I always stay tuned to your channel even though I'm not terribly interested in painting landscapes just for this very reason--the times when you do a video like this that teaches SO MUCH. I've never seen such a thorough explanation of how to handle so many different techniques. I love how you leave in your bloopers too, reminding us that you are human too and we can all learn from mistakes. You are the absolute BEST! Thank you!

I love what you said “you have to gain control to lose control”. Brilliant❤️❤️❤️

That is a great treatment for the “Blank page Anxiety Syndrome.” Thank you for another great video🦋

I will definitely try this. So many good techniques to practice, and I do love Johanna's coloring books. I have several and will use her designs to practice! Thank you!

"You have to gain control to loose control" Best quote EVER! I think knowing that fact will help my art tremendously. Thank you for all that you do.

I have been learning watercolor for 5 years through KZfaq, and taking random classes here and there. This is the first time I have seen this kind of instruction. And it should have been something I started with 5 years ago! Thank you so much for doing this lesson. You are the best, Steve! Plus, during this crazy time, it’s such a good thing to practice, as I’m not inspired to paint much of anything!

Quick tip, if you don't have transfer paper you can make it very easily. I like water soluble graphite but regular graphite works well too. I use a sheet of sturdy tracing paper and simply cover one side with graphite. For regular I would use a 2B or softer lead, but remember the softer it is the darker it will be. For water soluble graphite I use a medium wash derwent but any brand would work. PS the water soluble transfer paper works well when transferring an image you have drawn yourself to watercolor paper and the lines dissolve as you paint so no graphite lines will show in the finished painting. Once I have the image transferred I do lighten it as needed with a kneaded eraser using the "rolling method" to keep the amount of graphite to a minimum whichever type of graphite I use. Hope this helps!! Also you can use it over and over and if it starts to "run out" of graphite just scribble on another coat. I have been using the same 2 sheets I made for 2 years so far!!!

I just want to say that after practicing these techniques and giving my self time my watercolors improved dramatically. No more guessing just a lot of planning and understanding of what will give me the results I want. Thank you so much for this!

I had a glass coffee table thT i used a lamp under as a light table for years...love multi use furniture.

This looks fun as hell... another thing that you could do with it for practice sake is to do it with a limited color palette so that not only are you practicing how the paint goes into the paper, but you're also practicing your color sense and mixing.

This is a great entire class for beginners the way you laid it out, and super useful to anyone who is having trouble with water and control, (which is all the students I have taught live). XD What a great exercise to suggest to folks and I really admire your patience in how you explain it, Steve--this is also an instructive vid for teachers and how to cultivate patience and gentle repetition in teaching beginners.

love this! and love that you showed a finished painting. Some other people's tutorials just fill in a few things and say 'welp that's it!' lol.

This was one of the most helpful videos I’ve seen on KZfaq! It’s just a coloring book,page, but what you showed and demonstrated was amazing! Thanks so much! More like this , please!11

These images are great for Brush control….brush size and spaces…..very good. Thank you!

Love the way you simplified the design. Beautiful.

This is just what I needed! I’ve been doing another online course, and I think the instructor is trying to move students along too quickly. I was getting really discouraged with my results, and remembered that I had much better success following one of your other videos. He’s a good artist, and it’s supposed to be a beginners course. He doesn’t want students to get board doing drills, so he had us do a couple of leaves, and quickly went on to more complex images. I’m now thinking I’d get more out of this sort of thing, along with going back to your other videos on blending, wet in wet, etc.

Kudos to you!! Many teachers cannot get on a beginner level. You do this wonderfully! Thanks so much for your teaching!

This is a great "all in one" video for people new to watercolour, or people who are thinking to try watercolour for the first time, because it shows very well what it is all about. You have demonstrated all of the basic techniques (wow I spelled this word right from the first try), you showed what it is like - to paint with watercolour. Also this video would excite people to try it, because even though you are just practising, you have a pretty image coming along and you get more of the sense of progress. And I totally agree with you: it doesn't matter what style you paint in, you need to know these things.

Hey Steve. Love love love this! One thing I struggle with is patience. I tend to rush to the finish line because I am so anxious to see the final product and find myself making mistakes or compromising the quality of the techniques that you describe here. Thank you for saying the word "mindful" because that is exactly what i needed to hear. My mother bought me a couple of coloring books a few years ago to practice putting down color (tone, value, blending etc.) using graphite, charcoal, pastels or colored pencils right in the books but I hadn't thought to transfer the images to watercolor paper. I will start to do this as a practice exercise. BTW I did follow a couple of your other videos (negative painting and spontaneous wash) recently and was very pleased with the results. Practice practice practice, patience patience patience... Cheers!

One of the most useful videos in watercolor techniques I've watched. Thank you

You're the best 😁 completely invaluable. Enjoy all of your videos, ever so thankful for you sharing all your knowledge and experience with us in such a lovely, fun way!! You're the teacher every student needed at school! Much love x

Everything you do is beautiful; even your rags are wonderful!

Love your Bible quotes! Thanks for another great video.

There is a huge and constantly growing number of coloring pages from talented artists that cover every imaginable subject, giving you a vast array of options to practice watercolor techniques. For example, Hannah Lynn is an artist who draws stylized human subjects and offers simple and complex versions of many of her coloring pages that have a good mix of small and large spaces and thick linear suitable for beginners. Hanna Karlzon is a good choice for those who would like to practice on animals, jewelry and human faces. Kerby Rosanes is noted for his detailed illustrations that range from fantastic creatures to real-world animals and even landscapes. I could go on.

Being absolutely brand new to watercolor, I thought this was brilliant! I learned more in this 30 minute video than in the lessons and other videos I've taken or been watching. The only thing I've been able to perfect to this point is squares, circles and rectangles. I can shade them perfectly. But every time I get to a printed or drawn piece, I make an unholy mess. And you are absolutely correct, practicing squares, circles and rectangles does get boring. Thank you so very much for these videos on the basics. You're an awesome teacher and your explanations are thorough, thoughtful and understandable. Love your channel. I think I will be subscribing on Patreon.

Great teacher... This is a wonderful video for anyone... I've learned a lot here Steve... Thanks

Thanks for the great idea. Im an artist but a beginner in watercolor…i pulled out my “watercolor with me” coloring book. Already has watercolor paper. 💕

I believe this is the best Water Color Lesson on You Tube! Thank You!

Thanks so much. I have been dancing around this technique with the light box which I purchased a while back and somehow couldn’t get motivated but now…. Got it. Will try it on a few custom designed personalized 5x7 cards today. Marjorie from Georgia US👩🏼‍🎨

I was riveted to the TV! Great idea to use the coloring pages for practicing. I love your colors too! That’s something I need a lot more practice on.

Such a great idea for practicing blending, glazing and water control. I get bored after practicing squares and spheres. I am going to dig up an adult coloring book a friend gave me from a few years ago-Harry Potter, if I recall!

If in a pinch make your own graphite paper. With an old pencil cover a piece of paper and use it the same as boughten graphite paper. Won't be as dark but that's good for later water color.

@27:25 “Practice blends; so much fun.” It sounds so sarcastic that I love it.

I am thrilled to have stumbled onto your videos! What a wealth of information! 💗💕💗

I am out of inspiration for now. Been just swatching my watercolor paints for weeks now. This video inspired me to make a transfer of a picture I would like to color and got me moving back to painting. Thank for all your generous advice and tips. I really appreciate your YT channel, I am amazed but the landscapes you paint and I have bought a few of your M. Graham watercolor recommendations. Thank you for being such an inspiration!

Super beautiful. I love owls. Majestic animals.

So...I didn't like these colouring pads, but now, after your video I think I will try them! It's a wonderful exercise, very close to botanical painting that I practice. But this requires a good concentration and I see, when I'm tired, the risk of making a mess is high. I think that for a beginner, the first steps of watercolor are difficult because you've got to think and practice a lot, but then, when you become more aware, everything becomes more easy and spontaneous. Thank you Steve, you are an excellent teacher!

Cool! I bought a bunch of coloring books and never got around to using them but this is giving me ideas for InkTober with the grandkids online! I'm sure they all have coloring books but maybe Grandma could send them one they may want to utilize in different ways- - - Thanks Steve! So simple to just break them up and as always a very pleasurable experience watching a master at work.

Wonderful Video!! I'm a beginner. I've been coloring and using watercolor pencils for a while. I'm a big fan of Johanna!! Watercolring is quite a challenge, but I'm determined. I love your channel, I'm learning so much!! Keep the videos coming.Thank you!!

Every time I watch one of our videos, it reminds me why I became a Patron. Wonderful and informative video. Thank you.

I love your practicing ideas & this seems like an excellent way to overcome “artists block”.

Even though I am late to this party (video), I want to thank you. As a beginning water colorist, I had given up and moved on the colored pencils because I could control the application of the color and get much better results. I am so happy to have found this video. I got my watercolors back out and following your instructions, learned more in one hour than I had in a year of watching water color tutorials. Plus, the result was so pretty it inspired me to begin again. Have you produced any more videos like this one in the past few years? I subscribe to your you tube channel and wlll peruse the list of tutorials looking for another such gem. Thank you for helping restore my interest in proceeding with this medium.

This was an eye-opening video. At first I thought nah, but wow! I am so inspired to work on my technique. Plus I think I can get a little wild with color. It's a challenge to me how to keep so many things in mind at the same time. I am looking forward to some of it becoming second nature. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this! And laser “ink” is polyester, so its 100% plastic, not wax-based. You can totally use inkjet printer too, just change the color the lightest possible gray or any color that suits you.

This was a great lesson. TY so much for all the great tips & tricks. But I do want to say Adult coloring in coloring books is bigger than ever. There are so many who watch your channel who are colorist on their own channels. And many of them use watercolor quite often. I myself have several adult coloring books made with watercolor paper. A really good channel you should maybe take a look at is "The Modern Colorist" And the coloring books that are out now are amazing. It's one of the biggest things on youtube currently. They are interesting to watch when they use many different media's. I also have the book you used today. She is a great artist. She has quite the collection of coloring books out. They are all beautiful. Again thanks so much for all the great content.TYFS

I actually color coloring books all the time in addition to my own work. Drawing isn't my strong suite and it stresses me out. However, coloring can be even soothing. I transfer the original images to watercolor paper either with light table or by transferring with charcoal rubbings. Then I go ahead and refine and re-ink the whole thing. After that I color with watercolor + colored pencil. And I go all in. Like ALL in. If the artwork has an original digital counterpart, I try to get as close as the original. And it doesn't have to be zentangles and stuff. I've got Warcraft, Dragon Age, Witcher, Mass Effect, Dungeons and Dragons etc. coloring books. There are so many coloring books out there for different themes and fandoms!

Very late in seeing this, but really liked it. The finished piece is so nice and professional looking. I've used coloring books before with colored pencils, but didn't pay that much attention to shading. This will give me a new way to practice basics. Thanks for reminding me to be mindful (I'm way too impatient).

Thanks Steve This probably is one of the most helpful lessons from you, for me so far. I've been blundering around trying to understand these concepts for about a couple of years. Thank you,Thank you.

A brilliant way to learn. Drawing is not my forte so this method avoids all that stress and lets me enjoy the painting. Thanks for all the helpful techniques.

Wow! This is great. You explain in a way which makes painting so easier.

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I am a beginner at watercolour, and I can't wait to try it out tomorrow morning :) !!!

Very very useful video! This water/pigment ratio and the ways to apply that on paper are the most important parts of watercolor and you are giving exactly the right explanation! Thank you!

This was absolutely wonderful!!👏🏻 Thankyou Steve ever so much!

What a great way to get to know watercolor and techniques and control of pigments and water. I was gifted a watercolor 'coloring book' by Kristy Rice. I will have to find it (lol) and use it for everything you taught in this video and I can turn it into a learning sketchbook. I am excited this is great so much easier that looking a a blank piece of paper and thinking OK now what the heck am I supposed to do? thank you again for the great videos!!!

This is such a great idea! I really need this kind of practice and you're so right about getting bored with practicing on circles and stripes of paint. I have a whole stack of colouring books I can use. Thanks very much for sharing.

Going to have to take the grandkids coloring book stash and start tracing! Since I was poor at the time and couldn't afford a fancy light box I raided my garage and I just use an old window pane with tape around the edges and a bare light bulb underneath.;)

Thanks Steve! I just did this and learned heaps from your tutorial, comments and style.

Thanks for the tips. Feeling more confident already and not even half done with my subject.🙂

This is a brilliant and fun way to practice these techniques, Thanks.

That was one of the best explanations on charging! Thank you, very helpful.

One of most helpful videos for me as a beginner.Thanks!

Forgot to mention in my post below that Johanna Basford also makes postcard size illustrations from her series. It's an alternative to tracing. I'm going to start my practice on one of those.

so grateful for this painting and a great way to learn and have fun. Thanks so much.

God bless you Steve, for going back to the beginning 20 years ago and challenging yourself. Mindfulness is the key. This by far is the most difficult part of teaching I’ve found in my own teaching experience in other creative fields. It’s so easy to forget the beginning, and zoom ahead once you’ve mastered a technique. People have asked me questions when I’ve taught and I had to say let me get back to you in a few minutes on that because I’d forgotten my basics and had to go back to square one, think it through, and return with answers. Teaching is very hard work and I’m glad I’m not doing it anymore. But please don’t you stop though, lol. I appreciate so much what I’m learning from your videos. Blessings to you!

I did one today! It was an excellent practice 4 sure. I hate to draw. I'm not good at it and I'm super slow so this was great fun.

What an awesome idea and I love your colour choices and how majestic your owl looks.

Fantastic lesson, gorgeous bird :)

This was really informative Steve, thank you so much. I probably shouldn’t have clicked on your video at 1am, but it was worth it.

Thanks for the idea of color pen for transfer paper. I just got some and love that idea.

Love this idea, I’m a card maker, so this is what I do using various stamped images. But, I will start using coloring book pages for practicing on larger scale art projects. Thanks so much for sharing your time and creativity, I hope you had an awesomely blessed & restful vacation! 🎨🖌🙌🏼

This is just what I need! Thank you Steve! It's an interesting way to develop my skills. You explained the water to pigment so well. I practiced and was successful.

Wow this is a really good way to do watercolor exercises without being overwhelmed with any drawing prep first. thank you!

good idea for low stakes practice --- I feel like when i'm trying a painting I am a little hesitant to try techniques. also a good way to build confidence in anticipating water and movement

Mindful practice is exactly what I need. You give the advanced instruction and then the basics too, along the way, to keep techniques keen. You are an excellent teacher. I’m really a beginner. Your encouragement is generous while speaking with such respect to the learner. Thank you, thank you immensely.

Awesome video, Steve! So informative and fun to watch. You're a great teacher!

Thanks for all the techniques. All the detail.

Great video and awesome tips for watercolour practice. Thank you so much! This will be a huge help as I have just started experimenting watercolour.

Great idea for practice. I like how you are not too much of an expert paint snob to "fool with" anything to do with such a trivial thing as a coloring book. It showcases your self-confidence so nicely.

I am a beginner and have practiced these techniques only a few times. This looks like a fun and fabulous way to get better. Thanks Steve!

Your such a good teacher! Thank you for giving us your time and knowledge.

This demonstration is quite good. I have learnt from this.

Great idea! I just ordered 2 of these coloring books from Amazon. They will be here tomorrow.

This is such a logical idea but I never thought of it. Due to arthritis I can't color with pencils anymore due to the pressure and repetitive movement required, and the books do not handle paint well.. but this fixes the issue. There are a ton of them that have caught my eye, now I have a way of doing something with them.

I have 3 of her books so far, for this purpose!! So excited to learn this method. Thank you so much for confirming that it's ok to use color books!

This is an awesome idea. I don’t have a lot of time for painting, and I’ve been looking for something (interesting) I can do to practice when I have only 15 or 20 minutes - not enough to tackle a painting. This fills the bill perfectly. I will definitely be doing it. Off to pick some images now. Thanks a million!

This is such a beautiful painting.

oh! so that's why I get a hard edge--I have an even amount of paint in an area, but it's too wet, and I think, ok, that will dry fine, but no, it does not--thank you Steve!! brilliant. value changes, blending, charging, glazing. oh, so helpful.

Brilliant idea that I can’t wait to try out. I am new to watercolor painting and need to practice all of these techniques and have a set me coloring book similar to yours (maybe the same creater). I have a light box already and plan to cut the pages out of the book with a razor blade to copy rather than fool with using a scanner or copier. You are a wonderful teacher, Steve, and I am so thankful I discovered you!!! Thank you sooooo much!!!

I love these coloring books and have this one. I will definitely utilize it in this way for the practice I reeeally need! In the short time I have been following you I have learned so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

What a useful and informative video. Thank you for this! You take us through all the stages, step by step. So very helpful. Off to practice now!

Thanks, Steve - this is a great idea for practicing technique! I spend too much time struggling to find something to paint (other than random shapes) and using your ideas here will help immensely. Love your videos!

Cool practice idea, thanks. I can't believe you were able to paint so tiny with that size brush. I would've dripped water all over haha. There is a KZfaqr artist selling watercolor paper coloring books called Sakuems (I think she's French but has free int'l shipping). I haven't tried them but other artists here gave them high marks, and I like her designs.

Hey Steve, great video. On the topic of printing on watercolor paper: I have found that, for my personal use, printing the image in very pale blue and inking it directly works for me. Yes the blue will drag a bit, but when printed at 10% opacity it is very subtle. I will experiment with different colors also. Try printing light opacity colored lines and shading with water soluble graphite to get a black and white render with hints of color! Just a thought. Also, thanks for the tip on wax free transfer paper. I had grown to hate transfer paper due to several class projects that I had to restart when the lines were too dark. I'll look into getting some that is wax free and giving that a go.

As a beginner in watercolor I found this video extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

This was an awesome video!!! I will definitely make a few of these. I need the practice. Thank you.

As a beginner watercolorist I can attest to your comment about 'too much water!' This video is just what I needed. I also appreciate your insistence on being mindful instead of just going through the motions. Oner question occurred to me as you painted; how do you stay within the lines? I seem to wander all over.

Fantastic tutorial and such a soothing voice. So informative thanks 😊

Looks fun. Can't wait to try it! Thank you!

It's all about the water in the brush,so true! What we all struggle to learn. Thanks for the tips Steve.😀

Thank you for so many wonderful tips using an interesting way to practice! You are right about sometimes it gets boring doing squares!😀