Very nice, Sarah, thanks! Good accompaniment to my morning coffee ☺️. I’ve a question about Prussian Blue … is it as lightfast (or not) as its watercolor version, and then, if it’s used in mixtures, would those mixtures be compromised by it? Really enjoying your videos. 🦩🌺
Hey! The lightfast of PB27 varies widely across brands in watercolor AND gouache. You have to do your own tests for whichever brand you like. The curious thing I've read is that if left in full sun, PB27 will sometimes lighten in value but not "fade" in saturation. BUT it can recover in shade! Weird. So it's something to look into if you believe your art will be displayed in full sun for most of it's life (which...who the hell does that, stop that!)! The general rule is that the more the the non-lightfast colors are diluted/mixed with others, the less of their pigment is in the mix, and the less you have to worry about your painting changing over time. In addition, the more white that is mixed in, the more stable it becomes. If you are using big chunks of pure color, you may want to consider it more. In my own window tests of 3+ months, no change is visible. However, regardless of the brand or pigments I use, the more I use gouache in general, the more I am compelled to keep it for sketches or making prints of my work, rather than selling the original. There are just too many unknowns and the industry is changing fast, and I don't trust it.
@@SarahBurnsStudio Yes, I’ve heard it can kind of “recover” if placed in a drawer, all good to know. It’s one of my favorite colors, its depth, but think I’ll enjoy it on my own walls for now. Thank you ☺️🌺
I have another idea that might be useful for learners watching your channel. Your strips are great, but I have never taken the time to be so thorough. I did want to learn more about mixing greens in particular, though, so did something similar in a chart with just my blues/turquoise's and yellows/yellow-earths. Having a one-page reference with all the types of greens I could make was enlightening. I was very surprised at some of the outcomes. I hadn't even really thought turquoise would be a good green component, but it creates some really good, totally non-turquoisey colors! There are a few convenience greens I like that I never would have guessed how to make, but saw on my chart.
This is such a cool and helpful video on color mixing in gouache. I never thought of using turquoise green as a base mixing color. Interesting that you recommend Winsor Newton. They are one of the few brands who make looking up the pigment info of their paints so easily.
As always.. so loaded with learning, and simplified for a beginner :) I am just starting with goauche, after about a year of working with watercolours.. and it’s so tempting to hoard colours (I already have more than I would ever use). But working with a limited palette will help so much with understanding color! Thanks Sarah :)
Yea, I own so many colors but the more I paint the more I realize how beneficial it is to work with a limited palette. At least if you have a lot of colors..you can pick and choose to make your limited palette :)
Brilljant! I would never have thought about turquoise an Perylene Green! Now off to my paintcuboard to see if I have any of your colour choices! I certainly have to try this palette, thank you so much for the video!
My palette used to be two reds, two yellows, two blues, burnt sienna, and white when I painted on a regular basis. This palette would allow me to reduce that number by two. Going to purchase a few I don't own and give this new 5-color palette a try.
Great video, beautiful paintings and perfect timing! I'm a complete newbie to gouache. This has really helped me decide which paints to buy. My original choices were not far off from your recommendations but seeing the swatch results were a huge help. Can't wait to get started. Thank you!
My picks would be; Hansa yellow deep, cadmium red,although having cats I replaced my cadmiums for a hue, ultramarine, burnt umber, burnt sienna. My Conveniance color would be a magnenta or an indigo blue. Last not seen in gouache yet so I mix my own from my sennelier tube and white. Burnt umber and burnt sienna are luxurery colors; but I feel kindof naked in any palet without. Im dutch and inspired by artists like a Rien Poortvliet. Wich means lots of browns and natural colors; I cant see mysealf doing a seascape with cobalts; it is to bright for a dutch scene.
I’m working on color mix strips like you did. It’s addicting! Mine are just 2 colors mixed so far. I’m learning which colors I will probably run out of sooner .
Thank you so much for this video , it helps a lot on choosing colors to start with . I usually paint watercolors not now feel like some change. I didnt see all of your videos , my question is why you prefer gouache over watercolor ? I had a try of gouache long time ago, was disturbed by the color shift when dry. But now I want to restart .
I am always happy to see huge colour variation in your paintings. I can never understand artists whose entire collection of works looks the same in terms of colour mixes. As if they only know one type of green mix, one shade of red and so forth. It is so easy to get a big variety of colours even from a tiny selection of paints, and yet there are so many artists who stick to the same colour scheme for all of their work. I personally don't understand how they don't get bored. Because colour scheme dictates the mood of the painting and the feel you get while looking at it. Using the same colour scheme over and over feels super limiting for my creativity. I know that they can get a very recognizable look to their work, but to me that also makes their work too similar, and I get bored after seeing 3-5 pictures, and I am not curious about them again in the future, because it will just be another version of the same. Sorry for the long rant, and thank you for such great demo on how to choose colours for different subjects, must be very helpful and eye opening for beginners. I personally use the same method of looking through my colour charts to pick colour scheme for a planned painting. Great video, also very interesting to pause at the flip through!!!!
I can totally see what you mean! With gouache the "sameness" across many artists' work is more noticeable because the entire world is buying from so few brands/colors. And I can see how a beginner would not want to stray from the familiar. Also you can see the sketchbook tour on my channel if you're interested!
@@SarahBurnsStudio I will surely check your sketchbook tour! Thank you. And a see a lot of colour "sameness" in works of established, working watercolour artists too. I noticed this in many media. I guess they are going for a recognizable brand style. It's just off-putting to me personally.
Pozdrawiam z Polski :) To jeden z najbardziej przydatnych filmów jakie widziałam i bardzo mi pomógł w przygotowaniu własnej palety kolorów. Ogromnie dziękuję! Przekazujesz bardzo konkretną wiedzę
I too have a limited set of colors, a slightly different range, and it amazes me how with a bit of practice, one can really mix any color under the sun with them! My range is Cadmium Yellow Light (M Graham), Cadmium Red Light (M Graham), Quin Rose (M graham), Opera Rose (Holbein), Burnt Sienna (M Graham), Flesh Tint (Winsor+Newton- Just for the sheer convenience it provides me since I do more character drawing with my art supplies), Dioxazine Purple (M Graham), Ultramarine Blue (M Graham) Pthalo Blue (M Graham), Pthalo Green (M Graham), Cobalt Teal (Watercolor that I just add a bit of white gouache to) then the two whites and Jet Black (M Graham). I love how different each artists' tastes are. It really says a lot about who we are in the end. Like an extension of ourselves.
I'm also into minimizing my Palette. It's interesting to see how everyone comes up with unique selection of colors. It differs depending on what people paint at the most, I guess. If you were based in not Schottland, instead India for example, the color selection would have been mudier ones like ochres and sap green etc. I can see vibrant landscapes there through your Scottish palette.
Yes so true! I also love using more muted tones so I'll sometimes choose yellow ochre and Ultramarine. I switch out my palette a lot because why not. I'm not deserted on an island 🤣
Can I recommend a variation on your chart? I have started doing a variation where the main diagonal is the straight paint in part of the square and diluted (with water for watercolor - mixed with white for gouache). Then, all the squares above/right of the diagonal are a mix of the two colors leaning towards the top color. Again, those squares are divided with a diluted/tinted version. The squares below/left of the diagonal are a mix leaning towards the color on the left, and again part of each square is diluted/tinted. This format gives a lot more information in one chart. It essentially combines the near-ends of your mixing strips, adds tinting, and puts it in your chart format. It is a little more work than your chart, but a lot less than your strips, and adds more tinting examples.
Its always good to show more variation! I was trying to keep it simple for beginners but I would recommend doing that if you want to learn even more. Also you could add an opacity line in each square.
@@SarahBurnsStudio as an artist in many variations ...graphic designer...wedding/portrait photographer ...and reborn again painter (in various mediums) I would enjoy a more indepth interpretation of thrse kinds of color theory -or - if you will... a rekindling of your thoughts on it. I think some us in an slightly older community of artists could find an extraordinary refresh in your approach in how one approaches art outside the university level.
This just helped me sooo much! I'm just starting out with gouache and I'm glad I use W&N (mostly) haha. I started making my own swatches already :-) I have different colours to the ones you mentioned in this video, but it's such a great introduction to mixing colours! Thank you for sharing these tips and saving me a lot of pain!
Hi Sarah, l have been wanting to try guache for a while and have just watched this video. I was going to order this set of of colours but l have been made aware of the terrible suffering in the cobalt mines. I wondered if you were aware of this? I love all your videos…they bring great joy to my life.💕 Love and light Jo xx
Am I the only one that doesn't understand the colour charts 🥺 I feel so stupid haha! I get that the column colour is mixed with the row colour on the top/right hand side but I can't figure out what combos have made the pastels on the bottom/left. I tried gouache for the first time today, I've only used acrylics on and off for years and haven't painted with watercolour since I was in school. Having to go right back to basics 😳 thanks so much Sarah for all your help, I've watched so many of your videos so far!
If I heard that right, you said you could get a really good black by mixing Alizarin Crimson with Perylene Green, so would you switch out your black for the Perylene Green? After I listed out your deserted island palette and your sea and forest palettes it looks like you only use a total of 7 colors across all them which isn't a lot really. For most people 7 colors would be a limited palette. I'm really enjoying your channel. Thanks for making these videos 😀
Things have changed since then - but yes, for a very long time I used 5-7 colors across all of my palettes. Now, if you look at my supply list you can see I have more colors…and even those are changing 😅 Like now I use a couple different palettes, each one holds 12-16 colors, so I experiment with different combos. I also make my own custom mixes now based on colors I mix most often.
@@SarahBurnsStudio I learned to paint at school a long time ago, with 5 colors. Black, white, red, blue and yellow. Since I've started learning watercolor lately, I've not really strayed far out of that. Even with a wide range of colors in my palette the same few colors keep being used and the rest just sit there untouched. I'm trying to fix that since I'm running through the basic colors really fast by making the colors that are already sitting near to it in my palette 🤦♀ Old habits die hard though. I haven't used gouache but it appeals to me as a cross between acrylic and watercolor and I love the paintings you've been doing with it.
I thought you’d describe your colors by lightfastness since gouache made for designers doesn’t prioritize lighfastness. Of course it matters less in a sketchbook. :) 🌸
Love your channel! In watercolor I usually mix a rich deep black from PR122 and Pbk31. I really enjoyed watching you trials of bismuth vanadate. I am torn between that color and Holbein’s benzimidazolone lemon yellow as a PY3 replacement.
Great tips, Sarah! Question I have is how well the WN Titanium White goes over the other colours without fading or darkening (ie: the tiny sailboats painted on one of the sketchbook paintings).
@@SarahBurnsStudio Neutralising colours is something that I'm currently playing around with - especially since you say they make for more believable landscapes ^^
Your comment sounds just like me! In my case, I spent so many years drawing in black and white because colours never turned out looking good (at least I am good with values now). I was terrible with colour and gave up for a long time. I must say that colour charts and swatching different mixes in the way Sarah recommends, was the most helpful of all. Next best thing is to pick colours while looking at the chart, and do colour study thumbnails. I still do that almost every time since I don't trust myself with colours yet, and this process saves me a lot of frustration and helps to make painting more enjoyable, since it's one less thing to keep in mind while painting.
Thanks, very useful tips. Loved the colour strips -will definitely try that. One question about Prussian Blue. I've read it is considered a fugitive colour -which keeps me from using it, although I love the hue. Do you have any thoughts on this? Do you still keep Prussian Blue on your "desert island 🏝️" palette? If you had to replace it with a similar hue and value colour, what would be a suitable choice? Thanks again!
It doesn’t matter to me, I rarely sell original gouache paintings, I scan or photograph them in my sketchbook work while they are fresh I still love Prussian blue but I have been experimenting with different blues lately. Too early to say if it would replace it in my desert island game! It’s just so versatile
Wish I could get an understanding of those colour chart blocks. I just don’t get it, find them so confusing, as they seem all over the place 😂. I need things to be organised in neat little rows in order to understand them. I know what you’re doing is the right way, and everyone does it that way, but it just confuses my brain. Your strips, on the other hand, makes complete sense to me 😁 Thank you!
Interesting! I guess we all have different ways of organising information in our minds. I just do whatever makes the most sense for my painting process.
I guess I'd try mixing ultramarine with white and a tiny touch of yellow. It might not be exact but that's the general idea. Or if you have prussian blue do the same
Hi Sarah. I love this painting. Ive been doing the 2-color strips all day today. I see the value in them! And they’re fun to do. You mention that this painting is in your Patreon but I can’t find it. Do you have a link perhaps?
Your channel is amazing. You infos are very helpful and I'm learning so much. I was about to buy myself a set of tubes(10-12) but after watching this I will try your desert 5. I notice that your browns might be rather difficult to achieve with these 5 for a beginner like me. Could you recommend the one brown you would add to those 5? Or perhaps the one other colour that would solve the brown issue easier? I usually paint anime scenes, landscape with buildings, and portraits. I thank you for everything.
@@SarahBurnsStudio thank you for your reply. So my 6+white is ready… to buy lol. At the moment, I can only watch your youtube videos, but when time and budget allows me, I will check on your patron as well as any other lessons you provide.
very interesting video, Sarah. I just recently started painting using gouache and found that some colors i have are very transparent. How important would you say is the opaqueness of a color when you pick them? Sorry for the newbie question :D
To me opacity is the whole point of gouache. If it were transparent I'd just be using watercolor instead. So I'd say try a couple different brands until you find opaque colors.
I would love to learn to paint scenery like this, I do more florals with watercolor but I would love love love to learn to paint like you. do you tape off your journal to keep the cohesive square? Do you use hot press watercolor paper?
Hi Olivia :) Yes, I use masking tape so that the edges stay clean in the sketchbook, it's the easiest way to make it look tidy! And yes, for gouache I like hot press - it's nice and smooth.
2:32 Is it a warm blue? I would say that Ultramarine is warmer because it is closer to red. But I guess it's a matter of what theory you hang on to. Thanks.
In a color wheel, Temperature is relative to the color wheel. In a single painting with limited colors, temperature is relative within that limited spectrum. Also there’s always the possibility we see color slightly differently, it’s a fascinating subject!
lol,, Scotland looks very similar to here (Newfoundland, Canada). and now i'm curious about how to handle fog... i get alot of fog here.. is there something i can do with gouache and watercolor??
If you mix complimentary colors together, it creates neutral tones. Or add a touch of black. This is how I make my 'two color mixing strips' th-cam.com/video/-0pw99gcoX4/w-d-xo.html - this video is watercolor but I do the same thing in gouache
Hi! Thanks for teaching and sharing this! I tried mixing and following but i kinda got lost in that part of the video 14:50, which colors are to be combined in that part? hope you can take time to answer, would really appreciate it! thank you!
Where do I learn about layering of gouache? Can u help me with that & I'm really searching for resources but not everyone teaches about the subtle shades & intricate details which r made in gouache.
I have quite a few process videos in this playlist th-cam.com/play/PLPXRG6jaep0VJfm_nuD-F_aifQLbkv34D.html in addition I teach in-depth tutorials on my Patreon
This was eye opening, but what about "needing" warms and cools? Most advice that I've seen says that you need warms and cools. Do you just work with what you have and adjust as much as you can when needed, or do you use different colours in different situations?
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for the video. I have a question about the white paints. Which one do you recommend between titanium white and zinc white to buy the big tube? and do we need both? or it can use interchangeably?
You can definitely use them interchangeably. I think the differences are minor. But I use zinc white for mixing, and titanium white for the final highlights. If I could only buy one, I would choose the titanium white because it has the POW! Brightest bright
Hello thank you! I have tons of tutorials on my Patreon, for only $5 you get access to all of them, and you can cancel at any time. bit.ly/sbpaintalongs I also have several courses on Skillshare - take your pick. fearlessbrush.com/premium-painting-classes/
You inspired me to swatch my gouache, finally, after having it for 2 years but being too scared to use it. XD I was about to play your gouache playlist for some tips and I'm curious if you know there's a few oddball videos in the playlist? (Not that I don't appreciate shuffle dancing and music covers, haha. )
Ah, that sketchbook!!! And how naughty of you to taunt us with just a glimpse of what it contains! The colour mixing chart , especially for gouache, is my Nemesis- I can only get 2 first gradations right, after that it's all one hue 😂 It's usually looks better when it's wet, when it dries, it's a dog dinner and not a colour chart! And I am confused how to make a mix darker, for example: say, I mixed red and blue and got a middle value colour, should I add black to it to make it darker? Or more blue.. although, sometimes the colour just gets blue-er, and not darker. # confused.🙄
If you add more of either of the colors you started with, you will end up changing the hue as well as possibly making your mix lighter or darker. If you look at one of Sarah's mixing strips, they show exactly what you describe. On a red-blue strip, if you were at the middle and starting adding blue, the color (hue) would change from say a mid-purple to an increasingly blue-sh, cooler purple, to ultimately just blue. If the blue was lighter than the red, then the mix would be getting lighter. If the blue were darker, the mix would be getting darker. To change just tone (lightness) of your mix, you need to add a neutral color. These would be black and white. If you add a non-neutral black, like the perelyne black Sarah mentions in this video that has a green undertone, then your mix will darken, but the hue will also shift slightly due to the green. I hope that helped and made sense!
You can only do so much given your color choices...so instead think about values in your painting. This is why value studies are super helpful. First find out what your darkest mix is. Make that your darkest area of the painting. From there you know where you stand and everything else gets lighter as needed :)
@@SarahBurnsStudio I know what you mean, it's like a fine-tuning a piano ,where every key has to strike a right note. My notes are " almost" or " nearly" or " not even close" so far! 😂 Back to the drawing board... I will get there... I Will get there...🤣 Thank you! I am learning a lot from you, thank you for being so generous!❤️
It is my understanding that gouache is just opaque watercolor and if that's true I'm surprised that quinacridone magenta would be gouache. Could you explain that to me? Is it true that gouache is just opaque watercolor?
Basically yes. Some pigments are inherently more opaque than others. But then there are also "technical" differences. As far as I've understood it, gouache has a higher pigmentload (which is why in some brands gouache is more expensive than the same colour in watercolour), some (?) might be ground a little less fine (which is why they might not move as much as watercolour usually does). And most brands, especially the cheaper ones already add white for convenience and more opacity. Those "technical" differences make gouache behave differently than watercolour. So you might not want to use gouache the same way as you use watercolour. Both have similarities, but also quite different merits.
I watched this clip the 4th time. but still i don't understand your mixing chart, beginning at 13:11 - from where did you mixed this dark blue/purple/lila suddenly?
@@patrickafable7909 it's not only Prussian Blue, you can mix any 2 colors together. But yes I'm showing some that include PB, because that's one of my favorite blues
Hi, after seing this I decided that I need to do something similar with the set I have and make a limited palette. But now I need to get food for our dog, our sweet monster dog! 😜🙃
Very nice, Sarah, thanks! Good accompaniment to my morning coffee ☺️. I’ve a question about Prussian Blue … is it as lightfast (or not) as its watercolor version, and then, if it’s used in mixtures, would those mixtures be compromised by it? Really enjoying your videos. 🦩🌺
Hey! The lightfast of PB27 varies widely across brands in watercolor AND gouache. You have to do your own tests for whichever brand you like. The curious thing I've read is that if left in full sun, PB27 will sometimes lighten in value but not "fade" in saturation. BUT it can recover in shade! Weird. So it's something to look into if you believe your art will be displayed in full sun for most of it's life (which...who the hell does that, stop that!)!
The general rule is that the more the the non-lightfast colors are diluted/mixed with others, the less of their pigment is in the mix, and the less you have to worry about your painting changing over time. In addition, the more white that is mixed in, the more stable it becomes. If you are using big chunks of pure color, you may want to consider it more.
In my own window tests of 3+ months, no change is visible.
However, regardless of the brand or pigments I use, the more I use gouache in general, the more I am compelled to keep it for sketches or making prints of my work, rather than selling the original. There are just too many unknowns and the industry is changing fast, and I don't trust it.
@@SarahBurnsStudio Yes, I’ve heard it can kind of “recover” if placed in a drawer, all good to know. It’s one of my favorite colors, its depth, but think I’ll enjoy it on my own walls for now. Thank you ☺️🌺
I have another idea that might be useful for learners watching your channel. Your strips are great, but I have never taken the time to be so thorough. I did want to learn more about mixing greens in particular, though, so did something similar in a chart with just my blues/turquoise's and yellows/yellow-earths. Having a one-page reference with all the types of greens I could make was enlightening. I was very surprised at some of the outcomes. I hadn't even really thought turquoise would be a good green component, but it creates some really good, totally non-turquoisey colors! There are a few convenience greens I like that I never would have guessed how to make, but saw on my chart.
I would love a detailed description on how you achieved the beautiful neutral chart.
That tree on the opposite page from your muted swatches is magical! No one paints like you, Sarah. 🤗
Dang the quality of paintings in that journal is amazing! Goals
Desert island colours at 6:24. ,Lemon yellow, Alazarin Crimson, Cobalt turquoise light, Prussian Blue, perylene black (and white, natch)
This is such a cool and helpful video on color mixing in gouache. I never thought of using turquoise green as a base mixing color. Interesting that you recommend Winsor Newton. They are one of the few brands who make looking up the pigment info of their paints so easily.
Very educational! Can you please consider making a vid on how you create your color strips (mixing cards)?
I’ll add it to my list 😊
@@SarahBurnsStudio thank youuu!! :D
As always.. so loaded with learning, and simplified for a beginner :) I am just starting with goauche, after about a year of working with watercolours.. and it’s so tempting to hoard colours (I already have more than I would ever use). But working with a limited palette will help so much with understanding color! Thanks Sarah :)
Yea, I own so many colors but the more I paint the more I realize how beneficial it is to work with a limited palette. At least if you have a lot of colors..you can pick and choose to make your limited palette :)
It's so meditative to watch you make this colour chart! And super helpful to hear your thoughts on why you chose these colours. Thank you for sharing!
Fabulous video, thank you! I’m learning so much.
I’ve learnt so much from your channel, thanks for another great video!
I'm about to start my gouache journey and you videos are being a great guide as how to start. Thankyou
Brilljant! I would never have thought about turquoise an Perylene Green! Now off to my paintcuboard to see if I have any of your colour choices! I certainly have to try this palette, thank you so much for the video!
It can create so many lovely mixes!
This is super helpful, thank you. I definitely need to make the longer swatches for my gouache and watercolours
It's so fun!
@@SarahBurnsStudio I think sometimes I enjoy the process of swatching more than actually painting 😅
My palette used to be two reds, two yellows, two blues, burnt sienna, and white when I painted on a regular basis. This palette would allow me to reduce that number by two. Going to purchase a few I don't own and give this new 5-color palette a try.
Great video, beautiful paintings and perfect timing! I'm a complete newbie to gouache. This has really helped me decide which paints to buy. My original choices were not far off from your recommendations but seeing the swatch results were a huge help. Can't wait to get started. Thank you!
That's so exciting! I have tons of tutorials for beginners on my channel if you are interested in landscapes :)
My picks would be; Hansa yellow deep, cadmium red,although having cats I replaced my cadmiums for a hue, ultramarine, burnt umber, burnt sienna. My Conveniance color would be a magnenta or an indigo blue. Last not seen in gouache yet so I mix my own from my sennelier tube and white. Burnt umber and burnt sienna are luxurery colors; but I feel kindof naked in any palet without. Im dutch and inspired by artists like a Rien Poortvliet. Wich means lots of browns and natural colors; I cant see mysealf doing a seascape with cobalts; it is to bright for a dutch scene.
Omg. The mix sticks are an excellent idea! Especially for me as a newbie - I can picture the colour I want but have no idea how to get there.
I'm really glad i just discovered your channel. Your artwork is so inspiring 😊👍
Thank you very much!
I’m working on color mix strips like you did. It’s addicting! Mine are just 2 colors mixed so far. I’m learning which colors I will probably run out of sooner .
Thank you for this great lesson. This is an incredibly inspiring video and such useful information, very well explained.
Glad it was helpful!
I would love to see how you made those little vertical colour charts! it would be so helpful too!
Check out my other color mixing videos in the playlist
What a great way to start my Friday! Thanks Sarah and I need to get cracking on doing more of my color swatches!
It's so fun and relaxing!
Your limited palette is a wonderful, classic cymk choice of colors.
Thank you so much for this video , it helps a lot on choosing colors to start with . I usually paint watercolors not now feel like some change. I didnt see all of your videos , my question is why you prefer gouache over watercolor ? I had a try of gouache long time ago, was disturbed by the color shift when dry. But now I want to restart .
Thank you so much Sarah! This is one of the best advice Videos for gouache I have seen! 😊
What a stunning layout of sketches and how you present them is so helpful. Ty.
Hi !
The Holbein colors are very vibrant and unique. Do you think that mixed primaries colors can replicate their pigment combinations ?
I am always happy to see huge colour variation in your paintings. I can never understand artists whose entire collection of works looks the same in terms of colour mixes. As if they only know one type of green mix, one shade of red and so forth. It is so easy to get a big variety of colours even from a tiny selection of paints, and yet there are so many artists who stick to the same colour scheme for all of their work. I personally don't understand how they don't get bored. Because colour scheme dictates the mood of the painting and the feel you get while looking at it. Using the same colour scheme over and over feels super limiting for my creativity. I know that they can get a very recognizable look to their work, but to me that also makes their work too similar, and I get bored after seeing 3-5 pictures, and I am not curious about them again in the future, because it will just be another version of the same.
Sorry for the long rant, and thank you for such great demo on how to choose colours for different subjects, must be very helpful and eye opening for beginners. I personally use the same method of looking through my colour charts to pick colour scheme for a planned painting. Great video, also very interesting to pause at the flip through!!!!
I can totally see what you mean! With gouache the "sameness" across many artists' work is more noticeable because the entire world is buying from so few brands/colors. And I can see how a beginner would not want to stray from the familiar.
Also you can see the sketchbook tour on my channel if you're interested!
@@SarahBurnsStudio I will surely check your sketchbook tour! Thank you.
And a see a lot of colour "sameness" in works of established, working watercolour artists too. I noticed this in many media. I guess they are going for a recognizable brand style. It's just off-putting to me personally.
Pozdrawiam z Polski :) To jeden z najbardziej przydatnych filmów jakie widziałam i bardzo mi pomógł w przygotowaniu własnej palety kolorów. Ogromnie dziękuję! Przekazujesz bardzo konkretną wiedzę
I too have a limited set of colors, a slightly different range, and it amazes me how with a bit of practice, one can really mix any color under the sun with them! My range is Cadmium Yellow Light (M Graham), Cadmium Red Light (M Graham), Quin Rose (M graham), Opera Rose (Holbein), Burnt Sienna (M Graham), Flesh Tint (Winsor+Newton- Just for the sheer convenience it provides me since I do more character drawing with my art supplies), Dioxazine Purple (M Graham), Ultramarine Blue (M Graham) Pthalo Blue (M Graham), Pthalo Green (M Graham), Cobalt Teal (Watercolor that I just add a bit of white gouache to) then the two whites and Jet Black (M Graham). I love how different each artists' tastes are. It really says a lot about who we are in the end. Like an extension of ourselves.
Well said!
Muchas gracias por compartir tus conocimientos y ser tan clara en tus explicaciones. Saludos desde Argentina
Thank you Sarah. Excellent information 😊
This is super helpful and your voice is so relaxing 🖤
Love this approach for using the color strips!
I'm also into minimizing my Palette.
It's interesting to see how everyone comes up with unique selection of colors. It differs depending on what people paint at the most, I guess. If you were based in not Schottland, instead India for example, the color selection would have been mudier ones like ochres and sap green etc.
I can see vibrant landscapes there through your Scottish palette.
Yes so true! I also love using more muted tones so I'll sometimes choose yellow ochre and Ultramarine. I switch out my palette a lot because why not. I'm not deserted on an island 🤣
Can I recommend a variation on your chart? I have started doing a variation where the main diagonal is the straight paint in part of the square and diluted (with water for watercolor - mixed with white for gouache). Then, all the squares above/right of the diagonal are a mix of the two colors leaning towards the top color. Again, those squares are divided with a diluted/tinted version. The squares below/left of the diagonal are a mix leaning towards the color on the left, and again part of each square is diluted/tinted.
This format gives a lot more information in one chart. It essentially combines the near-ends of your mixing strips, adds tinting, and puts it in your chart format. It is a little more work than your chart, but a lot less than your strips, and adds more tinting examples.
Its always good to show more variation! I was trying to keep it simple for beginners but I would recommend doing that if you want to learn even more. Also you could add an opacity line in each square.
@@SarahBurnsStudio as an artist in many variations ...graphic designer...wedding/portrait photographer ...and reborn again painter (in various mediums) I would enjoy a more indepth interpretation of thrse kinds of color theory -or - if you will... a rekindling of your thoughts on it. I think some us in an slightly older community of artists could find an extraordinary refresh in your approach in how one approaches art outside the university level.
Thank you! Great information! I look forward to seeingmore
This just helped me sooo much! I'm just starting out with gouache and I'm glad I use W&N (mostly) haha. I started making my own swatches already :-) I have different colours to the ones you mentioned in this video, but it's such a great introduction to mixing colours! Thank you for sharing these tips and saving me a lot of pain!
Hi Sarah, l have been wanting to try guache for a while and have just watched this video. I was going to order this set of of colours but l have been made aware of the terrible suffering in the cobalt mines. I wondered if you were aware of this?
I love all your videos…they bring great joy to my life.💕
Love and light Jo xx
Wow most most most most most most beautiful painting
Thank you so much 😀
@@SarahBurnsStudio welcome 😀
Am I the only one that doesn't understand the colour charts 🥺 I feel so stupid haha! I get that the column colour is mixed with the row colour on the top/right hand side but I can't figure out what combos have made the pastels on the bottom/left.
I tried gouache for the first time today, I've only used acrylics on and off for years and haven't painted with watercolour since I was in school. Having to go right back to basics 😳 thanks so much Sarah for all your help, I've watched so many of your videos so far!
If I heard that right, you said you could get a really good black by mixing Alizarin Crimson with Perylene Green, so would you switch out your black for the Perylene Green?
After I listed out your deserted island palette and your sea and forest palettes it looks like you only use a total of 7 colors across all them which isn't a lot really. For most people 7 colors would be a limited palette.
I'm really enjoying your channel. Thanks for making these videos 😀
Things have changed since then - but yes, for a very long time I used 5-7 colors across all of my palettes. Now, if you look at my supply list you can see I have more colors…and even those are changing 😅 Like now I use a couple different palettes, each one holds 12-16 colors, so I experiment with different combos. I also make my own custom mixes now based on colors I mix most often.
@@SarahBurnsStudio I learned to paint at school a long time ago, with 5 colors. Black, white, red, blue and yellow. Since I've started learning watercolor lately, I've not really strayed far out of that. Even with a wide range of colors in my palette the same few colors keep being used and the rest just sit there untouched. I'm trying to fix that since I'm running through the basic colors really fast by making the colors that are already sitting near to it in my palette 🤦♀ Old habits die hard though. I haven't used gouache but it appeals to me as a cross between acrylic and watercolor and I love the paintings you've been doing with it.
I thought you’d describe your colors by lightfastness since gouache made for designers doesn’t prioritize lighfastness. Of course it matters less in a sketchbook. :) 🌸
You opend my eyes. Thank you!
Love your channel! In watercolor I usually mix a rich deep black from PR122 and Pbk31. I really enjoyed watching you trials of bismuth vanadate. I am torn between that color and Holbein’s benzimidazolone lemon yellow as a PY3 replacement.
It's worth buying a couple 5ml tubes to compare
Great tips, Sarah! Question I have is how well the WN Titanium White goes over the other colours without fading or darkening (ie: the tiny sailboats painted on one of the sketchbook paintings).
What do you mean “without fading?”
Thank you Sarah, this video was super helpful.
Oh man, colour is so intimidating! But thanks so much for explaining it in a way that makes sense ^^
Is there anything in particular that would help if I talked/demonstrated?
@@SarahBurnsStudio Neutralising colours is something that I'm currently playing around with - especially since you say they make for more believable landscapes ^^
Your comment sounds just like me! In my case, I spent so many years drawing in black and white because colours never turned out looking good (at least I am good with values now). I was terrible with colour and gave up for a long time. I must say that colour charts and swatching different mixes in the way Sarah recommends, was the most helpful of all. Next best thing is to pick colours while looking at the chart, and do colour study thumbnails. I still do that almost every time since I don't trust myself with colours yet, and this process saves me a lot of frustration and helps to make painting more enjoyable, since it's one less thing to keep in mind while painting.
Thanks, very useful tips. Loved the colour strips -will definitely try that. One question about Prussian Blue. I've read it is considered a fugitive colour -which keeps me from using it, although I love the hue. Do you have any thoughts on this? Do you still keep Prussian Blue on your "desert island 🏝️" palette? If you had to replace it with a similar hue and value colour, what would be a suitable choice? Thanks again!
It doesn’t matter to me, I rarely sell original gouache paintings, I scan or photograph them in my sketchbook work while they are fresh
I still love Prussian blue but I have been experimenting with different blues lately. Too early to say if it would replace it in my desert island game! It’s just so versatile
Have you tried the cheaper version of winsor and newton gouache? Wondering how it compares to the designers gouache.
No I have not
Thank you for sharing Sarah! This was super helpful
My only concern about using Prussian blue is that it's almost fugitive - I'd be concerned about it fading in the mix.
Wish I could get an understanding of those colour chart blocks. I just don’t get it, find them so confusing, as they seem all over the place 😂. I need things to be organised in neat little rows in order to understand them. I know what you’re doing is the right way, and everyone does it that way, but it just confuses my brain. Your strips, on the other hand, makes complete sense to me 😁 Thank you!
Interesting! I guess we all have different ways of organising information in our minds. I just do whatever makes the most sense for my painting process.
How would you mix a teal/turquoise without having to buy one? BTW I use Holbein acrylic gouache.
I guess I'd try mixing ultramarine with white and a tiny touch of yellow. It might not be exact but that's the general idea. Or if you have prussian blue do the same
Hi Sarah. I love this painting. Ive been doing the 2-color strips all day today. I see the value in them! And they’re fun to do. You mention that this painting is in your Patreon but I can’t find it. Do you have a link perhaps?
It is one of the old retired paintalongs. But it's on the list to do again (slightly different composition)
@@SarahBurnsStudio Thanks you for the reply 😘
Your channel is amazing. You infos are very helpful and I'm learning so much. I was about to buy myself a set of tubes(10-12) but after watching this I will try your desert 5. I notice that your browns might be rather difficult to achieve with these 5 for a beginner like me. Could you recommend the one brown you would add to those 5? Or perhaps the one other colour that would solve the brown issue easier? I usually paint anime scenes, landscape with buildings, and portraits. I thank you for everything.
Thank you! Burnt umber is my favorite brown and very good for mixing. You can add it to any mix to create a more muted color
@@SarahBurnsStudio thank you for your reply. So my 6+white is ready… to buy lol. At the moment, I can only watch your youtube videos, but when time and budget allows me, I will check on your patron as well as any other lessons you provide.
Excellent presentation, as always!😺
very interesting video, Sarah. I just recently started painting using gouache and found that some colors i have are very transparent. How important would you say is the opaqueness of a color when you pick them? Sorry for the newbie question :D
To me opacity is the whole point of gouache. If it were transparent I'd just be using watercolor instead. So I'd say try a couple different brands until you find opaque colors.
I would love to learn to paint scenery like this, I do more florals with watercolor but I would love love love to learn to paint like you. do you tape off your journal to keep the cohesive square? Do you use hot press watercolor paper?
Hi Olivia :) Yes, I use masking tape so that the edges stay clean in the sketchbook, it's the easiest way to make it look tidy! And yes, for gouache I like hot press - it's nice and smooth.
Really fantastic video!
such a helpful video thank you
2:32 Is it a warm blue? I would say that Ultramarine is warmer because it is closer to red. But I guess it's a matter of what theory you hang on to. Thanks.
In a color wheel, Temperature is relative to the color wheel. In a single painting with limited colors, temperature is relative within that limited spectrum.
Also there’s always the possibility we see color slightly differently, it’s a fascinating subject!
Love your style , do you prefer gouache over watercolor? I am trying to decide, I muddy colors and overwork my paintings a lot.
I find it really hard to choose. The convenience of watercolor is unbeatable. But I LOVE the texture and look of gouache...
lol,, Scotland looks very similar to here (Newfoundland, Canada). and now i'm curious about how to handle fog... i get alot of fog here.. is there something i can do with gouache and watercolor??
You can do a wet into wet layer with gouache to get that misty effect
What colours do u mixed to get the neutral shades ma'am? What r the abbreviated words that u mentioned above each shade (eg:yRP)
Add on to that how to make those strip of colours, those r amazing & i hope that would help me
If you mix complimentary colors together, it creates neutral tones. Or add a touch of black. This is how I make my 'two color mixing strips' th-cam.com/video/-0pw99gcoX4/w-d-xo.html - this video is watercolor but I do the same thing in gouache
Hi! Thanks for teaching and sharing this! I tried mixing and following but i kinda got lost in that part of the video 14:50, which colors are to be combined in that part? hope you can take time to answer, would really appreciate it! thank you!
You combine the colors as they align on the chart. Try to get a 50% 50% mix
@@SarahBurnsStudio thank you so much! 😊
Hi Sarah this video was very helpful I have a question if there's for example 20 colors should I do the2color chart for all of them ?
It's up to you...whatever will be helpful in learning your colors! I have done it for all of mine
Where do I learn about layering of gouache? Can u help me with that & I'm really searching for resources but not everyone teaches about the subtle shades & intricate details which r made in gouache.
I have quite a few process videos in this playlist th-cam.com/play/PLPXRG6jaep0VJfm_nuD-F_aifQLbkv34D.html in addition I teach in-depth tutorials on my Patreon
This was eye opening, but what about "needing" warms and cools? Most advice that I've seen says that you need warms and cools. Do you just work with what you have and adjust as much as you can when needed, or do you use different colours in different situations?
Color temperature is relative. You can adjust each mix to suit your needs within a scene. It doesn't matter how many colors you have.
@@SarahBurnsStudio Thanks!
Great video! Thanks for making this :)
So if you were on that island with the 6 color mixing set and the tide brought in 2 other colors..... what would you want them to be?
Ultramarine and burnt umber
Do you think the W&N cobalt torquise is prettier or the Holbein?
I don't know but I am obsessed with it 😂
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for the video. I have a question about the white paints. Which one do you recommend between titanium white and zinc white to buy the big tube? and do we need both? or it can use interchangeably?
You can definitely use them interchangeably. I think the differences are minor. But I use zinc white for mixing, and titanium white for the final highlights. If I could only buy one, I would choose the titanium white because it has the POW! Brightest bright
@@SarahBurnsStudio thank you so much!
Great channel so exciting iwant to ask have you a paintnig course for ghouche online?
Hello thank you! I have tons of tutorials on my Patreon, for only $5 you get access to all of them, and you can cancel at any time. bit.ly/sbpaintalongs
I also have several courses on Skillshare - take your pick. fearlessbrush.com/premium-painting-classes/
So good 😊 thank you 🙏 🙌❤️
This video was amazing
Beautiful!!! Make an artbook and an instructional one!!!!
So helpful 💜💜💜
You inspired me to swatch my gouache, finally, after having it for 2 years but being too scared to use it. XD
I was about to play your gouache playlist for some tips and I'm curious if you know there's a few oddball videos in the playlist? (Not that I don't appreciate shuffle dancing and music covers, haha. )
Haha good to know! I never know where youtube is putting my saved videos lol oh well...the secret's out, i'm applying to be aurora's backup dancer
Wonderful, thank you.
Ah, that sketchbook!!!
And how naughty of you to taunt us with just a glimpse of what it contains!
The colour mixing chart , especially for gouache, is my Nemesis- I can only get 2 first gradations right, after that it's all one hue 😂
It's usually looks better when it's wet, when it dries, it's a dog dinner and not a colour chart!
And I am confused how to make a mix darker, for example: say, I mixed red and blue and got a middle value colour, should I add black to it to make it darker? Or more blue.. although, sometimes the colour just gets blue-er, and not darker. # confused.🙄
If you add more of either of the colors you started with, you will end up changing the hue as well as possibly making your mix lighter or darker. If you look at one of Sarah's mixing strips, they show exactly what you describe. On a red-blue strip, if you were at the middle and starting adding blue, the color (hue) would change from say a mid-purple to an increasingly blue-sh, cooler purple, to ultimately just blue. If the blue was lighter than the red, then the mix would be getting lighter. If the blue were darker, the mix would be getting darker.
To change just tone (lightness) of your mix, you need to add a neutral color. These would be black and white. If you add a non-neutral black, like the perelyne black Sarah mentions in this video that has a green undertone, then your mix will darken, but the hue will also shift slightly due to the green.
I hope that helped and made sense!
@@DavZell
Thank you for taking the trouble to answer my questions and helping me out!
It makes perfect sense now.
Very kind of you ! 🍀
You can only do so much given your color choices...so instead think about values in your painting. This is why value studies are super helpful. First find out what your darkest mix is. Make that your darkest area of the painting. From there you know where you stand and everything else gets lighter as needed :)
@@SarahBurnsStudio
I know what you mean, it's like a fine-tuning a piano ,where every key has to strike a right note. My notes are " almost" or " nearly" or " not even close" so far! 😂
Back to the drawing board... I will get there... I Will get there...🤣
Thank you! I am learning a lot from you, thank you for being so generous!❤️
@@ellenp7455 Yes you will definitely get there!
It is my understanding that gouache is just opaque watercolor and if that's true I'm surprised that quinacridone magenta would be gouache. Could you explain that to me? Is it true that gouache is just opaque watercolor?
Basically yes. Some pigments are inherently more opaque than others. But then there are also "technical" differences. As far as I've understood it, gouache has a higher pigmentload (which is why in some brands gouache is more expensive than the same colour in watercolour), some (?) might be ground a little less fine (which is why they might not move as much as watercolour usually does). And most brands, especially the cheaper ones already add white for convenience and more opacity. Those "technical" differences make gouache behave differently than watercolour. So you might not want to use gouache the same way as you use watercolour. Both have similarities, but also quite different merits.
I watched this clip the 4th time. but still i don't understand your mixing chart, beginning at 13:11 - from where did you mixed this dark blue/purple/lila suddenly?
You mean the strips of color?
@@SarahBurnsStudio No, the one with squares ...
@@lworldfan it’s a standard mixing chart th-cam.com/video/S33KgOB1gxE/w-d-xo.html red and blue create purple
@@SarahBurnsStudio Ty, i will take a look
how did you mix to make the neutrals? :Oc
A few options. 1. Combine complimentary colors. 2. Add white or black. 3. Add brownish tones
Thanks.
thank you sarah :)
You're welcome!
Very informative.
Did you just add prussian blue at the bottom of that color?
what is the time stamp?
@@SarahBurnsStudio from 3:45 You just have the base color and then you just add prussian blue? And did different kinds of shades using prussian blue?
@@patrickafable7909 it's not only Prussian Blue, you can mix any 2 colors together. But yes I'm showing some that include PB, because that's one of my favorite blues
why the crimson instead of magenta?
Back then I was really into that rich deep red color. But nowadays I lean towards magenta
Please write a book🥰
I have two books (available through my website) sharing my art journey so far. Probably more to come in the future :)
Hi, after seing this I decided that I need to do something similar with the set I have and make a limited palette. But now I need to get food for our dog, our sweet monster dog! 😜🙃
Ohhh!! I'm early ❤️❤️❤️
👏🌹
I tried to follow but I‘m a bit slow - just can‘t follow just which exact colours you are mixing. I need a visual guide please.
Sorry, a visual guide for what exactly?
Wow absolutely stunning paintings and wonderful knowledge . Thank you so much for sharing your talent and experience ❤.