6:29 hey, I spray my m graham gouache palette with rubbing alcohol before I close it up. Has done the job so far, and I had mold before i started spraying. Good luck!
Hi Miranda. I’m not a mold expert but I did take a microbiology class many years ago. From what I remember, mold spreads through the air, not water. The professor even recommended not opening the container if you see mold because you might disturb it and cause it to spread its spores in the air. Spores are like the ‘seeds’ that later give rise to more mold. So if you find your other paints get even more mold, it’s probably because the spores spread as you removed the old moldy paints. Mold grows in humid conditions, so best way to prevent mold is to decrease humidity. (I always dry my watercolors before I close my palettes.) I know, that’s not what you’d want for gouache. 😒 For me personally, I’ve decided to just take gouache right out of the tube as needed instead of trying to store them in a palette, which requires maintenance. Ugh. But if you want to keep maintaining them in a palette, I would suggest that you wear a mask when you remove moldy paint(s). You are probably fine because your immune system will take care of mold that you inhale, but just in case you are unknowingly sensitive, etc., best to wear a mask. (I’m dealing with chronic cough at the moment and I suspect it is due to mold in the air that I breathe.) Also, I know 10% bleach will kill just about anything. Not sure about alcohol, esp. if you don’t know its concentration. Btw, super cute mister bottles!!
I remember my sister telling me, her teacher said, the mold you see is like the flower on the tree. So there's many more mold spores than you might imagine, and it's easy for them to contaminate surrounding things. I'm sure bleach or even peroxide would do a good job, but might also change paint colors? I also like Grapefruit Seed Extract for disinfection, so that might be something I try if I ever get the guts to fill my gouache palette. I suppose it would not be a bad idea to sanitize the area, palette & any tools and wear gloves when filling. Kind of like when you're doing canning. I'll have to check Sarah's video to see if she mixes disinfectant right into the gouache or only sprays the top. Hmm, wouldn't you know it, Sarah JUST RELEASED A VIDEO ON GOUACHE MOLDING by brand!!!
@@jennw6809 In that microbiology class I mentioned, we did an experiment where we placed a petri dish (a container where we added nutritious ‘jello’ for microbes) in the bathroom, just open to air during class. Then we put the dish in an incubator to see if anything grows. Sure enough, disgusting mold. Thank goodness for our immune systems! Also, I once ordered empty half pans from Amazon. First time, they came with black spots in some. I figured they were dust or dirt that got on during storage. I ordered again and second time, more pans with bigger ‘dirt’ spots. They looked more like mold. I couldn’t believe they would grow on plastic, if they were mold!! ?? Can you give me the name of Sarah’s YT channel? I saw several comments about her new video but I don’t know who she is.
Urrrgh mold spores. It’s like an iceberg. The black is what you can see and then there’s what you can’t see but which is floating around everywhere from it.😢 I second the whole treating the whole area on your desk where you’ve been cleaning the gouache paint up, because mold spores are the very devil.
You can put Arrtx gouache into air-tight bag. Gouache will stop drying. It dries fastest near the edges of the lid, where the air enters. Air-tight bag stops air circulation.
Hello , I think it’s the gouache I guess the m graham ones are pretty known for it. Bummer for me and I forgot and just ordered 2 the clove oil should work. I’m not sure if your familiar with Sarah burns studio and she uses clove oil and her palette has not mold yet. Also she found if I remember right some of her Holbein did also. No shame to the company’s. I hope this helps some . Have a blessed day ❤
It does help, thank you. I should probably make a list of which ones have molded so far because I would like to have this handy travel palette since I'm so often out-and-about. I'll just avoid the ones that tend to mold and use those straight from the tube instead. Have a great weekend.
Hey! So some things I’ve picked up that could help.. for the clove oil question, Sarah Burns mentioned that clove bud oil is better then clove oil because it’s more concentrated. And for the Himi Mia gouache, reviving with some glycerine can help bring them back to life and then adding a drop of clove bud oil in each.. hope this helps! Oh and using one of those book binding pokers to mix the gouache instead of palette knives helps - happy painting! ❤
It's so great that you cleaned out the mouldy paint. I would've been tempted to throw it out. I think alcohol is good for preventing mould, but you have to do it fairly often. It must be bitter sweet getting the sketchbook kits. You deserve only nice comments ♥️♥️♥️. Bad comments say more about that person than you or your channel.
First of all, if people ever pick on you, just tell me and I will beat them up!! ❤❤❤ hahahaha ok, probably not, but I'll definitely glare at them. 😤 Second, you scored a whole bunchof awesome stuff!! I was thinking about getting those brushes, but they sold out so fast!! And yay you got random grey!! I'm so excited for you to play with it. I'm surprised DS made a cascade green gouache, when the reason cascade green is so fun is because it separates out into such pretty blues and greens. Still a cool color. Buff titanium is one of my favorites, too!! I just checked on my gouache travel palette, and there's no mold, but wow is it a hot mess in there. I'll text you a pic later!! 🤣
I agree about not using watercolor brushes for gouache! I find my acrylic brushes seem to work well for mine - but those brushes are GORGEOUS!!! I'm interested to see how the gouache paints hold up in that palette this time around - I haven't had good luck with keeping mine wet! I tend to just take my tubes and a dollar store plate wherever I want to use mine! 🤣Thanks for the lovely video as always!
Also - Holbein is my favorite gouache but I have not tried M Graham or Daniel Smith! I do have watercolors from both companies that I LOVE - but I've just always loved the Holbein gouache so much that I either buy it or a budget brand! My favorite budget brand is the Magicfly Gouache - a set of 24 tubes is only around $13 on Amazon and it's in nice sized tubes!
Thanks, Kirsty. I will keep my M. Graham gouache separate from now on and just use it straight from the tube like you do. You're right - I think acrylic brushes would be pretty much perfect for goauche. But I do LOVE these Sarah Burns brushes.
I now have 4 gouache brands that I can try - and I'm anxious to see how they compare to each other. It's something on my to-try list, and hopefully sooner rather than later. I've loved the Holbein so far.
My MG titanium white molded in the same little palette you have. It's the only color that did for some reason. Forgot to mention that I live in Alabama and it's quite humid here. I have trouble with watercolors molding too, but only certain brands and colors.
Interesting about the white. The M.Graham Cobalt Blue and Azo Yellow didn't mold, so that's interesting. Wonder what the difference is. Yeah, these coyotes howl and yip all night - little stinkers.
MINE DID THE SAME THING!!! 😱😱It sprouted a huge crop of mould, and pretty much all of my paints were completely unusable so I had to throw the whole lot out...pure devastation. I think it is definitely due to spraying tap water on them, so that is a hard lesson learned for sure! I'm glad you were able to rescue most of your palette. I haven't used mine since, lol. How cute is that little Art of Soil palette, and I like the gouache brush set too - I also have dedicated brushes for gouache as well. Oh, yay, Random Grey!! So many exciting supplies to use. I love the picture you painted with the gouache. I hate mean comments so much; they're always really hurtful and hard to deal with. I usually delete them immediately so I don't have to see them again, but it's harder to remove them from my heart. I hope you are doing ok, and please remember that you are totally fabulous!! ❤
I had a mold invasion about like yours. First scraped off the fuzzy, then into all the wells stirred a few drops of my gouache cocktail: equal parts distilled water and 90% alcohol with a few drops Nature's Shield protective blend (Now essential oils). I left it open for a few days and gave it a heavy misting of alcohol when I passed by and thought of it. Finally I stirred in some distilled water to get creamy consistency, misted lightly with gouache cocktail, and put it away. So far so good, and after using I give it a dose of alcohol spray if I'm not going to be using it again for a while. Thanks for all you do for us! I've learned so much from you and love the way your videos feel 'real', as opposed to 'overproduced'. And the critters are awesome! Maybe you could print some of the comments that make you know how much we appreciate you and your work, and when some grumpy git tries to smoosh your happy by being a turd you could quick remind yourself how the vast majority of your viewers feel about your videos. It's a shame that some folks are criticizing. Guess they don't have anything productive to contribute. Must suck to be them.
I have mould issues with bassoon reeds. Decades of clarinet, sax, oboe, baroque oboe reeds and no issues. But both modern and baroque bassoon reeds mould like crazy. And it’s crazy expensive! You have my sympathy. I love Sarah burns art. She’s great.
Wow, I didn’t know that. I’ve never had mold issue with clarinet reeds and I frankly haven’t had great hygiene practices with my reeds ever. I am curious what you use to counteract the mold?
@@phyllisd3705 if I ever find an answer I'll let you know. I have always been paranoid about oral hygiene, never eat or drink anything except water without cleaning my teeth while playing so it not that. I did try using mostly vodka instead of reed water. But it doesn't really work, can cheer up a rehearsal though..... Currently I run the reeds under a tap before I leave for rehearsal and just play them on arrival. No reed water at all. When I get home I leave them to dry. That works if I'm not playing too often. But if I have a week where I'm playing a lot I start to get into trouble. I think I need a lot of reeds on rotation. But baroque bassoon reeds are over thirty pounds stirling each. Ouch.
I think you did the best you could. Lol from what I understand all you can really do is remove the mold ? Maybe pouring boiling hot water in would help to sterilize? I personally prefer just to use them from tubes, on a ceramic palette. I feel like I have more control Lol
Thank you, Jessie. Hoping I can use up the rest of the white and black before it molds again. I never thought about it before, but I should have cleaned the palette before even using it. We'll see how the alcohol spray does, but my M. Grahams are definitely going to just be used straight from the tube from now on.
I had mould in my white nights gouache last summer, which was quite hot and humid i the Southof the UK. You did a great job cleaning them and putting alcohol on them. I water mine with distilled water and a few drops of hand sanitizer. Ignore the idiot critcising trolls. Your video are excellent. I love the coyote in the backyard. I live in a medium sized town and I see red foxes in the garden from time to time. Have a sweet weekend, Miranda.
Oh my god I thought that was yellow ochre not black 😩 I've been ignoring my palette as well but I'm still not sure if it is mold or just black paint 😅😅
Moving forward, perhaps avoid paints with honey or glycerin that would feed molds, maybe? I keep my little travel gouache (like yours) in my refrig, so far no molds after 10 months. I stopped using several types of watercolors with honey because weird and messy me did not like the always damp texture of them and I would get them all over my hands and surrounding surfaces.
I never thought about putting them in the fridge but that's a good idea. I just might do that. I will also not put my M. Graham gouache into a travel palette. Straight from the tubes for those, at least for now. Thanks!
i love honey painrs so it’s hard for me. Ones without it i find rewet less well. And i don’t enjoy the consistency. My m graham ones keep moulding and it’s hard.
I have a mold allergy so I tend to take a scorched earth policy to preventing mold. I spritz my himi gouache with 90% alcohol every so often to prevent it. All my other gouache is either dried in pans or used from tube just in case.
Oh, I'm so glad it was ok once you cleaned it up! Sarah Burns JUST released a video today on this!!!!! I just had a watercolor friend send a half pan of Cascade Green. Funny that I've never tried it, as it is perfect for the evergreens around here in Washington state. It is gorgeous! Also, you really make me want to get that book!
Don’t take negative comments personally. I find that there are always people that love to criticize and leave negative comments for no reason. I just delete and keep on rolling. Can’t please everyone. There are so many different ways to art and care for art materials. What works for someone in a humid place may not work for someone who lives in a very dry environment. I actually never put white gouache in a palette. Found it was too hard to keep it clean and white. That is the only color I bring in the tube.
Hi Maranda. When you set up your gouache palette add winsor & newton watercolour medium to each colour as you said a little clove oil to each colour. When you spritz the palette add watercolour medium to that water and only add white gouache from the tube when you need it keep your white gouache fresh and its more economic.Hope this helps you out Kind regards Steve
M Graham is honey-based, which is why it molds. I let mine dry out. It rewets beautifully with a few spritzes of water and a wait while I get coffee. I just put a little on a palette and if I want more opacity, I take a bit from the tube and plop it alongside.
I haven't read through all the comments to see if these were already suggested yet and I also have not tried these myself, but I've heard that avoid using brands with honey if possible, use blending medium instead of water, and store in a cool location (even possibly in a refrigerator). That's so awesome you got Sarah Burn's gouache brushes! I put myself on a 1st qtr no-buy, but I have a giftcard should the restock become available.
I let my jelly gouache dry because I'm afraid of mold. Don't want to risk it! I even leave my watercolor tins open after I 've used them to dry completely because I'm scared of mold. Wow, that cascade green! Would love to try the gouache and the watermixable oils by Daniel Smith but can't justify the price tag -very expensive in germany. For the last few months I've been receiving all kinds of therapy, met many new people and learned so much about myself. And this piece of advice was given to me or other patients all the time: You can't change other people and their actions, you can only change how you react. There are different reasons why a comment might be hurtful and different ways to deal with it. On RUclips a word filter could come in handy. Some youtubers only read comments within the first few hours of uploading, assuming the people who like your content will watch the video when they see it on their sub page. Sometimes it might be enough to, in your head, say "No, this persons statement is wrong. I KNOW I'm xy" and not let your brain save the comment as truth. Asking people to be nice on youtube likely won't stop the hurtful comments. Be kind to yourself, especially when others arent.
Hi Miranda, have you tried the caran d ache gouache in pans? They are lovely and don't mould I've had mine 2 years and love them for the convenience. Oh my gosh that soil palette!!! So gorgeous!!!
Not Miranda but I just wanted to vouch for them. They were so nice to work with while I had the Caran d'Ache: I ended up depotting mine since the tin they came in was quite big
I also love the Caran d'ache pan palette. Not crazy about the white tube. Bring a different white gouache if I use the palette plein air. It is big for plein air but doable for one of my setups.
I've noticed the brands you use can make a huge difference when it comes to moulding. I had one Daler-Rowney gouache in a set of winsor newton in the same palette you're using. it moulded within a week where as the winsor was completely fine for months. I've also put a drop or two of clove oil in a spray bottle and give it a spritz now and then and that seems to keep things at bay, plus I quite like how it smells!
I wonder why the clove oil didn't work for me this time? Maybe because my tap water is just too yucky to mix with it. The distilled water should be a nice upgrade from now on, plus the alcohol spritz. Thanks!
Miranda, I just love watching your videos. I have the HIMI gouache and Turner gouache. I bought them over a year ago but have yet to try them. I love buying art supplies but I end up too tired after work to be creative, so i just watch my favorite creative You Tubers.
Aw, thank you, that means so much to me. ❤️. One of the reasons I started my channel was to force myself to actually USE my supplies, and I'm really glad I did. It's incredibly fun. I hope you get a chance to use yours someday.
Please. Don't mind critical comments. I'm not sure they understand the effort it takes to make these videos. Thank you very much for your helpful content.
Critical comments should be welcomed so long as they are kind, considerate and constructive, such comments can actually be quite helpful and introduce new ideas and suggestions that have personally helped me so much.
Your Gouache picture turned out great Miranda. I love that little, mini paint pallette you got, it's sooo cute! I have the 15 set of Caran d'ache Gouache pans and a Holbein Primary Colors Gouache set. The Caran d'ache pans are rich, beautiful, opaque colors that dry in the pans without any mold issues. I don't have my Holbein Gouache in a container, so I can't comment on any possible mold issues for them. I only squeeze out a small amount straight from the tubes, when I'm going to use them. Good luck on your next Gouache check-up, that there isn't any mold next time.
Your timing is impeccable! SBS just released a video this morning about dealing with mold in this palette! I wonder if you’ll find any of those suggestions helpful. Loved this video from you!
@@MirandaWatsonArt I was just scrolling through to see if anyone had flagged it up - and Maggie has! Goody!!! I am _way_ behind with art videos at the moment as I'm making a concentrated effort with my French, part of which is watching Cyril Féraud on France 3 5 days out of 7 at dinner time, and only watching art tube at lunch time. It's a crossword game, and you may well have heard some yells of "YES!!!!" coming from afar, when I've got a word before the contestants!!!! Also reading up on French geography, and in consequence increasing my vocabulary on Wednesdays, which takes out another lunchtime, as I'm at the library most of the day. À bientôt, Miranda, and may you win the mould battle really quickly! 😊
@@MirandaWatsonArt Forgot to say: I don't use our local tap water for art, either. It's heavy with lime (I have to descale my kettle every day). I never thought this environmentally sensitive being would ever use bottled water, but there's really no choice. I don't need a lot, as I'm not working big just now, so a 1.5 litre bottle lasts for ages, but I'm not really happy about it... (Bottled water is way cheaper than distilled here, and is definitely less limey than tap!)
I love that cascade green. and that tiny watercolor palette made of soil is the cutest thing ever. You forced me to check on my gouache 😅 luckily no mould yet! I'm sorry some people are not nice; they are just unhappy people...ignore them ! Thank you for the video🩷
The only brand I’ve ever had problems with mold in a palette is MGraham. But i haven’t had any problems since I started spraying alcohol (90% if you can get it, but anything over 50% should be fine) on my gouache before closing it up.
Definitely going to do that from now on. I have plenty of 90% because of using it with alcohol inks, so I'll make sure I have a dedicated spray bottle in my goauche drawer for that. Thank you!
I had similar problem with my Himi Gouache where few colors had molds. What I learned tho is to scrape off *all* the top layer of the Gouache, not just the moldy contaminated ones. Then I wiped each pan with hydroperoxide (or alcohol would do). This prevents future contamination. I also finished spritzing with water + clove essential oil. Supposedly, part water part clove prevents molding. I did similar with my Miejelo that apparently had molds (dried from tubes). But I used alcohol to wiped off the top layer after scraping the molds. Thus far, I hadn't had any problem since. Hope this help. I love those art works btw 😍
‘Brown chunks’ YIKES!!! 🤢 I just ate and the image of brown chunks made me feel a bit queasy lol 😅😂. I only have one tube of white gouache for highlights. I put some in a half pan. It’s completely dry so just before using I activate it with water. Fun video, and nice to see your backyard and the coyote. Thank you!
Before you put the gouache away spray some alcohol, just the pure stuff that you use with alcohol inks over the top and that will kill any bacteria that will turn into mould. Lindsey, the frugal crafter uses this stuff.❤❤❤
Lovely gifts… again!! I’m curious about the gouache mold tips that folks will provide. I’m just starting my gouache “journey” and most of my gouache is Schmincke or Maimeri, and I’m really hoping they don’t have a tendency to mold. So great that you got Sarah Burns brushes!! I was soooo happy they were released on Dec 30… they were the last item I purchased before my no-buy (or “gift card low-buy”) began. Also, sorry you’ve received some not-so-nice comments. Sad that happens when you’re brave enough to share online. I know those types of comments would bother me far too much, people can be so harsh…rather than just choosing another channel to watch, if yours doesn’t suit them.
If you put a couple of drops of Clove oil in each well and mix it with your paint, it keeps the mould away. It’s worked for me in these types of pallets 😊 spraying it with clove oil and water mixed don’t work as you can see.
u know, this is sort of why i've been avoiding getting started with gouache. i'm just scared of mold growing since it's warm/humid where i am and i know that if that happens, i'm just gonna be tempted to chuck it all in the bin🤣 your laugh at 3:23 is such a cute evil laugh! haha! the derwent drawing pencils are beautiful! i only have 2 so far but i love their consistency/formulation already. :) thanks for showing all your goodies, fun times ahead!
I think you would be best there in Thailand to use gouache straight from the tube as you would with acrylics and oils. Humidity is not going to be your friend, as you've already surmised. But watercolors are so delightful, so it's good to stick with them, too. Thanks for your fun comments each time, Vee. I always love hearing from you.
Something I do is in my spritz bottle I use filtered water and a few drops of Rosemary EO. And I only use filtered water or distilled water for my watercolor water. Hope that helps Oh and I leave the palette open until all the paint dries in the pans. I know you have a kitty so you can tape some paper towel over the palette. It will still dry and keep little kitty from sitting on your paints! 🥰
Having had to use identical mixed hues of color over several months, I washed the containers/wells with 91% alcohol before filling , then once they were filled, a tiny amount of the alcohol just before I closed the palette, kept the mold away. I had to learn it the hard and very expensive way. The only caution is that you have to wick it up with a facial tissue each time you use that palette. Carefully, so you don't mix it into the pigment. Or you can just open the palette for a while until the alcohol evaporates. That was wayyyyy past my patience abilities, so I did the tissue solution and it worked fine for me.
Oh I didn't know Daniel Smith has Gouche. That will be interesting. I'd like to get one. Other than Windsor &Newton, thus far I'm loving Holbein and Paul Rubens.
Hi Miranda, Your picture is very pretty. I am a bit intimidated by gouache. I have the himi miya gouache waiting for me to use it. And the three primary colors plus white from Daniel Smith. People do not understand the words be kind. Ignore the people with rude comments because they are probably not happy. You are a wonderful person whom I admire.
If you follow Sarah Burns, she has a mold database. As you have noticed, M Graham is prone to mold. My new M Graham palette (which I created just before she published her results) just molded for the 2nd time, this time within 2 weeks of being closed. She is now using dried gouache, which I am switching to as well. I do recommend that you remove all the paint in the palette and sterilize (ouch...for sure - all that beautiful paint!). I really want to support American products and but will be switching my M Grahams out as I used them up.
That's too bad. M Graham is wonderful gouache. If you're using a wet ("sealed") palette, you can have repeated issues until you learn to manage that palette. I keep such a palette in ongoing use and have had zero issues since that initial learning curve several years ago. Any brand will have colors that can be problematic in this regard. Ivory black PBk9 is one such pigment, and it's also the one Graham color that molded in Sarah Burns' palette. I rarely ever use Ivory Black, so it's not in my palette. I also only use Zinc or Titanium White directly from the tube. Of course, if you're using a dried gouache palette, there is no concern of mold regardless of brand.
Oh ew I'd totally throw those nasty ones out lol but I probably would have taken all of the paints out and put some bleach or something like that to disinfect everything then put some of it back or just put those in an open palette and put fresh gouache in the disinfected palette. But I definitely have heard tap water can cause molding but personally haven't struggled with this. Hope it doesn't happen again. I know it's hard to not let negative things affect us especially getting nasty comments directly from others but just know that there are so many more people love you appreciate you more than any negative person could. I knows it's easier said than done but your awesome and I love that you make videos for us and share all of your knowledge with us and have fun. Have an awesome day
Hopefully I have the mold problem solved now (fingers crossed) and I won't be putting the M. Graham gouache back into this palette once it's gone. The Holbein gouache doesn't seem to have the same problem, so hopefully the mold spores haven't affected it much. Thank you for the kind words, Danielle; I really appreciate them. Hugs.
I use a spray with deluded alcohol right before I close my pallet also I don’t put any tap water in my paints. I wonder of the mg paint molded because of the honey.
Take care. I appreciate the hard work you put into your videos, not creating for YT myself, I’m just someone who is learning a lot from you and many other talented and hard working YT creators!❤ Oh yeah, I have Arteza and Miya Himi gouache, seem to have better luck with the Arteza as far as smoothness when painting. So far no molding, do check them every once in a while.👍🙂
Oh, thank you! I actually chose the Arteza gouache for my students to purchase for a class I'm teaching this summer, so I'm glad to hear of your experience with it.
I’m thinking about doing some gouache stuff, but I might just do the tube thing, cause I paint at my desk…and I really love buff titanium in watercolor…
Try lavender oil to prevent mold. Though, the clove oil should have worked....I suspect you're right and your tap water is just that bad. As a book restoration person, we always use lavender oil in our paste mixtures to prevent them from molding before we can finish using them up. We make large batches because no one likes cooking up paste, lol.
i am glad you made this video Miranda! I have a set of jelly gouache that i haven't opened because i know i wouldn't use them enough and then dealing with mold...ewwww. I guess opening them every once in a while would be fine but i'd probably forget to do that too LOL
Luckily no mold on the jelly gouache yet, thank goodness! But they do dry up, so waiting until you know you can use them somewhat regularly is a good idea. 👍
I was going to suggest the oil&water misting until you said that's what you did and it didn't work 😅 I think a part of it could be what another comment said about brand. I use M. Graham, but I've never tried to keep it wet. I have a feeling the honey probably plays a big part in why it's moulding as much as it is. You could try another oil like rosemary or even a very light mist of alcohol every once in a while, but I would probably play around with using different brands and pay attention to how long they last before they begin to form mold 🤔 There might be a better brand for the stay wet method, whereas M. Graham might be better to just use straight from the tube when you want to use them specifically 😊 Although it's unfortunate that it molds the way it does, I really enjoy my M. Graham paints, especially my watercolours, but I don't use any other artist grade gouache so it's good to know I probably shouldn't put them in a stay wet palette 😅 Also I'm sorry about the critical comments, I don't understand why people can't just watch people and have fun
Seems to me most folks like you a lot! Not positive comments say more about the sender than the receiver. A.A. Milne said it best: you are braver stronger smarter than you believe seem or think 💙 Plus now you have Granddma looking out for you 24/7! Thanks for the gouache tips :) Cool coloring book - I like your painting
I get mold on my Chinese paint chips-even more terrifying on my real, natural gamboge…which is extremely toxic, especially to critters. Just a short aside; I began doing traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting over 8 years ago when my late son was in China working with friends from college. Longer story short, one of his friends has a beautiful great-grandmother who taught art, history and culture here in the US for over 30yrs before retiring back to China. Over the next 5 years, I got boxes (and tubes) of paper, brushes, ink sticks/stones…and paint. Both the older much higher quality Marie’s and traditional paint chips….the closest comparison to these chips would be inktense..with a caveat, all pigments are natural pigments that have been used for over 1000 years. The problem with them, and using peach sap gum instead of gum Arabic, is they are very susceptible to mold, especially the gamboge which is almost pure pigment out of the bamboo poles they cure inside of. The peach sap gum and gamboge are high in “sugars”. After my son died suddenly a little over a year ago, my eldest and my best friend said we’re getting back into this medium my son loved so much and find ways to fuse eastern and western watercolors. I am EXTREMELY careful with my gamboge and a curious kitty who is obsessed with my ink, (Chinese ink contains traditional herbs and flower essences for luck, focus…and I don’t remember the other properties. It also has something that makes my kitty Leela act like she just snorted a pile of catnip. She has no interest in trying to eat or drink it..but I give her a practice sheet of dried calligraphy? She’ll roll around on it for hours and carry it around with her to flop down on. I have a strange cat. 🥰. After seeing pictures of Leela on the table laid out on top of ink paintings (dry); my dear tutor concluded she was a painting Master in a previous life. She also responds to us if we speak Chinese to her and last night spent 5 minutes “talking” to Laoshi Lili (teacher Lili) from her hospital bed in Chengdu. My lil celebrity is quite a hit on Chinese social media. Back to the mold…99% alcohol. Also, I know with gouache you don’t want it to dry out. Chinese paint chips were traditionally dried out in the sun. I’m in the Poconos, Sun isn’t going to dry out my paint chips. Lesson: DO NOT put paints previously sprayed with alcohol in the oven! I didn’t turn it on, it was still a bit warm from some bread. My beautiful hand-painted ceramic dishes cracked, some paint chips turned different colors…think: MUCH TOO Burnt Sienna. And burnt gamboge. NOT the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I’ll stick with Alcohol. Since then, the only color that continues to mold is my gamboge. These large dowel-shaped chunks are extremely expensive because they are rarely made in China anymore. Lili’s lovely daughter, Liang, said when I had a bit of a financial crisis last year, that I should be able to get $500 for the chunk I still have…Chinese painting has seen a resurgence in recent years, especially in bigger cities like nearby NYC. I didn’t need to sell my chunk ..which thinking about it, I’m surprised even made it through customs 7-8 years ago when Lili sent it…nevermind send it through US Mail. I’ll keep it both for sentimental value and the absolutely brilliant yellow I’ve never seen repeated. I just keep a tiny chunk in my plate (Liang sent me new ones). I use it, then leave open on a high shelf kitty Leela can’t get to, spray with a bit of the 99% alcohol before closing it up, taping it shut and I keep it in a box with other supplies I don’t want Leela getting into. When I get any mold, I cut it off, spray it with alcohol. My only other chips that mold are my indigo. But I have a bag of indigo chips, so I just throw the moldy ones out. The main thing is making sure the chips dry quickly and are completely dry before putting the lids back on. I am curious..do you think the alcohol could affect the paints themselves?
What a great history you've shared with us here; thank you. It is truly a delight to hear this, plus the anecdote about your kitty and the inks, LOL! I can just picture it now. I wish I knew the answer to your question about the alcohol affecting the paints. I guess only time will tell. I suspect not since it evaporates so easily, but I'm not sure. Thank you, Elaine. Hugs to you.
@@MirandaWatsonArt Thank you. I just wanted to add, I read another comment and as someone with my MS in Micro (although my focus was virology), I agree with everything RH said about spores spreading and taking precautions. When I spray the alcohol, I do it outside; but recently I have just been adding a few drops. I’m currently doing experiments mixing Chinese chips with Rosas gallery paints (which contain only gum Arabic & pigment; this makes them ideal alternatives to traditional paints that are dropping in quality). One of my tutors has become enamored with granulating & separating paints. Prof Chen compares them to the old mineral paints ancient masters used. The problem is most western paints can’t be used on Xuan paper. One dear friend, an artist and teacher here in the US who is also studying western and “fusion” watercolor materials and techniques is using QOR in some works…it drives me NUTS especially if I’m attempting a Gongbi painting..but Henry has been painting and teaching for 40+ years. (Gongbi, is a very detailed type of painting done on VERY thin, delicate sized Xuan. Back to the mold; I mixed some Rosa’s as well as a few PrimaTek, paints with my gamboge, adding some to the western paint prior to mixing. My best friend, an artist, bought me a lab coat and more masks when she saw my kitchen. 😂. Considering all my health issues; I am taking more precautions than I did before. I live in a very old home with a perpetually muddy basement. During the week I was specifically working with gamboge; mold was growing within 24 hrs; even with dry heat on.I used a LOT of alcohol and had to do a lot of scraping.-all outside. But it WAS worth it! Oh, and 2 of my tutors say they’ve never seen alcohol affect either the paint or painting.
Ten parts distilled water, 1 part alcohol and 1 part glycerine makes a homemade mold control. Use to keep them juicy and mold free , like maintenance. This what Lindsey The frugal crafter is using
Here is one way to deal with the mold on your paint. Once you have cleaned the mold of the paint, spray it with honey saturated water. The honey is a natural antifungal and antibacterial and will also help in keeping your gouache from drying out as much.
Thanks for the tip! I'm curious, though, since M. Graham is honey-based and they are the ones that molded, will it really help? I guess the only way to know for sure is to try, but maybe on just ONE well and not the whole palette, just in case.
I'm just watching your video, Miranda, and ooooooh noooooooo mold inside the paaaaiiiiints 😭😭😭😭😭😭 i think anytime I buy something meant to store gouache paints I'll run some hot water on it to kill any bacteria. And for spraying water I'll add a tiny bit of alcohol and glycerin inside my sprayer.
I think the M Graham may have molded easier because of the "food" product in it - honey. I think. Does the M Graham gouache have honey in it like the watercolor paint does??? Just a thought. Thank you for what you do!
I've never tried gouache but I saw a review of a new Holbein acrylic gouache I would love to try. Edit: Sarah Burns just did a video on this same problem.
How long was it in there before it molded? I had a Shinhan watercolor gouache hybrid that molded and it was because I definitely left it closed up too long. Always good to collect some data for rules of thumb. Thanks!
I believe it was 2-3 weeks the first time it happened. This time was several months, though. I think I will just avoid putting the M. Graham white and black in the palette for now and also try to use it more often. I'm also going through all these suggestions now, so that'll help, thank you!
@@MirandaWatsonArt Thanks for the information. Super interesting on the timeframes. I can't wait to hear about your results trying out the tips and it looks like Sarah Burns posted a new video on this topic, which I will watch too. Thank you for sharing, as tubes are great but this small palette of gouache is so neat too. My Schmince and W&N gouache seem pretty stable so far, but I can always learn more. Thank you!
I wonder - could the mold problem be taken care of by just letting the wells dry on purpose? Mold needs humidity to grow. Maybe the paint could be sprayed just before using them and after painting it could be left open to dry them out again. My gouaches are bone dry but rewet easily, just as the 'regular' watercolors colors are. But maybe the jelly gouaches are different in that respect?
Yes, I would think that even M. Graham gouache would dry out and the mold wouldn't be a problem, but I was hoping for a wet palette. But still, might be better than losing it! Thank you. 😊
@@MirandaWatsonArt Oh, I know. They just look soooo yummy and juicy - like little desserts. To me it is an esthetics issue. When I refill my pans from the tubes, they look so beautiful. Of course a few days later they have shrunk and some even cracked. I am beginning to believe that beautiful looking art supplies are a hobby in themselves ;-) (I have repurposed a few old, especially beautiful eyeshadow palettes... They just sit on the shelf, filled with a few cool and warm primaries with no other purpose than to look beautiful.... I am trying to figure out if I have OCD or if I am just a nerd... ;-) Thank you for the videos!
Hi Miranda. The question that still bugs me is: should we use the other colours that were in the same palette as the ones who got mold in it? The fungi spores may have spread after all. And if we use these colours with spores in it, do we contaminate our painting?… I don't know. Have you noticed anything on your paintings done with this gouache since then? Have you noticed anything on your palette since then? Thank you
These are good questions. The paintings have been fine so far - I went and checked and the other paint has remained mold-free so far. It would definitely be safer to start over with a sanitized palette, but I'm getting away with it to this point.
I will NOT be buying another Himi gouache set. I just don't use it enough and it is ALWAYS too dried out when I DO go to use it. It finally got too dry for me to salvage so I just threw the pans away. I'll stick with tubes.
Adding comments before finish watching your video. Felt guilty that I haven looked at my gouache palettes in probably more than six months. So finally opnened them all. No mold. Have only used distilled water as my water source. The magicfly jelly gouache that I bought in April 2021 is dry but tacky. Stirred glycerin in when I got them. Whenever I worked on them used glycerin and/or water. The palette is triplely protected from drying. With the other palettes have been using a mix of white vinegar and distilled water. Had trouble with my M. Graham gouache with mold before I started using that mix. Do have a problem with the cheap metal palette rusting. My Holbein gouache is divided between the airtight palette like yours and a fusion palette. I so have not become a gouache artist. Will admit my favorite palette is the Caran d'ache pan palette. No care and feeding involved. Don't care for their white tube gouache but have plenty of other choices for white. Hope I get a chance to finish your always enjoyable video. Take care.
Thank goodness for no mold! I realized I painted with my gouache again with tap water - oops. Should have used Distilled even for that. Next time. I'm going to try all these suggestions for that little palette. I'm afraid the propensity for mold will just keep spreading until I can completely clean out the palette, but I'm currently unwilling to get rid of any of the paint that still in there, so I'll just keep "managing" it for now. Thanks, Eileen. Hugs.
Gouache is prone to moulding due to it's composition, I guess. I think you should dispose all paint that had signs of moulding or even whole paint from the palette. Even if you don't 👀 it, there may be mould in other colours. And that's not critique. That's what I think and suspect😃
I've got mold on the bristles of my number 3 Derwent waterbrush, the flat one. 😕Of course it's impossible to properly clean that. If anyone has any good idea, please share. Alcohol didn't work.
@@moma-b If you’re going to throw it away anyway, I would try first with bleach (if you can’t come up with anything else). Just as an experiment. Then rinse really well. ?
@@R_H21 I appreciate your sharing, I'm not planning to throw it away just yet. 🙂 I managed to rinse it to the degree that it's not tainting the clear waterflow, so I can still use it. Only the mold is still visibly there inside the bristles. (It's not white/transparent but grayish, greenish dark.)
I think it’s really sad that you had to ask people not to criticize you in the comments. I see it everywhere and I don’t understand how/why people feel the need to be so rude. It’s like a bunch of pre-teens being bullies or something, it’s ridiculous. You could get someone to proofread your comments and delete the negative ones and block the people posting them before you go in and read your comments. Maybe a family member or a close friend that you trust. If we could throat punch people through the internet I would gladly do that for you. People who bully others will not escape the Karma they have coming. And if they are doing this to you I can guarantee that they are doing it to everyone. Keep your chin up and don’t let them get you down. And I know it’s easier said than done but just focus on all of the great comments and compliments that you do get. They far outweigh the negative ones. Your subscribers love you and your channel!! 🥰
Thank you, thank you, thank you. 😊 ❤️ 🧡 💛 I think it's a good idea to have someone else read through the comments first. It's amazing how much one mean comment can stick with a person even when you know the good ones far outweigh the bad ones. You give me hope, though!
I'm so sorry your gouache went moldy. Such a thing happens to the best of us, though. If I had a nickel for every time this has happened to me......Arrg! In my experience, I've found that maintaining a wet gouache palette mold-free involves putting about 3-4 drops of hydrogen peroxide into the pans/wells and mixing well in between uses. I've had a wet palette going for 3 years now (that I just top off with fresh paint as I use it up) and I've never had a mold issue doing this. Basically, when you're done painting, you just put the drops in and mix the paint and then it's good for the next time you're painting. Using distilled water exclusively instead of tap water also helps to extend the life of the paint without it getting gross over time, since tap water often has enough microbes in it to start a mold culture with enough time and moisture. If you find mold in your palette, I hate to say it, but that usually means you may need to empty all of the paint out whether it's affected or not and give the palette a good bleach or peroxide bath before you use it again. Mold is extremely invasive and even if some of the paint looks OK and you've cleaned other parts of the palette, spores might still be lurking to cause issues later. What a beautiful piece you created from that coloring page. I wish I had the patience to complete coloring books but I never do. I always watch you and other artist RUclipsrs with envy when you all color in coloring books. It must be meditative to do that kind of art.
That's a great tip about the peroxide. I'll definitely try that. I'm afraid you're probably right about the mold spreading easily - I'm going to have to keep a close eye on it for now because I'm currently unwilling to get rid of all that beautiful paint. It's the only Holbein gouache I had, and the wells took ALL of the little tubes. I just need to paint with it all the time until I use it up, LOL! I wish that were possible. :-) Thank you!
@@MirandaWatsonArt You're most welcome. I don't blame you for trying to save the paint, then! Maybe you can start putting peroxide into it between uses. That honestly might be enough to keep the mold at bay until you use up all the paint. Giving the whole palette a spritz of peroxide between uses also wouldn't be the worst idea. Whatever it takes to save that lovely paint!
6:29 hey, I spray my m graham gouache palette with rubbing alcohol before I close it up. Has done the job so far, and I had mold before i started spraying. Good luck!
Hopefully that works for me as well. Fingers crossed. Thanks, Sarah!
The comments are really helpful. It's my first time to encounter mold on my paint. Thank you for making this video.
I'm so glad!
Hi Miranda. I’m not a mold expert but I did take a microbiology class many years ago. From what I remember, mold spreads through the air, not water. The professor even recommended not opening the container if you see mold because you might disturb it and cause it to spread its spores in the air. Spores are like the ‘seeds’ that later give rise to more mold. So if you find your other paints get even more mold, it’s probably because the spores spread as you removed the old moldy paints. Mold grows in humid conditions, so best way to prevent mold is to decrease humidity. (I always dry my watercolors before I close my palettes.) I know, that’s not what you’d want for gouache. 😒 For me personally, I’ve decided to just take gouache right out of the tube as needed instead of trying to store them in a palette, which requires maintenance. Ugh. But if you want to keep maintaining them in a palette, I would suggest that you wear a mask when you remove moldy paint(s). You are probably fine because your immune system will take care of mold that you inhale, but just in case you are unknowingly sensitive, etc., best to wear a mask. (I’m dealing with chronic cough at the moment and I suspect it is due to mold in the air that I breathe.) Also, I know 10% bleach will kill just about anything. Not sure about alcohol, esp. if you don’t know its concentration. Btw, super cute mister bottles!!
I remember my sister telling me, her teacher said, the mold you see is like the flower on the tree. So there's many more mold spores than you might imagine, and it's easy for them to contaminate surrounding things. I'm sure bleach or even peroxide would do a good job, but might also change paint colors? I also like Grapefruit Seed Extract for disinfection, so that might be something I try if I ever get the guts to fill my gouache palette. I suppose it would not be a bad idea to sanitize the area, palette & any tools and wear gloves when filling. Kind of like when you're doing canning. I'll have to check Sarah's video to see if she mixes disinfectant right into the gouache or only sprays the top.
Hmm, wouldn't you know it, Sarah JUST RELEASED A VIDEO ON GOUACHE MOLDING by brand!!!
@@jennw6809 In that microbiology class I mentioned, we did an experiment where we placed a petri dish (a container where we added nutritious ‘jello’ for microbes) in the bathroom, just open to air during class. Then we put the dish in an incubator to see if anything grows. Sure enough, disgusting mold. Thank goodness for our immune systems!
Also, I once ordered empty half pans from Amazon. First time, they came with black spots in some. I figured they were dust or dirt that got on during storage. I ordered again and second time, more pans with bigger ‘dirt’ spots. They looked more like mold. I couldn’t believe they would grow on plastic, if they were mold!! ??
Can you give me the name of Sarah’s YT channel? I saw several comments about her new video but I don’t know who she is.
@@R_H21 Sarah Burns Studio www.youtube.com/@SarahBurnsStudio
@@jennw6809 TY
Urrrgh mold spores. It’s like an iceberg. The black is what you can see and then there’s what you can’t see but which is floating around everywhere from it.😢 I second the whole treating the whole area on your desk where you’ve been cleaning the gouache paint up, because mold spores are the very devil.
You can put Arrtx gouache into air-tight bag. Gouache will stop drying.
It dries fastest near the edges of the lid, where the air enters. Air-tight bag stops air circulation.
Going to do that right this moment - thank you!
Hello , I think it’s the gouache I guess the m graham ones are pretty known for it. Bummer for me and I forgot and just ordered 2 the clove oil should work. I’m not sure if your familiar with Sarah burns studio and she uses clove oil and her palette has not mold yet. Also she found if I remember right some of her Holbein did also. No shame to the company’s. I hope this helps some . Have a blessed day ❤
It does help, thank you. I should probably make a list of which ones have molded so far because I would like to have this handy travel palette since I'm so often out-and-about. I'll just avoid the ones that tend to mold and use those straight from the tube instead. Have a great weekend.
Hey! So some things I’ve picked up that could help.. for the clove oil question, Sarah Burns mentioned that clove bud oil is better then clove oil because it’s more concentrated. And for the Himi Mia gouache, reviving with some glycerine can help bring them back to life and then adding a drop of clove bud oil in each.. hope this helps! Oh and using one of those book binding pokers to mix the gouache instead of palette knives helps - happy painting! ❤
Nice, thank you!
It's so great that you cleaned out the mouldy paint. I would've been tempted to throw it out. I think alcohol is good for preventing mould, but you have to do it fairly often.
It must be bitter sweet getting the sketchbook kits.
You deserve only nice comments ♥️♥️♥️. Bad comments say more about that person than you or your channel.
Thanks, Revonda.
First of all, if people ever pick on you, just tell me and I will beat them up!! ❤❤❤ hahahaha ok, probably not, but I'll definitely glare at them. 😤 Second, you scored a whole bunchof awesome stuff!! I was thinking about getting those brushes, but they sold out so fast!! And yay you got random grey!! I'm so excited for you to play with it. I'm surprised DS made a cascade green gouache, when the reason cascade green is so fun is because it separates out into such pretty blues and greens. Still a cool color. Buff titanium is one of my favorites, too!! I just checked on my gouache travel palette, and there's no mold, but wow is it a hot mess in there. I'll text you a pic later!! 🤣
That means a lot to me that you will beat them up, LOL! Love it.
I agree about not using watercolor brushes for gouache! I find my acrylic brushes seem to work well for mine - but those brushes are GORGEOUS!!! I'm interested to see how the gouache paints hold up in that palette this time around - I haven't had good luck with keeping mine wet! I tend to just take my tubes and a dollar store plate wherever I want to use mine! 🤣Thanks for the lovely video as always!
Also - Holbein is my favorite gouache but I have not tried M Graham or Daniel Smith! I do have watercolors from both companies that I LOVE - but I've just always loved the Holbein gouache so much that I either buy it or a budget brand! My favorite budget brand is the Magicfly Gouache - a set of 24 tubes is only around $13 on Amazon and it's in nice sized tubes!
Thanks, Kirsty. I will keep my M. Graham gouache separate from now on and just use it straight from the tube like you do. You're right - I think acrylic brushes would be pretty much perfect for goauche. But I do LOVE these Sarah Burns brushes.
I now have 4 gouache brands that I can try - and I'm anxious to see how they compare to each other. It's something on my to-try list, and hopefully sooner rather than later. I've loved the Holbein so far.
@@MirandaWatsonArt Sarah just released a video today about how to prevent mold in that exact kind of palette you have. 😊
@@moma-b yes, I watched it first thing this morning, thank you! ❤️
My MG titanium white molded in the same little palette you have. It's the only color that did for some reason. Forgot to mention that I live in Alabama and it's quite humid here. I have trouble with watercolors molding too, but only certain brands and colors.
I'm on a no buy and I bought Sarah's brushes too. lol Also we have coyotes in the woods behind my house and they start howling at 11 pm. lol
Interesting about the white. The M.Graham Cobalt Blue and Azo Yellow didn't mold, so that's interesting. Wonder what the difference is. Yeah, these coyotes howl and yip all night - little stinkers.
MINE DID THE SAME THING!!! 😱😱It sprouted a huge crop of mould, and pretty much all of my paints were completely unusable so I had to throw the whole lot out...pure devastation. I think it is definitely due to spraying tap water on them, so that is a hard lesson learned for sure! I'm glad you were able to rescue most of your palette. I haven't used mine since, lol. How cute is that little Art of Soil palette, and I like the gouache brush set too - I also have dedicated brushes for gouache as well. Oh, yay, Random Grey!! So many exciting supplies to use. I love the picture you painted with the gouache. I hate mean comments so much; they're always really hurtful and hard to deal with. I usually delete them immediately so I don't have to see them again, but it's harder to remove them from my heart. I hope you are doing ok, and please remember that you are totally fabulous!! ❤
I had a mold invasion about like yours. First scraped off the fuzzy, then into all the wells stirred a few drops of my gouache cocktail: equal parts distilled water and 90% alcohol with a few drops Nature's Shield protective blend (Now essential oils). I left it open for a few days and gave it a heavy misting of alcohol when I passed by and thought of it. Finally I stirred in some distilled water to get creamy consistency, misted lightly with gouache cocktail, and put it away. So far so good, and after using I give it a dose of alcohol spray if I'm not going to be using it again for a while.
Thanks for all you do for us! I've learned so much from you and love the way your videos feel 'real', as opposed to 'overproduced'. And the critters are awesome! Maybe you could print some of the comments that make you know how much we appreciate you and your work, and when some grumpy git tries to smoosh your happy by being a turd you could quick remind yourself how the vast majority of your viewers feel about your videos. It's a shame that some folks are criticizing. Guess they don't have anything productive to contribute. Must suck to be them.
Ah, Britta, that's so sweet. Your comment about comments made my day; thank you! Also thank you for the gouache tips!
good to know thank you
I have mould issues with bassoon reeds. Decades of clarinet, sax, oboe, baroque oboe reeds and no issues. But both modern and baroque bassoon reeds mould like crazy. And it’s crazy expensive! You have my sympathy.
I love Sarah burns art. She’s great.
And the derwent drawing pencils are genuinely some of the best on the planet.
Wow, I didn’t know that. I’ve never had mold issue with clarinet reeds and I frankly haven’t had great hygiene practices with my reeds ever. I am curious what you use to counteract the mold?
@@phyllisd3705 if I ever find an answer I'll let you know. I have always been paranoid about oral hygiene, never eat or drink anything except water without cleaning my teeth while playing so it not that. I did try using mostly vodka instead of reed water. But it doesn't really work, can cheer up a rehearsal though.....
Currently I run the reeds under a tap before I leave for rehearsal and just play them on arrival. No reed water at all. When I get home I leave them to dry. That works if I'm not playing too often. But if I have a week where I'm playing a lot I start to get into trouble. I think I need a lot of reeds on rotation. But baroque bassoon reeds are over thirty pounds stirling each. Ouch.
Oh yikes!
Your "cheering up a practice session" made me laugh. Hahaha!
I think you did the best you could. Lol from what I understand all you can really do is remove the mold ? Maybe pouring boiling hot water in would help to sterilize? I personally prefer just to use them from tubes, on a ceramic palette. I feel like I have more control Lol
Thank you, Jessie. Hoping I can use up the rest of the white and black before it molds again. I never thought about it before, but I should have cleaned the palette before even using it. We'll see how the alcohol spray does, but my M. Grahams are definitely going to just be used straight from the tube from now on.
You can use the himi miya spray to prevent mold. They have a special one for gouache.
I'll look it up right now - thank you!
Hi! I just wanted to say how totally satisfying it was, seeing the travel palette cleaned out Miranda! 🤣 x Nell.
I had mould in my white nights gouache last summer, which was quite hot and humid i the Southof the UK. You did a great job cleaning them and putting alcohol on them. I water mine with distilled water and a few drops of hand sanitizer. Ignore the idiot critcising trolls. Your video are excellent. I love the coyote in the backyard. I live in a medium sized town and I see red foxes in the garden from time to time. Have a sweet weekend, Miranda.
Oooh, I would love to see more red foxes. I used to see them occasionally at my old house, but none at this new house yet. They're so pretty.
Oddly enough, they look bigger than they are from a certain distance.
Thank you Miranda, for all your wonderful videos. I always learn so much, and find your presentation relaxed, charming, and easy to follow. 🌺🌻🌹
Aw, thank you, Rebecca! ❤️
Oh my god I thought that was yellow ochre not black 😩 I've been ignoring my palette as well but I'm still not sure if it is mold or just black paint 😅😅
Lol, hopefully just black paint! Yeah, it was pretty sad.
Moving forward, perhaps avoid paints with honey or glycerin that would feed molds, maybe? I keep my little travel gouache (like yours) in my refrig, so far no molds after 10 months. I stopped using several types of watercolors with honey because weird and messy me did not like the always damp texture of them and I would get them all over my hands and surrounding surfaces.
I never thought about putting them in the fridge but that's a good idea. I just might do that. I will also not put my M. Graham gouache into a travel palette. Straight from the tubes for those, at least for now. Thanks!
i love honey painrs so it’s hard for me. Ones without it i find rewet less well. And i don’t enjoy the consistency. My m graham ones keep moulding and it’s hard.
I have a mold allergy so I tend to take a scorched earth policy to preventing mold. I spritz my himi gouache with 90% alcohol every so often to prevent it. All my other gouache is either dried in pans or used from tube just in case.
The 90% alcohol is a popular option and that's what I have here in the studio, so that should be a great place to start. Thank you!
Oh, I'm so glad it was ok once you cleaned it up! Sarah Burns JUST released a video today on this!!!!!
I just had a watercolor friend send a half pan of Cascade Green. Funny that I've never tried it, as it is perfect for the evergreens around here in Washington state. It is gorgeous! Also, you really make me want to get that book!
I have a 6-week class coming up that I may take this palette to so that I can use it up before it all goes bad. Fingers crossed.
@@MirandaWatsonArt That sounds like a fantastic idea!!!
Don’t take negative comments personally. I find that there are always people that love to criticize and leave negative comments for no reason. I just delete and keep on rolling. Can’t please everyone. There are so many different ways to art and care for art materials. What works for someone in a humid place may not work for someone who lives in a very dry environment. I actually never put white gouache in a palette. Found it was too hard to keep it clean and white. That is the only color I bring in the tube.
Thank you. ❤️
Hi Maranda. When you set up your gouache palette add winsor & newton watercolour medium to each colour as you said a little clove oil to each colour. When you spritz the palette add watercolour medium to that water and only add white gouache from the tube when you need it keep your white gouache fresh and its more economic.Hope this helps you out Kind regards Steve
Yes! Thank you!
M Graham is honey-based, which is why it molds. I let mine dry out. It rewets beautifully with a few spritzes of water and a wait while I get coffee. I just put a little on a palette and if I want more opacity, I take a bit from the tube and plop it alongside.
Thanks for the info!
I haven't read through all the comments to see if these were already suggested yet and I also have not tried these myself, but I've heard that avoid using brands with honey if possible, use blending medium instead of water, and store in a cool location (even possibly in a refrigerator). That's so awesome you got Sarah Burn's gouache brushes! I put myself on a 1st qtr no-buy, but I have a giftcard should the restock become available.
I've heard good things about using medium with gouache instead. I'll have to look into it some more...
I let my jelly gouache dry because I'm afraid of mold. Don't want to risk it! I even leave my watercolor tins open after I 've used them to dry completely because I'm scared of mold. Wow, that cascade green!
Would love to try the gouache and the watermixable oils by Daniel Smith but can't justify the price tag -very expensive in germany.
For the last few months I've been receiving all kinds of therapy, met many new people and learned so much about myself. And this piece of advice was given to me or other patients all the time: You can't change other people and their actions, you can only change how you react. There are different reasons why a comment might be hurtful and different ways to deal with it. On RUclips a word filter could come in handy. Some youtubers only read comments within the first few hours of uploading, assuming the people who like your content will watch the video when they see it on their sub page. Sometimes it might be enough to, in your head, say "No, this persons statement is wrong. I KNOW I'm xy" and not let your brain save the comment as truth. Asking people to be nice on youtube likely won't stop the hurtful comments. Be kind to yourself, especially when others arent.
Thank you, Ramo. ❤️
Hi Miranda, have you tried the caran d ache gouache in pans? They are lovely and don't mould I've had mine 2 years and love them for the convenience. Oh my gosh that soil palette!!! So gorgeous!!!
Not Miranda but I just wanted to vouch for them. They were so nice to work with while I had the Caran d'Ache: I ended up depotting mine since the tin they came in was quite big
I also love the Caran d'ache pan palette. Not crazy about the white tube. Bring a different white gouache if I use the palette plein air. It is big for plein air but doable for one of my setups.
I haven't tried it yet but I have considered putting it on my Wishlist. Some people really don't like it, though, so I'm torn. Thanks, Sue!
Good to know!
Thanks, Eileen!
I've noticed the brands you use can make a huge difference when it comes to moulding. I had one Daler-Rowney gouache in a set of winsor newton in the same palette you're using. it moulded within a week where as the winsor was completely fine for months. I've also put a drop or two of clove oil in a spray bottle and give it a spritz now and then and that seems to keep things at bay, plus I quite like how it smells!
I wonder why the clove oil didn't work for me this time? Maybe because my tap water is just too yucky to mix with it. The distilled water should be a nice upgrade from now on, plus the alcohol spritz. Thanks!
Miranda, I just love watching your videos. I have the HIMI gouache and Turner gouache. I bought them over a year ago but have yet to try them. I love buying art supplies but I end up too tired after work to be creative, so i just watch my favorite creative You Tubers.
Aw, thank you, that means so much to me. ❤️. One of the reasons I started my channel was to force myself to actually USE my supplies, and I'm really glad I did. It's incredibly fun. I hope you get a chance to use yours someday.
Please. Don't mind critical comments. I'm not sure they understand the effort it takes to make these videos. Thank you very much for your helpful content.
Aw, thank you. I do try to ignore them, but it's difficult, so I appreciate your comment.
@@MirandaWatsonArt Thank YOU for your wonderful videos.
Critical comments should be welcomed so long as they are kind, considerate and constructive, such comments can actually be quite helpful and introduce new ideas and suggestions that have personally helped me so much.
Your Gouache picture turned out great Miranda. I love that little, mini paint pallette you got, it's sooo cute! I have the 15 set of Caran d'ache Gouache pans and a Holbein Primary Colors Gouache set. The Caran d'ache pans are rich, beautiful, opaque colors that dry in the pans without any mold issues. I don't have my Holbein Gouache in a container, so I can't comment on any possible mold issues for them. I only squeeze out a small amount straight from the tubes, when I'm going to use them. Good luck on your next Gouache check-up, that there isn't any mold next time.
Thank you! I think I might put that Caran d'Ache gouache palette on my wish list for this holiday season.
@@MirandaWatsonArt I hope you get the chance to give them a try, I think you would really enjoy them.
Your timing is impeccable! SBS just released a video this morning about dealing with mold in this palette! I wonder if you’ll find any of those suggestions helpful. Loved this video from you!
I just saw that and I'm going to watch it now!
@@MirandaWatsonArt I was just scrolling through to see if anyone had flagged it up - and Maggie has! Goody!!!
I am _way_ behind with art videos at the moment as I'm making a concentrated effort with my French, part of which is watching Cyril Féraud on France 3 5 days out of 7 at dinner time, and only watching art tube at lunch time. It's a crossword game, and you may well have heard some yells of "YES!!!!" coming from afar, when I've got a word before the contestants!!!!
Also reading up on French geography, and in consequence increasing my vocabulary on Wednesdays, which takes out another lunchtime, as I'm at the library most of the day.
À bientôt, Miranda, and may you win the mould battle really quickly! 😊
@@MirandaWatsonArt Forgot to say: I don't use our local tap water for art, either. It's heavy with lime (I have to descale my kettle every day). I never thought this environmentally sensitive being would ever use bottled water, but there's really no choice. I don't need a lot, as I'm not working big just now, so a 1.5 litre bottle lasts for ages, but I'm not really happy about it...
(Bottled water is way cheaper than distilled here, and is definitely less limey than tap!)
Thank you for this. I thought I was the only one and was desperately looking up solutions.
The Himi mold spray seems to be working, too, so far. And just avoiding putting certain brands in a palette like this. 👍
I love that cascade green. and that tiny watercolor palette made of soil is the cutest thing ever. You forced me to check on my gouache 😅 luckily no mould yet! I'm sorry some people are not nice; they are just unhappy people...ignore them ! Thank you for the video🩷
I'm so glad your palette doesn't have mold; thank goodness!
The only brand I’ve ever had problems with mold in a palette is MGraham. But i haven’t had any problems since I started spraying alcohol (90% if you can get it, but anything over 50% should be fine) on my gouache before closing it up.
Definitely going to do that from now on. I have plenty of 90% because of using it with alcohol inks, so I'll make sure I have a dedicated spray bottle in my goauche drawer for that. Thank you!
I had similar problem with my Himi Gouache where few colors had molds. What I learned tho is to scrape off *all* the top layer of the Gouache, not just the moldy contaminated ones. Then I wiped each pan with hydroperoxide (or alcohol would do). This prevents future contamination. I also finished spritzing with water + clove essential oil. Supposedly, part water part clove prevents molding.
I did similar with my Miejelo that apparently had molds (dried from tubes). But I used alcohol to wiped off the top layer after scraping the molds. Thus far, I hadn't had any problem since.
Hope this help.
I love those art works btw 😍
Yes, that's very helpful; thank you!
Thank you for the tip to not use my watercolor brushes with the gouache! I was wondering about that!!😊
‘Brown chunks’ YIKES!!! 🤢 I just ate and the image of brown chunks made me feel a bit queasy lol 😅😂. I only have one tube of white gouache for highlights. I put some in a half pan. It’s completely dry so just before using I activate it with water. Fun video, and nice to see your backyard and the coyote. Thank you!
Hahaha, sorry about that. Yes, using these straight from the tube, or at least the M. Graham ones, seems like a better plan.
@@MirandaWatsonArt 🤩
Before you put the gouache away spray some alcohol, just the pure stuff that you use with alcohol inks over the top and that will kill any bacteria that will turn into mould. Lindsey, the frugal crafter uses this stuff.❤❤❤
Did that this time and I hope it helps!
Lovely gifts… again!! I’m curious about the gouache mold tips that folks will provide. I’m just starting my gouache “journey” and most of my gouache is Schmincke or Maimeri, and I’m really hoping they don’t have a tendency to mold. So great that you got Sarah Burns brushes!! I was soooo happy they were released on Dec 30… they were the last item I purchased before my no-buy (or “gift card low-buy”) began.
Also, sorry you’ve received some not-so-nice comments. Sad that happens when you’re brave enough to share online. I know those types of comments would bother me far too much, people can be so harsh…rather than just choosing another channel to watch, if yours doesn’t suit them.
Thank you, FaithAnn. I love the Sarah Burns brushes so far. I'll be using them again tomorrow. Hugs to you for the positive thoughts. 🤗
If you put a couple of drops of Clove oil in each well and mix it with your paint, it keeps the mould away. It’s worked for me in these types of pallets 😊 spraying it with clove oil and water mixed don’t work as you can see.
Yep, agreed.
u know, this is sort of why i've been avoiding getting started with gouache. i'm just scared of mold growing since it's warm/humid where i am and i know that if that happens, i'm just gonna be tempted to chuck it all in the bin🤣 your laugh at 3:23 is such a cute evil laugh! haha! the derwent drawing pencils are beautiful! i only have 2 so far but i love their consistency/formulation already. :) thanks for showing all your goodies, fun times ahead!
I think you would be best there in Thailand to use gouache straight from the tube as you would with acrylics and oils. Humidity is not going to be your friend, as you've already surmised. But watercolors are so delightful, so it's good to stick with them, too. Thanks for your fun comments each time, Vee. I always love hearing from you.
Something I do is in my spritz bottle I use filtered water and a few drops of Rosemary EO. And I only use filtered water or distilled water for my watercolor water. Hope that helps Oh and I leave the palette open until all the paint dries in the pans. I know you have a kitty so you can tape some paper towel over the palette. It will still dry and keep little kitty from sitting on your paints! 🥰
Our grocery store is almost always out of distilled water. When they DO have it, I need to stock up!
Having had to use identical mixed hues of color over several months, I washed the containers/wells with 91% alcohol before filling , then once they were filled, a tiny amount of the alcohol just before I closed the palette, kept the mold away. I had to learn it the hard and very expensive way. The only caution is that you have to wick it up with a facial tissue each time you use that palette. Carefully, so you don't mix it into the pigment. Or you can just open the palette for a while until the alcohol evaporates. That was wayyyyy past my patience abilities, so I did the tissue solution and it worked fine for me.
Okay, thank you, Linda!
Oh I didn't know Daniel Smith has Gouche. That will be interesting. I'd like to get one.
Other than Windsor &Newton, thus far I'm loving Holbein and Paul Rubens.
All good brands!
Hi Miranda, Your picture is very pretty. I am a bit intimidated by gouache. I have the himi miya gouache waiting for me to use it. And the three primary colors plus white from Daniel Smith. People do not understand the words be kind. Ignore the people with rude comments because they are probably not happy. You are a wonderful person whom I admire.
If you follow Sarah Burns, she has a mold database. As you have noticed, M Graham is prone to mold. My new M Graham palette (which I created just before she published her results) just molded for the 2nd time, this time within 2 weeks of being closed. She is now using dried gouache, which I am switching to as well. I do recommend that you remove all the paint in the palette and sterilize (ouch...for sure - all that beautiful paint!). I really want to support American products and but will be switching my M Grahams out as I used them up.
Yes - I was glad to see her video come out shortly after mine as that was and is a really useful follow-up for everyone! Definitely good timing there.
That's too bad. M Graham is wonderful gouache. If you're using a wet ("sealed") palette, you can have repeated issues until you learn to manage that palette. I keep such a palette in ongoing use and have had zero issues since that initial learning curve several years ago. Any brand will have colors that can be problematic in this regard. Ivory black PBk9 is one such pigment, and it's also the one Graham color that molded in Sarah Burns' palette. I rarely ever use Ivory Black, so it's not in my palette. I also only use Zinc or Titanium White directly from the tube.
Of course, if you're using a dried gouache palette, there is no concern of mold regardless of brand.
@@greenbuttskunked yes, for sure. For now, I'm only going to use my M. Graham's straight from the tube. They are very nice paints. 👍
Oh ew I'd totally throw those nasty ones out lol but I probably would have taken all of the paints out and put some bleach or something like that to disinfect everything then put some of it back or just put those in an open palette and put fresh gouache in the disinfected palette. But I definitely have heard tap water can cause molding but personally haven't struggled with this. Hope it doesn't happen again. I know it's hard to not let negative things affect us especially getting nasty comments directly from others but just know that there are so many more people love you appreciate you more than any negative person could. I knows it's easier said than done but your awesome and I love that you make videos for us and share all of your knowledge with us and have fun. Have an awesome day
Hopefully I have the mold problem solved now (fingers crossed) and I won't be putting the M. Graham gouache back into this palette once it's gone. The Holbein gouache doesn't seem to have the same problem, so hopefully the mold spores haven't affected it much. Thank you for the kind words, Danielle; I really appreciate them. Hugs.
Hey M if you are using a spray bottle put your water with some vinegar to help prevent mold. Might help :)
Thank you!
I use a spray with deluded alcohol right before I close my pallet also I don’t put any tap water in my paints. I wonder of the mg paint molded because of the honey.
I'll do the same, or use the mold spray and see if it helps. And yes, no more tap water. Thank you!
Take care. I appreciate the hard work you put into your videos, not creating for YT myself, I’m just someone who is learning a lot from you and many other talented and hard working YT creators!❤ Oh yeah, I have Arteza and Miya Himi gouache, seem to have better luck with the Arteza as far as smoothness when painting. So far no molding, do check them every once in a while.👍🙂
Oh, thank you! I actually chose the Arteza gouache for my students to purchase for a class I'm teaching this summer, so I'm glad to hear of your experience with it.
I’m thinking about doing some gouache stuff, but I might just do the tube thing, cause I paint at my desk…and I really love buff titanium in watercolor…
Yes, I think straight from the tube might be the best plan. 👌
Try lavender oil to prevent mold. Though, the clove oil should have worked....I suspect you're right and your tap water is just that bad. As a book restoration person, we always use lavender oil in our paste mixtures to prevent them from molding before we can finish using them up. We make large batches because no one likes cooking up paste, lol.
I love lavender oil - may have to try that.
You can use food grade mold inhibitors such as potassium sorbate :) It’s used in a bunch of products and GRAS certified by the FDA.
Okay, thank you!
how much would you put
i am glad you made this video Miranda! I have a set of jelly gouache that i haven't opened because i know i wouldn't use them enough and then dealing with mold...ewwww. I guess opening them every once in a while would be fine but i'd probably forget to do that too LOL
Luckily no mold on the jelly gouache yet, thank goodness! But they do dry up, so waiting until you know you can use them somewhat regularly is a good idea. 👍
I was going to suggest the oil&water misting until you said that's what you did and it didn't work 😅 I think a part of it could be what another comment said about brand. I use M. Graham, but I've never tried to keep it wet. I have a feeling the honey probably plays a big part in why it's moulding as much as it is. You could try another oil like rosemary or even a very light mist of alcohol every once in a while, but I would probably play around with using different brands and pay attention to how long they last before they begin to form mold 🤔 There might be a better brand for the stay wet method, whereas M. Graham might be better to just use straight from the tube when you want to use them specifically 😊 Although it's unfortunate that it molds the way it does, I really enjoy my M. Graham paints, especially my watercolours, but I don't use any other artist grade gouache so it's good to know I probably shouldn't put them in a stay wet palette 😅 Also I'm sorry about the critical comments, I don't understand why people can't just watch people and have fun
Thank you, Ezra. I agree - the M. Graham ones will be used only from the tube for me from now on.
Seems to me most folks like you a lot! Not positive comments say more about the sender than the receiver. A.A. Milne said it best: you are braver stronger smarter than you believe seem or think 💙 Plus now you have Granddma looking out for you 24/7! Thanks for the gouache tips :) Cool coloring book - I like your painting
Thank you, Deb; that means a lot. ❤️
I get mold on my Chinese paint chips-even more terrifying on my real, natural gamboge…which is extremely toxic, especially to critters. Just a short aside; I began doing traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting over 8 years ago when my late son was in China working with friends from college. Longer story short, one of his friends has a beautiful great-grandmother who taught art, history and culture here in the US for over 30yrs before retiring back to China. Over the next 5 years, I got boxes (and tubes) of paper, brushes, ink sticks/stones…and paint. Both the older much higher quality Marie’s and traditional paint chips….the closest comparison to these chips would be inktense..with a caveat, all pigments are natural pigments that have been used for over 1000 years. The problem with them, and using peach sap gum instead of gum Arabic, is they are very susceptible to mold, especially the gamboge which is almost pure pigment out of the bamboo poles they cure inside of. The peach sap gum and gamboge are high in “sugars”. After my son died suddenly a little over a year ago, my eldest and my best friend said we’re getting back into this medium my son loved so much and find ways to fuse eastern and western watercolors. I am EXTREMELY careful with my gamboge and a curious kitty who is obsessed with my ink, (Chinese ink contains traditional herbs and flower essences for luck, focus…and I don’t remember the other properties. It also has something that makes my kitty Leela act like she just snorted a pile of catnip. She has no interest in trying to eat or drink it..but I give her a practice sheet of dried calligraphy? She’ll roll around on it for hours and carry it around with her to flop down on. I have a strange cat. 🥰. After seeing pictures of Leela on the table laid out on top of ink paintings (dry); my dear tutor concluded she was a painting Master in a previous life. She also responds to us if we speak Chinese to her and last night spent 5 minutes “talking” to Laoshi Lili (teacher Lili) from her hospital bed in Chengdu. My lil celebrity is quite a hit on Chinese social media.
Back to the mold…99% alcohol. Also, I know with gouache you don’t want it to dry out. Chinese paint chips were traditionally dried out in the sun. I’m in the Poconos, Sun isn’t going to dry out my paint chips. Lesson: DO NOT put paints previously sprayed with alcohol in the oven! I didn’t turn it on, it was still a bit warm from some bread. My beautiful hand-painted ceramic dishes cracked, some paint chips turned different colors…think: MUCH TOO Burnt Sienna. And burnt gamboge. NOT the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I’ll stick with Alcohol.
Since then, the only color that continues to mold is my gamboge. These large dowel-shaped chunks are extremely expensive because they are rarely made in China anymore. Lili’s lovely daughter, Liang, said when I had a bit of a financial crisis last year, that I should be able to get $500 for the chunk I still have…Chinese painting has seen a resurgence in recent years, especially in bigger cities like nearby NYC. I didn’t need to sell my chunk ..which thinking about it, I’m surprised even made it through customs 7-8 years ago when Lili sent it…nevermind send it through US Mail. I’ll keep it both for sentimental value and the absolutely brilliant yellow I’ve never seen repeated. I just keep a tiny chunk in my plate (Liang sent me new ones). I use it, then leave open on a high shelf kitty Leela can’t get to, spray with a bit of the 99% alcohol before closing it up, taping it shut and I keep it in a box with other supplies I don’t want Leela getting into. When I get any mold, I cut it off, spray it with alcohol. My only other chips that mold are my indigo. But I have a bag of indigo chips, so I just throw the moldy ones out.
The main thing is making sure the chips dry quickly and are completely dry before putting the lids back on.
I am curious..do you think the alcohol could affect the paints themselves?
What a great history you've shared with us here; thank you. It is truly a delight to hear this, plus the anecdote about your kitty and the inks, LOL! I can just picture it now. I wish I knew the answer to your question about the alcohol affecting the paints. I guess only time will tell. I suspect not since it evaporates so easily, but I'm not sure. Thank you, Elaine. Hugs to you.
@@MirandaWatsonArt Thank you. I just wanted to add, I read another comment and as someone with my MS in Micro (although my focus was virology), I agree with everything RH said about spores spreading and taking precautions. When I spray the alcohol, I do it outside; but recently I have just been adding a few drops. I’m currently doing experiments mixing Chinese chips with Rosas gallery paints (which contain only gum Arabic & pigment; this makes them ideal alternatives to traditional paints that are dropping in quality). One of my tutors has become enamored with granulating & separating paints. Prof Chen compares them to the old mineral paints ancient masters used. The problem is most western paints can’t be used on Xuan paper. One dear friend, an artist and teacher here in the US who is also studying western and “fusion” watercolor materials and techniques is using QOR in some works…it drives me NUTS especially if I’m attempting a Gongbi painting..but Henry has been painting and teaching for 40+ years. (Gongbi, is a very detailed type of painting done on VERY thin, delicate sized Xuan.
Back to the mold; I mixed some Rosa’s as well as a few PrimaTek, paints with my gamboge, adding some to the western paint prior to mixing. My best friend, an artist, bought me a lab coat and more masks when she saw my kitchen. 😂. Considering all my health issues; I am taking more precautions than I did before. I live in a very old home with a perpetually muddy basement. During the week I was specifically working with gamboge; mold was growing within 24 hrs; even with dry heat on.I used a LOT of alcohol and had to do a lot of scraping.-all outside. But it WAS worth it!
Oh, and 2 of my tutors say they’ve never seen alcohol affect either the paint or painting.
Ten parts distilled water, 1 part alcohol and 1 part glycerine makes a homemade mold control. Use to keep them juicy and mold free , like maintenance. This what Lindsey The frugal crafter is using
Okay, thanks, J!
Here is one way to deal with the mold on your paint. Once you have cleaned the mold of the paint, spray it with honey saturated water. The honey is a natural antifungal and antibacterial and will also help in keeping your gouache from drying out as much.
Thanks for the tip! I'm curious, though, since M. Graham is honey-based and they are the ones that molded, will it really help? I guess the only way to know for sure is to try, but maybe on just ONE well and not the whole palette, just in case.
I'm just watching your video, Miranda, and ooooooh noooooooo mold inside the paaaaiiiiints 😭😭😭😭😭😭 i think anytime I buy something meant to store gouache paints I'll run some hot water on it to kill any bacteria. And for spraying water I'll add a tiny bit of alcohol and glycerin inside my sprayer.
I never thought about thoroughly cleaning the palette before using it, but that's a great idea. I think alcohol is in for the win. Thanks, Maddy.
Ironically Miranda Sarah just did a video on how to prevent mold in Gouache it’s very informative maybe you should check it out.
I watched it the morning it was released; thank you!
I think the M Graham may have molded easier because of the "food" product in it - honey. I think. Does the M Graham gouache have honey in it like the watercolor paint does??? Just a thought. Thank you for what you do!
Yes, I think you're right and yes, the gouache has honey in it. Thanks, Janis!
I've never tried gouache but I saw a review of a new Holbein acrylic gouache I would love to try. Edit: Sarah Burns just did a video on this same problem.
I'm really enjoying them so far - they go down on the paper so smoothly. ❤️
How long was it in there before it molded? I had a Shinhan watercolor gouache hybrid that molded and it was because I definitely left it closed up too long. Always good to collect some data for rules of thumb. Thanks!
I believe it was 2-3 weeks the first time it happened. This time was several months, though. I think I will just avoid putting the M. Graham white and black in the palette for now and also try to use it more often. I'm also going through all these suggestions now, so that'll help, thank you!
@@MirandaWatsonArt Thanks for the information. Super interesting on the timeframes. I can't wait to hear about your results trying out the tips and it looks like Sarah Burns posted a new video on this topic, which I will watch too. Thank you for sharing, as tubes are great but this small palette of gouache is so neat too. My Schmince and W&N gouache seem pretty stable so far, but I can always learn more. Thank you!
I wonder - could the mold problem be taken care of by just letting the wells dry on purpose? Mold needs humidity to grow. Maybe the paint could be sprayed just before using them and after painting it could be left open to dry them out again. My gouaches are bone dry but rewet easily, just as the 'regular' watercolors colors are. But maybe the jelly gouaches are different in that respect?
Yes, I would think that even M. Graham gouache would dry out and the mold wouldn't be a problem, but I was hoping for a wet palette. But still, might be better than losing it! Thank you. 😊
@@MirandaWatsonArt Oh, I know. They just look soooo yummy and juicy - like little desserts. To me it is an esthetics issue. When I refill my pans from the tubes, they look so beautiful. Of course a few days later they have shrunk and some even cracked. I am beginning to believe that beautiful looking art supplies are a hobby in themselves ;-)
(I have repurposed a few old, especially beautiful eyeshadow palettes... They just sit on the shelf, filled with a few cool and warm primaries with no other purpose than to look beautiful.... I am trying to figure out if I have OCD or if I am just a nerd... ;-) Thank you for the videos!
Hi Miranda. The question that still bugs me is: should we use the other colours that were in the same palette as the ones who got mold in it? The fungi spores may have spread after all. And if we use these colours with spores in it, do we contaminate our painting?… I don't know. Have you noticed anything on your paintings done with this gouache since then? Have you noticed anything on your palette since then? Thank you
These are good questions. The paintings have been fine so far - I went and checked and the other paint has remained mold-free so far. It would definitely be safer to start over with a sanitized palette, but I'm getting away with it to this point.
I will NOT be buying another Himi gouache set. I just don't use it enough and it is ALWAYS too dried out when I DO go to use it. It finally got too dry for me to salvage so I just threw the pans away. I'll stick with tubes.
Agreed
Adding comments before finish watching your video. Felt guilty that I haven looked at my gouache palettes in probably more than six months.
So finally opnened them all. No mold.
Have only used distilled water as my water source.
The magicfly jelly gouache that I bought in April 2021 is dry but tacky. Stirred glycerin in when I got them. Whenever I worked on them used glycerin and/or water. The palette is triplely protected from drying.
With the other palettes have been using a mix of white vinegar and distilled water. Had trouble with my M. Graham gouache with mold before I started using that mix. Do have a problem with the cheap metal palette rusting. My Holbein gouache is divided between the airtight palette like yours and a fusion palette.
I so have not become a gouache artist.
Will admit my favorite palette is the Caran d'ache pan palette. No care and feeding involved. Don't care for their white tube gouache but have plenty of other choices for white.
Hope I get a chance to finish your always enjoyable video.
Take care.
Thank goodness for no mold! I realized I painted with my gouache again with tap water - oops. Should have used Distilled even for that. Next time. I'm going to try all these suggestions for that little palette. I'm afraid the propensity for mold will just keep spreading until I can completely clean out the palette, but I'm currently unwilling to get rid of any of the paint that still in there, so I'll just keep "managing" it for now. Thanks, Eileen. Hugs.
Have you tried the MIYA HIMI Moisturized Mildew Gouache Spray? I think it can help your paint stay fresh for a long time.
Yes, and it works great!
Gouache is prone to moulding due to it's composition, I guess. I think you should dispose all paint that had signs of moulding or even whole paint from the palette. Even if you don't 👀 it, there may be mould in other colours.
And that's not critique. That's what I think and suspect😃
I suspect you're right, although I had no mold when I opened it today, so the mold spray *might* have done the trick. Only more time will tell...
I've got mold on the bristles of my number 3 Derwent waterbrush, the flat one. 😕Of course it's impossible to properly clean that. If anyone has any good idea, please share. Alcohol didn't work.
How about soaking in 10% bleach?
@@R_H21 bleach is corrosive to plastic. 🙁
@@moma-b If you’re going to throw it away anyway, I would try first with bleach (if you can’t come up with anything else). Just as an experiment. Then rinse really well. ?
@@R_H21 I appreciate your sharing, I'm not planning to throw it away just yet. 🙂 I managed to rinse it to the degree that it's not tainting the clear waterflow, so I can still use it. Only the mold is still visibly there inside the bristles. (It's not white/transparent but grayish, greenish dark.)
Distilled water and white vinegar. Don't use tap water.
For sure!
I think it’s really sad that you had to ask people not to criticize you in the comments. I see it everywhere and I don’t understand how/why people feel the need to be so rude. It’s like a bunch of pre-teens being bullies or something, it’s ridiculous. You could get someone to proofread your comments and delete the negative ones and block the people posting them before you go in and read your comments. Maybe a family member or a close friend that you trust. If we could throat punch people through the internet I would gladly do that for you. People who bully others will not escape the Karma they have coming. And if they are doing this to you I can guarantee that they are doing it to everyone. Keep your chin up and don’t let them get you down. And I know it’s easier said than done but just focus on all of the great comments and compliments that you do get. They far outweigh the negative ones. Your subscribers love you and your channel!! 🥰
Thank you, thank you, thank you. 😊 ❤️ 🧡 💛 I think it's a good idea to have someone else read through the comments first. It's amazing how much one mean comment can stick with a person even when you know the good ones far outweigh the bad ones. You give me hope, though!
I'm so sorry your gouache went moldy. Such a thing happens to the best of us, though. If I had a nickel for every time this has happened to me......Arrg!
In my experience, I've found that maintaining a wet gouache palette mold-free involves putting about 3-4 drops of hydrogen peroxide into the pans/wells and mixing well in between uses. I've had a wet palette going for 3 years now (that I just top off with fresh paint as I use it up) and I've never had a mold issue doing this. Basically, when you're done painting, you just put the drops in and mix the paint and then it's good for the next time you're painting. Using distilled water exclusively instead of tap water also helps to extend the life of the paint without it getting gross over time, since tap water often has enough microbes in it to start a mold culture with enough time and moisture.
If you find mold in your palette, I hate to say it, but that usually means you may need to empty all of the paint out whether it's affected or not and give the palette a good bleach or peroxide bath before you use it again. Mold is extremely invasive and even if some of the paint looks OK and you've cleaned other parts of the palette, spores might still be lurking to cause issues later.
What a beautiful piece you created from that coloring page. I wish I had the patience to complete coloring books but I never do. I always watch you and other artist RUclipsrs with envy when you all color in coloring books. It must be meditative to do that kind of art.
That's a great tip about the peroxide. I'll definitely try that. I'm afraid you're probably right about the mold spreading easily - I'm going to have to keep a close eye on it for now because I'm currently unwilling to get rid of all that beautiful paint. It's the only Holbein gouache I had, and the wells took ALL of the little tubes. I just need to paint with it all the time until I use it up, LOL! I wish that were possible. :-) Thank you!
@@MirandaWatsonArt You're most welcome. I don't blame you for trying to save the paint, then! Maybe you can start putting peroxide into it between uses. That honestly might be enough to keep the mold at bay until you use up all the paint. Giving the whole palette a spritz of peroxide between uses also wouldn't be the worst idea. Whatever it takes to save that lovely paint!
gouache hates me lol, no matter the type😛
LOL, oh no!