Heh. I honestly want to know who made up the rules. I mean... you don't pick up only primaries when you are going to paint your living room. "Aw. I can just MIX that lovely shade of teal. Why actually buy it." LOL. I mean you certainly can have a more compact pallette when you are only using primaries for mixing! and that is super awesome. And it's best to know how to mix all those browns and greens and such. And I LOVE mixing. But to say it's somehow 'wrong' to use a tube of green or brown... I donno. Sounds kind of uppity. Or maybe I'm just a rebel too. :)

@@Chill1332 Painting walls and Fine Art are two different things.

Chilly Studios l

@the bridges yeah, it's silly. In an older video of mine, I build a watercolor set and I got some wild feedback about "why would you put white in your set?" I laughed, dismissing it, because while I know why I like it there, other folks don't. And that's okay, too! ;)

@@MDCampbell Purists are rarely pure in their techniques. You want a REALLY "pure" technique? First, toss out watercolors. Second, get fast drying acrylics, only transparent colors, no white or pastel colors or opaque colors allowed. Then, get unsized paper or even blotter paper and paint. NO friskit allowed either. How can you be pure if you use friskit or anything to reserve your whites? Now for serious thoughts, since I take no "purists" seriously. Transparent paint on paper has many wonderful effects, but few papers I've run across are going to stay as white as either watercolor/gouache whites or acrylic whites. Depending on most papers to stay a brilliant white is gambling; archival art is enough of a gamble as is. If an artist prefers off white whites, fine. Do that as much as you want and leave the artists who want brilliant white effects alone. Colors mixed with white are different from glazed colors. M.D. Campbell showed us that in this video. I will use glazes AND tints whenever it pleases me. Any artist can get way more effects using glazes and white tints than with either alone. If an artist wants to train themselves by limiting what they use and even prefer it, I'm super fine with that. I do that myself quite often. I feel the same way about blacks. I can mix my own and often do, but no mixture that does not use black can substitute for carbon or mars black if full opacity is needed for fine details. I often use such detailing, so I use what is necessary for my art. It's hilarious to me that so many watercolor teachers rant on till they're blue in the face about getting only single pigment colors, but say don't buy browns and blacks because you can mix your own. You can also substitute greens and oranges or whatever secondary colors you want in that previous statement and be correct. I can go on and on about how single pigment colors often have multi pigment properties. Don't believe me? Get pigments made with minerals, like Daniel Smith's Primatek watercolors and get specimens of PY 43 and PR 102 and experiment. You'll find out pigments can be insane in the possible variations you can make with those pigments. That insanity can be used for many wonderful and wild effects.

@@dynomax101 that has to be one of the most well written and gripping replies I've ever received - thank you for taking your valuable time to reply so thoughtfully. Clearly, you're passionate, which I really appreciate. I've often wondered when the school of thought came to be that dismissing certain techniques, tools, habits, or products from the pursuit of creative exploration actually became a "thing?" I'm sure old master-types had firm beliefs, but that was a long time ago. I find it bizarre that people, today, cling to such antiquated ways instead of just enjoying what's available. I mean, would I rather be writing this on my computer or on a piece of paper with a feather pen by candlelight? lol! Cheers and thank you so much. Great reading, right there! :)

@@MDCampbell Thank you very much!

That's awesome, She Who Knows All! Enjoy enjoy enjoy! :)

+In Liquid Color Thank you so much, Denise! In all transparency (ha! watercolor humor!), I rarely do the white underpaintings anymore. It was something I did a lot when I was strictly a gouache painter and airbrush artist 30 years ago. I still use it on occasion when I'm doing either plein air or when I want a more fine art look. As for Chinese White being harmful to waterways, I wasn't aware. I knew of the breakdown of Chinese White in oil paint, but always thought the watercolor version was relatively safe. Would love to know more! Again, thank you for checking this out and your thoughts. I hope you are doing well and will be heading over to your channel to see what's new tomorrow! Cheers! :)

Just a small note: according to handprint.com ( www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/waterw.html#PW4 ), PW4, mixed with some pigments, will get a resulting colour that is not very lightfast, despite both pigments being lightfast. I suspect the same happens with PW6 due to what I know about Cerulean Blue Hue from Van Gogh - PB15/PW6. I believe this details is worth mentioning, at least as "to test", since for some people lightfastness matters.

Chinese white is lead based paint.

The winsor and newton Chinese white is not lead based :) www.winsornewton.com/na/discover/articles-and-inspiration/spotlight-on-chinese-white

@@rynjeff1073 Zinc based. Period. Lead white is rarely used in watercolor.

Thank you, Ruby Buttons! I've been very happy with the small set that I created. Cheers! Mark

Thank you for checking this one out, Steve. I still use a backing when printing on darker colored backgrounds. Printing yellow on purple is always going to cause problems, so that white backer is mandatory. Same with dry backs, where the ink can dry lighter on the paper. A white dry back can help keep the color from soaking into the paper. Most times you don't have to tell the service bureau to watch for those things, because they know, but I've had too many jobs come back with bad trapping, funky overlays, and without proper consideration for the effect of ink on dark paper. You and I could go on for hours about this stuff, for sure! lol!! As for the purity aspect, I do agree with you there. But, for the work I do - especially the more stylized cartoonish stuff, having the extra pan in the palette is used enough to justify it. I know plenty of artists who feel the opposite, because it's how they paint, which I totally respect. Anyhow, sorry to go on and on. Thank you again for feeding back. I always appreciate your voice on matters of watercolor! lol! Cheers my friend!! :)

I am sincerely thrilled you enjoyed this, but mostly I'm really grateful for your feedback, Julie Peck! Thank you for that. It's always nice to know that the work I do here has some benefit or entertainment value. And that you had that "aha" moment where you mixed white and magenta... well, I totally know that feeling! Stay well and again, thank you! ~ Mark

I love that phrase, "dirty fixes are welcome!" It says everything! Good advice, pernicious bug! Thank you!

pernicious bug Not a dirty fix if it works. Be more dirty to let a mistake that ruins the picture for you to lie there and fester.

Coming from you, this is a wonderful compliment! I really appreciate your time watching and feedback, but more so that you enjoyed this one. Thank you, Artist Jane Bush! Grateful for your voice! Cheers and hoping all is well! ~ Mark

I'm thrilled you found this helpful, Anna Enna! I was looking at pastel watercolor sets out there and they were either expensive or not what I was looking for, so voila! I made my own. Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts. It means a lot to me! Cheers! ~ Mark

That's great to hear, Evelyn Lee Barney! Always glad to know I saved someone some money! lol! But really, thank you for sharing your thoughts and for your time watching this one. I still have these home-made pastels and use them frequently. They are not transparent, but they work really well for the kind of work I do. Enjoy your creative journey! ~ Mark

You may have read my mind! lol! :)

Hi lynn cooper! I'm not sure if the video will win any awards, but your wonderful reply is certainly a huge reward for me! Thank you so much! And I have to say, even though I've been at this for a long time - like you, I also do it just for pleasure and stress, too! lol! Stay well and I really appreciate your kind feedback! ~ Mark

@@MDCampbell you are very welcome sir

Thank you, forever and ever! lol! I appreciate that.

I agree, Susan Sacco, and love pastels, especially during this time of year! Let me know how it works out for you! Have fun! :)

Thank you, Hanah Le! Great minds think alike! :)

Thanks, GAME OVER "WE HAVE EVERY PIXEL COVERED". Glad you liked it! :)

That's fantastic, Stefan Ellery! Thanks for letting me know that! Best wishes!

All my best wishes for your daughter in the marathon tomorrow! That is the most outstanding news of the day! Congratulations and please extend my best wishes! She'll be like, "who?" and you'll be like, "this guy from KZfaq!" lol! Such inspiration! As for trying new things and sharing ideas, that's what I enjoy most about KZfaq and all of social media. And yes, I love my mixing tool... a mechanical pencil! lol!! I will admit to you that if I am one thing, it's impatient when I need to get something done. I'll use whatever is around me to do it, no matter what it is. For example, I dropped a glass in the kitchen one time and didn't have anything to clean up the tiny shards... so I used a slice of bread! hehe!!! It worked great, too! Anyhow, that 59 ml tube of M. Graham is just waiting for you! But, wow... that's a lot of Titanium White! Cheers and thank you so much for checking this out and your thoughts. All my best to your daughter!

M.D. Campbell agree, what was I thinking when I bought such a large tube.....who knows, but knowing me it was on sale and seemed like a good idea.

M.D. Campbell just happy to say our daughter-in-law made it, her time was 5 hrs and 32 min. Pretty amazing😁👍🏻

@@essietangle9931 that is outstanding! Congratulations to her! You must be so proud!!! :)

And I'm super excited for you, Jen Goodwyn! Have a ton of fun! :)

lol! Thank you, Rudy Atillo! I'm happy you enjoyed this one. I love teaching about art stuff, but really, I just love sharing info that might be helpful. Stay well! ~ Mark

Thank you, Kathryn Sloan, for both watching and for your feedback. I'm happy you found it useful! Again, thank you for the incredible work you're doing on the front lines of this pandemic! Stay well! ~ Mark

Thank you, Sandi Rodman! I'm thrilled you enjoyed this one and chose to let me know. Stay well! ~ Mark

The notion of a "purist competition" makes me itchy! lol!

M.D. Campbell Yes, me too! I was holding back from what I really wanted to say lol! I say we shouldn’t feed into a purist mindset and we should go find a non-purist competition if competitions are what we want to do. 😉

@@Kyomiibrown I think you're right. Though, I think for, I like having the ability to choose to slide in and out of the purist mindset, and dar to be unconventional when the mood strikes. Just like purists in the kitchen, there are many people who like the structure of rules. I find that learning the rules and understanding them makes way for modifying and updating them, where needed. Even just for fun! :)

Thank you, so much, cherry875 - I really appreciate that! Be well!

Thank you, Ricardo Franco!

Yeah, the visual difference between Chinese White and Titanium is very, very slight, but from my observations, Chinese white tends to favor an organic context, lending more to warm colors, especially yellows; Titanium tends to favor a more mechanical or fabricated context, lending itself more to cooler colors, especially blue. They're both excellent, but when used with intent, they can have an even more functional effect. Again, to my observations. I like Chinese white when painting with burnt sienna, yellow ochre, or Prussian blue, where Titanium seems to suit well to the Phthalo colors, veridian, and cadmiums. Thank you so much for the valuable insight and feedback. Grateful for your time!! Cheers!

I'm glad this was helpful, Eclectic Sara! Have a great day! :)

Thank you so much for checking it out, lyndydaisy!

Thank you, Mary K Havelka. I plan on making more! lol! Stay tuned! :)

That's terrific, Lil Divette! Glad this was useful for you! Thank you so much for letting me know and spending your time watching! Cheers! :)

Thank you, Beverly Baxley! I can only say that these paints exist and are not to be taken seriously to the point where we can't enjoy them and have fun playing/experimenting with them, right? lol! As for bravery, well, there are many measures of courage, but having the heart to do something that is fulfilling, spiritual, and meditative is not only good for ourselves, but I think for those around us, as well, as we can communicate better, relate better, and be more open. Just my thoughts! Stay well! ~ Mark

Thank you, Terry Meechan! I'm glad it was something new for you! :)

Thank you, magus leo! I admit, I did it a long time ago out of laziness, but it seemed to work for me. Glad you found it interesting enough to comment on. Thank you for that! ~ Mark

And thank you for checking this one out and your kind words, bingealicious!

I'm really happy you enjoyed this one, Rachael Maccoy! Thank you for letting me know! :)

That's awesome, Yvonne! Thank you for sharing that! ~ Mark

That's how I feel, Kathryn Sloan. It always comes into play, in one way or another, for me. I hope you're well! Thank you!

I'm thrilled you found this informative, Faye Wulf. It makes me so happy to read comments like this, so thank you for making my day! Stay well! :)

Thank you, Angela Pascual! Great point about the dry brush technique! :)

Thank you, Leah Calabro! I appreciate your feedback and happy you liked this one! ~ Mark

Thank you, Lovely Day with Holly! I've been busy with work and hope to be posting new content really soon! Stay tuned! Cheers! ~ Mark

+May Brox you are most very welcome! Thank you!!!

I have an art teacher many years ago that told us all the "rules"... No white... No black (I bought every black I found and I still love using black watercolour 👻) I have some issues with rules on art. So I have white in all my palette. And I use them to light up the colour, to blend lighter colours to pale skins. I use white colour pencils under darker to create pastel colour.

I couldn't agree more, peach books! Thank you for taking the time to comment on this. I am grateful for your thoughts! Now, let's go break some art rules! No more metal rulers... EVER!! lol! Cheers! ~ Mark

LOL!! I was surprised at the overglow of those tubes! Holy moley! lol! Thanks for checking this out, Heartwork by Kitty! :)

of course my friend Love your channel, I appreciate the time you put into it. The cheering in the coffee break always gives me a giggle too, love that you made that a special little thing you do in your videos. I have a hot pink motorcycle helmet that has big cat ears that I am going to be using in my videos at some point in the near future. I look like a bobble head when I wear it and I think it would be funny to see that in a video. It’s those little details unique to the person that I love about people’s videos.

You're welcome!

Thank you so much Lori Thielen for checking this one out. I'm happy you liked it! Stay well and have a nice weekend! :)

Thank you! I've been known to be clever now and again. :)

Thank you, Aurora's Art World! Oh, the tubes... lol! I have so many tubes, it's sinful. I've donated many to places that can use them, but there are too many I cannot let go of. Enjoy and stay well! :)

I love that, windywednesday4166! Because it behaves like gouache, it can be a little tricky to use. But, because it's a versatile paint, you can add a tiny bit of Raw Sienna or Raw Umber and get some fabulous effects. I like to use it more as a base color to add warmth to white objects, especially organics (like flowers) or snowy landscapes. In my doodlework, it is good for using as an underpaint for skin tones. I mix a combo of warm yellow and red to get a light, fleshy color and when I paint over Buff Titanium, it reactivates nicely to give the color a sunny glow. I like that. Good luck with your swatching and thank you for leaving your thoughts on this! Cheers! ~ Mark

Thank you, Nancy Loomis, and glad you found this useful! Both watercolor and gouache are wonderful to use, each with their own pluses and minuses. There's no "wrong" way to use them, I suppose, but there are many "right" ways to use them. But, the best way is to simply sit down with them, play with them, and feel yourself immerse into the joy of just being creative, no matter what happens. Enjoy! :)

Thank you so much, Jasper Martin. You are so kind and generous! I appreciate your feedback so much! :)

Oh thank you, Elizabeth Zelinka! I'm glad it had something for you to takeaway. Best wishes in your creative journey, and yes, it is all about fun and learning. Anything else is a job! lol!

I'm really grateful for your time watching and the kind feedback, Patricia Page! Do you think you'll ever get back into making new videos? Would love to see more from your world! Thank you! ~ Mark

@@MDCampbell Thank you feels like I been away so long until I cant get back, due to life changes, still crafting and painting but no longer uploading, maybe the old mojo might return, I appreciate the encouragement ❤

Thank you, my friend! I hope you are well! I am not sure these methods are for everyone, but it's fun to explore and experiment and have fun! Life needs more fun, less worry! lol! Thank you so much, always. Cheers to you! :)

@@MDCampbell Totally Agree with you Mark, Cheers to you my friend! -:)

Thank you so much, Nicole Mackey, and I'm thrilled you enjoyed this video! A friend of mine has the Pastel Dreams and says they are wonderful. I'm tempted to purchase them, just... well... because! lol! Enjoy them and happy painting! I'm sincerely grateful for your feedback! Cheers! ~ Mark

Me... a rebel! I like that! lol! thank you, Cynthia Slater! :)

Thank you, everart okelli. Just to be clear, Denise was referring to Chinese White which contains zinc oxide, which I knew was not environmentally good in oil paints, but hadn't heard about it in watercolor form. Good to know. Here's a link to Dick Blick's article on how artists can be more environmentally conscious. You can contact your local Department of Public Works and ask them about disposal of hazardous materials. Most towns/cities have a place to bring these materials, though some may charge a fee for larger quanities. www.dickblick.com/12-ways-artists-can-go-greener/

M.D. Campbell, Zinc oxide is used in a lot of medical products globally. Watercolour artists in general are so averse to using white that I scarcely think that they would have much impact at all. The amounts we use are tiny, and do not compare at all with use in industry. Still it is good to know so we have a choice. My favourite white is a Kremer zinc white which has very low opacity and can therefore be added to quite opaque watercolour pigments like the PR101 colours or Chromium oxide green to make subtle pale colours that dilute down beautifully, the greens of the latter are particularly beautiful and as it is a dull green anyway can produce lovely results in botanical or nature based work. Colours mixed with this white and then diluted look more like dilute milk on the brush than paint white, so very subtle indeed. It makes me love the opaque watercolours and understand why they were used and valued, I think we put too high a value these days on translucency, which while it is a wonderful quality does not have a full range of versatility. Thanks for a great reminder of that! I do not see the same versatility in most blacks, but I do see some very interesting blacks that can be used creatively to produce great work, but not necessarily in a classic watercolour way.

Titanium white is known as an opaque white while zinc whites is also known as Chinese white or mixing white it is less opaque.

@MyCrimsonMischief Thank you. I was wondering the same thing. I guess I'll just have to experiment to see how they react.

Thank you so much, Michelle Earl, and I'm glad you found this one helpful. As for the impairment and using darker lines, white watercolor or gouache (artist grade) can help conceal those lines, much like a makeup concealer. When using straight watercolor, especially transparent, perhaps try to keep your darker colors next to the lines, to help them blend in. You can also go back over those lines, if they show through, with colored pencil to help conceal them, as well. Good luck and I hope my reply was helpful. Thanks again! :)

@@MDCampbell yes it was! Thank you very much! Take care and God bless.

Not sure if I'm clear, Donna Yount, but if your asking if you could use Chinese White watercolor paints with acrylic, I would not recommend it as they are two different mediums that don't typically play well together. As for Corman, I'm not familiar unless you meant Cotman, which I used a lot in the past, but haven't used in a few years. I have some in my supply bin, but I'm not honestly a big fan these days.