Let me know in the comments if you made any of these mistakes or are you sill struggling to improve? Watch this next! How to Get Better at Art (FAST!) kzread.info/dash/bejne/p4xqltuAfcm1iZM.html

"At the age where I can't even remember what I went upstairs for..." LOL! 😂 Just the other day I went to the hall closet and couldn't for the life of me remember what for. The need to go to the bathroom interrupted my train of thought so I went to the bathroom, where I soon remembered what I was needing, albeit a few moments too late. Toilet paper. 🤦‍♀️😅

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Hilarious, I think I have done the same. I also carry things upstairs then absent-mindedly carry them down again!

As always with every single video you post I learn learn something more. Often, I go back and review them more than once!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Ah that's good 😊 Thanks for watching!

I've been thinking of all of my paintings as experiments. It's the only way I've been able to turn off the internal judge that many of us have. I know mine was terrible. It often felt like insults about my paintings were being screamed at me. Now, either the experiment works out well and I have ideas about what I should keep doing, or it flops, and I have ideas about what I need to change.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

That's a good idea. When you are learning it's not realistic to expect every part of the experiment to work. Assessing it afterwards and choosing 3 things that were successful and 3 things to improve can be a great strategy.

@EkaterinaKokurina

8 ай бұрын

As a fellow artist, I want to say that ALL painters have failures, it's unavoidable on any level. For example, my favourite Claude Monet - you can see that some of his paintings are much better than others, and some are, well, not very good. About 1/5 of my paintings go directly into garbage, and I have 30+ years of experience in watercolors. One really good painting out of five is already a success. If you don't experiment you never progress. Don't be afraid to spoil some paper, it's the only way to learn. I like this idea of experimenting, wish you good luck!

@RobertJonesWightpaint

8 ай бұрын

Yes - that's the fear, isn't it? The fear of the internal or external judge, the internal judge being by far the more cruel. As is said by Ekaterina Kokurina though - we all have failures; some of us hide them, some of us don't, but we all have them; or worse, the painting that almost came off, but didn't quite make it. I do a lot of experimenting, in all the media I use - but I still know when I've painted a tree that looks like a triffid: even if I can hide it, I know it's there. I've yet to learn how not to care.

@carolshappyplace5828

8 ай бұрын

When I am consciously experimenting with a certain technique, etc. I try to write down what I’m experimenting with either along the edge of my paper or on a post-it note. It’s a good reference for me to know if that technique worked for my further reference. Also, if I don’t like the results it’s a good reminder of what to change up the next time. Otherwise I’ll sometimes forget what I did to get the effect I’m wanted or want to avoid doing again.

You're a VERY GOOD TEACHER.... I worry because I went 42 years between my art degree and years for a career not doing any art for myself. Now I'm older with arthritis pain, shakey hands, and dry eyes I have to paint and draw differently. I can't sit for hours like I used to. I am determined to keep working because I love drawing and painting. I've really enjoyed watching you and all the other teachers on KZread. I've learned things I had forgotten and also things I didn't learn in college. Thank you for tips for older artists. Thank you for your personal sharing of your experiences. You are a wonderful person and a great artist. Dawn

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

7 ай бұрын

Thanks Dawn, I am sure you can do it! Just need a few adjustments 🙂

Im a beginner and I'm making all these mistakes except the one about acrylics ... I only started learning watercolor this year, and at age 69 I don't feel like I will have years to learn, so I want everything I paint to be frame-worthy! Of course so far, nothing is worth a frame. But I must say, the experience is fun while I'm actually painting. Thanks for this video Michele, I'll try today to be aware of your recommendations - starting with "let things dry"!

@mariacleaver7162

8 ай бұрын

@sandycols4870 Sandy, letting things dry was awful when I first started watercolours! Nowadays I try to have 2 paintings on the go so that I don't just have to stand around waiting for one to dry!! It's the only way I can control my impatience 😂 I hope you continue to enjoy your watercolour journey!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

No reason you shouldn't have years to learn, none of us know when our time is!

I love point 3. I used to try to finish a painting as fast as possible! I was usually very dissatisfied with the end result too. Nowadays, I plan really carefully before I start and research painting methods beforehand. I admit that I take ages to finish a picture and every time I stop for a break or at the end of a session, I take a photo with my camera. When I look at the photo the next day, I often see mistakes or places where darker tone is needed. I don't always like the finished result but I'm satisfied that I've given myself the best chance to paint a good picture. I love your videos because often they remind me to plan better and to choose wisely when deciding on my colour palette. Thank you Michelle 🥰

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

That's great Maria, you are very welcome!

I have a lot of brushes including Silver Black Velvet, but my favorites are Craftamo Bamboo brushes. I buy paints at the higher end but 1 tube at a time and place them in my pans. My palette consists of Holbein, Daniel Smith, M. Graham, and Schmincke. In addition, I really LOVE Daniel Smith watercolor sticks. They are so versatile and are valued at 3 pans worth. I get Arches when it's on sale. I also have a lot of CansonXL for practice when I'm not using a lot of water. My biggest mistake is that I want to do it all, NOW. Being realistic I realize that's not going to happen. Thank you for your wonderful videos.

Your such a good teacher. Thank you Thank you for all your time and excellent advice 🌿💐🌿🏵️

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

So nice of you

This video is worth watching twice!

I watch you on my TV and don’t know how to comment there. I watched you for the first time tonight and I ended up watching a marathon of videos. I liked them all and of course subscribed. I’ve been watercoloring for a short 2 yrs. I used to be an acrylic painter , and you nailed it about how we try to attain the same thing in watercolor. I’ve gotten better but your tips were fantastic!!!! I was able to use them all!! I’m having my 40 yr. Old son make me stretching boards!! Thank you again for all of your knowledge!!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

7 ай бұрын

I'm glad you love the videos!

Michele,You are the best teacher I have ever had.🌟

So many helpful ideas and tips, Michele! I've been practising my drawing these days, but your teaching has a way of being remembered for when the brushes come out again. Thank you.

My biggest watercolor mistake is thinking I would be good with watercolors. But I’m having fun. So I don’t care.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Lol, keep going!

@marytesta3003

8 ай бұрын

Me too! I'm not getting better!

@FriedPi-mc5yt

8 ай бұрын

@@marytesta3003 As long as you’re having fun, that’s all that really matters. They might not be great works of art to others. But for me it fulfills a desire to create. So I’ll keep going no matter what. Besides, my paintings are for me, not anyone else. Unless someone actually wants them.

@marleneblumenkranz7436

8 ай бұрын

@@marytesta3003❤

@marleneblumenkranz7436

8 ай бұрын

You’re a very good teacher! Also encouraging! Thank you

I owe you big thanks for this one. Control the water on the page... seems obvious, now that you SAY it. Thank you!!!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

You are very welcome ☺️

Love your advice on paper! I have found working on 'inexpensive" paper that I have stretched has really helped me improve my paintings because it forces me to get the drawing right, plan ahead and do lots of practice on techniques. It is also freeing not worrying about wasting paper. Looking for to the landscape challenge!!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

That's great :-)

You pack a vast amount of solid information into your videos. I'm a semi-professional artist, I suppose - hard to define these things, but it moved on from being a hobby a great many years ago. I'm not any kind of professional water-colourist though, my media being oil and acrylic. I agree with you about Arches paper, I find it very hard to use - and yes, it's the absorbency. I've recently rediscovered Hahnemühle Torchon, which has to be my all time favourite, but it is a bit expensive. Bockingford and The Langton are fine, and yes to avoiding cheap paint. I was really interested to hear your views on Cotman paints - not fair for me to comment because I've not used them for a long time, but they are the range to which so many beginners are pushed. How about Aquafine instead? I think the biggest problem - next to bad drawing - most of us have with watercolour is fear: will I ruin this lovely sheet of paper? Have I any right to approach a pristine sheet and inflict my daubs on it? Will someone see it, and laugh at me....? Get over that, and I don't know of any easy way to conquer it, and one can forge ahead. Worry about it, and it'll inhibit, AND you won't enjoy the experience of painting. I've gone beyond that fear - almost. Not quite, but almost. If you've not tackled that issue yet, and you may well have done, I'd suggest it as being worth a video of its very own.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Great idea!

Excellent info, thank you! So many videos I've seen (not yours) always talk about using 'too much' or 'too little' water. And that is all they talked about. As a beginner painter I could just never get it right. Then I started to wonder if it was 'too much' or 'too little' pigment that was really my problem. But I understand now, from this and other videos of yours, that those were the wrong questions for me to ask. There are so many variables - paint/pigment, water, humidity in the painter's environment, paper, brushes, etc., etc., etc. that the real question (like what you've mentioned in this video) is how the painter is controlling the paint on the paper. Practice, practice, practice and then we are more familiar with how it is reacting and what we need to add or take away to make it do what we want! I know people hate to make what they consider 'ugly' art, but it's the only way to learn. I like to keep mine on the shelf and look at everything from last year and have a great laugh!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Keeping old stuff helps you to see your progress!

Hi Michelle I came across your channel yesterday. Very informative, I have just started to learn about watercolours, I swatched out the Cotman range of colours, that I have had for a while and likewise a vintage reeves student pan set. Where the colours were similar across the range, the Reeves dried crisper and clearer and the cotman were more chalky.

This was a excellent topic. I can honestly say I have experienced all of these mistakes. I bought a dropper to make sure I used the same amount of water for mixing. I lost patience with dropper and just started winging it. It’s great to hear from a talented artist like Michele that I was on the right track getting rid of the dropper. Just need to improve my brush control. I find a lot of encouragement in these videos. All the best.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

That's great!

Thank you, so much good advice.

Good job, thank you.

Thank you Michelle! You are so generous with everything you post! I really apreciate it all.

Great video! This will be an especially useful one for those just starting out, and good reminder for us "further along" beginners! So, "How Do I 'Mess up' Thee, Let Me Count The Ways"..... I certainly have gone through all those issues early on, and do seem to keep having issues with #7 (making peace with not being as good as I think I should be by now), #4 (getting anxious to finish a piece when I'm almost done!), #3 (overworking, because I didn't quite get the effect I wanted the 1st or 2nd time) and #1 (water control). I'm making headway with #7 and #4. Not too worried about #3 or #1 because that has and will improve with time and practice. I think I should spend some time playing with water control as an exercise, using your examples as a start. I can see how that would make the issue less scary/stressful for me. Anyway, thank you for surveying and pinpointing tips to help! I'm crying over your comment about the Cotman paints, but your upcoming Landscape Challenge announcement is staunching the flow! (hehe) 😉

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

There are worse paints than Cotman, but there are better too ;-)

Oh yay, I am excited for the landscape challenge!! I definitely enjoyed seeing the results of the mistakes. I still make a couple of them, but with your KZread channel & online courses I have learned so much & how to fix them. Thanks for sharing this wonderful informational video! Enjoy your weekend!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

You too Colleen 💓

this is such a good video, thank you for shareing your expertise with us ❤❤

This was so so helpful!! The 2 things that stood out to me was not being good enough and materials (brushes). I’m with you about using synthetic brushes. One teacher told me that Escoda brushes were the best synthetic and I’ve spent a lot of money on them. I do like them. When my budget permits im going to pick up your Essentials collection from Jackman.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

So glad you liked the video!

Very much appreciated your video presentation! Beautifully done! Numbers 2,3,&4 are my nemesis! Thank you Michele

Lack of patience! Thinking and planning! I just want a beautiful result. Immediately😂. As I’m a beginner, what I try to do is work on two pieces at a time. I do need to practice knowing how to approach a photo to paint, i.e. background elements etc. Your tutorials are so helpful. What kind of martial arts do you teach? That’s impressive!!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

I teach kung fu. I took it up aged 45 which is of course pretty ridiculous. I stuck it out though and now at 56 I'm an instructor. To be fair I have a long history of not acting my age...

@Anikanoteven

8 ай бұрын

@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber that is seriously impressive!!!!

Happy accidents. I had a long career as a photographer and can envisage exactly how my photograph will turn out. With watercolour painting, and especially in the beginning, the image or the plein air scene that I look to emulate will probably not turn out as I expect. Go with it and keep going is what I'd say. Happy accidents occur. Best wishes, Dudley

LOVE your videos. Thank you!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

Thank you, all great helpful tips!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

My pleasure 😊

Thank you Michele, a great video. What seems to be in common to many of the mistakes is the need for more practice. With watercolour it is essential to get a personal feel to the materials. About the quality of materials I do find that paper is sometimes he most important. I have used quality paper that just does not behave in the way I expect. Sometimes they absorb the paint so fast that there is no way to manipulate the paint after it is applied. Sometimes it lifts off as soon as you touch it after applying. 100 % cotton is usually good but it is a matter of opinion and technique as to what is the best. The Fabriano boys had their company for 200 years before Micelangelo was their customer. I do love Saunders Waterford too.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Yes understanding the materials is key 🙂

Resonated! Thank you!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

So glad!

Excellent video Michele. Thx as always. 🥰

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Thanks Alicia ☺️

I would be happy teaching you to crochet 😀

Thank you Michele for all the wonderful tips!❤

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

Thank you for your help. I hope to participate in the landscape challenge and looking forward to its debut.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Working on it right now!

This is a great reminder to keep coming back to. I'm saving it when I need encouragement! Thanks, Michele!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Wonderful!

Great video, thanks. I look forward to getting back to painting in a few weeks. Right now, all my art stuff is packed up except for a few pencils and erasers.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Ah, hopefully not too long to wait!

Thank you!😊

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Any time!

Thanks!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Thanks so much I appreciate it! 🙏

Very helpful! I saw many of my own mistakes and have some good directions to improve. Thanks

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

Great video!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Thanks!

No. 7a. I used to spend hours doing disaster recovery for every painting. I only occasionally do that now. I can usually see what's going wrong as it is happening. Practice is one answer and the other answer is to watch lots of videos and see how other artists do it, You can replay their words or actions in your head.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Indeed I learn lots on KZread, sewing, cooking so much great information!

Another home run video. My most useful was the #1, how to tell if you are using the best amount of water. Thanks Michele!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

No problem Lori!

I once again didn’t see or hear your survey but, enjoyed the video. Thanks

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Ah well, glad you liked it anyway 🙂

@valeriegehling4358

8 ай бұрын

@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Hi, on reading some other comments I can truly say water on paints has never been a problem, can it be the quality of them? I use Schmincke?

All of your points are great. I do think material quality is important. It really is an expensive hobby. I feel like I don't get enough good results for the expense.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Great point!

I might be breaking every watercoloring rule ever devised because my pictures are terrible!! But I figure I'll just keep doing it. I'm bound to get better. At least, that's my hope.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Of course you will! I can't post links here but put this video title in the search bar, it will help you :-) How To Improve Your Watercolor Skills (10 FAST Actions to take today!)

Congrats on becoming a Martial Arts Instructor. Thank you for your explanations regarding mistakes. Patience is my big mistake.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

What about using a hair dryer to speed up drying time?

I guess - when you learn a new media you make all the mistakes. Isn't that a part of learning? When we talk about the amount of water - and not mixing enough paint .... happens when you are working wet in wet (Like sky). Then you often have a lot of erea to go over and it's easy to use too much water in the meixing. Well, at least that is what I feel. Good video again Michele :)

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

One for the algorithm!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

The algorithm thanks you 😅

People even criticise artists with paintings in the Louvre. What chance do the rest of us have of pleasing everyone?

I have been painting for a long time yet I have problem understanding exactly what is meant by tone. It not the same as value is it?

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Although there's kind of a technical difference it's very minor and the words are used interchangebly.

Maybe they meant that they weren’t working fast enough because the paint was drying on the paper too fast.

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Maybe!

What do you mean by a drug store brand ?

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

American drug stores or chemists often stock a variety of grocery and household goods so it's a term that they would recognise as somewhere to pick up something for a fairly low price. Like we would in a stationary shop or supermarket.

@brightonrosie

8 ай бұрын

Oh ok a bit like the Works. I thought you meant Superdrug and I was scratching my head thinking I have never seen paints in there

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

@@brightonrosie ha, mind you I wouldn't put it past them!

Thanks!

@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber

8 ай бұрын

Thanks so much Bonnie, I appreciate it!