How to wet your watercolor paper. Wet the back and sometimes the front. I tell you why and how.

Рет қаралды 11,506

Жыл бұрын

Do I wet my watercolor paper? Yes, but usually not the front, only the back. This video explains why watercolour paintings dry so fast and what to do about it.
My PATREON MEMBERSHIP PAGE: www.patreon.com/user/membersh... - in addition to ad-free content you get exclusive content (new videos will be more in depth than those on my KZfaq channel), hi-resolution reference photos, photos of my finished painting, and drawing outlines where available. Other benefits are also included.
My teaching manual: Mastering Watercolors - A Practical Guide: amzn.to/3ZF2FRW
This is the 23rd video in my beginner watercolor artist course.
If you are a beginner, and this is the first of my videos in this series you are watching, then I highly recommend that you go back and begin at Watercolor Class One and do the exercises in each. These exercises are what I used to put my beginner face-to-face students through, before allowing them to progress to more advanced subjects. Even now, before a student, new to watercolor, can join my online class they have to first prove they have studied and applied this beginner lessons. In this way, new students are able to more easily join my more advanced classes.
I also have a couple of watercolor painting books which I published and distribute through Amazon.
The first one, which has sold over 10,000 copies is bascially my teaching manual and is titled:
Mastering Watercolors - A Practical Guide.
The second is full of step-by-step demonstrations and is titled: Watercolor Step By Step: amzn.to/3z4YXEu
Both books are available in kindle format and paperback.
You can also find a lot of useful information on my website: www.paintingwithwatercolors.com/

Пікірлер: 98

@rachelmarsh 8 күн бұрын

So useful to see you mixing the paints too. Thanks.

@JoeCartwright 7 күн бұрын

I think it is just as important to see what is happening in the palette as on the paper. Glad you found it useful.

@smokeyalmond6039 Ай бұрын

Thank you very much for sharing this method and for other tutorials with valuable teaching.

@JoeCartwright Ай бұрын

You are very welcome!

@myrnalandersartist 10 ай бұрын

What a helpful video! You explain it all so well! Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏

@JoeCartwright 10 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@mingulay29 Жыл бұрын

I think you are up there if not the best watercolourist out there, It is a combination of realism and impressionism and abstraction all in one and you have become a source of inspiration.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Many thanks, glad you enjoyed my video.

@Andy_S. Ай бұрын

Спасибо! Это было полезно! Очень хорошее и ясное объяснение! Благодарю ещё раз!

@JoeCartwright Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

@-Chunk 7 ай бұрын

Absolutely love your tutorials and advice. The best i’ve watched. Thanks so much for taking the time to make and edit these. I have never tried wetting the back of my paper - only the front and have been struggling to keep my paintings vibrant. So i will definitely try wetting the back as you recommend. Thanks again ✌️

@JoeCartwright 7 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

@kerriefearby9542 10 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, this has been the best information I have found on something that always confused and troubled me

@JoeCartwright 10 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

@evgeniyrumynskiy9141 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for such a detailed explanation! It was very helpful 🤠

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@embaaj Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. No one has explained it as well and for hot/dry climes. Thank you.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You're very welcome!

@terrylavis4792 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for these very handy hints, Joe! Direct, clear and very useful to know! 👏👏👏

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You are very welcome Terry! :-)

@RenateWaas Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this tutorial! Very helpful! I learned to wet all the paper, but it makes so much sense to only wet the backside. I will try that next time.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Glad my tutorial was helpful! Thanks for the feedback.

@giorgiogrlj Жыл бұрын

Thanks Joe for this

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You are very welcome.

@doreenaitken5308 7 ай бұрын

I totally agree. I love the white bits. Excellent tool.

@JoeCartwright 7 ай бұрын

Good to hear. Thank you.

@DesignEcologies Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@suel4269 10 ай бұрын

Valuable information! Thankyou! I shared with Watercolor friends .

@JoeCartwright 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!!

@terrycardinaldesigns Жыл бұрын

Your very good at explaining “why” thank you

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback Terry, I enjoy teaching and working out ways to explain things so people understand my message.

@grantellis2840 Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for this fantastic tip Joe, I've being using this method every since you told us about it in one of your free classes about a year and a half ago.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful Grant!

@MB-kf3yx Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your insights on how and when to wet the surfaces of your paper. Very helpful information.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@montygemma 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for this tip it's been really helpful. I'm actually a pretty sucessful oil painter but I do love watercolour but have had a lot frustration with it. I'm a slow and methodical painter, not very spontaneous so I tried this method and it really helped. I used 140 lb paper and wet it 4 times in 5 minute intervals and I got about 3 times as much working time and the results are a lot better from my first washes. Thanks.

@JoeCartwright 10 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@lynnn3365 Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for this method tip. I live in a dry climate and this method would certainly solve the issue of the water drying too quickly. Thanks again. ;)

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You are welcome! Glad my video was of help.

@lilianrokushima2272 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing the tips, it’s really helpful. 🌹

@JoeCartwright 7 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@pamelabozzi239 Жыл бұрын

Joe, this was REALLY helpful. Thanks so much.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful Pamela!

@karemeruest7099 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise -- I am excited to use these techniques moving forward in my watercolour adventures!

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You are so welcome. Have fun!

@maryperrystone Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. You explained the rational so well that I can't wait to try it!

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You are very welcome. Have fun!

@terpfan042 7 ай бұрын

Thanks so much. It is winter here in the Appalachian Mountains and my heating source is electric baseboard, an extremely dry heat. Was almost ready to give up until Spring. Cannot wait to try this.

@JoeCartwright 7 ай бұрын

Good luck!

@terpfan042 7 ай бұрын

I have, indeed, tried this now and it works well for me. I usually wet the back at least four times. Should be interesting, come summer, during humid spells. I will have to adjust seasonally but this tip of wetting the back has been more useful than I could have fathomed. Thanks.

@JoeCartwright 7 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it was helpful. @@terpfan042

@halinateller2665 7 ай бұрын

That was such useful tutorial!

@JoeCartwright 7 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@michaelcody3829 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Joe, really appreciate your videos mate, thanks for sharing your great talent.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

My pleasure Michael, glad you are enjoying them.

@jg1964 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Joe very helpful.

@JoeCartwright 9 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@NJ-bu7zw Жыл бұрын

I learn so much from you. Thank you very much.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Happy to hear that!

@lesleyfox6934 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Joe I’ll try this

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You are very welcome Terry. Good luck with you testing.

@ButterFly-cw7sj Жыл бұрын

I love this Joe. Thanks a lot! ❤️🤗🤗🙏😌😌🎈

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

You are so welcome!

@voliabrandaolaveneremachad7849 Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Welcome!

@jean-louisgateau4648 Жыл бұрын

Excellent conseils qui me seront très utiles. Merci.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

My pleasure, I am very happy you found it helpful. :-)

@smz5302 Жыл бұрын

Three questions, if I may... -So, there's no need to stretch the paper if we wet the back of the paper this way? -If my painting takes multiple sessions, I assume I wet the back like this at the beginning of each session? -What "waterproof board" are you using? Is that Gatorboard? Thank you.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

1. You are correct, no need to stretch the paper if you wet the back this way. The added benefit is that you can start painting straight away. 2. Yes, correct again. You have to be more careful with rewetting however, so you don't accidently get water on the front. 3. I used to use gator board, but now just a piece of acrylic perspex. It is heavier than gator board, but easier to keep clean.

@smz5302 Жыл бұрын

@@JoeCartwright Fascinating. I'll have to give this a try. Thanks so much for the video and taking the time to respond to my questions.

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

@@smz5302 You are very welcome. Good luck.

@robertbutler2180 Жыл бұрын

Hi Joe I have started watching your video and enjoy the way you teach as I'm a beginner for a couple of years. Just a quick question your pallet and colour you uses thank you bob

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Hi Bob, My palette is one I designed myself and printed on my 3D printer - apart from being a professional artist I am also a tech nerd. I will be making a video on my colours before too long.

@robertbutler2180 Жыл бұрын

@@JoeCartwright thank you Joe for your reply, looking forward to seeing your video on colour. You are a good teacher easy to understand.

@kindredspiritm Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing your method of wetting the paper. After wetting the paper do you then tape the front to your board to create a white border?

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

I generally don't as I might need to rewet the back if it is a complex painting. However you can if you want to - it just depends on the length of the painting and if you have to use the hair dryer between steps.

@kindredspiritm Жыл бұрын

@@JoeCartwright Thank you so much for replying!

@jant4741 Жыл бұрын

Makes sense. Will give this a try. What exactly does the sizing do?

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Sizing is a glue that is placed on the surface of the paper to control how fast or slow water is absorbed by the paper. Otherwise the paper would act like plotting paper which has no sizing.

@jant4741 Жыл бұрын

@@JoeCartwright Thank you!

@bonniegarson80 11 ай бұрын

👍

@JoeCartwright 11 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it.

@1Skymed Жыл бұрын

Joe, thanks for this and all your excellent videos. This may seem like a stupid question, but does watercolour paper have a front and a back or are both sides sized and treated the same so it's a moot point??

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

Hi Steve, I don't know about all watercolor papers, but Arches, which is what I use, is sized the same both front and back. You can use either side. However, I mostly use the front as that way the watermark is readable instead of looking like another language. :-)

@1Skymed Жыл бұрын

@@JoeCartwright Cheers Joe, appreciate the feedback.

@trinidiana Жыл бұрын

So if you use the blow dryer in between, you then begin the process again and reset?

@JoeCartwright Жыл бұрын

If you only use the blow dryer lightly to just dry just the top layer, then you many not need to begin the process again. But if you dry the whole thing, yes, will you will need to being the process again. However if you have nearly finished your painting and just need to adjust a small area, you probably don't need to wet the back at all. You have to be very careful when rewetting the back that you do not get water on the front of your painted surface.

@1msfit 4 ай бұрын

I am definitely going to try this as I live in the hot dry interior of California. In the past the only thing I found to work for me was to soak my paper for stretching, staple it to my Gatorboard, and let it dry partially. Your method will allow me to start painting sooner. I take it that with this method there is no need for stretching the paper in advance. Is this correct?

@1msfit 4 ай бұрын

I see you already answered this question below. Thanks so very much for being willing to share your experience and knowledge with all of us. It is very much appreciated.

@JoeCartwright 4 ай бұрын

Yes, that is correct. As you wet the paper it will expand first, then it will flatten out.

@JoeCartwright 4 ай бұрын

You are very welcome. I hope it helps you with your work.

@solaveritas2 6 ай бұрын

Does this technique of wetting the back then also prevent the paper from buckling? I tried painting on 90g paper like you and even though it was taped down (not wet stretched) I had paint pooling in places and washes look terrible. I'm a complete beginner as you might have guessed.

@solaveritas2 6 ай бұрын

New subscriber here , btw, I like the way you teach!

@JoeCartwright 6 ай бұрын

Yes, by adding the right amount of water to the back you get to paint on paper that is not buckled. Though as it dries, you get to a point where it will start to buckle again. You can then carefully rewet the back once it is totally dry.

@JoeCartwright 6 ай бұрын

Good to hear, thank you. Welcome on board!

@solaveritas2 6 ай бұрын

@@JoeCartwright Thank you! I appreciate you took the time to respond.

@JoeCartwright 6 ай бұрын

You are very welcome. @@solaveritas2