Learn how to paint animals in watercolour with Syman Kaye on Watercolour Wildlife. Expressive and easy to learn techniques for painting animals. Step by Step tutorials including drawings and source images. Find out more at watercolourwildlife.com
I like this split primary set, bought it recently. However I find the New Gamboge too orange, it created only browns when mixed with either blue. I've bought a single pigment cad yellow to replace it, gives me a wider range of greens.
Be better to have a painting of a Siberian mink not a squirrel behind you so people can make the connect that sable comes from the tail of an animal who is generally trapped in the wild for their fur or else kept in cages piled on top of each other with no bedding. Many are skinned a live. Not worth that cruelty just for a painting. Winsor and newton synthetic sable brushes are so similar to sable they are even softer and make the most beautiful washes. Aqua elite brushes have a pin sharp point even in their size 12 brush.
Hey mate, great videos! I’m a beginner and just got the DS essentials set. Why is it that warm red to warm yellow create the most vibrant orange colour, same with cool yellow to cool blue to create a vibrant green… but then we end with cool red with warm blue to create the purple. What is it about those two colours that make it work different?
A few thoughts: 1)Using larger brushes will will almost always improve your art, and give much more of a benefit than switching to the best expensive brushes. Since expensive brushes are....expensive, it is often impossible to go very large with them. 2)You can paint just as well with a $20 brush as you can with a $200 brush...you just have to understand the characteristics of your brush, and learn how to use it appropriately to achieve the effect you desire. Can't get a thin line with your your #20 synthetic? Use a rigger for the thin lines... 3)Squirrel hair used to be the sable alternative...now squirrel costs as much as sable used to... 4)I've found that often the CHEAPEST brushes give me the most joy and best results. 5)Princeton Neptune and Raphael SoftAqua are as good as I'll go...a couple of those, and then a motley collection of cheap junk, and I'm good. 6)Most 'good' artists'/pros do not use very expensive brushes. I've seen many using synthetic/squirrel blends and even full synthetic. I've literally only seen/know of a couple of pros who use sable, and that was a long time ago when sable didn't cost anywhere near what it does now. I suspect even THEY would be using synthetics if they were still around today, because synthetics have really improved a lot over the last 40 years or so.
The budget paints seem like too much hard work to mix colours and in certain light you could see the gloop whilst you were doing the pigment strokes, especially in the yellow. I would call the budget paints kids paints because there is a few fairly descent student grade paints eg. Cotman, De Vinci etc.
I do believe that sable can be better depending on how you use it … but his comparison is unfair and the results are exaggerated. He should have compared the Colineo from da Vinci or even better imho the Escoda Versatil. This comparison is ridiculous and these brushes hold an extremely fine tip. The finest tip I saw so far is escoda Perla …
Best exaltation on colour theory yet! I have bought 3 primary colours from DS: Cobalt blue, Alizarin crimson and Cadmium yellow ( and 1 Payne's gray). I am considering getting this set of double primary colours. Should I return the Payne's gray? I was wondering how come you don't have more followers. Are you new on RU-vid? I am a biologist and want to paint life with watercolour Thanks for publishing these awesomely pedagogic videos.
I have Davinci Maestro series 35 Kolinsky sable brushes- they are the BEST. They hold tons of pigment and warer and still have a needle point. Getting them really helped my painting. The high quality hand made synthetic brushes are good, but there is still a significant difference to me. I always reach for the sable brushes first. The size 8 is the largest one I have of the Maestro- just can’t justify the cost for the larger ones .
So I’m guessing no brush company has paid you off. Nobody doing watercolor wants snap back. I know this and I’m a novice (at best) I make my own out of road kill
I’m wondering about the Taklon fibers. Are they biodegradable? How good are these for the environment? I see people on RU-vid saying that they use vegan brushes. I think it’s misleading but I could be mistaken. I’m sticking with my Kolinsky sable brushes🤣
Taklon is the standard synthetic fiber for brushes. It is just another word for petroleum based and I 100% agree labeling brushes as "vegan" is misleading since it pretty much means "petroleum based" i.e. plastic. I have no knowledge of manufacturing process but I would say getting a quality brush you enjoy using (whether a synthetic or natural fiber) and use it for years is more environmentally friendly than cheap ones you never use. Personally I reach for imitation and mixed fibers due to cost restriction but used Simply Simon taklon brushes for years and only replaced one or two (though that was more due to not knowing better was out there than because they were that good, I went *way* too many years without points on my rounds). Imitation fibers truly do behave more like hair vs taklon that is a slightly upgraded version of those nylon brushes we give preschoolers. When doing watercolors hair/imitation is better but I would much rather use taklon for acrylic. All depends on the artist, medium, and style.
It’s starting to break up and loose consistency because you are pushing WAY harder with the synthethic one just to prove a point. The differences are not that big if you are objective in comparison. There are DaVinci syhthetic brushes that hold up just fine with your sable one.
Thank you! For some, ANY amount of animal suffering is inconsequential to the supremacy of any human endeavor. I the synthetic industry is motivated to do so, technologies exist or can be created to perform like natural brushes.
this is a great review! thank you for the demonstration! when i was first starting out years ago, several of my synthetic brushes of varying quality were notorious for developing hooked points after just a few months, and i felt that their tips wore down very quickly. in comparison, i have a Kolinsky sable brush that’s over 40 years old, and it performs like it’s brand new - every time. i think there’s something to be said for the longevity of natural hair; in theory, one or two brushes could feasibly last you your entire career if cared for properly!
I have a couple plastic ones I got from the dollar store. The beading was slowly getting better over time, but it was pretty annoying. Until I learned a hack-take a glue stick and scrub it into the wells, and wipe it off. The beading has stopped. I really appreciate your insight about the layout though, I hope to upgrade my palette one day. Another pro for plastic is how light-weight they are, makes it easier to move between rooms.
You're right Keith. I actually bought that brush a while ago and couldn't remember how much I paid for it. I guessed at £25 but I was a bit off. I can find them for almost half that when I search. I'll make sure I check prices first next time. All the best
Very nice explanation. I paint dogs, there is a definite need to know color theory. Looking forward to how you set your palette. I think every artist does it different. You might try to put links to the items you use in the description. Most artists on RU-vid use Amazon, but I know that isn’t a one stop shop. There is also a program through Amazon where you make a page of things you use or find essential. If a subscriber buys from your list a small amount of the sale comes back to you.
Thanks again for the feedback :). The palette video is coming soon 👍 I have also filmed an hour long version on colour theory. I guess I should put Amazon links on RU-vid too. I have an amazon associates account and I've put links to all of the products I use on my website here watercolourwildlife.com/what-do-i-need/ Believe it or not I have changed the way I layout my Palette as a result of creating the "how to layout your palette" video. I taught myself something :)
This is a ridiculous comparison. There isn’t a person in this world that would use printer paper. You will discourage people from beginning to use watercolors, rather than teaching. You’re also treating them as if they’re stupid. I see your work, you’re extremely talented. The comparison would be wood pulp watercolor paper verses 100% cotton. The comparison of brushes would be 2 comparable price brushes one sable one synthetic. I think if you’re working with a child’s watercolors set and watercolor paper and a brush from the dollar store, you can be successful, creative and talented.
Thanks for the feedback, it’s always good to know what people want to watch 👍. I will certainly make more realistic comparisons in the future. I have a couple of videos planned on exactly the comparisons you mentioned so watch this space. This Channel launched 6 days ago so I’m still finding my feet a bit with what works. Thanks again for the feedback, I hope you find some of my other videos more appealing :) All the best Syman
