I think you, yourself are a gift to watercolourists. Thank you SO much for producing such succint, informative vis. In this particular vid, for example, I cannot imagine that it could have been produced better in ANY way. Your heart shows through and I hope you realize that there may be MANY people who watch your work and benefit by it that may be too shy to comment. Rest assured that your work surely does NOT go un-noticed and it just STINKS of open love and sharing.
+Fred Wasnidge well, that comment is like opening a christmas present! Thanks so much, it is invaluable to hear from people like you, as it makes me feel like my videos are useful. thanks so much and hope you are having a good holiday weekend. :)
I've just watched 3 of your videos and am impressed with what a good teacher you are. Your are thorough, easy to understand and generous with what you know. I also like it that all your visuals show learning materials, rather than head shots of you. I've learned alot about the differences of watercolors and gouache and will use some of these techniques. I'm interested in seeing what else you produce. Thank you Hajra
I just wanted to thank you for posting such straight forward, comparative videos. For a beginner, they are extremely helpful. The tools and techniques can be overwhelming. Thank you for making the process of learning more fun and accessible. Cheers!
I totally agree with the comments below. To see what and how you use your tools. Love the utensil tray for your brushes and all your other ideas! I look forward to watching more of you.
Thanks so much, Kerry! That utensil tray is a lot of help dividing up a larger drawer. :) Welcome to my channel of Watercolor and Wizardry, and wishing you epic art adventures!
Woah....I love that little scraper/blade you have that has like....some kinda weird finger ring hole! That’s super neat! Your video is super well-thought out and I appreciate the work and thought you put into it! Especially since you took the time to consider that someone would likely be coming to this video without a ton of idea of where to start, so you went the extra mile in explaining certain things, like why you’d want to dry your brushes upside down. I try to do that in my own videos but fail a lot of times so I feel like I just learned something from you, though not necessarily what you went out to teach. Thanks. ❤️
Thank you for your informative videos. Your Silver Black Velvet brushes are a blend of squirrel hair and black synthetic filaments. Squirrel hair holds large amounts of color and releases it perfectly. I love them.
Thanks so much, Jacob. :) I do use pop ups a lot, both in text and in images--it really facilitates sharing in all my info-dense videos, whether it's about materials, technique, color theory, or art history. I also don't see anyone else do this much on RUclips; I think it's a carried over habit from my being a university lecturer and having all those images and notes shared on a projected screen as I lectured.
Hajra, you are wonderful, amazing, a true font of knowledge. If you turn out to be a wonderful artist, which I believe will come true, you can make a two-hour vid and I'll watch it. You know we can take breaks any time. Well, I am so amazed at your knowledge and organization. I've never tried goauche, so what I'm interested in is the amazing ability of transparent watercolors do what they can do. How I stumbled upon your video here is a godsend. I'll keep watching. I'd love to see what you can do with both your gouache and transparent watercolors. You have a definite fan here! Keep the videos coming. And don't worry about the time.
Judith Meyer Thanks for your generous comments, Judith. I started posting videos on youtube because I work primarily at home now as an author-illustrator, and because I was formerly a university lecturer for some years, I missed teaching. RUclips has helped scratch that itch, especially because I hear from darling people like you who make me feel like my taking the time to make instructional videos is worth it. Art is beautiful and fulfilling in so many ways, everyone should create it, but watercolor can be tough and frustrating, and that's where good teachers can really help teach you the lay of the land. A lot of the students I have taught in person told me that before taking my classes, they felt like they'd never be painters, and then they found themselves creating the most amazing paintings just a few weeks later and delighting themselves! Practice, be gentle with yourself and go at your natural pace, focus on what attracts you to painting, try to find some good instruction, and then practice some more! I promise that watercolor is amazing and so are you. I hope to keep the videos coming, and that you continue to find them helpful, thanks again for your gracious thoughts, they are much appreciated.
***** I don't have time for extremists and crazies of any sort, eastern or western...people like you are soooo tedious.... That beautiful calligraphy project was teaching people how to write their names in an another language--how terrible! It is not a sin to come from a Pakistani family, my family has gifted me with a beautiful culture of amazing art and cuisine and textile and philosophy and herbal medicine and much more. And I'm not apologizing for some small amount of crazy people who don't represent Pakistani people at large--do you apologize personally for Hitler or Mussolini or Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer? Kindly stop commenting in such an abusive and ignorant manner, or your comments will be blocked from my channel.
Judith Meyer Judy, I just woke up to this super racist comment (I've since removed it from my channel), and I'm sorry you had to read it, too. I did respond to it--you can see my response on the page if you'd like, or just forget about the whole nasty business. Hope you have a good day. regards, h
Great video, thank you! You’re explaining everything so well ❤️ especially the part about the brushes. Considering the price of real hair brushes, it’s important to take care of them properly.
Got a very got tip from your video. I already have significant numbers of watercolour tubes and was about start painting by Guache. Thought it is so daunting to buy the whole set of new tubes again. But here we are, you suggest adding opaque white to watercolour paints! Fabulous! Cannot wait trying your method. Thank you!
What you have will do just fine. (I myself also have holbein zinc white and holbein Titanium white tubes, which are shown in the video.) What you have should be titanium white, which is also called permanent white sometimes. Good luck!
Ah, what a relief! I have tried with Permanent white last night. The result was very satisfactory. Will get a Zinc white today. Thank you very very very much!
Holy shit.. i started taking drawing seriously 3 years ago and i didn't even know about that u should use different erasers for different paper. So damn helpful.
+Jan Kafka thanks, that's really very kind of you! I have been told I'm bird-boned. But I wash my hands A LOT and so I think I've sort of made them really dry and sort of ruined the skin on them. :p
I feel so very overwhelming right now.. You are like the only thing I need to see in an art teacher! I have always loved art and I feel like it's the only thing I was good at my whole life and so I was proud of my skill. But that changed when I sign up for art classes in highschool. All I did during the those time was researching and writing for a final exam about something I had absolutely no interest in. I felt lacking of guidance but I was too afraid to talk to my art teacher because they would jump to the conclusion that I show no efforts in researching. I thought that I could be inspired to do art, to gain knowledge, to explore the things I have never knew before... I was barely 14-15 at the time, I didn't know anything but I was sure that I love art. But after all of that, I didn't feel even the slightest enthusiasm for art anymore. So I just scraped through the year with a D (which is kinda acceptable though not desired). But watching you generously giving out information and do amazing pieces of art inspire me. I hope I can find my passion once again through you! Thank you very much and I wish you luck with your channel and life :)!!!
+minh anh phung thanks for your thoughtful comments. Everything you said is very relatable--I've had classes where the timing was bad or I had other priorities at school or my teacher wasn't the best and I ended up disliking the subject more by the end of the class than I had at the beginning. The good news is with time you really can regain enthusiasm for a subject as the bad experience gets further away and try again! SO happy to hear my videos inspire the artist in you and wish you the best with your art adventures!
Yeah I really should not blame my teacher or my school because there are many people in my class who do art passionately regardless of circumstances. But me in particular is very insecure about my choices and all so I really need a boost and some encouragement. I hope that I can learn all I ever need to from you! I have a soft spot for watercolor and I mean to master it hehe one way or another. But I discovered through you that gouche can really be my thing too! Thank you :)
+minh anh phung I totally relate, I hated my French teacher in high school so I never studied, but I always knew I would go back and study it on my own later. And I am! Reading Harry Potter in French and loving it :P. Sometimes there's a medium or a skill that you just know you'll like, you just need to trust your own judgements. Then sometimes there's something you thought you'd hate and you end up loving X) ah life haha.
Wow, I just found your videos and subscribed. This is only the 2nd I've viewed and I have never learned so much in such a short time as with your fabulously produced demos/educational style! Thanks! I feel so LUCKY that I found your videos, as I am just starting to learn to paint (my media has been colored pencil, and pencil, and pen and ink, haven't opened or used my gouache set yet and only just started using watercolor and am very timid with it cuz I don't know what I'm doing yet. The FORCE was with me when I found and clicked on your amazingly informative tutorials. !!! I'll certainly tell others about you!!
Thank you so very much for such a professional, well done, and informative video! I have been trying to decide on a brand of gouache to buy, and besides Daniel Smith watercolours, already have some of the other products you mentioned in your video, and I think I have a lonely tube of white gouache, as well. I am especially excited to find another use for my Bombay inks and Neocolor II's, both of which I already enjoy working with immensely; I didn't know that gouache could be made from them. I do believe you just saved me quite a bit of money, to boot! Thank you so much! I learned so much from your entire video, and I will save it in my favourites for future reference. I am a fairly new subscriber, and I'm very glad I "found" you. Thanks again!
You're very welcome, Laura! So glad to have helped a bit--yes, neocolors are by their nature opaque due to being crayons, and they work just like gouache if used thicker. And a little bit of white in your inks or transparent watercolors will make them opaque like gouache as well. Always nice to have multiple uses for products we already own. Good luck on your epic painting adventures!
In my business, paints (substances) that turn liquid again when introduced to the solvent are said to “rewet.” Other substances (you know my business is wood finishing) can not be rewet. I sometimes wonder about the materials you use, and which category (or classification) I’d assign each particular one. Those that will rewet sound like Evaporatives. Those that do not rewet are probably Reactives, or more likely Coalescing. If this topic interest you at all, Bob Flexner’s book gives the best explanation of the three classes. FWIW, I’ve not read Flexner’s book. I got lucky. I had a vendor I used to buy from; a friendly, talkative man. He was an industrial chemist and he manufactured the coating materials I bought from his company. I learned from him. Thanks for another informative video! 🙂
If you’re interested, I’d imagine that the book in its larger context isn’t really of direct interest, but the three classifications of coating materials probably is. It really is an explanation of binders. The Public Library is probably the best resource; read about those binders. You’ll be in for zero dollars, and it might give you some interesting insights. Flexner’s book here: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/understanding-wood-finishing-bob-flexner/1111388725
You're welcome, Paul! That sounds fascinating, I'll look into that book! Paints are more simply labeled in comparison--like being waterproof, water-resistant, or water-soluble on paper/canvas. And if something is reusable once from a palette, it's usually labeled as a medium that reconstitutes. There's also the further labels of something being an open versus a closed surface based on if the medium is fully dry and permanent or not, and also the labels of being subtractive or additive mediums depending on being able to work from light to dark and/or vice versa. Plus, the gloss, satin, matte, etc finish of a medium. And I'm probably forgetting some...XD
Hajra Meeks I’d be interested to learn more about that. I’m imagining that the two different forms of jargon are little more than two languages describing the same overall phenomenon; each artisan (tradesman) choosing to focus on what’s important for his specialty. 🙂
+Sultan Ariff thanks! SO many more things to buy, but I have to constantly tell myself I don't need them and I don't have the room and they're expensive!
You save my life by mentioning that you can add white gouache to your watercolors. I just switched and I don't want to buy a whole new set of gouache, nor do I want to get rid of my transparent colors. I was also wondering how in the world do I make gouache portable in the least anxiety-producing way.
You got some serious tools, girl. That's what did me in was trying to carry my supplies around and unpack, etc. I definitely learned something here. Who knew there was so much to learn? (Not until Hajra schools ya)
+Bodhi Rus Yeah, but I only use a teeny bit at a time--keeps me organized! You'll see in my travel watercolor bag videos that I only take around streamlined supplies. ( Hey, why don't you make a video sharing your supplies--I wanna see.)
You forgot M. Graham, the best honey based watercolor and gouache in the world. They don't come in pans, but you can fill pans and they stay just firm enough not to run or leak, but soft enough to immediately come to life with the slightest amount of water.
+Edgar Bowlin good to know, thanks for sharing. i only buy pans so i have not experimented with M Graham. I have Sennelier pans, however, and they are also formulated with honey and a delight to use, like them better than Winsor & Newton pans.
These materials are very expansive; overwhelming for this beginner. Great explanations for each tool though. I will check back when I have more experience.
Hi Hajra, thank you for this video! Love the quality, the clarity, and the speed of your video and speech. I usually increase speed when watch others. But your's was just perfect. I just ordered the brush holder/drier - thank you for the tip. I was wondering if you would share the link to a blender wax pencil? I couldn't find it.
Thanks so much for your kind comments, Iryna, glad you enjoyed my video--glad I wasn't too fast for you! :D The link to the blender is here: www.dickblick.com/products/caran-dache-full-blender-bright/
Awesome videos, I've always thought "sharing is caring " you must have a gold heart! Quick question, I have a full set of M.graham and I'd like to get a set of Schmincke pan colors for traveling. Where do you find them the best price? Thanks again!!
Shereen Timmerman Thank you, you are very sweet! I agree about what you said about caring, and I also feel knowledge is the property of everyone. I bought a schmincke set from dickblick.com (and some individual colors from Amazon as they don't sell them anywhere else like that). I waited till there was a sale (like there is now) on Dickblick so I got the biggest discount, because they are darn expensive. Also, I've also bought winsor and newton and sennelier and holbien pans every now and again as they are a bit less expensive and work very well, too. Good luck with your painting adventures!
Just discovered your great tutorials over at Steve Mitchell’s when you were talking with Marty and him. May I ask where you got the metal palette cases? I have been looking for something like them. Thanks for making such an excellent channel.
Awesome, thanks for finding you way over to my channel and for your kind words! I got those tins from Amazon, they're rillakuma tiered pencil cases. they tend to be out of stock now, though, I got them like 4+ years back.
Hi from Brazil, Hajra! Thank you for this very helpful video. I've been painting with watercolor for some time now, but as I'm just beginning to take an interest in gouache I was wondering if it's ok to put a small amount of tube gouache paints into plastic covered palettes, like I do with watercolors. Will it ruin the paints in time or is it an ok way to have some paints ready for daily use? Thanks again!
Hi from California, Marina! Since gouache is just opaque watercolor, it CAN be reconstituted with water on a palette after it dries out (unlike dried ink, oil, or acrylic). I have reused leftover gouache colors many times, but not everyone wants to. Depending on what you use, your gouache may be a bit more crumbly when rewet than traditional transparent watercolors which always rewet more silkily than gouache--Some brands reconstitute better than others, with artist quality brands performing better usually. You can try it with a bit of one of your gouache colors and see if you like working with the rewetted paint the same as the fresh paint. You can also get around this a little by spraying or dripping water onto the dried gouache on the palette 10-15 min before you start painting, and then spray a little again just before you start, mix the colors into the water with an old, clean brush, and then go paint and You'll find out if you are ok with the consistency of rewetted colors. Hope this helps!
Hajra Meeks I've been reading all the comments and can say I agree with everything. I've been a beginning watercolorer for about 2 years. I still get frustrated with this journey i'm on. The road is twisty-turny and very rocky. And there are storms. Thank you for your video. I'll say more above.
Great video. New subscriber. That thing to hold the brushers (metal) where did you get that? I love it! Again, great videos. Will be watching them all. Thumbs up.
woohoo! Welcome to my Channel of Watercolor & Wizardry! It's called a Richeson Brush Washer and I got it on Amazon for like $8. Apart from Amazon, you can also get it online or in person at art supply stores like Dickblick. Again, thanks for joining me here and wishing you epic art adventures!
+Cecilia Löfgren I got them from Amazon, sometimes they are out of stock, but if you search for rillakuma pencil boxes, you can see if they are in stock. good luck!
This is VERY helpful, many thanks! What are your thoughts about panning Windsor Newton Designer Gouache? I have some that I've been wanting to get more familiar with, but without it being panned (i.e. just mixing up with water with my whole set up) it isn't really feasible for me to use regularly. I worry about cracking, and I've heard a variety of things that can be done to prevent that. These three options seemed the most discussed, but I can't really find more specs on these points. Maybe you can shed some light on them for me: * Add Ox Gall, honey, or glycerine to your pan of wet paint to prevent cracking, but it seems that each option serves its own special need. * Just mix in a tad (1-2 drops) of glycerine to your pan with the paint and you don't risk the cracking so bad. * Just pan that sans glycerine and lay it into the pan in a couple of layers. Let it dry overnight and that alone should be enough. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Yes, adding either a bit of glycerine or honey will help with drying out and cracking as they are humectants. And yes, laying paint down in thin layers will make the pans dry more evenly and also prevent cracking. But no, Ox gall will not help with cracking if you use it, it is a dispersant, not a humectant. I know all of these facts scientifically--I haven't turned tube paint to pan paint ever myself as I don't buy tubes at all, so you'll have to experiment and fine tune to get it right. Good luck. :)
Much appreciated! Thank you so much for the tips. You have indeed shed a lot of light on the proper form for this medium, I'm so glad to have found you! I aim to get this Gouache thing down if it kills me :)
You ever come up with something absolutely brilliant like using an exacto blade to cut highlights or use rubber cement as masking fluid, only to find that some jerk thought of it like a hundred years ago?
Thank you for your content. 🙏 What brand of proportional divider do you have? Would you recommend the plastic ones, or should I stick with the brass or aluminum ones? Thanks.
Mine is by Alvin, I believe. Depends on how much you use it--you could also use a ruler or metal compass (or even your pencil or finger) for visual measuring marks (see my other videos on prop divider and how to draw anything methods ruclips.net/video/z4PP1RUkwe4/видео.html ). I haven't used dividers as much I thought as I end up just using my pencil or something faster, but the metal Alvin prop divider I have is a beautiful tool to own and use. Plastic or metal will also depend on how large you draw or paint. As I often paint quite small, the finer metal tips are my preference.
Amazing video! I don’t know if you covered this and I missed it so I apologize in advance but where did you get your cases for your watercolor and gouache? It also looks like you have a larger one for your pencils
Thanks. :) I used multi-tier tin pencil boxes i found on Amazon but they have been out of stock for a long time: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TELRJ6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Very useful and complete information. Thanks! I was wondering though, do you also use water brushes? I mean the ones that are sold as refillable brushes with usually a round brush attached. Squeeze the brush and water comes out. Anyway, thanks again for the useful video.
PHeMoX You're welcome! Yeah, I do have some waterbrushes, which I've shown in my travel watercolor bag videos. I've also used them for a project here in this ink geisha video: ruclips.net/video/DfZMkiFV984/видео.html I did find them to be fun and acconvenient way to have some water around, but the water flow for the ones I have is just a bit too fast and thus annoying. Also, the plastic bristles lift up traditional watercolor paint (not a problem with the ink) easier than other brushes which can also be annoying when doing layers. Still, they are fun to use.
Hajra Meeks Interesting. Yeah, those water brushes are crazy difficult to find where I live in Europe, so I haven't gotten any of those yet. But if it's more difficult to use than just using a clean brush with water, then I might not need them after all. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.
PHeMoX I was going to do a few giveaways as I've reached 1000 subscribers...If you are comfortable messaging me your shipping address, I can send you my water brushes as I only used them once or twice and don't plan on using them anymore. I tried them once with ink so one is a bit stained, but they are all in newish condition. no pressure, just an offer. :p
Hajra Meeks Wow, yes that would be lovely. I hope you don't mind me being in Europe though. :) I'm going to send you my address by mail. You can expect an email from Erik Franken.
I cannot find Schminke gouache pan sets as you show. I cannot even find the pans sold separately-only tubes. where do you buy them? Your videos are wonderful.
Judith Sopher Hi Judith, The Schminke pans are hard to find. I myself bought the Schmincke middle size watercolor pan set from dickblick.com, and then added more colors by buying individual pans from sellers on Amazon. The opaque colors which can be used for gouache can be bought like this in separate pans from amazon by searching for each color name specifically. If you want to know which colors are opaque (and thus better for gouache) or semi-transparent, transparent, etc., you can use the Schmincke colors info sheet from their website here: www.schmincke.de/fileadmin/bilder/Farbkarten/HORADAM_AQUARELL_D_GB_01.pdf be sure to buy plenty of white separately as you need white for goauche painting (unlike watercolor. (Or you can just buy the schmincke gouache tube set.) hope this was helpful, and thanks for for your kind thoughts on my videos. best, hajra
I need to sleep but I can't stop watching your videos 🙂 cause I new to your channel , I watched 3 videos continuously and all are very helpful and informative and don't know how come people dislike them , English is not my first language but I like the way you speak , clearly not too fast or too slow just perfect and your accent is good too I understand everything thanks , liking your videos , ok there's a question if you see my comment and reply please do answer , I have heard that we should not use white in watercolor , as I like light pink shades and light blue shades or some pastel colours how do I get various light pink shades without using white, cause just by thining the paint with water I don't get satisfactory pink shades cause mostly artist grade watercolor are dark colour. I may be wrong somewhere .
Wow, very flattering anytime anyone loses sleep over watching anything I post! Thanks so much. :D As for your question, you can watch my other videos where I compare watercolors and gouache and also where I do separate projects, and you'll see that really the choice is up to YOU. Basically, you can choose to use just purely transparent watercolors in a painting and I do that often, or you can choose to have a painting that has mostly watercolor with some white gouache highlights and I do this sometimes, and you can choose to have a painting that purely opaque gouache--3 ways to use these mediums and so you can enjoy all of them! Now, if you want to use just transparent watercolors in a painting, you can indeed get a pink diluting with water--your success in good pinks does depend on your original watercolor pigment choice. The color should be a cool red or magenta so it dilutes to a nice pink, and you can also buy watercolors like opera rose or opera pink that are pink to start, but this may be an availability issue for you in India. Second, if you are all right with creating a gouache piece or a piece that utilizes both gouache and watercolor in the same painting, you can certainly use white to mix a pink. Again, you can use watercolor and gouache separately or together--it's up to you as a personal preference. If you like the way they look together, do so, if not then use then separately. If you're not entering a transparent watercolor art contest, then there's no reason to not mix the mediums if you want--again, I personally create purely transparent watercolor pieces, or purely gouache pieces, as well as pieces where the two watercolor and gouache mediums are used together.
@@HajraMeeks ohh Wow thanks a lot for taking time and replying but can't I use white watercolor paint and mix things. By the way your option of using gouache and watercolor together is good idea for me thanks a lot again 😊👌🌷 Lots of love from India.
No, I haven't tried that brand. Well, it would be interesting, but I can't make any promises, as I try not to waste money on anything student grade. Maybe I can borrow some samples from some of my students sometime...
You are plenteous of knowledge and generous of heart! Bless you! Question: Have you ever tried M. graham gouache? I've heard/read that it's quite good.
Vgudorf Thank you kindly, and Bless you, too! Yes, I've tried Schmincke, Winsor and Newton, Grumbacher, and M. Graham gouache. I've found all of them to be quite good, though my favorite is Schmincke. M. Graham would have to be my second fav though, and it is cheaper than Schmincke.
Hey. Awesome channel! Just been through a few of your vids. Loads of info. Thanks for the vid. And thanks for all the watercolour info. I've been searching for a good channel for a while, but everyone I find is more or less the same. You so thorough but not boring.You also seem to know a lot. Hope you make more. Do you have an instagram or Twitter I can follow?
Can my tubes of gouache be squeezed into little pans and be stored in a watercolor-type box for long term storage like watercolors? Or do they dry up like acrylics and must be used right away?
+Sylvia Catalano traditional gouache can be rewet and used again like watercolors. However, with some modern ones, it depends on the brand, but if it's true gouache it should work.
Karla Smith Thanks! I use tin pencil boxes I searched for on Amazon, which is what you see in this video. For traveling, I also use old color pencil or mint tins as they are even smaller.
You're brilliant! I may have commented on this a while ago but I'm back and more inspired than ever thanks! Quick question, I'm not sure if this is what you did, but could I pour schmincke gouache into empty pans? Is that what you've done here? I think I'll love the medium especially together with their watercolours but I feel like I wouldn't want to squeeze out the tube each time, would you suggest to just not be lazy? :P
nah, lazy is fine when it comes to squeezing out colors--I hate tubes for that very reason! I actually bought all my colors in pans to begin with, but yeah, you can pour watercolor into pans and rewet, and gouache should work ok, too. however, some gouache is a bit harder to rewet than transparent watercolor, so you'll have to test your specific colors and see. Try putting a smaller dab of each color into your empty pans, letting it dry, then rewetting and seeing if it works well. If you find it a bit harder than transparent watercolor, then at least you won't have poured out the whole tube. Thanks for your sweet comments, and I hope my response is of some help. :)
+Hajra Meeks Excellent... Cause I do hate tubes haha. I'm only really a beginner who has some good days so I don't want to squeeze out more than I'll use on a palette and then cry at the money wasted. That's a really great idea thanks heaps! And you're welcome, you're talented, motivated and organised, the ultimate trio, you'll do oooookay in life :P. And we'll keep watching the vids!
+Maya Rain they are harder to find. you can buy them in pan sets on dickblick.com and other art stores. if you want individual pans, you have to go into art stores and order them special, or you can look for individual pans from amazon.com sellers. I bought a set of pans from dickblick, then I bought other colors I needed individually from amazon.
+Lisa Smith thanks! I used double layer tin pencil boxes I searched for on Amazon, which is what you see in this video. (Last time I checked they were sold out, but single layer tins can still be found.) For traveling, I also use old color pencil or mint or lozenge tins as they are even smaller.
What is the URL for the products that you used? I notice that when I go to the My whimsical website, with convenient links to all my stuff: hajrameeks.com I only see RUclips, instagram, patreon, an alphabet journey, Hajra Meeks, Skillshare, My red bubble shop, and interactive works!. I don't see where the links to the "stuff" mentioned here are.
I never said I provided the links to the products I mentioned--that would be dozens of links, close to a hundred, for this video. XD :p You can search for the products by name on Dick Blick or Amazon or at an art store in person. When I say "links to all my stuff" I mean links to all my social media and my prints and my other teaching platforms like Patreon and Skillshare. I like to keep my website simple and minimal.
You've obviously been painting for a while and have acquired your supplies over time, but for an absolute newbie, what do you recommend? Top for travel in brushes, palette, sketchbook items to start. My husband got me a Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36 color palette and some Stillman & Birn (Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Beta - 2 are 270 gsm, 2 150 gsm) sketchbooks for xmas, and Reeves gouache tube set 18, now I'm looking for brushes really. I will definitely want to develope and try other brands of watercolor and gouache paints. Recommendations please.
Well, it's hard to recommend stuff for one particular person as everyone is different and will be happy with different things. Example, pans vs tubes, more vs less colors, archival vs studio grade, etc. That said, I would recommend watercolor or gouache colors by Schmincke or Sennelier, as they have artist-grade, creamy soft colors that last forever. You can buy sets from either company, or choose 3 primaries and a few neutrals to buy separately. Sennelier makes a lovely, affordable ($20) aqua mini watercolor set of only 8 pans lovely for travel or trying out the brand. You can also buy excellent travel brushes in the Da Vinci Maestro or Cosmotop series, I like them best as they have a top/handle that screws off to become a handle or a cover for the brush and they keep their points well. For paper, Arches is hands down the best, and you can buy a small Arches watercolor block for traveling. You can also buy Fabriano Watercolor paper in a small postcard size pad for travel as a runner up. I have several travel watercolor journals from Moleskine, Strathmore, Pentalic, etc., and the paper is fine for gouache or some watercolor, but not as good as Arches or Fabriano so i won't buy more once they are out. Hope that helps!
No problem. Oh, I was also gifted a kuretake gansai tambi set, haven't tried it yet, will post an art demo when I do try them. They are not the most expensive paints, but they are Artist quality and I have heard really good things about them, including that they can be used as gouache as they are more opaque in the Japanese style. Happy painting adventures!
for your video what did you use for the bubbles that pop up, ive been dying to know for my videos! Please can you tell me!!! *well when i post my new videos*
Coca Cola no problem: In imovie, look under "content library" on the left sidebar, then click on "titles", then scroll down and click on "clouds." happy video making!
off of Amazon, it's the Rillakuma tiered pencil tin. A lot of people have ask me about it, and it seems like it's often out of stock, but it might be back now.
I think you, yourself are a gift to watercolourists. Thank you SO much for producing such succint, informative vis. In this particular vid, for example, I cannot imagine that it could have been produced better in ANY way. Your heart shows through and I hope you realize that there may be MANY people who watch your work and benefit by it that may be too shy to comment. Rest assured that your work surely does NOT go un-noticed and it just STINKS of open love and sharing.
+Fred Wasnidge well, that comment is like opening a christmas present! Thanks so much, it is invaluable to hear from people like you, as it makes me feel like my videos are useful. thanks so much and hope you are having a good holiday weekend. :)
+Hajra Meeks ... I did too! ... ;p
I've just watched 3 of your videos and am impressed with what a good teacher you are. Your are thorough, easy to understand and generous with what you know. I also like it that all your visuals show learning materials, rather than head shots of you. I've learned alot about the differences of watercolors and gouache and will use some of these techniques. I'm interested in seeing what else you produce. Thank you Hajra
I just wanted to thank you for posting such straight forward, comparative videos. For a beginner, they are extremely helpful. The tools and techniques can be overwhelming. Thank you for making the process of learning more fun and accessible. Cheers!
***** You're very welcome, and thanks for supporting my videos! Good luck on your art journey. :)
I love that you talk really fast! Saves time for everyone!
+Yvonne Sun ha! glad to hear it, as I really don't know how to slow down. :)
I've never painted anything in my life, but I still watched this entire video! It's fascinating to see all the kinds of tools that go into your art :)
+HannahHasHeart wow, how patient of you! Yeah, I'm a sucker for supplies and demo videos posted by other youtubers myself. :)
This is one of the best instructional videos I've ever watched!!! Thanks!
You're very welcome, very kind of you. :)
I totally agree with the comments below. To see what and how you use your tools. Love the utensil tray for your brushes and all your other ideas! I look forward to watching more of you.
Thanks so much, Kerry! That utensil tray is a lot of help dividing up a larger drawer. :) Welcome to my channel of Watercolor and Wizardry, and wishing you epic art adventures!
Woah....I love that little scraper/blade you have that has like....some kinda weird finger ring hole! That’s super neat!
Your video is super well-thought out and I appreciate the work and thought you put into it! Especially since you took the time to consider that someone would likely be coming to this video without a ton of idea of where to start, so you went the extra mile in explaining certain things, like why you’d want to dry your brushes upside down. I try to do that in my own videos but fail a lot of times so I feel like I just learned something from you, though not necessarily what you went out to teach. Thanks. ❤️
What a very thoughtful and sweet comment--thanks for taking the time to express it. So glad you learned some stuff from my vidya!
Thank you for your informative videos. Your Silver Black Velvet brushes are a blend of squirrel hair and black synthetic filaments. Squirrel hair holds large amounts of color and releases it perfectly. I love them.
Yes, I know, and I love them, too! :)
Love your notes that pop up, first time I’ve seen a tutorial do this and it’s super helpful!
Thanks so much, Jacob. :) I do use pop ups a lot, both in text and in images--it really facilitates sharing in all my info-dense videos, whether it's about materials, technique, color theory, or art history. I also don't see anyone else do this much on RUclips; I think it's a carried over habit from my being a university lecturer and having all those images and notes shared on a projected screen as I lectured.
Hajra, you are wonderful, amazing, a true font of knowledge. If you turn out to be a wonderful artist, which I believe will come true, you can make a two-hour vid and I'll watch it. You know we can take breaks any time. Well, I am so amazed at your knowledge and organization. I've never tried goauche, so what I'm interested in is the amazing ability of transparent watercolors do what they can do. How I stumbled upon your video here is a godsend. I'll keep watching. I'd love to see what you can do with both your gouache and transparent watercolors. You have a definite fan here! Keep the videos coming. And don't worry about the time.
Judith Meyer Thanks for your generous comments, Judith. I started posting videos on youtube because I work primarily at home now as an author-illustrator, and because I was formerly a university lecturer for some years, I missed teaching. RUclips has helped scratch that itch, especially because I hear from darling people like you who make me feel like my taking the time to make instructional videos is worth it. Art is beautiful and fulfilling in so many ways, everyone should create it, but watercolor can be tough and frustrating, and that's where good teachers can really help teach you the lay of the land. A lot of the students I have taught in person told me that before taking my classes, they felt like they'd never be painters, and then they found themselves creating the most amazing paintings just a few weeks later and delighting themselves! Practice, be gentle with yourself and go at your natural pace, focus on what attracts you to painting, try to find some good instruction, and then practice some more! I promise that watercolor is amazing and so are you. I hope to keep the videos coming, and that you continue to find them helpful, thanks again for your gracious thoughts, they are much appreciated.
I will and I will. I look forward to your videos and thank YOU so much. Take care and thanks again. Judy
***** I don't have time for extremists and crazies of any sort, eastern or western...people like you are soooo tedious....
That beautiful calligraphy project was teaching people how to write their names in an another language--how terrible!
It is not a sin to come from a Pakistani family, my family has gifted me with a beautiful culture of amazing art and cuisine and textile and philosophy and herbal medicine and much more.
And I'm not apologizing for some small amount of crazy people who don't represent Pakistani people at large--do you apologize personally for Hitler or Mussolini or Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer? Kindly stop commenting in such an abusive and ignorant manner, or your comments will be blocked from my channel.
Judith Meyer Judy, I just woke up to this super racist comment (I've since removed it from my channel), and I'm sorry you had to read it, too.
I did respond to it--you can see my response on the page if you'd like, or just forget about the whole nasty business. Hope you have a good day. regards, h
Great video, thank you! You’re explaining everything so well ❤️ especially the part about the brushes. Considering the price of real hair brushes, it’s important to take care of them properly.
Thanks so much, Lydia, so glad you found this useful. :D
Got a very got tip from your video. I already have significant numbers of watercolour tubes and was about start painting by Guache. Thought it is so daunting to buy the whole set of new tubes again. But here we are, you suggest adding opaque white to watercolour paints! Fabulous! Cannot wait trying your method. Thank you!
I couldn't see clearly, do you use Titan and Zink whites by which maker?
I have only Permanent White Gouache paint by Holbein.
What you have will do just fine. (I myself also have holbein zinc white and holbein Titanium white tubes, which are shown in the video.) What you have should be titanium white, which is also called permanent white sometimes. Good luck!
Ah, what a relief! I have tried with Permanent white last night. The result was very satisfactory. Will get a Zinc white today. Thank you very very very much!
I will watch all of your videos, thank you!
how lovely! and you're very welcome. :D
This video was SO helpful. Thank you so much.
you're very welcome, glad to help.
Holy shit.. i started taking drawing seriously 3 years ago and i didn't even know about that u should use different erasers for different paper. So damn helpful.
+MrRikukiteki XD glad to help!
You're so smart and practical. Thanks for this vid
J Pole You're very welcome. :)
I'm new to this medium and I'm so glad I've found these informative videos you've made. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.
Kinsington ~ So glad you found them helpful! Good luck with all your painting endeavors, and I will strive to make more useful videos.
Your videos are addicting aka very educational. Thank you.
+MedusaDominadora ha! thanks, you're very sweet! :)
Please do more sketches, paintings and artsy stuff please. your awesome!! Just post more often
Great video! I've fallen in love with Gouache- it's SO underrated. Thanks for the information!
You're very welcome! Yes, I'm in love with gouache, too!
Wow This video is packed with info and pro tips. Thanks Hajra.
+Matt Val You're very welcome, Matt, how kind of you!
SINCERELY helpful! Thank you so much!
You're very welcome! :)
Absolutely brilliant. Many thanks ❤❤❤❤
you're very welcome, so glad you found it useful!
You have beautiful, very expressive hands.
+Jan Kafka thanks, that's really very kind of you! I have been told I'm bird-boned. But I wash my hands A LOT and so I think I've sort of made them really dry and sort of ruined the skin on them. :p
I feel so very overwhelming right now.. You are like the only thing I need to see in an art teacher! I have always loved art and I feel like it's the only thing I was good at my whole life and so I was proud of my skill. But that changed when I sign up for art classes in highschool. All I did during the those time was researching and writing for a final exam about something I had absolutely no interest in. I felt lacking of guidance but I was too afraid to talk to my art teacher because they would jump to the conclusion that I show no efforts in researching. I thought that I could be inspired to do art, to gain knowledge, to explore the things I have never knew before... I was barely 14-15 at the time, I didn't know anything but I was sure that I love art. But after all of that, I didn't feel even the slightest enthusiasm for art anymore. So I just scraped through the year with a D (which is kinda acceptable though not desired). But watching you generously giving out information and do amazing pieces of art inspire me. I hope I can find my passion once again through you! Thank you very much and I wish you luck with your channel and life :)!!!
+minh anh phung thanks for your thoughtful comments. Everything you said is very relatable--I've had classes where the timing was bad or I had other priorities at school or my teacher wasn't the best and I ended up disliking the subject more by the end of the class than I had at the beginning. The good news is with time you really can regain enthusiasm for a subject as the bad experience gets further away and try again! SO happy to hear my videos inspire the artist in you and wish you the best with your art adventures!
Yeah I really should not blame my teacher or my school because there are many people in my class who do art passionately regardless of circumstances. But me in particular is very insecure about my choices and all so I really need a boost and some encouragement. I hope that I can learn all I ever need to from you! I have a soft spot for watercolor and I mean to master it hehe one way or another. But I discovered through you that gouche can really be my thing too! Thank you :)
+minh anh phung
I totally relate, I hated my French teacher in high school so I never studied, but I always knew I would go back and study it on my own later. And I am! Reading Harry Potter in French and loving it :P. Sometimes there's a medium or a skill that you just know you'll like, you just need to trust your own judgements. Then sometimes there's something you thought you'd hate and you end up loving X) ah life haha.
Wow, I just found your videos and subscribed. This is only the 2nd I've viewed and I have never learned so much in such a short time as with your fabulously produced demos/educational style! Thanks! I feel so LUCKY that I found your videos, as I am just starting to learn to paint (my media has been colored pencil, and pencil, and pen and ink, haven't opened or used my gouache set yet and only just started using watercolor and am very timid with it cuz I don't know what I'm doing yet. The FORCE was with me when I found and clicked on your amazingly informative tutorials. !!! I'll certainly tell others about you!!
Bright Future Glad you like my videos, I am! So glad you like my videos, good luck with your painting adventures--may the Force be with you!
Brilliant advice, some of which I was not familiar with. Many thanks.
+Greg Edmonds You're very welcome, appreciate your kind comments a lot, and happy to be helpful. :)
I definitely enjoyed this video as it was very informative. Thank you for sharing.
You're very welcome, glad to help!
Thank you so very much for such a professional, well done, and informative video! I have been trying to decide on a brand of gouache to buy, and besides Daniel Smith watercolours, already have some of the other products you mentioned in your video, and I think I have a lonely tube of white gouache, as well. I am especially excited to find another use for my Bombay inks and Neocolor II's, both of which I already enjoy working with immensely; I didn't know that gouache could be made from them. I do believe you just saved me quite a bit of money, to boot! Thank you so much! I learned so much from your entire video, and I will save it in my favourites for future reference. I am a fairly new subscriber, and I'm very glad I "found" you. Thanks again!
You're very welcome, Laura! So glad to have helped a bit--yes, neocolors are by their nature opaque due to being crayons, and they work just like gouache if used thicker. And a little bit of white in your inks or transparent watercolors will make them opaque like gouache as well. Always nice to have multiple uses for products we already own. Good luck on your epic painting adventures!
I love that you put your brushes in a silverware holder.
XD Thanks! Yeah, I love to find alternate uses for things whenever i can.
Hajra Meeks you are amazingly resourceful. Thank you for all your valuable videos🌸
@@homeschooledaroundtheworld4660 Very kind of you, thanks for making my day. :D
I just found you. Wow!! You are very knowledgeable and I’m so thankful for your videos. Thank you for sharing.
God bless
Thanks so much! God bless you, too, and welcome to my channel of Watercolor & Wizardry!
Thank you so much for this guide and all the other lessons on your channel.
LegendaryVegan Art You're very welcome, best of luck with your art adventures!
fabulous video you sure put some great information in it..... I am a watercolour artist I love the medium
I've subscribed :)
yay! :D
In my business, paints (substances) that turn liquid again when introduced to the solvent are said to “rewet.” Other substances (you know my business is wood finishing) can not be rewet. I sometimes wonder about the materials you use, and which category (or classification) I’d assign each particular one. Those that will rewet sound like Evaporatives. Those that do not rewet are probably Reactives, or more likely Coalescing. If this topic interest you at all, Bob Flexner’s book gives the best explanation of the three classes. FWIW, I’ve not read Flexner’s book. I got lucky. I had a vendor I used to buy from; a friendly, talkative man. He was an industrial chemist and he manufactured the coating materials I bought from his company. I learned from him. Thanks for another informative video! 🙂
If you’re interested, I’d imagine that the book in its larger context isn’t really of direct interest, but the three classifications of coating materials probably is. It really is an explanation of binders. The Public Library is probably the best resource; read about those binders. You’ll be in for zero dollars, and it might give you some interesting insights. Flexner’s book here: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/understanding-wood-finishing-bob-flexner/1111388725
You're welcome, Paul! That sounds fascinating, I'll look into that book! Paints are more simply labeled in comparison--like being waterproof, water-resistant, or water-soluble on paper/canvas. And if something is reusable once from a palette, it's usually labeled as a medium that reconstitutes. There's also the further labels of something being an open versus a closed surface based on if the medium is fully dry and permanent or not, and also the labels of being subtractive or additive mediums depending on being able to work from light to dark and/or vice versa. Plus, the gloss, satin, matte, etc finish of a medium. And I'm probably forgetting some...XD
Hajra Meeks I’d be interested to learn more about that. I’m imagining that the two different forms of jargon are little more than two languages describing the same overall phenomenon; each artisan (tradesman) choosing to focus on what’s important for his specialty. 🙂
Excellent information!
wow! this is huge! Thanks for sharing so much info and your experience with us
you're very welcome, epic painting adventures to you!
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing.
You're very welcome, your thanks is much appreciated.
awesome collection
+Sultan Ariff thanks! SO many more things to buy, but I have to constantly tell myself I don't need them and I don't have the room and they're expensive!
I never thought of applying masking fluid with a color shaper! Thank you.
+Shelly Parchman You're welcome! I ruined a few brushes before I realized I didn't have to use a brush at all!
You save my life by mentioning that you can add white gouache to your watercolors. I just switched and I don't want to buy a whole new set of gouache, nor do I want to get rid of my transparent colors. I was also wondering how in the world do I make gouache portable in the least anxiety-producing way.
yup, just use the most opaque or semi-opaque of your watercolors and/or add 1/5 white to transparent colors to make them more opaque.
Fantastic presentation - Very informative. Thank you
***** you're very kind, thank you. :)
Very informative and straight to point! thank you so much for sharing!!
BeyondWordz Thanks! I try not to dawdle and bore people, I'm glad it seems to be working. :)
wow that was so helpful - Thanks!
+Kpoplover you're very welcome, glad my video was useful!
You got some serious tools, girl. That's what did me in was trying to carry my supplies around and unpack, etc.
I definitely learned something here. Who knew there was so much to learn? (Not until Hajra schools ya)
+Bodhi Rus Yeah, but I only use a teeny bit at a time--keeps me organized! You'll see in my travel watercolor bag videos that I only take around streamlined supplies. ( Hey, why don't you make a video sharing your supplies--I wanna see.)
I was so confused about papers. This helps. Thanks
glad to hear it! Happy painting! :)
Very comprehensive. I learnt a lot. Thank you.
you're very welcome. :)
Wow, thank you, this video was very helpful. Subscribed.
You're very welcome, and welcome to my channel of Watercolor & Wizardry!
I have tried Royal Talents extra fine Gouache. they are pretty amazing as well
good to know, especially for products I haven't tried myself. thanks.
mind blowing content ) thanks a lot!
you're very welcome :D
I find M. Graham as good or even better than the three paint manufacturers you mention.
yeah, I've only used Schmincke, W&N, Daniel Smith, Cretacolor, and Inktense, so I just mention what I have experience with.
Very knowledgeable and very helpful. The speed of the dialog stresses me out a little but that is my problem. Thank you for sharing this information.
+Sharron Harper you're welcome. :)
Wow I learned something from you...I always tend my brushes after washing leaning them upwards...that's make them porous
+she7 glad you learned something new about storing brushes--brushes can be expensive.
Yes that's true! I buy them only when it's on-sale here in our country its very expensive :)
Very informative, thank you
+Lydia Hidalgo you're very welcome.
You forgot M. Graham, the best honey based watercolor and gouache in the world. They don't come in pans, but you can fill pans and they stay just firm enough not to run or leak, but soft enough to immediately come to life with the slightest amount of water.
+Edgar Bowlin good to know, thanks for sharing. i only buy pans so i have not experimented with M Graham. I have Sennelier pans, however, and they are also formulated with honey and a delight to use, like them better than Winsor & Newton pans.
nice
thanks for making this video
+Joshua Elento you're very welcome!
Thank you
Namir
namir Alnagem You're welcome, Uncle!
brilliant video
thanks so much!
Thanks.
I know this video is old but I just wanted to thank you so much for making this......it was super helpful!!❤️
you're very welcome, always very glad to be of any help to anyone on their epic art adventures!
Thank you very much.
+Darlene Young you're welcome. :)
m. graham paints are very nice too.
yes, I have heard very nice things about them, though I have not used them myself.
you are so productive! :D
+she7 I wish I was! Actually, haven't gotten much done for months and months now! and that seems to happen a lot...
These materials are very expansive; overwhelming for this beginner. Great explanations for each tool though. I will check back when I have more experience.
Great, wishing you epic art adventures!
thanks for the science lesson hajra. 🐂 bile.... bleugjeugh
Hi Hajra, thank you for this video! Love the quality, the clarity, and the speed of your video and speech. I usually increase speed when watch others. But your's was just perfect. I just ordered the brush holder/drier - thank you for the tip. I was wondering if you would share the link to a blender wax pencil? I couldn't find it.
Thanks so much for your kind comments, Iryna, glad you enjoyed my video--glad I wasn't too fast for you! :D The link to the blender is here: www.dickblick.com/products/caran-dache-full-blender-bright/
Thank you very much for your reply! Will go to Blick site.
Awesome videos, I've always thought "sharing is caring " you must have a gold heart! Quick question, I have a full set of M.graham and I'd like to get a set of Schmincke pan colors for traveling. Where do you find them the best price? Thanks again!!
Shereen Timmerman Thank you, you are very sweet! I agree about what you said about caring, and I also feel knowledge is the property of everyone.
I bought a schmincke set from dickblick.com (and some individual colors from Amazon as they don't sell them anywhere else like that). I waited till there was a sale (like there is now) on Dickblick so I got the biggest discount, because they are darn expensive. Also, I've also bought winsor and newton and sennelier and holbien pans every now and again as they are a bit less expensive and work very well, too. Good luck with your painting adventures!
Just discovered your great tutorials over at Steve Mitchell’s when you were talking with Marty and him. May I ask where you got the metal palette cases? I have been looking for something like them. Thanks for making such an excellent channel.
Awesome, thanks for finding you way over to my channel and for your kind words! I got those tins from Amazon, they're rillakuma tiered pencil cases. they tend to be out of stock now, though, I got them like 4+ years back.
Hi from Brazil, Hajra!
Thank you for this very helpful video. I've been painting with watercolor for some time now, but as I'm just beginning to take an interest in gouache I was wondering if it's ok to put a small amount of tube gouache paints into plastic covered palettes, like I do with watercolors. Will it ruin the paints in time or is it an ok way to have some paints ready for daily use?
Thanks again!
Hi from California, Marina! Since gouache is just opaque watercolor, it CAN be reconstituted with water on a palette after it dries out (unlike dried ink, oil, or acrylic). I have reused leftover gouache colors many times, but not everyone wants to. Depending on what you use, your gouache may be a bit more crumbly when rewet than traditional transparent watercolors which always rewet more silkily than gouache--Some brands reconstitute better than others, with artist quality brands performing better usually. You can try it with a bit of one of your gouache colors and see if you like working with the rewetted paint the same as the fresh paint. You can also get around this a little by spraying or dripping water onto the dried gouache on the palette 10-15 min before you start painting, and then spray a little again just before you start, mix the colors into the water with an old, clean brush, and then go paint and You'll find out if you are ok with the consistency of rewetted colors. Hope this helps!
very informative, thank you!
+Susanna Barnett you're very welcome!
I enjoy your videos. I am a fan of Sterling Edwards work. I have some of his bristle blending brushes too. Love them
Awesome. I adore Sterling Edwards' work, his brushes, his accent. What's not to like?
Hajra Meeks I've been reading all the comments and can say I agree with everything. I've been a beginning watercolorer for about 2 years. I still get frustrated with this journey i'm on. The road is twisty-turny and very rocky. And there are storms. Thank you for your video. I'll say more above.
Great video. New subscriber. That thing to hold the brushers (metal) where did you get that? I love it! Again, great videos. Will be watching them all. Thumbs up.
woohoo! Welcome to my Channel of Watercolor & Wizardry! It's called a Richeson Brush Washer and I got it on Amazon for like $8. Apart from Amazon, you can also get it online or in person at art supply stores like Dickblick. Again, thanks for joining me here and wishing you epic art adventures!
I would like to know where you buy your multi layers boxes, the ones you keep your pans in? They look very practical! Greetings from Sweden
+Cecilia Löfgren I got them from Amazon, sometimes they are out of stock, but if you search for rillakuma pencil boxes, you can see if they are in stock. good luck!
This is VERY helpful, many thanks! What are your thoughts about panning Windsor Newton Designer Gouache?
I have some that I've been wanting to get more familiar with, but without it being panned (i.e. just mixing up with water with my whole set up) it isn't really feasible for me to use regularly. I worry about cracking, and I've heard a variety of things that can be done to prevent that. These three options seemed the most discussed, but I can't really find more specs on these points. Maybe you can shed some light on them for me:
* Add Ox Gall, honey, or glycerine to your pan of wet paint to prevent cracking, but it seems that each option serves its own special need.
* Just mix in a tad (1-2 drops) of glycerine to your pan with the paint and you don't risk the cracking so bad.
* Just pan that sans glycerine and lay it into the pan in a couple of layers. Let it dry overnight and that alone should be enough.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Yes, adding either a bit of glycerine or honey will help with drying out and cracking as they are humectants. And yes, laying paint down in thin layers will make the pans dry more evenly and also prevent cracking. But no, Ox gall will not help with cracking if you use it, it is a dispersant, not a humectant. I know all of these facts scientifically--I haven't turned tube paint to pan paint ever myself as I don't buy tubes at all, so you'll have to experiment and fine tune to get it right. Good luck. :)
Much appreciated! Thank you so much for the tips. You have indeed shed a lot of light on the proper form for this medium, I'm so glad to have found you!
I aim to get this Gouache thing down if it kills me :)
Good luck and you totally will nail it eventually!
You ever come up with something absolutely brilliant like using an exacto blade to cut highlights or use rubber cement as masking fluid, only to find that some jerk thought of it like a hundred years ago?
+Tommy Ohlrich ha! yeah...
Thank you for your content. 🙏 What brand of proportional divider do you have? Would you recommend the plastic ones, or should I stick with the brass or aluminum ones? Thanks.
Mine is by Alvin, I believe. Depends on how much you use it--you could also use a ruler or metal compass (or even your pencil or finger) for visual measuring marks (see my other videos on prop divider and how to draw anything methods ruclips.net/video/z4PP1RUkwe4/видео.html ). I haven't used dividers as much I thought as I end up just using my pencil or something faster, but the metal Alvin prop divider I have is a beautiful tool to own and use. Plastic or metal will also depend on how large you draw or paint. As I often paint quite small, the finer metal tips are my preference.
Thank you for the information! I just purchased a used Alvin on eBay. The quality is much better than anything offered on Amazon!
Amazing video! I don’t know if you covered this and I missed it so I apologize in advance but where did you get your cases for your watercolor and gouache? It also looks like you have a larger one for your pencils
Thanks. :) I used multi-tier tin pencil boxes i found on Amazon but they have been out of stock for a long time: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TELRJ6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Very useful and complete information. Thanks! I was wondering though, do you also use water brushes? I mean the ones that are sold as refillable brushes with usually a round brush attached. Squeeze the brush and water comes out. Anyway, thanks again for the useful video.
PHeMoX You're welcome! Yeah, I do have some waterbrushes, which I've shown in my travel watercolor bag videos. I've also used them for a project here in this ink geisha video: ruclips.net/video/DfZMkiFV984/видео.html
I did find them to be fun and acconvenient way to have some water around, but the water flow for the ones I have is just a bit too fast and thus annoying. Also, the plastic bristles lift up traditional watercolor paint (not a problem with the ink) easier than other brushes which can also be annoying when doing layers. Still, they are fun to use.
Hajra Meeks Interesting. Yeah, those water brushes are crazy difficult to find where I live in Europe, so I haven't gotten any of those yet. But if it's more difficult to use than just using a clean brush with water, then I might not need them after all. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.
PHeMoX I was going to do a few giveaways as I've reached 1000 subscribers...If you are comfortable messaging me your shipping address, I can send you my water brushes as I only used them once or twice and don't plan on using them anymore. I tried them once with ink so one is a bit stained, but they are all in newish condition. no pressure, just an offer. :p
Hajra Meeks Wow, yes that would be lovely. I hope you don't mind me being in Europe though. :) I'm going to send you my address by mail. You can expect an email from Erik Franken.
I cannot find Schminke gouache pan sets as you show. I cannot even find the pans sold separately-only tubes. where do you buy them? Your videos are wonderful.
Judith Sopher Hi Judith, The Schminke pans are hard to find. I myself bought the Schmincke middle size watercolor pan set from dickblick.com, and then added more colors by buying individual pans from sellers on Amazon. The opaque colors which can be used for gouache can be bought like this in separate pans from amazon by searching for each color name specifically. If you want to know which colors are opaque (and thus better for gouache) or semi-transparent, transparent, etc., you can use the Schmincke colors info sheet from their website here: www.schmincke.de/fileadmin/bilder/Farbkarten/HORADAM_AQUARELL_D_GB_01.pdf be sure to buy plenty of white separately as you need white for goauche painting (unlike watercolor. (Or you can just buy the schmincke gouache tube set.)
hope this was helpful, and thanks for for your kind thoughts on my videos. best, hajra
Hajra Meeks Thank you.
Very informative. Thank you for sharing. New subbie here!
thanks so much, and welcome to my channel of Watercolor and Wizardry!
I need to sleep but I can't stop watching your videos 🙂 cause I new to your channel , I watched 3 videos continuously and all are very helpful and informative and don't know how come people dislike them , English is not my first language but I like the way you speak , clearly not too fast or too slow just perfect and your accent is good too I understand everything thanks , liking your videos , ok there's a question if you see my comment and reply please do answer , I have heard that we should not use white in watercolor , as I like light pink shades and light blue shades or some pastel colours how do I get various light pink shades without using white, cause just by thining the paint with water I don't get satisfactory pink shades cause mostly artist grade watercolor are dark colour. I may be wrong somewhere .
Wow, very flattering anytime anyone loses sleep over watching anything I post! Thanks so much. :D As for your question, you can watch my other videos where I compare watercolors and gouache and also where I do separate projects, and you'll see that really the choice is up to YOU. Basically, you can choose to use just purely transparent watercolors in a painting and I do that often, or you can choose to have a painting that has mostly watercolor with some white gouache highlights and I do this sometimes, and you can choose to have a painting that purely opaque gouache--3 ways to use these mediums and so you can enjoy all of them! Now, if you want to use just transparent watercolors in a painting, you can indeed get a pink diluting with water--your success in good pinks does depend on your original watercolor pigment choice. The color should be a cool red or magenta so it dilutes to a nice pink, and you can also buy watercolors like opera rose or opera pink that are pink to start, but this may be an availability issue for you in India. Second, if you are all right with creating a gouache piece or a piece that utilizes both gouache and watercolor in the same painting, you can certainly use white to mix a pink. Again, you can use watercolor and gouache separately or together--it's up to you as a personal preference. If you like the way they look together, do so, if not then use then separately. If you're not entering a transparent watercolor art contest, then there's no reason to not mix the mediums if you want--again, I personally create purely transparent watercolor pieces, or purely gouache pieces, as well as pieces where the two watercolor and gouache mediums are used together.
@@HajraMeeks ohh Wow thanks a lot for taking time and replying but can't I use white watercolor paint and mix things. By the way your option of using gouache and watercolor together is good idea for me thanks a lot again 😊👌🌷 Lots of love from India.
yes, you can use white gouache/watercolor paint and mix things up. lots of love back, h
hello hajra...have you tried using colleen poster gouache? can you make a review on student grade gouaches?
No, I haven't tried that brand. Well, it would be interesting, but I can't make any promises, as I try not to waste money on anything student grade. Maybe I can borrow some samples from some of my students sometime...
Where did you get your tin pencil cases from? They look great
from Amazon, they're rillakuma tiered pencil cases. they tend to be out of stock now, though.
expertise!
glad to help!
You are plenteous of knowledge and generous of heart! Bless you! Question: Have you ever tried M. graham gouache? I've heard/read that it's quite good.
Vgudorf Thank you kindly, and Bless you, too! Yes, I've tried Schmincke, Winsor and Newton, Grumbacher, and M. Graham gouache. I've found all of them to be quite good, though my favorite is Schmincke. M. Graham would have to be my second fav though, and it is cheaper than Schmincke.
Hey. Awesome channel! Just been through a few of your vids. Loads of info. Thanks for the vid. And thanks for all the watercolour info. I've been searching for a good channel for a while, but everyone I find is more or less the same. You so thorough but not boring.You also seem to know a lot. Hope you make more. Do you have an instagram or Twitter I can follow?
aw thanks! No, I don't have twitter or instagram, but i recently joined facebook so you can find me by my name there. Thanks for the kind comments!
p.s. just joined instagram today! :p
+Hajra Meeks heya! Thanks so much for the update! Really appreciate it :)
Can my tubes of gouache be squeezed into little pans and be stored in a watercolor-type box for long term storage like watercolors? Or do they dry up like acrylics and must be used right away?
+Sylvia Catalano traditional gouache can be rewet and used again like watercolors. However, with some modern ones, it depends on the brand, but if it's true gouache it should work.
I like this! Helpful indeed. Where did you find your tins that hold your paints? They would be great to travel with...
Karla Smith Thanks! I use tin pencil boxes I searched for on Amazon, which is what you see in this video. For traveling, I also use old color pencil or mint tins as they are even smaller.
Hajra Meeks Thanks much.
You're brilliant! I may have commented on this a while ago but I'm back and more inspired than ever thanks!
Quick question, I'm not sure if this is what you did, but could I pour schmincke gouache into empty pans? Is that what you've done here? I think I'll love the medium especially together with their watercolours but I feel like I wouldn't want to squeeze out the tube each time, would you suggest to just not be lazy? :P
nah, lazy is fine when it comes to squeezing out colors--I hate tubes for that very reason! I actually bought all my colors in pans to begin with, but yeah, you can pour watercolor into pans and rewet, and gouache should work ok, too. however, some gouache is a bit harder to rewet than transparent watercolor, so you'll have to test your specific colors and see. Try putting a smaller dab of each color into your empty pans, letting it dry, then rewetting and seeing if it works well. If you find it a bit harder than transparent watercolor, then at least you won't have poured out the whole tube. Thanks for your sweet comments, and I hope my response is of some help. :)
+Hajra Meeks
Excellent... Cause I do hate tubes haha. I'm only really a beginner who has some good days so I don't want to squeeze out more than I'll use on a palette and then cry at the money wasted. That's a really great idea thanks heaps! And you're welcome, you're talented, motivated and organised, the ultimate trio, you'll do oooookay in life :P. And we'll keep watching the vids!
Where do you get the Schmincke paint pans? I can't seem to find them anywhere, only the tubes.
+Maya Rain they are harder to find. you can buy them in pan sets on dickblick.com and other art stores. if you want individual pans, you have to go into art stores and order them special, or you can look for individual pans from amazon.com sellers. I bought a set of pans from dickblick, then I bought other colors I needed individually from amazon.
Hi! Thank you for the info! Would you recommend the pelikan cheap cake set for beginners?
have never used that brand myself, but no harm in trying out whatever's convenient and affordable for you.
Hi, nice video, can I ask what kind of tin was that that you had for your paints, and pencils, or looked like it has multiple trays,
+Lisa Smith thanks! I used double layer tin pencil boxes I searched for on Amazon, which is what you see in this video. (Last time I checked they were sold out, but single layer tins can still be found.) For traveling, I also use old color pencil or mint or lozenge tins as they are even smaller.
Thank you, I will search for this
where did you get your round ceramic palette? Is a known name that I could find on Amazon or online shop? Thank you.
look for round ceramic palettes on dick blick online, that's where I got mine. :D
Hajra Meeks I see. Thank you!
Can you tell me where you bought the tin cans for the pans and pencils?
Sure: I got those tins from Amazon, they're Rillakuma tiered pencil cases. they tend to be out of stock now, though, I got them like 4+ years back.
Could someone possibly point me in the direction of the palettes she uses? The ones that she stores her paints in, the tins. They look really awesome!
Those are rillakuma tiered pencil tins that I got from Amazon, but they are usually sold out for the past few years. :p
@@HajraMeeks Ahh, that's a shame. Thank you for replying though! This video was super helpful.
What is the URL for the products that you used? I notice that when I go to the My whimsical website, with convenient links to all my stuff: hajrameeks.com
I only see RUclips, instagram, patreon, an alphabet journey, Hajra Meeks, Skillshare, My red bubble shop, and interactive works!. I don't see where the links to the "stuff" mentioned here are.
I never said I provided the links to the products I mentioned--that would be dozens of links, close to a hundred, for this video. XD :p You can search for the products by name on Dick Blick or Amazon or at an art store in person. When I say "links to all my stuff" I mean links to all my social media and my prints and my other teaching platforms like Patreon and Skillshare. I like to keep my website simple and minimal.
You've obviously been painting for a while and have acquired your supplies over time, but for an absolute newbie, what do you recommend? Top for travel in brushes, palette, sketchbook items to start. My husband got me a Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36 color palette and some Stillman & Birn (Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Beta - 2 are 270 gsm, 2 150 gsm) sketchbooks for xmas, and Reeves gouache tube set 18, now I'm looking for brushes really. I will definitely want to develope and try other brands of watercolor and gouache paints. Recommendations please.
Well, it's hard to recommend stuff for one particular person as everyone is different and will be happy with different things. Example, pans vs tubes, more vs less colors, archival vs studio grade, etc. That said, I would recommend watercolor or gouache colors by Schmincke or Sennelier, as they have artist-grade, creamy soft colors that last forever. You can buy sets from either company, or choose 3 primaries and a few neutrals to buy separately. Sennelier makes a lovely, affordable ($20) aqua mini watercolor set of only 8 pans lovely for travel or trying out the brand. You can also buy excellent travel brushes in the Da Vinci Maestro or Cosmotop series, I like them best as they have a top/handle that screws off to become a handle or a cover for the brush and they keep their points well. For paper, Arches is hands down the best, and you can buy a small Arches watercolor block for traveling. You can also buy Fabriano Watercolor paper in a small postcard size pad for travel as a runner up. I have several travel watercolor journals from Moleskine, Strathmore, Pentalic, etc., and the paper is fine for gouache or some watercolor, but not as good as Arches or Fabriano so i won't buy more once they are out. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for getting back to me.
No problem. Oh, I was also gifted a kuretake gansai tambi set, haven't tried it yet, will post an art demo when I do try them. They are not the most expensive paints, but they are Artist quality and I have heard really good things about them, including that they can be used as gouache as they are more opaque in the Japanese style. Happy painting adventures!
for your video what did you use for the bubbles that pop up, ive been dying to know for my videos! Please can you tell me!!! *well when i post my new videos*
Coca Cola no problem: In imovie, look under "content library" on the left sidebar, then click on "titles", then scroll down and click on "clouds." happy video making!
thanks!!
Congratulations forma tour vídeo, please explain more slowly..thanks from Lima Perú...
where did you get the tin that you have your Water colour pencils in?
off of Amazon, it's the Rillakuma tiered pencil tin. A lot of people have ask me about it, and it seems like it's often out of stock, but it might be back now.