I love this lesson so much. I am glad you do lovely simple lessons for us besides your very hard complicated subjects. I enjoy your contents, drawing, explanation and painting. Thank you very much !
You did an excellent job. You’re very brave to show your process of painting a subject that you still don’t feel comfortable or accomplished with. It definitely helps me to try painting something that I know is going to be difficult and probably won’t turn out the way I want it to. Sometimes I just paint subjects that I have been successful with in the past because it makes me feel good but I know I need to practice techniques that are not easy for me. Thank you for your tutorials.
As a viewer, I have no problem with you rotating the paper! In fact, I find it useful to see the painting progress as it would if you were not recording!
This video was an emotional roller-coaster. I have to say just like all my paintings and exercises. I loved the result you achieved by hanging in there. Thanks Liron.
Nice swan Liron. They are so peaceful to watch. I have done a colored pencil/ pastel swan and picked up on the fact that the bird isn't white it is a super light coral like a watered down quin coral. Then those hightlights really pop because of the complimentary effect. Your blending and wave tips are great. After painting birds so much those little stinkers really hide a very light hue. Check out your photo in the video of the swan. Well we use what we can to make it pop. Most would not notice it.Very nice tutorial!🤗
Thank you so much. I had the courage, as a very beginner, to give this a try, from sketch to finished watercolor. So much fun and I am happy with what I was able to do.
This video was amazing! It was soooo helpful! I was totally riveted! Thank you so much for helping me learn how to approach ripples and shadows in the water. I learned so much. Many many many thanks!
That last wash with the phthalo blue upped the contrast nicely and as you, I prefer loose painting/impressionism to realistic painting but to each is own. Great tutorial, thank you 😎
Lovely result. You have kept the white highlights/sense of bright light, something I always mess up! I know what you mean with keeping the wash wet! I’m trying to wet the paper first which sometimes means using masking fluid on the parts I want to leave until last. I understand 100% cotton paper stays wetter longer too so I try to use that if I can. Thank you for sharing your struggles with an unfamiliar subject with us. Can’t tell you how helpful it is to watch this process in real time and hear your thoughts as you go along, as I anticipate the difficulties I would have in each part of this painting, and seeing how you overcome them. It emboldens me to try difficult things too!
Liron, this is magnificent! I could relate to the subject to the max. Your instructions were perfect. Great to see no morose slushy colours. Lively colours and stunning results. Thank you for your wonderful work!
Try being in the crazy heat and humidity that is the current weather here in QLD Australia with what is our summer for the past 6 months. My paper dries so quickly! I drip sweat even with fans and an air conditioner on! Wet in wet works for a small area then I scramble to rewet and still keep my edges wet.cauliflowers are the bane of my work. I tried doing the statue the other day and there are cauliflower in the weirdest places. I don't think it helped that I did it to A4, I will have to try and scale it back to A5 then try again. But at least I try and all results are blamed on the weather.
I feel your pain. I am currently living in the middle east and it gets to 50c during the summer! I make the paper damp before painting, including the back. I will use a fine mist bottle to keep it damp during painting. Also, make sure the water you use is very cold as it dries slower then. I put ice cubes in my water haha! Using rough 100% cotton watercolor paper defiantly makes a difference as it stays wet much longer than cold pressed. I've also heard that you can add gum arabic to your water to slow the drying time, but I haven't tried this yet. Best of luck 🤞
Don't the sizing and material affect how much water the paper will hold (and therefore for how long)? Hard pressed, cotton, internally sized paper should hold the most, right? Also, heavier weight papers will allow you to work longer with wet on wet. Either way, I would suspect your paper if you find that the wash is drying too quickly.
I personally find that hot-pressed dry faster and unevenly (but they do allow for better lifting). This is why I prefer cold press, I find it also takes wet-in-wet better generally speaking (but it may just be my imagination haha). And cotton is pretty much a must for me now. You can use pulp paper (like the Canson Montval sketchbook / paper), and it will work in a pinch or for quick plein-airs, but there's no real substitute for cotton. In terms of weight, I find 300 gsm to be perfect. 600 is awesome too, but isn't worth the price in my opinion, unless you paint really large and want it to stay flatter. I hope this helps! (:
First, I have a question Liron. At around 39 minutes into the video you say that you could go back and lighten the swan. Could you please explain how? Once the paint is dry, I thought you could only make it darker. Are you saying to scrub out the color to lighten it? Now, on to my compliments. I have trouble painting water so this was very helpful to me. The tutorial of how to block in the swan was great. Finally, flip the paper all you want. I don't know what kind of difficulties this presents to you when editing, but it's helpful to me as a viewer. Take care!
to paint water realistic in watercolour is one of the hardest painting things to achieve. it's easier in acrylics or oils etc. if you tried but feel you didn't succeed don't be harsh on yourself it takes time to learn that 😉
I happen to be working on waves and ripples right now, so this is perfect timing! Thank you for the great tips. My paper also dries out too quickly. I use Arches 140# CP paper, and live in a dry climate. Other painters complain about it when they come here to teach workshops. Other than painting quickly, there does not seem to be a skill to working with it. It seems when I mist the paper to dampen a wash, it leaves a small dotted texture. But that doesnt seem to happen to you. Any ideas why?
yours could be already too dry before you sprinkle it again? I never use a spray bottle to keep the paper wet though I just try to remind myself to pay attention to it and water it again where it's drying up with a brush. I think when you spray it, it gives water drop effect in tiny dots easily. maybe it happened in his painting as well but don't see it in the video.
Man, I wish I could be that free with my pallette. I'm always worried and careful about not contaminating my colors, and mix only on clean areas and end up wasting so much paint
You can! 😁 A good thing to try (if you haven’t) is to practice this with the cheapest paints available, it’ll at least bring out some freedom, which will translate to using better quality paints. Art is freedom! You decide what to put on paper 💪💪
