I have an art hack of this kind I learned at work: If you don't want to dilute your acrylics but what them runnier - add a drop of soap in your paints (0.5- 1% of paints volume) soap is pretty much essential ingrediemt in paint mixed at work since we use house paints to paint tiny little things.
@@wayfaringspacepoet but not all her viewers do so it wouldn't have hurt for her to mention it. The way it's presented is like the artist that showed her the correct way is doing something new or like it's something unusual
I THINK the glycerine is supposed to slow down the drying of paints in the palette, which an artist usually faces working with acrylics if engaged in a time taking project.
That's what I was just going to comment. Im pretty sure its to keep paint on the palette from drying out too. Not on the paper. It also looked like she added way to much when she put more in it.
That hack put glycerine in the water on the paper towel. If you put it in the paint, it will never dry, and be sticky forever. A drop in all the water on the palate paper will do the trick.
I think the prison paint would work a lot better with the cheapest white lotion you can find. Something probably with less essential oils in it. I guess it works as advertised but I was thinking something with a bit of longevity after the art's done.
Regarding the glycerin: I don't know about using it to extend acrylics, but if you have watercolors from the tube in a pallet and have issues with the paint getting all crackly and crumbly when dry, a tiny drop of glycerin actually prevents it, and also gives the paint more life! (I don't know how to explain it, but it keeps the paint soft enough to reactivate so much more easier than before!) I use this method for both my watercolors and gouache paints.
Little fun experience I had a couple days ago I have a type of paint at home that's mostly used in schools and is very accessable: tempera gouache. While it's kinda okay, not only the containers are ridiculously small, the paint isn't as opaque as I would like it. So I took some paint (I tested with black since I barely use it) and mixed some stuff: with body moisturizer (just to increase the amount of paint), toothpaste (thickening and amount), corn starch and incense ashes (idk, I had it around me). Unsurprisingly, the corn starch, body moisturizer and the ashes worked for their purpose. And the toothpaste lightened up the black (not too much, but it did), and applied to other colors, it made them a little more unsaturated (which is great, the brightness of the green kinda angers me). In conclusion: my weird ass experiment worked and I'm turning it into a new hack.
Toothpaste often contains a mild bleaching agent. I've ruined enough tops when it's dripped on it (even when cleaning it off quickly), so that explains the lightening effect. It's an interesting thing to keep in mind though when you want that effect in your paint. I actually wonder if it would work after the paint was dry: like a small mix of toothpaste & water on a brush or whatever...kinda like a milder form of when people tie dye/fabric paint with bleach on black T-shirts etc. Hmm
I use glycerin with watercolor to make pallets....I've never heard of using it with acrylic. Like when I was a new artist I'd scrape the crayola dried moldy paints out of there pallet and use it to put in my more expensive paints, add a bit of glycerin, mix and let it dry. And boom I had a portable watercolor pallet
@@Charky_Creations the alcohol evaporates fairly quickly so the texture is maintaiisd. Depending on the brand of sanitizer, it may have up to 30% of multiple ( often undeclared) products in it. I wouldn't want to risk contaminating my expensive paint with it - but if you're happy......
Growing up we always used the "egg paint" to decorate Christmas sugar cookies instead of using icing or frosting. Just paint the cookies before baking them. It's really easy for kids to do too.
We watercolorists have known the "mix in glycerine" trick forever, it is a humectant (attracts water) and wetting agent, so it's great to add a drop to a pan of watercolor we've poured for the palette, especially if it dries too hard or cracks. But I think the point is to make it dry slower on the PALETTE, not the paper. Also she warned you not to use too much, which you promptly did 🙂
This method of egg tempera was different, when I did it I dipped the brush in the egg mixture and then into dry powdered pigments, which you then mix on a palate to make the pain (wash and repeat) so it's cool that theres more than one way to do it.
When it comes to adding lotion to paint, I can speak from experience that bath and body works lotion develops a weird texture and in general just does not go well with any sort of liquid.
Since you asked, what glycerin is: Glycerin is a trivalent alcohol, meaning it has three functional -OH (oxygen and hydrogen atoms) alcohol groups. The molecule just consists of three carbon atoms in a row, to each of which one alcohol group is attached, making it the smallest possible trivalent alcohol in organic chemistry. Glycerin acts as an emulsifier, meaning it can make polar and non-polar liquids (like oil vs water) mix together, and has strong humectant qualities, meaning it attracts water to itsself. This is also why it is used in cosmetics as it helps to pull moisture into the outer layers of the skin. Glycerin exists in basically every living creature, since it is such a fundamental building block and functional compound. Glycerin is the base molecule of nutritional fats and oils, which consist of a glycerin molecule and three fatty acids that bind with their acid group to each of the three alcohol groups of the glycerin. Glycerin can also be used as a cosmetic or household cleanser, as it can bind to and break up fatty residue but also dissolve in water. For cosmetic use it should be cosmetic or pharmaceutical grade, which is purer and cleaner. It can even be used as part of enemas (don't do yourself), breaking up the constipation.
Wow! That’s impressive. You must have a background in chemistry? …You can buy glycerin suppositories or enemas at any drug store…. (just happened to notice on my way thru to the cosmetics 😳😁). Makes sense though, since it’s a humectant. …Learn something new every day. 😉
I love that little miniature chair stand you used for your phone 😂😂❤️ it's sooo cute! Thanks for the useful hacks and going through eggs for us Rae !!! ❤️❤️
Rae, I love you but Betterhelp is a really shady bussiness. They aren't even legally required to pair you up with a real therapist. Most of the times, they will just pair you up with an amateur or someone who's still in college. I get the therapist they provided for you has been able to actually help you and that you probably didn't even know most of their therapists aren't real therapists but just be aware of the fact that most of their employees don't actually have the proper credentials next time they offer to sponsor you, signed a mental health advocate.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this information. I know people who have used them without issues so this is suprising information. Will look into the situation.
Not to mention they treat their therapists horribly if I recall correctly. My mom is a licensed therapist and she knows all about the shady goings of that company. If there's anything sketchy involving mental health, licensed therapists are some of the first to know.
They also refuse to accept insurance. Of any kind. I tried. All they want is money, they don't actually care about your mental health. I heavily suggest that if you want or need a therapist, please go to a local one or nearby enough to drive to. In this day and age, most will offer over the phone or video call therapy if in-person can't be done. Betterhelp is a scam and they're not helpful in regards to payment. Yeah, payment plans, but I have no money (as many others as well) and only have insurance, so. Thanks Betterhelp for saying those with money matter more than those without.
Besides salt, SUGAR is great for creating texture with paint! I occasionally use sugar with my acrylics (craft paint) to create a dirt-like texture in my work. One of my favorite applications of sugar in paint was mixing it with dark brown paint to create a molten lava rock look for a portrait where a fire side met the icy side!
Just FYI Jo Sonya makes a medium for use with acrylics that extends drying time, up to 6 days or you can heat set it with a hair dryer.....brilliant stuff, you can literally go back the next day and blend in new colours etc as long as you havent applied heat to the product. From memory they call it a retarder medium.
Egg Tempura is definitely a real paint, I wouldn’t see it as a hack. Though I do use mine with white whine instead. A lot of medieval works were painted with this type of paint before oil became popular after the turn of the high end Middle Ages
Another one I use for watercolor is contact solution or any other saline solution to help paints granulate. It works ESPECIALLY well if it's a color you mixed yourself with different colors. It becomes a cool separating rainbow effect!
You were my inspiration on my journey as a self taught artist, and these hacks help IMMENSELY! I owe all that I am as an artist to you sharing stuff like this, and showing us you can still do great work, even with cheap supplies!
I saw an awesome art hack on an old Rae video and others that if you add corn starch to acrylic paint, it mimics that “heavy body” thickness. Sprinkle in a little at a time until it becomes as thick as you want (but not so much before it turns into a paste) (corn STARCH, not corn meal or corn flour [eh hem, JAZZA] it’s very different reaction & thinking)
As a watercolour artist, I sometimes add glycerin to a pan of cheaper paint, to stop it from cracking in the pan. I think this hack is best used to keep unused paint moist that is still on a palette 😘
You can activate watercolour pencils with isopropyl alcohol instead of water. Just put it in a waterbrush pen and it won't make the colours bleed through the paper like they do with water. You can use Q-tips to blend graphite or colour pencils together if you can't afford a stompf. Create some sugar water and coat a page with it. Then use the sugar water together with watercolours. It will create a nice blooming effect.
Not sure if someone's mentioned this yet but like... Mad respect for Rae's unbiased opinion, hates eggs but still gave the egg paint a good score because she genuinely thinks it's good homemade paint
Thank you for being open about your own mental health struggles...YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! As my mom used to say "Don't let the bastards drag you down!!!!".....If we all work together then the stigma goes away!!!!! Again Thanks!!! you're awesome!!!!
No-name polypropylene glycol is available online. It is a food additive, but is the chemical that extends working time for quality acrylics . Great for paint, not so sure about our food supply.
For the Prison paint, I've never tried it so I dunno, BUT... the stuff in the tubes from Bath and Body Works is body CREAM. The stuff in the pump bottles is body LOTION. I dunno if that would affect the texture or not, but that might be why it looked a little chunky. Lotion tends to be a little smoother/waterier.
I think the prison lotion is a lot more simple than the one you used. All the special things in your lotion might have changed the consistency of your paint
I've made egg tempera from pigment powders, and that way you can make a paint which is more like oil paint. Egg tempera has been traditionally used to paint religious icons, it's a really beautiful technique. The prison hack reminded me of how I made a gingerbread house before the holidays, and I'd forgotten that I didn't have any food colourings. I had a bag of Skittles to decorate the house, so I pretty much figured out that prison hack on my own to get a few colours, only I used them with royal icing. 😃
The watercolor hacks reminded me of college, doing that for class. I found a lot of absorbent material, like the rice or a sponge, and made some trippy test samples. One of my favorite "additives" was kitty litter. Lol
HACK: Put water color, and make sure there’s like puddles, the quickly add salt. Then just wait. Salt of different sizes are recommended, so that the little bubbles are different sizes.
To preserve your oil paint on your pallet especially when you've mixed that perfect colour just add a few drops of clove oil to cotton wool, place it on the pallet and cover with a box or a cheap roasting dish.
Curious if the egg technique would give off a funky smell after a few weeks/months. These are some really fun hacks though. Love it, you’re giving me ideas!
one of my best "hacks" is making acrylic paints into Alcohol Acrylics ... mix acrylic paint with isopropyl alcohol and a Paint medium (like Matt medium) or corn/potato starch. if you thin it a lot with alcohol it start actually looking like you paint with copics ^^ also it drys within seconds so its awesome if you don't want to wait for the paint to dry. but best mix it in a container with a lid as it fast evaporates if left open
Big hugs for your mental health, Rae and anyone who reads this. I’ve been quietly dealing with depression completely alone and by myself with no real help. You are not alone in this feeling. May is hard for me, my family and I don’t get along well, and May is Mother’s Day and my dad’s birthday, before mine finally hits. And my birthday is always consistently shit, to the point where I now avoid the day and nearly every May 25th I feast on wine and my own tears. But I am still required to call my mother and father on their days. My mother had me in tears in less than 5 minutes. My father in due to call the 24th… not looking forward to it at all. Anyway. Thanks for the lovely video Rae. I look forward to messing with some of these paint hacks when I have more space to do my crafts again.
Such a good video, Rae ❤ Random request... your nails always look so INCREDIBLE... would you ever consider doing a video on some nail art? Maybe with specific brands? *cough* Holo Taco. No matter what though I look forward to whenever your videos! Keep up the amazing work.
No matter the mental health problem even if you THINK its small you should do something about it. Thanks Rae for raising awareness and giving us some more hacks.
I always appreciate people who show art hacks especially paints becaue the paints I can buy are always so thin that it takes me multiple layers to cover 1 fking spot. Thank U!!!
Glycerin is really useful to have on hand as an artist. I use it in my homemade watercolors, and to bring my jelly gouache back to the jelly consistency. In acrylics, even though it does sheer it out a bit, it’s really great if you’re trying to get a good blend on a large area - like a sunset, where you really want to take the time to get a consistent ombré across the whole sky without one side drying while you’re working. Obviously there are blending and drying mediums you can buy, too, but that’s where glycerin is best in acrylic, IMO. And subtle shifts, like skin tones, as you said.
That's the legit same exact bottle of glycerin i have.🤣🤣 Glycerin is a humectant so it brings moisture from the surrounding area into it. Honey is a humectant also, which is why it is used in watercolor as a binder and keeps it MOIST even when you squeeze it into a pan to dry. Edit: Except the glycerin I have I use for skin care not art.🤣🤣
Thanks for putting all these together in one video Rae. It's really interesting to see what you can do with stuff you'd not otherwise think of using for art. I really liked the egg tempera one and the sweets/body lotion method - I think I might give them both a go. I especially liked the shades of the sweet/body lotion paint. I thought it has a really nice dream-like quality to it. I have a friend that's more arty than I'll probably ever be so I'm going to send her the link to this video and see what she thinks.
Thank you Rae. I am working through your hacks and so happy because I am a frugal person and they suit my needs. Thank you for sharing your life and talents with us.
Every time i go to a store im looking for stuff that i can test out and see if it colors resin, i just picked up some kind of eye make up or something made from mica and it makes such an interesting color, i love testing new ideas or products
People actually make paint from eyeshadows. You can find it on Tiktok. There is Tiktoker who used expired eyeshadow or donated eyeshadow from a certain make-up influencer they stopped supporting.
oh man, THE EGG! i can't... i'm very weird about stuff on my skin (especially my hands, whoo, sensory issues lol) and egg is at the top of that list!!!! i do a lot of baking and i have to wash my hands in between cracking EVERY. SINGLE. EGG.
Awesome art hack that I ALWAYS USE is when I work with inks, I take my old school highlighters and break them open and use the ink to paint with! 🎨 it reacts with the inks so well!
Since seeing this vid for the first time, I've [in part because of how awesome your art is] started learning drawing and painting, mostly with Japanese watercolors (and omg has it been fun, and so very helpful for my mental health too, thank you!!!).. Two things noticed on that hack was the vegetable glycerin often is one of the binders in watercolor, often used with honey and gum arabic. The second is that the video clip of the hack seems to be adding it to the acrylic on/in a wet palette, which, [thanks to a Jazza video] is used to keep the acrylic paint wet for longer, sometimes a couple days or more, so it makes sense it would in that context dry more slowly. Also, bonus third, it's totally possible to learn how to art through some of the top art creators here on YT!
Your uploads always help me :] You’re inspiring me to create a realistic paint of Wilbur Soot, even though I’ve never done realism, I’ve gotten the sketch of him done :]
I have suffered from clinical depression, anxiety, ADD & bipolar for over 25 years. I've seen at least 6 different psychiatrists & also have been on 20 or more different medications until my family & I moved. We finally found a doctor who got me on the right combination of meds. I've been on this medication regiment almost 12yrs now. It works for the best part, I still have my off days like anyone. The best advice I can give to anyone going through similar or worse mental health issues, DON'T GIVE UP! Keep trying new medicines, seek out a psychological, identity with your feelings so you know when a medication is working or not, don't expect overnight results (most meds take 2-3wks. to build up in the system so they can work) LASTLY & MOST IMPORTANTLY ***JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL BETTER, DO NOT STOP YOUR MEDICATION! All the best, God bless and blessed be!
I spy a little Cell. I use a lot of makeup brushes I don't need as art brushes to get some interesting shapes and textures. I've also used sawdust to texture some pieces before too. There was a trick of putting salt on paper when painting watercolor galaxies, but that never worked well for me. I'll stick with splattering white paint or liquid tape or wax.
Wow I really loved all of these, even watching you gag a lil over the eggs,,,,, LMAO Oh & girl I love ❤️ your cellphone holder, that's ADORABLE ❣️ Where did you find that?
I love watching your channel, and I always see things I want for my art, I’m a 13 y/o that loves art and isn’t to bad at it, but when I see something I take interest in, I look it up on Amazon and send the link to my mom. I tell her to put it on my Christmas wish list so she has some idea for me for Christmas instead of asking me all the time, or forgetting what I want. Throughout the year I can add things so she’ll know what to get me 🤷♀️
I have so much respect for you handling the egg... I know exactly what you mean with an egg phobia and just watching it was horrible. Thanks for a great vid and you have amazing courage.
I use vegetable glycerine in handmade watercolor to help with dispersion especially with certain pigments! I don't include it in my recipe (which I'm happy to share) every time and I'm not sure it's good with acrylics but it could extend the moisture in watercolor and gouache. One thing in Skittle paint might be inexpensive lotion. Bath and Body Works with oils might not be just plain old lotion. Hm? I have no idea! I loved your last section!
I use vegetable glycerin in tube watercolors when I put them in pans to dry out. 3 to 4 drops per half pan stops watercolor from cracking when it drys out and makes it more easy to reset with water.
The Utrecht Art Supplies team thought it was worth mentioning that adding glycerin to acrylics can result in a porous or soluble film that might be challenging to clean and maintain, so the warning to use only the minimum effective amount was much appreciated. One of the Utrecht folks said that some artists add white glue to make gouache more workable and easy to layer, by making an adhoc vinyl emulsion, so maybe that's a "hack" too! It was so much fun to see the reaction to painting with egg tempera! It really is a wonderful medium. High quality tube watercolors make a good pigment source for artists who aren't ready to commit to buying a whole set of dry pigments.
Another alternative to glycerin might be silicone oil. it's much more slippery then glycerin therefore you can add less and it won't dilute your paint as much.
@@MonokloDraw We haven't heard of that. We will have to research your tip and see if it would work. If it's too slippery, it might interfere with paint bonding to paper, but it's all speculation until the brush meets the canvas!
@@elielieli1223 like nobody refuses them? They've done bad shit even after their statement about the initial problems, like the astroworld stunt. It's sad
If youre worried about paints drying out on the pallet (not necessarily the paper) Dollightfully puts a wet paper towel underneath some tracing paper/parchment paper and ive found that it works well for me!
yah glycerin? I have been using this and you kinda have find out what works for you. Ive had paintings where Ive had to wait for it to dry but i could come back and still work on it. I don't use it all the time. I have a little side plastic container (you know the one with the white cap, find them in walmart or dollar tree) but occasionally and depending on what Im doing with acrylic painting, I'll just dip the tip of my brush in the glycerin. Not alot and not over saturated it with glycerin. And watch your brush strokes with it. I'll use it if i really dont want to use water. Its what is in your acrylic paint anyway. Not sure if any of that made sense lol but yah lol
Love you Rae, and if better help really works for you, I'm glad you found something, but please consider not accepting sponsorship from they again. They are so shady
Fun fact the blue skittles did once exist, but they were toxic because of the blue color whatever was used to make it was not safe even though supposed to be so skittles pulled it from there collection
Just an FYI, BetterHelp is not a good company. Their therapists are severely underpaid and there have been many concerns raised about their privacy policies.
In elementary school we used the salt like that and also rubbing alchohol with water color… from what I remeber. Also crayon. I remeber… wow it was like 14 or so years ago… we had a assignment where I each square we used a diffrent technique and then made a artwork with them. Im pretty sure mine was very disappointing but hey it was good for a 4th grader
@@ritawilbur7343 I think they’re referring to the smell. Cause eggs go bad, so they’re wondering if it will smell weird or foul after a while. I was wondering that too
If you mean egg tempera then yes it will go extremely bad within hours and smell like hell. Any unused paint needs to be DESTROYED or you will never eat eggs again. But it is extremely stable once painted and may last as long as oil colours.
The projects won't smell after they dry the paint on the other hand. I had the misfortune of being the only person who worked with paint semi regularly at one job so had the pleasure of checking the store bought tempera paints every year. Now I only eat eggs if they are wrapped up in a burrito so they don't have a smell.
On the painting, no. It'll stop smelling of egg after a while, when dry. Source: My art teacher did this with us in high school as a project; we made our own egg tempera then painted with it. She made us dispose of any unused paint, so idk if that would have spoiled.
Hi Rae!! I enjoy your channel, and I wanted to let you know I like the idea of the cornstarch in "watery" paints. To that end, I know that makers have all sorts of formulae for paints. I have made a test swatch of some "economy " acrylics with the cornstarch. today, 30 Oct. 2022. I want to see if it holds up over time, so I will, if you don't mind, let you know each month how it holds up. First thing I notice is that it dried as a flat finish, so a clear glaze of finish might be in order if glossy is what you want. Mostly I want to see how it holds up over time, and if it will flake off or cause other problems! Thanks again for all your work and information sharing!
For the egg tempra painting one way I have been taught to do it was using pigments and 1/3 egg yolk 1/3 water and 1/3 vinegar don't know if it makes a big difference but it's still fun
Hey I know there's at least one other comment Abt this but better help is really not good and I know you probably didn't know about it's problems or you learned about them after you signed the contract for it. I just wanted to say better help is really problematic for those who don't know.
Is it just me who first listened to the song 'come move your body' in Rae's videos as background music and kept listening to it till I started vibing to it and is now is my fav song ever...😅
For anyone saying anything about better help... please don't just assume it's bad bc of some random tweets or videos. I'm a nobody and have no horse in that race but I personally use better help and I love it. The cost first off is literally thousands of dollars cheaper than what I was paying a previous in person therapist. But also they did most of the work to find a good therapist specifically for me rather than having to go through different ones in person until you're comfortable with someone and thousands of dollars later. also i communicate how I want to, I sometimes do it by text but other times phone calls and video chat. Idk... all I'm saying is for anyone saying anything.... have YOU actually tried it or are you simply bashing a company bc of some random comments and videos? Genuinely and truly betterhelp has helped me work through some dark stuff recently.. really dark. I can honestly say I'm probably still here bc of the work I did along with the therapist. 🤷🏼♀️
I have an art hack of this kind I learned at work: If you don't want to dilute your acrylics but what them runnier - add a drop of soap in your paints (0.5- 1% of paints volume) soap is pretty much essential ingrediemt in paint mixed at work since we use house paints to paint tiny little things.
Works with watercolor too, makes the paints explode like fireworks wet on wet.
This could be life changing... does it only work on paper, or could it work on polymer clay?
Soap has glycerin.
Liquid soap?
@@saraghhh yes. Just like dawn.
Egg paint (called tempera) was actually the primary painting technique all the way up until like 1500s when oil paints really caught on
...which I suppose means we can count egg as art material proper 🤔
she tried out egg tempera in an earlier video so I'm assuming she already knows this
What did she mix with the egg to make the paint please?
@@nicolagibbons6624 it looked like food coloring
@@wayfaringspacepoet but not all her viewers do so it wouldn't have hurt for her to mention it. The way it's presented is like the artist that showed her the correct way is doing something new or like it's something unusual
I THINK the glycerine is supposed to slow down the drying of paints in the palette, which an artist usually faces working with acrylics if engaged in a time taking project.
Glycerine is a humectant so it sucks moisture out of the air into it.
That's what I was just going to comment. Im pretty sure its to keep paint on the palette from drying out too. Not on the paper. It also looked like she added way to much when she put more in it.
@@hollydeisenroth8577 yeah, and because of adding more of it the texture of paint got messed up.
That hack put glycerine in the water on the paper towel. If you put it in the paint, it will never dry, and be sticky forever. A drop in all the water on the palate paper will do the trick.
I was so behind in art class that I was doing the reverse I used a hair dryer to speed up the process. LOL.
I think the prison paint would work a lot better with the cheapest white lotion you can find. Something probably with less essential oils in it. I guess it works as advertised but I was thinking something with a bit of longevity after the art's done.
Agree very clear that in the prison video guy was using cheap white lotion
Conditioner would work also
Thank you!! Rae rambled off the name of the fancy lotion and I'm sitting here wondering what luxury prison has that. Lol
@@chatboulon743 prison commissaries love to have expensive shit, it gets them more money and slave labor
@@chatboulon743 yea bath&body works lotion is not in any prison commissary generic is a luxury > I worked at federal prison as RN
Regarding the glycerin: I don't know about using it to extend acrylics, but if you have watercolors from the tube in a pallet and have issues with the paint getting all crackly and crumbly when dry, a tiny drop of glycerin actually prevents it, and also gives the paint more life! (I don't know how to explain it, but it keeps the paint soft enough to reactivate so much more easier than before!)
I use this method for both my watercolors and gouache paints.
Does it work like gum Arabic or honey?
Little fun experience I had a couple days ago
I have a type of paint at home that's mostly used in schools and is very accessable: tempera gouache. While it's kinda okay, not only the containers are ridiculously small, the paint isn't as opaque as I would like it.
So I took some paint (I tested with black since I barely use it) and mixed some stuff: with body moisturizer (just to increase the amount of paint), toothpaste (thickening and amount), corn starch and incense ashes (idk, I had it around me).
Unsurprisingly, the corn starch, body moisturizer and the ashes worked for their purpose. And the toothpaste lightened up the black (not too much, but it did), and applied to other colors, it made them a little more unsaturated (which is great, the brightness of the green kinda angers me).
In conclusion: my weird ass experiment worked and I'm turning it into a new hack.
Toothpaste often contains a mild bleaching agent. I've ruined enough tops when it's dripped on it (even when cleaning it off quickly), so that explains the lightening effect. It's an interesting thing to keep in mind though when you want that effect in your paint. I actually wonder if it would work after the paint was dry: like a small mix of toothpaste & water on a brush or whatever...kinda like a milder form of when people tie dye/fabric paint with bleach on black T-shirts etc. Hmm
Spotted an alchemist!
i love how even tho rae can afford better art supplies and make content with those, she gives us these hacks to help us with our art journey
Ikr! Love it
@@khan_farayha excuse me?- lol what a troll mine was earlier than urs
Ikr!
@@khan_farayha lol no, you wrote later
@@khan_farayha bruh, pls stop embarrassing urself, urs was 6 mins ago hers was 9 mins ago
I use glycerin with watercolor to make pallets....I've never heard of using it with acrylic. Like when I was a new artist I'd scrape the crayola dried moldy paints out of there pallet and use it to put in my more expensive paints, add a bit of glycerin, mix and let it dry. And boom I had a portable watercolor pallet
I like mixing hand sanitizer into my acrylic paint to give it a matte look. It’s also a lot less streaky and easier to blend
Just use straight alcohol- less likely to be contaminated by fragrances, oils, gelling agents or other additives. And way cheaper, too!
@@karenneill9109 alcohol is completely liquid, though. Using hand sanitizer preserves some of the texture.
hmmm! I’ll go test this out and edit my reply when I do
edit:it didn’t do anything except darken the paint
@@jasminesoliman4499 that’s weird, normally when I do it the sanitizer actually makes it a little lighter. Maybe we used different paints🤔
@@Charky_Creations the alcohol evaporates fairly quickly so the texture is maintaiisd. Depending on the brand of sanitizer, it may have up to 30% of multiple ( often undeclared) products in it. I wouldn't want to risk contaminating my expensive paint with it - but if you're happy......
Growing up we always used the "egg paint" to decorate Christmas sugar cookies instead of using icing or frosting. Just paint the cookies before baking them. It's really easy for kids to do too.
We watercolorists have known the "mix in glycerine" trick forever, it is a humectant (attracts water) and wetting agent, so it's great to add a drop to a pan of watercolor we've poured for the palette, especially if it dries too hard or cracks. But I think the point is to make it dry slower on the PALETTE, not the paper. Also she warned you not to use too much, which you promptly did 🙂
Something about this is sooo passive aggressive
@@SCHMOOCHIE true.
@@jennw6809 I think it’s the emoji
@@SCHMOOCHIE I have to admit to hatewatching Rae. Trying not to do that anymore and become a better person.
@@jennw6809 maybe just don’t watch then lol
This method of egg tempera was different, when I did it I dipped the brush in the egg mixture and then into dry powdered pigments, which you then mix on a palate to make the pain (wash and repeat) so it's cool that theres more than one way to do it.
When it comes to adding lotion to paint, I can speak from experience that bath and body works lotion develops a weird texture and in general just does not go well with any sort of liquid.
Since you asked, what glycerin is: Glycerin is a trivalent alcohol, meaning it has three functional -OH (oxygen and hydrogen atoms) alcohol groups. The molecule just consists of three carbon atoms in a row, to each of which one alcohol group is attached, making it the smallest possible trivalent alcohol in organic chemistry. Glycerin acts as an emulsifier, meaning it can make polar and non-polar liquids (like oil vs water) mix together, and has strong humectant qualities, meaning it attracts water to itsself. This is also why it is used in cosmetics as it helps to pull moisture into the outer layers of the skin. Glycerin exists in basically every living creature, since it is such a fundamental building block and functional compound. Glycerin is the base molecule of nutritional fats and oils, which consist of a glycerin molecule and three fatty acids that bind with their acid group to each of the three alcohol groups of the glycerin. Glycerin can also be used as a cosmetic or household cleanser, as it can bind to and break up fatty residue but also dissolve in water. For cosmetic use it should be cosmetic or pharmaceutical grade, which is purer and cleaner. It can even be used as part of enemas (don't do yourself), breaking up the constipation.
I love finding comments like these..
@@jessicahawks3223 Thank you!💚
Wow! That’s impressive. You must have a background in chemistry? …You can buy glycerin suppositories or enemas at any drug store…. (just happened to notice on my way thru to the cosmetics 😳😁). Makes sense though, since it’s a humectant. …Learn something new every day. 😉
Me: (scoffingly) I knew that!
I love that little miniature chair stand you used for your phone 😂😂❤️ it's sooo cute!
Thanks for the useful hacks and going through eggs for us Rae !!! ❤️❤️
I know right !?!?!! I love it too so much so that I actually have one currently being shipped to me from temu for $0.57! 🙌
Rae, I love you but Betterhelp is a really shady bussiness. They aren't even legally required to pair you up with a real therapist. Most of the times, they will just pair you up with an amateur or someone who's still in college. I get the therapist they provided for you has been able to actually help you and that you probably didn't even know most of their therapists aren't real therapists but just be aware of the fact that most of their employees don't actually have the proper credentials next time they offer to sponsor you, signed a mental health advocate.
Wow. Thanks for sharing this information. I know people who have used them without issues so this is suprising information. Will look into the situation.
Algorithm boosting comment.
Not to mention they treat their therapists horribly if I recall correctly. My mom is a licensed therapist and she knows all about the shady goings of that company. If there's anything sketchy involving mental health, licensed therapists are some of the first to know.
I have seen more and more horror stories about better help and I am so shook that more and more people promote them but their quality is so bad
They also refuse to accept insurance. Of any kind. I tried. All they want is money, they don't actually care about your mental health. I heavily suggest that if you want or need a therapist, please go to a local one or nearby enough to drive to. In this day and age, most will offer over the phone or video call therapy if in-person can't be done. Betterhelp is a scam and they're not helpful in regards to payment. Yeah, payment plans, but I have no money (as many others as well) and only have insurance, so. Thanks Betterhelp for saying those with money matter more than those without.
Besides salt, SUGAR is great for creating texture with paint! I occasionally use sugar with my acrylics (craft paint) to create a dirt-like texture in my work. One of my favorite applications of sugar in paint was mixing it with dark brown paint to create a molten lava rock look for a portrait where a fire side met the icy side!
You can also use sand in acrylic to make a rust texture
How would this not attract ants?
Just FYI Jo Sonya makes a medium for use with acrylics that extends drying time, up to 6 days or you can heat set it with a hair dryer.....brilliant stuff, you can literally go back the next day and blend in new colours etc as long as you havent applied heat to the product. From memory they call it a retarder medium.
Egg Tempura is definitely a real paint, I wouldn’t see it as a hack. Though I do use mine with white whine instead. A lot of medieval works were painted with this type of paint before oil became popular after the turn of the high end Middle Ages
Egg tempera, egg tempura is a dish.
@@keepyourshoesathedoor Wow, no one has ever corrected a typo before. 😐
Glycerin is used in a ton of cosmetics. Also we used it with water and dish soap if I remember correctly to make bubbles. 🥰
It's also used in food and skincare products
Another one I use for watercolor is contact solution or any other saline solution to help paints granulate. It works ESPECIALLY well if it's a color you mixed yourself with different colors. It becomes a cool separating rainbow effect!
You were my inspiration on my journey as a self taught artist, and these hacks help IMMENSELY! I owe all that I am as an artist to you sharing stuff like this, and showing us you can still do great work, even with cheap supplies!
I saw an awesome art hack on an old Rae video and others that if you add corn starch to acrylic paint, it mimics that “heavy body” thickness.
Sprinkle in a little at a time until it becomes as thick as you want (but not so much before it turns into a paste) (corn STARCH, not corn meal or corn flour [eh hem, JAZZA] it’s very different reaction & thinking)
As a watercolour artist, I sometimes add glycerin to a pan of cheaper paint, to stop it from cracking in the pan. I think this hack is best used to keep unused paint moist that is still on a palette 😘
You can activate watercolour pencils with isopropyl alcohol instead of water. Just put it in a waterbrush pen and it won't make the colours bleed through the paper like they do with water.
You can use Q-tips to blend graphite or colour pencils together if you can't afford a stompf.
Create some sugar water and coat a page with it. Then use the sugar water together with watercolours. It will create a nice blooming effect.
also with baby oil (:
But alcohol will make the paint crumble
@@thanhsocola356their talking about water color pencils it’s not regular paint
Not sure if someone's mentioned this yet but like... Mad respect for Rae's unbiased opinion, hates eggs but still gave the egg paint a good score because she genuinely thinks it's good homemade paint
Thank you for being open about your own mental health struggles...YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! As my mom used to say "Don't let the bastards drag you down!!!!".....If we all work together then the stigma goes away!!!!! Again Thanks!!! you're awesome!!!!
No-name polypropylene glycol is available online. It is a food additive, but is the chemical that extends working time for quality acrylics
. Great for paint, not so sure about our food supply.
For the Prison paint, I've never tried it so I dunno, BUT... the stuff in the tubes from Bath and Body Works is body CREAM. The stuff in the pump bottles is body LOTION. I dunno if that would affect the texture or not, but that might be why it looked a little chunky. Lotion tends to be a little smoother/waterier.
I think the prison lotion is a lot more simple than the one you used.
All the special things in your lotion might have changed the consistency of your paint
Yeah, for stuff like this it's best to buy the cheapest possible option.
I've made egg tempera from pigment powders, and that way you can make a paint which is more like oil paint. Egg tempera has been traditionally used to paint religious icons, it's a really beautiful technique.
The prison hack reminded me of how I made a gingerbread house before the holidays, and I'd forgotten that I didn't have any food colourings. I had a bag of Skittles to decorate the house, so I pretty much figured out that prison hack on my own to get a few colours, only I used them with royal icing. 😃
As a broke 15 y/o, this helps alot. Rae is a literal gift from the youtube gods
The watercolor hacks reminded me of college, doing that for class. I found a lot of absorbent material, like the rice or a sponge, and made some trippy test samples. One of my favorite "additives" was kitty litter. Lol
HACK: Put water color, and make sure there’s like puddles, the quickly add salt. Then just wait. Salt of different sizes are recommended, so that the little bubbles are different sizes.
To preserve your oil paint on your pallet especially when you've mixed that perfect colour just add a few drops of clove oil to cotton wool, place it on the pallet and cover with a box or a cheap roasting dish.
Curious if the egg technique would give off a funky smell after a few weeks/months.
These are some really fun hacks though. Love it, you’re giving me ideas!
I mean it was used in a lot of old paintings, they don’t really smell
one of my best "hacks" is making acrylic paints into Alcohol Acrylics ... mix acrylic paint with isopropyl alcohol and a Paint medium (like Matt medium) or corn/potato starch. if you thin it a lot with alcohol it start actually looking like you paint with copics ^^ also it drys within seconds so its awesome if you don't want to wait for the paint to dry. but best mix it in a container with a lid as it fast evaporates if left open
8:23 the blue and yellow INSTANTLY reminded me of Van Gogh's Starry Night lol
Yess I agree
Big hugs for your mental health, Rae and anyone who reads this.
I’ve been quietly dealing with depression completely alone and by myself with no real help. You are not alone in this feeling. May is hard for me, my family and I don’t get along well, and May is Mother’s Day and my dad’s birthday, before mine finally hits. And my birthday is always consistently shit, to the point where I now avoid the day and nearly every May 25th I feast on wine and my own tears. But I am still required to call my mother and father on their days. My mother had me in tears in less than 5 minutes. My father in due to call the 24th… not looking forward to it at all.
Anyway. Thanks for the lovely video Rae. I look forward to messing with some of these paint hacks when I have more space to do my crafts again.
Such a good video, Rae ❤ Random request... your nails always look so INCREDIBLE... would you ever consider doing a video on some nail art? Maybe with specific brands? *cough* Holo Taco. No matter what though I look forward to whenever your videos! Keep up the amazing work.
No matter the mental health problem even if you THINK its small you should do something about it. Thanks Rae for raising awareness and giving us some more hacks.
Just don't have "use betterhelp" be that thing because they're really problematic actually
I always appreciate people who show art hacks especially paints becaue the paints I can buy are always so thin that it takes me multiple layers to cover 1 fking spot. Thank U!!!
You didn't write "S" in "because"
@@khan_farayha ig u dont have to worry abt that cuz u just copy other ppl’s comments and claim it as ur own lol
@@khan_farayha Im sorry if I have a potato phone and a big ass thumb. Man its not grammar, its just because of a typo while typing. :)
@@keekee300 K,why so rude ?😶
@@khan_farayha how is that rude tho?
Glycerin is really useful to have on hand as an artist. I use it in my homemade watercolors, and to bring my jelly gouache back to the jelly consistency. In acrylics, even though it does sheer it out a bit, it’s really great if you’re trying to get a good blend on a large area - like a sunset, where you really want to take the time to get a consistent ombré across the whole sky without one side drying while you’re working. Obviously there are blending and drying mediums you can buy, too, but that’s where glycerin is best in acrylic, IMO. And subtle shifts, like skin tones, as you said.
That's the legit same exact bottle of glycerin i have.🤣🤣 Glycerin is a humectant so it brings moisture from the surrounding area into it. Honey is a humectant also, which is why it is used in watercolor as a binder and keeps it MOIST even when you squeeze it into a pan to dry.
Edit: Except the glycerin I have I use for skin care not art.🤣🤣
Thanks for putting all these together in one video Rae. It's really interesting to see what you can do with stuff you'd not otherwise think of using for art. I really liked the egg tempera one and the sweets/body lotion method - I think I might give them both a go. I especially liked the shades of the sweet/body lotion paint. I thought it has a really nice dream-like quality to it. I have a friend that's more arty than I'll probably ever be so I'm going to send her the link to this video and see what she thinks.
These are really amazing!
Ty for this video! Love the hacks,
Now I don't have to search the whole internet 😅❤️
Thank you Rae. I am working through your hacks and so happy because I am a frugal person and they suit my needs. Thank you for sharing your life and talents with us.
Every time i go to a store im looking for stuff that i can test out and see if it colors resin, i just picked up some kind of eye make up or something made from mica and it makes such an interesting color, i love testing new ideas or products
People actually make paint from eyeshadows. You can find it on Tiktok. There is Tiktoker who used expired eyeshadow or donated eyeshadow from a certain make-up influencer they stopped supporting.
@@RainbowEntropy i think that's what this is lol
After participating in GISH I've become very familiar with skittles water color but I never thought to add lotion to it. Very cool art hacks.
oh man, THE EGG! i can't... i'm very weird about stuff on my skin (especially my hands, whoo, sensory issues lol) and egg is at the top of that list!!!! i do a lot of baking and i have to wash my hands in between cracking EVERY. SINGLE. EGG.
Whh not just wear gloves though
But I get it haha egg is a disgusting feeling
i cant stand the texture, or the smell so i have to wash immediately. I also can't eat eggs plain now cause they make me nauseous
Awesome art hack that I ALWAYS USE is when I work with inks, I take my old school highlighters and break them open and use the ink to paint with! 🎨 it reacts with the inks so well!
I really hope to see an attempt at homemade encaustic (wax) painting someday!
Since seeing this vid for the first time, I've [in part because of how awesome your art is] started learning drawing and painting, mostly with Japanese watercolors (and omg has it been fun, and so very helpful for my mental health too, thank you!!!).. Two things noticed on that hack was the vegetable glycerin often is one of the binders in watercolor, often used with honey and gum arabic. The second is that the video clip of the hack seems to be adding it to the acrylic on/in a wet palette, which, [thanks to a Jazza video] is used to keep the acrylic paint wet for longer, sometimes a couple days or more, so it makes sense it would in that context dry more slowly. Also, bonus third, it's totally possible to learn how to art through some of the top art creators here on YT!
Your uploads always help me :]
You’re inspiring me to create a realistic paint of Wilbur Soot, even though I’ve never done realism, I’ve gotten the sketch of him done :]
I just love ur channel u r so authentic
I have suffered from clinical depression, anxiety, ADD & bipolar for over 25 years. I've seen at least 6 different psychiatrists & also have been on 20 or more different medications until my family & I moved. We finally found a doctor who got me on the right combination of meds. I've been on this medication regiment almost 12yrs now. It works for the best part, I still have my off days like anyone. The best advice I can give to anyone going through similar or worse mental health issues, DON'T GIVE UP! Keep trying new medicines, seek out a psychological, identity with your feelings so you know when a medication is working or not, don't expect overnight results (most meds take 2-3wks. to build up in the system so they can work) LASTLY & MOST IMPORTANTLY ***JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL BETTER, DO NOT STOP YOUR MEDICATION! All the best, God bless and blessed be!
I legit love watching these types of art video's.
Me too
it’s currently 8AM after an all nighter, i needed this 😭thanks for looking out for a chick, appreciate you babe
Our is 8pm 😶
I spy a little Cell.
I use a lot of makeup brushes I don't need as art brushes to get some interesting shapes and textures. I've also used sawdust to texture some pieces before too. There was a trick of putting salt on paper when painting watercolor galaxies, but that never worked well for me. I'll stick with splattering white paint or liquid tape or wax.
Thank you for testing these crazy art Stuff!!
I remember using the egg paints with a specific powder paint. It was fun. My professor painted religious icon art with the egg paints.
Rae: dying inside while preparing the egg tempera.
Me: Thank you, Rae, for suffering for us.
If you used the Skittles coloring and like coconut oil or something you could make an edible paint
Wow I really loved all of these, even watching you gag a lil over the eggs,,,,, LMAO
Oh & girl I love ❤️ your cellphone holder, that's ADORABLE ❣️
Where did you find that?
Thanks! I got it on Amazon!
I love watching your channel, and I always see things I want for my art, I’m a 13 y/o that loves art and isn’t to bad at it, but when I see something I take interest in, I look it up on Amazon and send the link to my mom. I tell her to put it on my Christmas wish list so she has some idea for me for Christmas instead of asking me all the time, or forgetting what I want. Throughout the year I can add things so she’ll know what to get me 🤷♀️
SLAYY
It's a bit time consuming but I just learned about lake pigments and it might be fun or intresting too do :)
I have so much respect for you handling the egg... I know exactly what you mean with an egg phobia and just watching it was horrible. Thanks for a great vid and you have amazing courage.
OH MY GOD !!! her tiny cute little chair phone holder is so adorable!!!!
I love the fact that she has a mini fold up chair for her phone 😂
I use vegetable glycerine in handmade watercolor to help with dispersion especially with certain pigments! I don't include it in my recipe (which I'm happy to share) every time and I'm not sure it's good with acrylics but it could extend the moisture in watercolor and gouache. One thing in Skittle paint might be inexpensive lotion. Bath and Body Works with oils might not be just plain old lotion. Hm? I have no idea! I loved your last section!
“I’m sorry- I meant to show you guys ‘How to Make Egg Tempura,’ but I just played ‘How to Create a Homunculus.’”
I use vegetable glycerin in tube watercolors when I put them in pans to dry out. 3 to 4 drops per half pan stops watercolor from cracking when it drys out and makes it more easy to reset with water.
Damn tysm Rae! This really helps me a lot bc I can't afford super expensive supplies and its just cool to know these hacks! ❤️
The Utrecht Art Supplies team thought it was worth mentioning that adding glycerin to acrylics can result in a porous or soluble film that might be challenging to clean and maintain, so the warning to use only the minimum effective amount was much appreciated. One of the Utrecht folks said that some artists add white glue to make gouache more workable and easy to layer, by making an adhoc vinyl emulsion, so maybe that's a "hack" too! It was so much fun to see the reaction to painting with egg tempera! It really is a wonderful medium. High quality tube watercolors make a good pigment source for artists who aren't ready to commit to buying a whole set of dry pigments.
Another alternative to glycerin might be silicone oil. it's much more slippery then glycerin therefore you can add less and it won't dilute your paint as much.
@@MonokloDraw We haven't heard of that. We will have to research your tip and see if it would work. If it's too slippery, it might interfere with paint bonding to paper, but it's all speculation until the brush meets the canvas!
But what dye did you use to make the egg paint?
Oh! I like a hack to extend drying time on acrylic. Skittles paint?! These are super cool
As a note, I don't trust better help at all and from what I've heard a lot of mental health professionals don't either.
As a Bipolar1 mental illness I thank you for taking the time to speak about it❤
Not betterhelp again, the payments have to be outrageous for everyone to excuse their shitty behaviour and start being sponsored by them again
honestly ay its so dissapointing
@@elielieli1223 like nobody refuses them? They've done bad shit even after their statement about the initial problems, like the astroworld stunt. It's sad
Nice! Yes do celebrate mental health month..so important😀
I love your videos so much❤❤❤
If youre worried about paints drying out on the pallet (not necessarily the paper) Dollightfully puts a wet paper towel underneath some tracing paper/parchment paper and ive found that it works well for me!
yah glycerin? I have been using this and you kinda have find out what works for you. Ive had paintings where Ive had to wait for it to dry but i could come back and still work on it. I don't use it all the time. I have a little side plastic container (you know the one with the white cap, find them in walmart or dollar tree) but occasionally and depending on what Im doing with acrylic painting, I'll just dip the tip of my brush in the glycerin. Not alot and not over saturated it with glycerin. And watch your brush strokes with it. I'll use it if i really dont want to use water. Its what is in your acrylic paint anyway. Not sure if any of that made sense lol but yah lol
The glycerin helps the paint IN THE PALETTE from drying out as quickly. I use it with watercolor paint so the dried pans don’t crack
I love how she never failed to entertain me in her videos, love you so much miss rae💗
Omg I love the cute little chair that you use to hold your camera that’s such a smart idea and it’s so cute 🥺🥺
Love you Rae, and if better help really works for you, I'm glad you found something, but please consider not accepting sponsorship from they again. They are so shady
Agreed.
Fun fact the blue skittles did once exist, but they were toxic because of the blue color whatever was used to make it was not safe even though supposed to be so skittles pulled it from there collection
don’t worry, I HAVE A FEAR OF EGGS TOO
This was such a fun video!
Just an FYI, BetterHelp is not a good company. Their therapists are severely underpaid and there have been many concerns raised about their privacy policies.
In elementary school we used the salt like that and also rubbing alchohol with water color… from what I remeber. Also crayon. I remeber… wow it was like 14 or so years ago… we had a assignment where I each square we used a diffrent technique and then made a artwork with them. Im pretty sure mine was very disappointing but hey it was good for a 4th grader
I have to know: Does the egg paint smell once dry and sitting for days? 🤔
I had to google it, and actually egg paint holds up better and lasts much longer than oil paints without fading.
@@ritawilbur7343 I think they’re referring to the smell. Cause eggs go bad, so they’re wondering if it will smell weird or foul after a while. I was wondering that too
If you mean egg tempera then yes it will go extremely bad within hours and smell like hell. Any unused paint needs to be DESTROYED or you will never eat eggs again. But it is extremely stable once painted and may last as long as oil colours.
The projects won't smell after they dry the paint on the other hand. I had the misfortune of being the only person who worked with paint semi regularly at one job so had the pleasure of checking the store bought tempera paints every year. Now I only eat eggs if they are wrapped up in a burrito so they don't have a smell.
On the painting, no. It'll stop smelling of egg after a while, when dry. Source: My art teacher did this with us in high school as a project; we made our own egg tempera then painted with it. She made us dispose of any unused paint, so idk if that would have spoiled.
Hi Rae!! I enjoy your channel, and I wanted to let you know I like the idea of the cornstarch in "watery" paints. To that end, I know that makers have all sorts of formulae for paints. I have made a test swatch of some "economy " acrylics with the cornstarch. today, 30 Oct. 2022. I want to see if it holds up over time, so I will, if you don't mind, let you know each month how it holds up. First thing I notice is that it dried as a flat finish, so a clear glaze of finish might be in order if glossy is what you want. Mostly I want to see how it holds up over time, and if it will flake off or cause other problems! Thanks again for all your work and information sharing!
My Mom told me if I don't have something nice to say say nothing at all! Your hair is very pretty Rae! Have a nice day.
Wait, hold on, wasn’t Better Help the one that was shown to be scummy?
For the egg tempra painting one way I have been taught to do it was using pigments and 1/3 egg yolk 1/3 water and 1/3 vinegar don't know if it makes a big difference but it's still fun
Hey I know there's at least one other comment Abt this but better help is really not good and I know you probably didn't know about it's problems or you learned about them after you signed the contract for it. I just wanted to say better help is really problematic for those who don't know.
Is it just me who first listened to the song 'come move your body' in Rae's videos as background music and kept listening to it till I started vibing to it and is now is my fav song ever...😅
For anyone saying anything about better help... please don't just assume it's bad bc of some random tweets or videos. I'm a nobody and have no horse in that race but I personally use better help and I love it. The cost first off is literally thousands of dollars cheaper than what I was paying a previous in person therapist. But also they did most of the work to find a good therapist specifically for me rather than having to go through different ones in person until you're comfortable with someone and thousands of dollars later. also i communicate how I want to, I sometimes do it by text but other times phone calls and video chat. Idk... all I'm saying is for anyone saying anything.... have YOU actually tried it or are you simply bashing a company bc of some random comments and videos? Genuinely and truly betterhelp has helped me work through some dark stuff recently.. really dark. I can honestly say I'm probably still here bc of the work I did along with the therapist. 🤷🏼♀️