest of the painting support the focal point and not fight with it.
I worked as an art teacher for a couple of years and the number one thing I tried to impress on the kids who were staring at the ceiling looking for inspiration is that inspiration comes after hard work, not before.
@learntopaintwatercolor what if you get bored and tired easily and deal with depression which demotivates you more? How do you make the hard work FUN? And if nkt bow do you make it easier sndnfaster? Isn't life too short and uncertain to work hard if you don't enjoy it? Thanks for sharing and hope to hear from you.
Thank you so much, I think my fear of not getting it perfect keeps me from trying. Also, I want to enjoy the process of doing the work,,not just the result, do you think that will help me get over my perfectionism?
🤗 All I can tell you is that you are good enough, you are always good enough. Perfectionism will kill your creativity if you allow it to determine whether you got a painting 'right' or 'wrong', and actually in my book there is no right or wrong. Sure, we all paint and dont create what was in our heads, that's why Matthew has a giant stack of 'failed' paintings - but the thing is, did you think any less of him for having that stack of paintings? So be gentle with yourself too. There will be days when it doesn't work out as you would have hoped - so adopt the 'oh well' approach and figure out how you can do it differently, rather than seeing it as a pass or fail. Be gentle with yourself 💕
I love the idea of the Michelangelo quote but I'm fairly certain there is no actual source from him where he stated that. It seems more like a sensible idea attributed to him several hundred years after his death, by people who wanted that idea to come from a famous person. Many quotes are actually spawned this way. Similarly, the "Anchora Imparo - always learning" quote is misattributed to Michaelangelo. It was a common saying in his time, but the quote comes from another artist, Guintalodi, who wrote it as a satirical message in a piece where a man stands before an hourglass, supposedly satirizing man's futile attempts at trying to learn everything before the clock runs out.
My biggest problem is that I am colour blind in reds and greens I have all my colours marked up but I constantly have to ask my wife 'What colour is this. What colour is that? I have never found any useful advice on this matter
Could you have given an example of a female artist as you did with Michelangelo? There are just as many female painters and sculptors as males but never talked about. E.g. Levina Teerlinc - A Flemish Renaissance Miniaturist, Caterina van Hemessen - An Acclaimed Portraitist, Sofonisba Anguissola - Late Renaissance Painter, Lavinia Fontana - A Vatican's Portraitist, Fede Galizia - A Pioneer of the Still Life Genre, Artemisia Gentileschi - The First Female Member of the Accademia, Judith Leyster - A Dutch Golden Age Painter, Elisabetta Sirani, Italian Baroque painter and printmaker, Rachel Ruysch - A Master of Still-Lifes. You should consider going to art school where you would have learned about female artists.
▶︎Free Video Lesson: 7 Secrets of Fresh, Powerful Painting www.learntopaintwatercolor.com/7secrets
As a self-taught watercolorist, I can attest that everything said here is 100% true. I only wish I'd had more resources at a younger age. If you are reading this, you have Internet access and therefore the WORLD at your fingertips. Take advantage of it! :)
This message, your message, is a message I wish more RUclips artists (or any artist that is giving advice) would give, and stress, to new and intermediate artists. So many are just too negative telling people what they are doing wrong, instead of encouraging people. Well done Matthew! 😊
Thank you for being a constant source of support and inspiration.
I needed to see this today. Feeling very defeated trying to paint pine trees and still stuck in overworking all my paintings, but there is improvement in the "overworking" part.
Your comment that a stack of failed paintings indicates progress gave me a new way to.look at this.
Me too,,progress takes time I guess!
I read something that I found useful ~ until we fail we cannot succeed.
Such great advice! Thank you! I was trying a new course and had a couple failed paintings and thought I just sucked at this. I guess everyone sort of struggles in the beginning. Thanks for sharing your progress it's amazing and inspiring!
If it's worth having it's worth working for. I used to divide sheets of paper into quarters and paint four small paintings or practice pieces...turn paper over and do four more. I would paint clouds until my blotches begin to look like clouds. I did the same thing with trees and with water and rocks and everything that gave me problems. My wife was my best supporter. My wife died twenty-eight months ago and I have not felt like painting since. I don't know if I will ever paint again. It will be what it will be
This makes me very sad. Being your best supporter, your wife would have wanted you to continue painting. Painting will be a connection to her, and that’s a beautiful thing. I hope you get inspired soon.
I hope springtime gives you some inspiration to pick up a brush again,,,it can help your healing maybe🌷
I was just having the ‘I just have no talent’ conversation with myself so this video was very timely, thank you
Thank you so much for this video and the advice!
Lol.. I'd be thrilled to be able to paint the "from this painting"... obviously you have some inborn skill to even create the left side ones... but I'm encouraged by your progress and will stop my "naysaying" and just continue to practice!!
That’s great! Keep going
As a newbie, this video and your words give me hope…..I needed to hear this and I need to absorb this. Much appreciated. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Every word you expressed here is absolutely true and so inspiting. Daily schedule does work anazingly.
Thank you for sharing this. I love what you said about circling the date on the calendar every time you showed up to draw. I also love how you tell us to change our thinking. This video was very reassuring.
Perfect timing for this. I started late in life with no art school . I will mark my calendar in my studio.
I mainly do sketching/drawing and charcoal work and acrylics. However I do venture into watercolours occasionally and I do find it's a totally different thing altogether. I do enjoy it when it works out but I've learned to think that the one's that didn't are the learning step to doing more better. This is an excellent video and explained clearly,good advice Matthew White.
Grazie mille per le parole motivanti e per lasciarci partecipare alla suo percorso artistico
Very true! for those following Matthew, I highly recommend his Watercolor Essentials courses; it has definitely made a difference in my work product
Thanks for your wise words Matthew. Everything is spot on. I follow most of your advice; large shapes, values, no problem. The only thing really holding back my progress is, and has always been, interpretation and SIMPLIFICATION of a reference photo. I look at my photos ( many) and just don’t know how to simplify. My paintings turn out quite well sometimes but too tight. Any advice on that?
Couple months late and i'm not Matthew, but...
Pick an area to be your focal point. If you don't know where that should be, ask yourself why you like this scene? Are you telling a story? Where do you want the viewer to look?
Once you have the focal point, decide to give that spot the best detail, most contrast, best color, etc.
Everything else should have less detail and softer edges, gentler contrast. Let the rest of the painting support the focal point and not fight with it.
Wow.. that spoke to me like a friend . Great advice. ❤
Well this video really applies to everything ...
Great job on being so motivational and all encompassing!
This was so very helpful. Thank you 😊😊
Danke!
Thank you!
I worked as an art teacher for a couple of years and the number one thing I tried to impress on the kids who were staring at the ceiling looking for inspiration is that inspiration comes after hard work, not before.
That’s good!
@learntopaintwatercolor what if you get bored and tired easily and deal with depression which demotivates you more? How do you make the hard work FUN? And if nkt bow do you make it easier sndnfaster? Isn't life too short and uncertain to work hard if you don't enjoy it? Thanks for sharing and hope to hear from you.
When you showed your stack of failed paintings it made me not feel so bad about mine . 😊
Thanks for sharing this!
So inspiring. Thank you 😉
Woah.. You're failed paintings..!!! You can show us some n share ur thoughts on why you didn't like em, That'll be a fun video.
Thanks for this!!
Thank you so much, I think my fear of not getting it perfect keeps me from trying. Also, I want to enjoy the process of doing the work,,not just the result, do you think that will help me get over my perfectionism?
🤗 All I can tell you is that you are good enough, you are always good enough. Perfectionism will kill your creativity if you allow it to determine whether you got a painting 'right' or 'wrong', and actually in my book there is no right or wrong. Sure, we all paint and dont create what was in our heads, that's why Matthew has a giant stack of 'failed' paintings - but the thing is, did you think any less of him for having that stack of paintings? So be gentle with yourself too. There will be days when it doesn't work out as you would have hoped - so adopt the 'oh well' approach and figure out how you can do it differently, rather than seeing it as a pass or fail. Be gentle with yourself 💕
@Terri R Thanks, I never use the word gentle with myself but I think I can start! 😉
@@barblallier9413 🤗🤗💕💕
OMG thank you
I love the idea of the Michelangelo quote but I'm fairly certain there is no actual source from him where he stated that. It seems more like a sensible idea attributed to him several hundred years after his death, by people who wanted that idea to come from a famous person. Many quotes are actually spawned this way. Similarly, the "Anchora Imparo - always learning" quote is misattributed to Michaelangelo. It was a common saying in his time, but the quote comes from another artist, Guintalodi, who wrote it as a satirical message in a piece where a man stands before an hourglass, supposedly satirizing man's futile attempts at trying to learn everything before the clock runs out.
How to you re wet the watercolored paper if you have left it in between and want to apply a second layer
My biggest problem is that I am colour blind in reds and greens I have all my colours marked up but I constantly have to ask my wife 'What colour is this. What colour is that? I have never found any useful advice on this matter
The colors matter less than the values. I would love to see your paintings where you chose colors by their value not hue. How freeing that would be!
Where do you get your pictures to inspire your painting? Where should I be looking?
A problem with the Amazon link for brushes: "currently unavailable"
When you think you've done enough you're probably only half way
But, did you begin knowing how to draw/sketch?
Could you have given an example of a female artist as you did with Michelangelo? There are just as many female painters and sculptors as males but never talked about. E.g. Levina Teerlinc - A Flemish Renaissance Miniaturist, Caterina van Hemessen - An Acclaimed Portraitist, Sofonisba Anguissola - Late Renaissance Painter, Lavinia Fontana - A Vatican's Portraitist, Fede Galizia - A Pioneer of the Still Life Genre, Artemisia Gentileschi - The First Female Member of the Accademia, Judith Leyster - A Dutch Golden Age Painter, Elisabetta Sirani, Italian Baroque painter and printmaker, Rachel Ruysch - A Master of Still-Lifes. You should consider going to art school where you would have learned about female artists.
He used Michelangelo because there was a specific quote that pertained to the subject of his video. This was an uneccarily rude comment.
Your course is too expensive 😢
So inspiring. Thank you 😉