No one has the heart to tell you this. But I will.

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GET STARTED

Since I frequently get asked about other items in my video, here is a link to other items and products I use in this video and in everyday life/work

My Makeup

My Skincare

My Outfit

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PLACES TO FIND ME

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ABOUT ME

Hi! My name is Margot and I am a professional artist and graphic designer. My parents like to joke that I was born with a paintbrush in hand. I started my career after graduating from the renown Parsons School of Design in New York City and spent over 15 years creating and designing for many of the world's top Fortune 500 brands and companies. My painting journey started as a side project and a creative outlet for me to step away from the computer, go back to my "roots" in fine art and to hone my skills as an illustrator and painter. I started posting some of my work on instagram and the rest is history. My work is inspired by all the things that I am passionate about. Ballet, travel, graphic design, color and finding a world of beauty in all facets of everyday life. I hope you'll join me in this YouTube journey as I take you through all the tips, tricks and trade secrets I've gathered throughout the years. I hope I can teach you some of what I know, help you discover your creative voice and I hope you enjoy this Channel!

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*Disclaimer: Pointebrush is a participant in the Amazon, Blick Art Materials and Jackson's Art affiliate programs. An affiliate advertising program is designed to provide a means for creators to earn fees by linking to products they recommend on these websites. The cost to you for these products is the same, but Pointebrush earns a small commission which helps support the creation of these videos and content.

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[rachelgetsitright]

Things that tutorials have taught me: each paint is like a musical note, or a word. When water and pigment are placed upon paper, we learn the voice, the music of the paint. We learn to play our own songs, poems, stories and a dance with our brushes, eyes and light.

[jenfries]

Working artist here: I agree with everything in this heart-to-heart so much! Thank you for saying this really important fundamental truth - especially the "trust yourself" part.

I'm not going to call anyone out, but personal story about bad art teaching: At my art school, there were these two teachers who ran an oil painting course. I didn't take it because there was a weird vibe about it. Their students idolized these teachers to an uncomfortable degree. They'd talk about the course like it was an MLM or something. They would produce these massive canvasses of classically inspired realist scenes that always dominated the student exhibitions. Over my 4 years there I noticed that all their paintings looked alike. The students were painting like the teachers. You could not tell the difference between the teachers' works and the students', when they were hung side by side.

When I commented on this to some of the students, they told me they were learning to paint "the right way."

That was a real slam-on-the-brakes red-flag moment for me. Learning to paint "the right way"? Wait -

And for years afterwards, I would see paintings in that very specific style popping up in galleries, and I would say, "Oh, there's someone who took that course." Sometimes, it was even one of the students I knew. I think it took them years, and maybe several other teachers, for them to break out of the restriction on their own self-expression that those teachers had put on them - in other words, for them to become themselves and stop being clones of someone else.

That is bad instruction, but it's also step-by-step instruction. Step-by-step "here's how to do it" instruction is good if the teacher is good, if they put the emphasis on the technique and principles, rather than on the finished result - if they're teaching how to paint with oils or watercolors, etc., rather than how to paint a ballerina or a dramatic crowd, specifically. But if the emphasis is "This is The Way to make This Picture Right Here, " which is what those instructors were doing, that's definitely a learning dead-end.

By the way, I seldom see that style of oil painting anywhere now. No one is famous for it.

No one gets famous for copying others. Everyone needs to realize that. Hans Van Meegeren was famous because he got caught. He was a forger. Forgery is a crime, i.e. fraud. Van Meegeren was successful, i.e. he made a lot of money, when no one knew his name because he was conning people out of money by selling counterfeits. He only got famous because he got exposed, but when his fame started, his success ended. He spent a year in prison. If you look at artists who legitimately got famous by using other artists' work, you will see they are not actually copying. Warhol's prints of famous renaissance works or photos of famous people cannot be mistaken for the originals. They are in Warhol's distinctive style. Duchamp's Mona Lisa print with a mustache painted on it cannot be mistaken for the original Mona Lisa. It is a commentary in the distinctive manner of Marcel Duchamp.

No one needs us to to repeat to them what some other artist said. The world wants to hear what we have to say.

So if you're going to follow step-by-step tutorials, make sure you can learn something from it that **you** can use for **your** self-expression. And my personal advice, follow tutorials from artists in lots of different styles, using lots of different techniques. Do not allow yourself to get into a comfort-zone groove on tutorials. Learning should always feel unfamiliar.

[gabydorough]

What if.... you were to suggest a "challenge" at the end of every tutorial... example: using a limited pallet, changing the paper size, using a single brush for that particular project. Limitations are a catalyst for creativity! 🎉 I loved this video. This was the push I needed to start trying new stuff on my own more often. Thank you!!!

[PatMcFadyenGrowingGradeByGrade]

I understand what you're saying, but tutorials are a huge learning resource for this beginner. Following tutorials teaches me the basic skills. I have playlists of specific types of tutorials (landscapes, seascapes, flowers, Christmas, just for fun, etc.) Without this learning format, I would be overwhelmed and quit. I don't ever plan to copy someone's style and work. I'll do my own as time goes on, but I need my tutorials at this stage in my journey!

[andCountingcom]

There is a place for tutorials simply because you are learning the steps and processes, the key being “learning”. I have learned so much that it gave me confidence to do my own paintings in my own style. Now I have a website and am officially an “artist”, creating all of my own designs. Less than three years ago, I would have laughed, then turned and run if someone expected me to be an artist. Officially, I am, and I love what I do! Much of my confidence and knowledge came from Margot, and I can’t thank you enough for sharing, and making me smile!

[FannaTurano]

I suffer from imposter syndrome each time I place my brush on my paper. And I possess zero joy in my completed paintings anymore, Margot. So I grabbed a fancy sketchbook, and began making marks from whatever I'm told. And I'm liking it. After 7 years of wc painting, I'm on the first yellow brick, on the yellow brick road. Painful. I feel like I've wasted these 7 years of "trying.' I'm so unhappy. So I make little art things that please me, listening to my self. And I've discovered that I LOVE illustrations BEST! And now I"m creating characters who come to life on my paper. It's the starting point, but I'm finally listening. Thank you for your beautiful paintings and your pearls of wisdom. Always a delight to watch your videos. :)

[KellyHeggem]

Did I just watch a commercial for Craftsy?

[StephySketches]

For me, tutorials were great early on because they gave me the courage and the confidence to learn more. I had a horrible art teacher as a kid and was a perfectionist so I didn’t think I could learn until one late night doodling in college. Then I followed along with a drawing tutorial and would make this amazing drawing that totally looked like who I was trying to draw. I’d get so excited I’d then try to do it on my own with 50 other drawings that all turned out terrible, but it gave me the thirst for more knowledge. Sometimes through tutorials, sometimes other art videos. And when my pencil mileage was greater, I began to pursue and understand the fundamentals and now I want to illustrate. But had it not been for the confidence boost some of those early tutorials had given me, I don’t think I would have fallen through.

[katpaints]

Yes! It took me decades to stop following tutorials! I got a Jon Gnagy drawing kit probably about 1955. That would have made me 9. I worked on the lessons and did well but it never occurred to me to apply it outside the book. High school, i was not allowed to take art. Still think that one was odd. I ended up in the military in the 60s and they had a place where you could take art classes and I i was too timid to find out about it, even though a roommate went every week. I married and by the time I was 28, I had a one year old and got brave enough to look into taking tole painting, only I wanted to do rosemaling. By then my husband was in college and finances were limited. I could take lessons or buy books and I choose books. I practiced during nap time. I learned a lot, especially color mixing and brush control. Years passed and I found someone I wanted to take lessons from. We switched to acrylics because people were getting sick from bad studio practices. No, you shouldn't be putting your cleaned brush on your mouth to point it. And I hated it. I put down my brushes. When my oldest got married I decided to take watercolor classes. The teacher expected us to not only bring a still life every week but to draw out own design. 21 years of painting and I finally was doing my own thing! It IS good to put in time practicing techniques! It is good to learn to mix colors. But it is especially good to discover what you can do when you experiment on your own! 🎉🎉🎉

[cjtittle]

I've been cutting back on tutorials for a while now. I was restless and wanted to do things my way. I'm inching toward that and have found that sketchbooks are a good way to practice my own style. Your video was absolutely spot on and much appreciated. Thank you!

[pennywheeler]

Here is the main reason why I love you and your channel. You don't tell your subs what to do, you always give great advice! 💕🖌

[awatercolourist]

9:49 To all beginner artists out there I have to agree with this one. There are several ways to paint the exact same painting. For example, you might find that an artist uses one type of brush to achieve an effect, but when you try to paint the same effect using the same brush, you fail. However, when you try again with a different brush, you succeed (the brush might be a different size or a different shape or is made of a different fibre, etc.). That applies to brushes, paints, amount of water, paper, etc. Always keep in mind that there are several ways to achieve the same thing, so have fun and experiment 🙂.

[awatercolourist]

Hello again 👋🏼. For some us, copying art that we admire makes us really happy, just honest to God happy and at peace 😊. Our artistic voice is second fiddle to everything else.

[thejammiebricker]

Queen’s University back in the 80s had a “Queen’s Uni” disappointing look to the student paintings. Only a few managed to be themselves & they already had their styles before attending. A young artist quit her art program because of them wanting to “mould” her. The main female life model told me that she didn’t want to pose for one of the teachers because he didn’t provide a good working space environment for her.

[ErikaLancasterArt]

Great video, Margot! I'm also a teaching artist and something that I always like explaining to students who are trying to reach their full potential (with this I mean- get to a point at which they are easily able to create great original art), is that it's important to increase skills and develop knowledge in three areas: Principles, Concepts and Techniques. What we learn in step-by-step tutorials would be improving in the Techniques area, which is more about learning how to use your drawing/painting medium. Though many hobbyists are fine with staying here and producing great art that's a copy, if one wants to develop more fully, it's important to avoid ignoring the other two pillars (Principles and Concepts), otherwise, as you mentioned, it's going to be nearly impossible to break free from being told what to do. I chat with lots of beginners who don't know why they aren't able to create art that is their own, and it's because they haven't challenged themselves to use their own concepts, develop their own projects based on their own ideas, and they haven't made time to learn about the fundamentals (art principles). I think, for lots of people who're just getting started, step-by-step tutorials are great. As humans, we learn new skills in the beginning through copying. Like when we're learning to ride a bike or braid our hair. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. The problem is getting stuck there for too long, not trusting in yourself enough to do things differently, or ignoring the other two pillars. Though I haven't followed step by step tutorials in years, I consider myself a lifelong learner and will forever be learning from other artists I admire. I think it's important to continue improving and evolving as we move along in our journeys and will continue investing in workshops, courses, etc., taught by artists I admire. But, at this point, I make sure to bring lots of myself in, as I'm following a class, and use what I've learned in my own way. I don't think we should scare beginners away from using tutorials to learn, because everyone is different, is at different stages in their learning, and benefits from different types of support. But it is important to go into learning resources with open eyes, and make sure that you are learning in a way that supports your current goals. Cheers!

[Tangie]

I don't disagree, and appreciate your tips. But for those of us with little to no formal art training, tutorials seem like a logical place to begin! I used to draw a lot as a kid but had never used watercolors before in my life until I decided I wanted to learn when I saw a set marked down on AMZ around Black Friday. I turned 67 this year. (!) Love your channel. 💕

Dear Margot, you are one in a billion! Your honesty and sensibility surrounding this avalanche of art tutorials is sage advice especially for beginners. I love watching the mostly fabulous and talented artists available any time any day and have learned so many useful techniques doing so. I've realized during step by step tutorials however, that there is a unique creative style that I am searching for deep inside. I remember freaking out when my son was in kindergarten and his teacher marked a coloring book page with - TRY TO STAY IN THE LINES - in black marker (BTW- he couldn't read yet). I marched up to his school and informed her that we never ask him to color in the lines so please don't. It strikes me that the step by step videos are akin to the trying to stay in the lines approach. I find that I need to play more, discover more, try on different hats and see which one fits best and makes me feel like me. Thank you Margot, for this validating piece.

[debbiecrowther]

I really needed to hear this 😊. I can copy from a tutorial pretty well but it sucks the confidence out of me trying to do my own thing, I either don’t think I’m good enough or I have no idea what to do. Thanks Margo for giving me the push to just do my own thing 😁

[mrhenky]

I follow a two step progression: 1) draw a circle, 2) draw the rest of the owl.

[lisaedmondson]

Growing up in the 60's, and not having access to what we have today, I, for one, is over the moon having all this free material, I love learning from most of the artist here. I have joined Patreon for $ 10 a month for some artists, and I have learned A LOT. When I was a kid art school was out of the question too expensive, and what job would you get?And I had a natural talent for drawing etc! but that is getting you nowhere. I do agree with Ms. Hallac, all these tutorials can hinder you, but it sure can help you send you on your way to a happy painting life!