Watercolor Pencils Tutorial (7 Mistakes Beginners Make!)

In today's watercolor pencils for beginners tutorial I show you 7 mistakes I see artists making with watercolor pencils so you can see real improvement in your work!

0:00 Watercolor Pencils Tutorial Beginners Mistakes
1:30 Not using the right paper for watercolor pencils
6:12 Not using a good brand of watercolor pencils
8:30 Blending in the 'wrong' direction
11:29 Not controlling point sharpness
13:29 Pressing too hard with watercolor pencils
16:22 Not taking advantage of combining with paint
18:16 Not working into wet paper

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[DavidTaylor-rcur]

Hi, I am a 77 going on 18 year old rocker ( KTM 390 Duke ), I needed a hobby for winter and watched your excellent vid. Ok so, not wanting a lot of stick from mates, I’m painting in secret, this vid has explained an awful lot, I’m really grateful for your time to clarify things that I’m sure are second nature to many of your subscribers many many thanks for my new hobby, subscribed.

[IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber]

***Please read before commenting!*** I omitted to mention that Inktense are different to standard watercolour pencils, because I'm not perfect, and video production is hard. And I am getting comments telling me of this omission... every. single. day. I have addressed this in replies to previous comments, but I can't reply to the same thing every day. There's no wrong info in the video, only something I didn't fully explain. It's my most popular video nevertheless so thanks for your support! X

[robinburdette]

Blending in the wrong direction! BLEW MY MIND! I love painting flowers and have struggled for years with not getting the effect I SEE on so many other artists work. Tried your method and OMG 😳 it was soooo easy and BEAUTIFUL! Game changer for clouds too!Thank you so much! The other things I had figured out, through trial and error.

[scoiataeli]

I feel like my watercolour pencils game has just upped only by watching this video 😁

[shey]

I didn't know you were supposed to use a brush with your water colour pencils.
For the last 35 years I have been dipping my pencils in water. No wonder I got such awful results
Thank you so much.

[jennyd]

The petal blending explanation was most helpful. I had been making the mistake of going from the dark area to the light area.

[madhyahusta]

I have made these and other mistakes since I started learning to use watercolor pencils. One big mistake I made many times was to treat the watercolor pencils as regular pencils. For example, I would paint the whole piece and then wet it, instead of painting in layers, being patient, and using water to create effects. Thanks Michele, my watercolor skills have improved tremendously!!

[aeronan]

Inktense aren’t technically watercolors. Once they dry, you can’t reactivate. True watercolor pencils you can reactivate with water once dry. Minor difference but they really aren’t the same thing. May or may not matter depending on what you are doing with them.

[maruzze]

I have to admit I am really leery of the "this is what you're doing all wrong" type of video, but I gave this one a chance and I'm very glad I did. I've only barely begun to experiment with watercolor pencils and I feel that I've just gained a treasure trove of wonderful guidance from a friendly professional. Thank you, Michele! I just subscribed.

[mikelees]

I like the way watercolour pencils, bleed into watercolour paint, I about 3 weeks into getting back into art at the age of 63, so all these tips are very useful thank you Michelle.

[katarzynadominikabratkowsk]

❤covid's gone - your lessons are so alive and priceless ❤

[janetbyler]

Thank you! Ive never tried my watercolor gift set, but now ill try!

[Genie]

I never thought of combining the watercolor paint with the watercolor pencils.

[heathereley]

Thank you Michelle, it’s worth pointing out to those who are new to water soluble pencils that Derwent Inktense are a bit different to other watercolour pencils in that they are ink and once activated with water cannot be reactivated. This makes them good for layering with many other mark making materials which can go easily over the top. They can also be used on fabric. I really enjoy your channel and like to focus on how I can improve my art which is still very much at the start of the journey. So glad you can still be with us all during lockdown 2 helping us to improve.

[morgansaturn]

The petal blending explanation and the tip with mixing actual watercolour with watercolour pencils are really helpfull. I'm always struggling with backgrounds, it takes ages to get something I'm satisfied with, and I end up being frustrated with pencils. I don't know why I havn't think of it before ... Thank you very much !

[hermajestyqueenmarciamarti]

I find myself watching your channel because of 2 things..you are very informative and clear in your teaching style.ive learned more from you than I did in 3 years of watercolor lessons at our local gallery from a few teachers. two...you have a sweet voice, a kind manner..soothing, pleasant, polite, just plain helpful..like a good parent..even though I could be your grandma! Anyhow thanks..I'm sharing, pushing thumbs up etc..maybe will do patron if I find time. Stay safe..Love Marcia in Modesto

[claudiameyer]

I’m a total beginner and I’m trying to learn some skills. This video was so enlightening. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I plan on watching more of your videos and just subscribed.

[JudithWilsonSpeaking]

Fabulous for us newbies just going into this medium. So very helpful. I'll look at timing for the class.

[dianehiggins]

Very helpful. I bought a set of watercolor pencils about 2 years ago and have never made the time to try them. I'm getting ready to make the time and I appreciate your tutorial! Thank you!

[vergieopdycke]

Thank you for the tip about not pressing too hard and also when to use a sharp tip and when to use a blunt tip.