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TokyoMoonlight — TUTORIAL - Help I'm afraid of WATERCOLOR
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Published: 2016-08-31 21:27:02 +0000 UTC; Views: 4363; Favourites: 94; Downloads: 0
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Description
TIPS & INFO FROM MY COMMENTERSwrote:
light over dark: "certainly is possible in watercolors, you just have to use opaque pigments such as cadmiums."
dark, opaque colors that stain: "most staining colors are usually the brightest, light ones (phthalos, many magentas, organic yellows)." She suggests to "look for paints described as non- or half-staining as they can be lifted more easily".
Thank you
I made the tutorial for
The idea for this tutorial came while speaking to other dA members (mostly fellow watercolorists). Through conversations with them I saw a common theme or words used..."afraid, scary, difficult, tricky, hard to use" in relation to watercolor painting.
This is something I have never felt or thought when working with watercolors. I do respect them, but I don't find them to be hard to work with.
I hope that with this tutorial I will help others to embrace the watercolors as a great art media and that they won't find them scary anymore.
If you have any question or any further tips...you know where the comment section is
Have a great watercolor day
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Comments: 47
Ohh okay I was asking this Luala some time ago but I wasn't happy with the answer 
Every time I want to do a simple color wash or pattern (for my cards), paper starts to bend and I get this mountains and valleys and stuff.. Luala says I need to tape it with the special tape and not a masking tape, and then cut out the paper from the uhh thing that I have attached paper to - but I saw so many artists (including YOU on IG 
I have a 250g paper if that helps anything
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Don't worry, rescue is here!
Just use regular masking tape. But I saw that Tesa brand is really THE brand for this. I had another no name masking tape and when lots of water was added the tape started to get loose
But with Tesa I would reallllly have to add a ton amount of water to make it loose.
Just do it as I do. All around the 4 sides and that's it.
The less g the paper has, the more it will bend...have valleys and so
I checked...I have 300g/m2...but soon it will turn into...I had 
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I just have a standard tape you use to paint the walls with
Now as I'm thinking of it... I think you tape them adding the pretty much whole tape on the sides, and I tried to have taped as little of sides as possible (to have bigger canvas to cut out from).. what I'm trying to say I do this: theswansnest.files.wordpress.c… instead of : i.pinimg.com/originals/0b/b6/4… so when I add water the tape also get a little bit lose on the sides... can it this be the cause as well? xD
I never found and "fatter" paper than 250g
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Yes, the 2nd option is the best...the tape has to be added to a wider part of the paper, not just a tiny bit...then it will get loose no mater how good your masking tape is.
My tape is 2,5cm wide...and I put the tape around 1 cm on the paper.
And remember...when you color, make washes, the paper will buckle...but don't panic...after it dries it flattens. But of course it also depends on the quality of the paper.
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I have Canson paper, they say it's the best one there is available in Poland
I want to make some new cards soon, I'll try your methods and see how it goes! Thank you!
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I mean...I never have problem with this...just relax and do your thing.
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Cool tutorial. Hahaha.... Funny but, I usually break most of your avoid/don't do rules. xD
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Me too XD
It's more meant for the people who start out with watercolors or encounter problems while working with them. So I don't want them to be discouraged, that they should instead (as they are a beginner) try to avoid those things for the time being. But definitely continue painting with watercolors.
But the most important lesson is to not give up on a painting in the middle of the watercolor process. I had many artworks where I started (mostly by wet on wet, or first skin layers)...when the painting looked so awful, that I really needed to think if it's a good idea to continue.
The biggest problem is when the paper is so wet and you have so much colors and it just looks so terribly ugly. It's the wtf look you get on your face
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What do you mean by "wet on wet technique"? (srry, begginer here)
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Never be sorry to ask a question or because you are a beginner
Wet on wet is when you first wet your paper with clear water and than add wet color (color+water) with a brush on it.
It's basically when you color on a wet paper instead on a dry one.
Here's a video tutorial from YouTube:
youtu.be/M6WpCDnwu6k?t=1m42s
If you want to know more watercolor techniques...I have a list of useful video tutorials found on YT.
tokyomoonlight.deviantart.com/…
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Ah, so in case of avoiding it I need to wait the paper to dry first? (that's what they call dry technique...?)
Thank you so much, it's gonna help a lot- plus thnks for taking your time to answer me ^^ I'm gonna check all those tutorials ♥
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No, it's much more simpler. You don't wet anything, that's all
You just take a regular (dry) paper and color it with your brush (which is filled with color + water)
Please take a look at this video tutorial made by kelogsloops :
youtu.be/1Fgkwcym4j4?t=1m48s
There he explains the wet on wet and wet on dry technique.
After you will see the differences between those techniques, I think you will understand why to avoid the wet on wet one.
The basic thing is...if you have a wet paper the color will run everywhere and you don't have much control over it. But if you paint on a dry paper you are more able to place the color where you want it and it's not so much likely it will run, bleed.
I hope that helps
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Aaaaaah so now I understand why my paper always crumbled down and it was impossible to paint!
The video is great! Really, thanks again! I will find a time this week to experiment all the techniques you teached me (it did help, believe me 
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I'm glad to hear that
If you go on YouTube and search for "watercolor tutorials" and maybe even add "for beginners", you get lots of videos.
But some are good some aren't so much.
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=O
I actually like seeing step by steps
won't you do mooooore of those for meeee aaaah, eeeeh, US I mean US ^^
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Me too
But to make a tutorial it's not so easy...if you want to make a quality one of course.
I can't complain with this one...but I had to put quite some effort to make it.
I really want to do many many tutorials...but...there are some out there and I don't want to "discover America again". And with finding new ideas it's not so easy, because I mostly put all my brain activity in paintings.
If you have any idea I'm all ears...it always stays somewhere in my brain memory...or on a sticky note
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A tutorial is a lot, I was merely thinking of step by step process pictures
like so
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I have those (something similar)
Go and see my Tumblr
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oh I see
but I never go on tomblr
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Now you have the reason to go on my Tumblr page
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I woooon't....
but.. maybe if you post the link when you upload on DA, in the description
maybe
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Oh girl ...reading isn't your thing...you really need glasses ("freckles")
tokyomoonlight.deviantart.com/…
tokyomoonlight.deviantart.com/…
Search (maybe ) in the description boxes "work in progress shots"...have you found the links?
They are just few examples
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Alright
But it's because the last one I checked didn't have it
So I didn't check the whole gallery to make sure it was an exception ^^
myyyyy baaaaaaaaaad
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I can't photograph my paintings, so I always have to scan them. But because this takes so much time (the painting has to be dry, cropping the scan, adjusting color/brightness, adding watermark, uploading...) I don't always do those art wip.
And when I have done the wip shots I always add a link to tumblr in my description box here on dA.
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ALRIGHT!!! ^^
I used to do it a lot before, but now I'm just too absorbed into the process that I don't think about shots
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I use Tumblr as MY blog, where I upload the sketches, wips. It's for my personal use, to organize everything. Sometimes you forget how you made a painting or how it looked in the beginning, so I find it quite useful. And when some people see it too...why not.
Tumblr is really more of a one-woman show I do it for my archive
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I see
I used to do that with facebook
But now DA has become my full time home ^^
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Thank you for the comment
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I started with watercolours this summer and I feel a bit lost :/ But I will follow this ^^
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If you need more help there are many tutorials here on dA or videos on YouTube.
The group watercolorists (where I'm also a moderator) has tips and tutorials related with watercolor. Please see our AquaTips , Favorites and Tutorials by our members .
If it helps...I also made a list of useful video tutorials about watercolor on YouTube (it's a collection of videos I fund there):
tokyomoonlight.deviantart.com/…
If you need any help, just ask
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Omg Thanks! That is a lot of help. I will take a look to all ☺
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Happy reading & watching
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Beautifully said, although there certainly are some half-truths to point out! (For example, no.3 light over dark- certainly is possible in watercolors, you just have to use opaque pigments such as cadmiums.)
And my biggest pet peeve is "dark, opaque colors that stain"- which is not nearly always true, as most staining colors are usually the brightest, light ones (phthalos, many magentas, organic yellows) instead. It would make me very discouraged to find out that my paints behave exact opposite as the tutorial! I think "look for paints described as non- or half-staining as they can be lifted more easily" would be better, although more complicated, wording. But otherwise, it is very well written and I am glad you did this tutorial! Especially the no.1 in TRY is very useful- only through experience can one truly get the feeling of their paints. I am like you, though- "afraid, scary, difficult, tricky, hard to use" was never my way of describing watercolors.
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Thank you for your feedback and to point some things out.
I took the freedom to include you in my tutorial
With that staining colors is more...how should I say...miss using of words. You used much better words. You took it on a higher level...I was thinking in this way..."don't use dark violet or indigo blue, because they are dark and rich in pigment"
But the right way of course is the non- or half-staining description...because the reality is, the color can look so light and translucent, but applied on paper it sticks onto it like it's glued.
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Haha, recently I am stuck to the learning zone @ watercolor forum on the wetcanvas forums, and it contains such wealth of knowledge that I try to soak in that my brain feels like a sponge!
Glad I could be of some help- I am always nervous giving critique, even when people ask for it, because I am bad at explaining stuff and seem to create more misunderstandings than actually solving something, anything!
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Everyone who wants to improve and wants to learn something, will be happy by getting any info, tip or advice on art.
Misunderstandings or not...you just keep on talking.
When two people want to help (or learn from) each other, they will find a common language / understanding.
They just both have to be open minded and willing to listen (read ).
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Wow this is so helpful! Wish I could read your tutorial back then in 2007 when I was discovering watercolor
I'm going to recommend it to anyone who asks me how to start with watercolor
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Thank you for the feedback
That was my intention. To help all the beginners or the ones who still doubt if watercolor is the right way to go. Or if someone thinks if he/she's doing something wrong.
The more people see it, the better.
Everything I learn is either by trial & error or now in the internet age, by tutorials here on dA or on YouTube.
That's why I tried to make one too. Just never came up with an idea and how to make it. Or more precise...what can I bring to the table. I always think there's nothing I could teach Like...wasn't everything already said.
I also learned that I'm able to hold a brush in the right hand and take a photo with the left one. That's called double-hand tasking
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This is nice! And it tells the hard truth without being discouraging!
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Mission accomplished
Thank you for your feedback
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