Welcome to another Watercolor Wednesday! Today I want to give a shout out to YouTube watercolor painting tutorials. For a new watercolor painter, the tutorials have been invaluable to my learning in the past year.
I have many watercolor books on painting technique, and for me, they just don’t compare to watching technique as it happens. For example, watching this fun painting of a chickadee taught me how to paint wing feathers, bird eyes, and how to let the paint flow out-of-bounds to give the painting a loose feel.
Here is my final product:
A few weeks ago, I was discussing elephants with my family, and I found myself thinking that elephants would be very challenging to paint. How in the world do I paint wrinkles? My first thought was to consult YouTube to see if anyone had an elephant tutorial. Within minutes I found an elephant tutorial by Maria Raczynska (she has many great tutorials for those who are interested).
The eyes looked soulful, the wrinkles looked perfect, and I loved the colors. I had to find out how Maria painted this wise soul.
For the next few hours I sat and painted, pausing the tutorial every few minutes so I could follow along. I learned how to paint an elephant eye, how to combine colors to produce the shadows and highlights on elephant skin, and most importantly, how to paint those wrinkles. The secret to making the wrinkles stand out was to remove paint after letting the entire painting dry. Removing little bits of paint highlighted the wrinkles in a very unique way. It made them come to life.
Alas, here is my first elephant painting:
Every YouTube tutorial I have used has taught me something new about watercolor painting.
Have you used YouTube tutorials to help you paint, complete a new craft, or do something new?
Please share!
Pretty darn good.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Tracy! I’ve been having fun. 🙂
Wow–I am so impressed with your progress! And thank you for letting us readers in on it. I’m living vicariously!
Ha! I’m glad you’re enjoying my Watercolor Wednesday posts, Rebecca. 🙂 And, thank you for your kind compliment. This past year has been quite the adventure with both writing and painting. I’m thoroughly enjoying both!
Simply terrific, Erin!
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Wow!! Thats painting is too good. Thanks for sharing the informatio. I am now sharing it in my FB
Reena, thank you so much for your kind compliment, and for sharing! It is very much appreciated.
That is exquisite, I tried one when i wanted to sketch a face. It was very good but unfortunately I was not. 😊
Sketching is something that has always been difficult for me; however, it comes naturally to my brother. Good for you for trying though! And, as always, thanks so much for your kind words, Ellen! xx
Oooh this is awesome! Maybe you should make your own tutorials as your wildlife paintings are sooo lovely!!
That may be a possibility as soon as I feel comfortable enough. 🙂 Thanks so much, Josy!
So great! What fun skills you are learning and you are doing a great job!
Thanks, Sheila! It really has been a lot of fun. I look forward to learning a lot more. 🙂
Omg that is just amazing!!!
Thanks, Ritu! I appreciate you kind words. I’m attempting a portrait for the first time right now, which is scary! Cross your fingers for me. 🙂
Wow they are amazing!!!! X
Thanks so much, Zoe! Your kind words mean a lot. Xx
I read this last week, Erin but when I went to post a comment from my phone it kept giving me an error message. Ugh. So, I’m back to say how much I am loving your watercolors! I can see how with each one you are broadening your skills and abilities. I particularly like the photo of you holding the painting with pride.
I agree, watching videos helps way more than just seeing something in print. I watched the elephant demo and I can say I would never have thought of “erasing” the paint afterwards. I would have worried about tearing the paper, something I remember doing at times when painting in my younger years. I can’t wait to see what you paint next!
Hi, Shannon! Thanks so much for taking the time to COME BACK and comment. I really appreciate it. Also, thank you for your kind compliment. I’ve been having so much fun learning new techniques via YouTube videos – there really hasn’t been anything more helpful. Well, except the actual painting practice off course.
My next project is a painting that my daughter requested for her birthday. It’s a portrait painting of my daughter hugging one of her favorite horses. Portraits are another brand new experience, so I’ve read a wonderful book by Mary Whyte, a great portrait painter, and I’ve watched a few more videos. I’m nervous to try it, but also a little excited. That painting is on my weekend list of things to do.
Thanks again for the wonderful comment, Shannon! 🙂