Tip for cheap but really good paper: Hahnemuhle has small pads of their agave and bamboo paper that are 8x10.5cm that they sell basically at a loss (less than €4 per pad though I've seen them sold for €2,95 if you're lucky). They do so in the hope that you like the paper and come back for the big pads. The agave is by far my favorite paper I've ever tried and I've tried a LOT of medium to high end artist grade paper. It's 70% agave and 30% cotton and though it's cold pressed, it's a much more smooth and subtle texture than others meaning you can get much more detail in there. This is by far the cheapest way to get high quality paper that I've found. As far as the bamboo version goes, I got it a while back to see if I would like it as much as my beloved agave paper but I seem to have lost it in the meantime so I'll have to get back on that one. Edit: also fun is that you can tape off a square and paint in that and then cut off a little strip of the margin on the bottom and you'll have the proportions of a Polaroid picture. Not everybody's thing but I thought it was fun for a travel diary series of painting I did.
@@karenrouth2056 RU-vid doesn't like it when people post links but Gerstaecker is an EU wide store that has it so just go to their website and either search for "Agave" or article number 60975. I suspect most stores that stock Hahnemühle watercolor paper will have it though. I do have some notes to add about the paper itself. The small pad thing is 100% still true (in fact, that's where it shines but more on that later). It's extremely convenient and very cost effective while being great paper. But setting that aside for a sec and just looking at the properties of the paper, I have found papers I like more now. My mom had a point to prove so she bought as many 100% cotton cold pressed artist quality papers as she could find to test them head to head. She ended up with 25 different papers from a variety of different brands. I got the chance to test them out as well and while agave did impressively well, it was outclassed by some of the very high end papers. When you buy agave in bigger sizes, it works out to be a mid-range priced paper. From that price range, Agave performed VERY well, only being outperformed by four or five of the high end papers. According to our metric, Agave placed 5th which is still very good. Pros: quite smooth texture so it takes detail well. Colors stand out nicely. Easy to make smooth gradients and flat washes. Lifting is easy (but be gentle). Cons: very fragile when wet. Like VERY fragile. Can't take masking fluid unless it's the special extra gentle type and even then you have to be careful to not damage it. Other notes: every paper has different water absorbing properties. As I found out recently, I really like working big with bold wet in wet and the paper fully saturated with water. I also don't like paper that lifts a lot. Agave doesn't quite like that. It doesn't absorb as much water as I'd like for bigger works. For smaller works I have a different workflow so there it's perfect. Conclusion: Agave is an excellent paper, especially suited to smaller and more precise works. But be careful because it's easy to damage when it's wet, be it by scrubbing it with a stiffer brush or be it by accidentally scratching it very lightly with your nail. It's hard to beat for the price though. Sidenote, I really wanted to hate Arches. I was hoping everyone was just echoing other's opinions and that it wasn't "the best watercolor paper of all time". Frustratingly, it got first place in our tests... That was probably more information than you could possibly want but yeah... Hope it helps!
I have been studying drawing for nearly 2years on my own and your video has been so informative. Thanks for being so detailed in your explanation as you are drawing.
I love this video! I have been looking for instruction on how to draw the correct proportions en plein air. Thank you! You explained it in a way I could understand.
I always feel like I'm some kind of a cheater while taking a photo of view and cropping it later for easier understanding of proportions 😅 Thank you for showing that that's okay to do so! Thank you for great drawing tips ❤️
It's DEFINITELY okay to do that! All of the Masters had similar tricks they used to learn and understand composition and proportions. It's so helpful to see the scene from a 3D world in a "frame" to assist in putting it onto paper. :)
I have learned more about perspective and angles from a couple minutes in this video than I have learned anywhere else. You are a fantastic teacher! I am not shocked as you were an art professor, but your teaching is simple and direct and I really appreciate it.
Wow That is a master class Perspective, and so much detail and intimidating Absorbing and inspiring to use pieces of you art as I am able., Thank you What an amazing artist you are
Thank you so much for this wonderful Master class! Your explanations & demos were so clear & precise that I am excited to try tiny painting outside. Now I know what to use the skewers that I ve had for-not for cooking but painting
Love the video. Really in-depth on how you do tiny paintings. So many helpful tips and it really helped watching your process and how you make decisions. You gave a lot of ideas and I really appreciate the time it took to make this video. Wonderful video. Many thanks!!!
Not sure I will have the patience for perfectionism, however, you have definitely inspired me to get stuck in. Lovely landscapes and historical buildings around us. Fabulous altogether. Many thanks indeed.
Oh! Leslie! This was so wonderful to follow all the steps, details, and tips. I so enjoyed this video. LOVELY!! I got all my supplies from watching your shorts. NOW, with this video I feel more confident to truly start sketching & painting. Thank you so much! You are so giving and loving!
This was so helpful! Especially seeing the order in which you create this composition, using the view finder and how you frame it out during sketching. Love your videos, I am learning so much. Thank you!
I really like your comment about looking around the scene for the same, unique color to "give the painting more harmony," at the 41:27 mark. I tend to mix and remix without tying things together, so this will be my focus in my next project. This whole video is chock-full of great tips -- and not just for "tiny" painting! Thank you for sharing and inspiring.
This is such a detailed explanation with an actual demonstration. Watching you draw and paint with your soothing voice in the background is so calming. Thank you for sharing all your tips and beautiful tiny paintings. Your videos are a joy to watch!
This was lovely to watch whilst I was painting myself. Nice to have what I know reaffirmed and wonderful to watch someone paint in (mostly) real time out of doors - I love painting Plein air but it's not so easy to be able to watch someone else paint that way online. Most you tube artists are studio based when painting. Lovely work, thanks for sharing
THANK YOU 💜for sharing the details of tiny painting. I always enjoyed watching your short videos of wonderful paintings of landscapes and beautiful scenery. I always thought , how I can learn this cute tiny painting techniques and your Masterclass video has given all the relevant information necessary to start learning new hobby.❤
Sigh! This was such a pleasure to watch! Thank you Leslie, please know that all the effort you've put into this is much much appreciated. I'm a great fan of your work. It's inspired me to paint more, and I admire all your work. Please keep putting up content. I eagerly wait for it every sunday
This was fantastic! I usually don't have the patience for long videos, but your videos are filled with information so I split up my watch time and go through all of it slowly. I really liked the tips with using a brown fineliner over black (need to head to an art store RIGHT NOW!) and the measurements using a knitting needle with one's arm stretched out. The vanishing point explanation here was easier for me to understand. I'm struggling the most with mixing colours and layering. Would love it if you could make a video on how you pick colours and show which ones are mixed for different subjects (building, foliage).
Thank you! I hesitated about making such a long video, but really wanted to create a comprehensive guide to answer many of the questions I get from people. I’m glad you took the time to watch it all. 😊
How convenient! For years, l have used a slim knitting needle as a hat pin. Working, riding a horse, or in the back of the truck, the wind might blow me down, but my hat stays put.
So nice to see your world and that lovely studio in the overgrowth. (Yay to no mow May - it looks gorgeous!) So psyched to see both Sendaks together and your thoughts on them - thank you always for sharing! Love your final painting and your process:) As ever, so calming...
No-mow May is the best! It's now extended a bit into no-mow June in the secret garden! The bees are sooo happy. I LOVE both of my Sendaks sooo much. Thank you for making such a beautiful, functional and versatile produce for us artists.
I love your videos! I'm a beginner and just discovered your channel. Do you have a video where your explain how to use the aquabrush? Do you have to press to get the water to the bristles? How to clean them? Might be a very basic question but I want to make sure I use them correctly ❤
Can't wait to try tiny painting...this will get me over the overwhelm of what to take and how to carry everything...love the simple approach. Having a hard time locating the tiny palette and sketchbook online...found on Instagram but can't figure out how to purchase? any tips?
@@LeslieStroz I finally called the Worldwide Store (Inspire Uplift) because I could never get a product to display for sale on their site. They said they no longer have the GoDraw products on their site. There is a similar one on Amazon but it is made in China so I figure it is a cheaper knock-off.
This was so helpful!!! Would a clear ruler work in place of the knitting needle? I have had so much trouble "seeing" in perspective, like in the sides of the roof, I have trouble seeing if it the angles are angling down or up. But you presentation was so helpful. Also, have you found a fountain pen that is fine enough to replace the Uni pen?
The white one? It’s a type of tempera paint. None of the white pens are specifically made for watercolour. If you want to be more purist it’s best to either preserve the white of the paper by using the masking fluid or use white gouache. 😊
