OpenTube

What Makes a Good Watercolor Painting and the ONE Exercise All Beginners Should Use to Level up Fast

Ina Xi Watercolor

56,570 views

Did you fall in love with the freshness of watercolor but don’t know how to move beyond just “playing with it”? Do you want to paint what you're passionate about—not just copying the instructor – and have it actually look good?

In this video, I’ll break down the key elements of a successful watercolor painting, and show you how to develop them through one powerful exercise.

A beautiful watercolor painting comes down to three essential elements:
1.Full control over the medium
2.Strong painting design
3.The right visual treatment

I will also show you an exercise that will help you level up in all these 3 domains, so you can move beyond the beginner level and start creating stunning watercolor paintings

All of these concepts are taught in a highly accessible, beginner-friendly way through my Patreon watercolor program. You’ll bring your own photo or subject you're passionate about, and go through a five-step transformative process. I’ll walk you through the core foundations of fine art—simplifying your subject, planning your composition, applying color and tonal range, and finishing with expressive, painterly brushwork—while offering hands-on, personalized feedback.

👉 Learn more or sign up at:
Patreon: inaxiwatercolor

Note: Due to increasing demand, class prices will increase by the end of the year and class size will be limited. Take advantage of this pilot phase and power up your watercolor skills now!
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More about me:
Ina Xi is an award-winning painter and art educator based in the Pacific Northwest, whose work explores the themes of nostalgia, cultural diversity and collective human experiences.
Website: https://www.inaxiwatercolor.com
Instagram: Instagram: inabear
Facebook: Facebook: inaxiwatercolor

📮Subscribe to my email newsletter for painting tips, discounts and first preview of new artworks https://www.inaxiwatercolor.com/pages...

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🧰Supplies I use
A complete list of supplies with links to purchase them. I may earn a small commission for some of these links at no extra cost to you. Earnings help sustain this channel.

📄Paper:
Meeden 100% Cotton Watercolor Block, 10x7, Cold Press, https://go.meedenart.com/4srtE1Z
For practice: Richeson Bulk Watercolor Paper, 9”x6”, Cold Press https://tinyurl.com/26yae5y2

🖌️Brush:
🖌️Quill:
Da Vinci Petit Gris Pur Blue Squirrel Brush - Quill, Short Handle, Size 6 https://tinyurl.com/3p2spy9s (0.75” diameter)
Or: Escoda Último Synthetic Squirrel Brush - Mop, Size 16 https://tinyurl.com/4xr2p5xh
Or: Princeton Aqua Elite Series 4850 Synthetic Brush - Quill, Size 6 https://tinyurl.com/yz4x4994
Or: MEEDEN Professional Watercolor Brushes, 4 pc set, https://tinyurl.com/7wccskmw
Read this guide to compare the 4 options and pick what’s best for you. https://www.inaxiwatercolor.com/blogs...
🖌️Synthetic rounds:
Escoda Prado Tame Synthetic Brush, Round, Size 8 https://tinyurl.com/yk8az552
Escoda Prado Tame Synthetic Brush, Round, Size 12 https://tinyurl.com/2b4wwdmt
🖌️Flat heads:
Isabey Siberian Blue Squirrel Flat, Size 18 https://tinyurl.com/mrybkx48
Princeton Aqua Elite Series 4850 Synthetic Brush- Stroke, Size 1/4" https://tinyurl.com/2pavtbwv
🖌️Rigger:
Princeton Aqua Elite Series 4850 Synthetic Brush - Rigger, Size 8 https://tinyurl.com/yz4n7d4r

🎨Colors and paint:
M. Graham & Co. Ultramarine blue 15ml https://tinyurl.com/4pa3a73r
M. Graham & Co. Burnt Sienna 15ml https://tinyurl.com/ybu99mae
M. Graham & Co. Alizarin Crimson 15ml https://tinyurl.com/4vx8s8dk
M. Graham & Co. Burnt Umber 15ml https://tinyurl.com/2t2d5m9d
M. Graham & Co. Cadmium Yellow 15ml https://tinyurl.com/2fehmtnr
M. Graham & Co. Cadmium Red 15ml https://tinyurl.com/3fsr9nhw
M. Graham & Co. Yellow Ochre 15ml https://tinyurl.com/yvfzds6h
M. Graham & Co. Cerulean Blue 15ml https://tinyurl.com/mr2w9k26
M. Graham & Co. Cobalt Teal 15ml https://tinyurl.com/2p8rxxb
M. Graham & Co. Indigo 15ml https://tinyurl.com/4xrx3kuc
M. Graham & Co Viridian Green 15ml https://tinyurl.com/bdd4dv77
M. Graham Dioxazine purple 15ml https://tinyurl.com/45jp5n7u
M. Graham Artists' Gouache - Titanium White, 15 ml https://tinyurl.com/2za6n7p6
Daniel Smith Lavender 15ml https://arttoolkit.com/supplies/danie...

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Music from #Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/keep-g...
License code: 8P2G3T9MXMSN3LXX

20 Comments

@inaxiwatercolor Creator 11 months ago Pinned

Hi all, the full-speed painting tutorial of the “One Helpful Exercise” is now available at:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/full-length-demo-135257372

It’s free to watch for Patreon members who also have access to other worksheets and full-speed videos accompanying all my YouTube tutorials.

Enjoy!

@lauriebochner6936 7 months ago

I learned more from this 17 minute video than from the numerous (and expensive) in person classes I've taken over the past several years. Thank you!

@dogwhiskers8 10 months ago

You nailed what keeps beginners stuck.

@JennWittek 1 year ago

Excellent and effective communication. My major was fine art in uni. decades ago then I went into IT tech for 20 years to pay the bills dropped art now I'm returning; I can honestly state this is the one of the best seminars on watercolor design principals😃. Well done. Thank you. From Canada.

@butterpoweredbike6135 1 year ago

This is the instruction I needed when I was first starting! I'm going back to basics with you now. So thankful for the time you've put into making such thoughtful content.

@ninav9795 1 year ago

I love how well you explain things.

@Max-cm2pt 1 month ago

I so appreciate that you teach so positively and teach skills that allow people to create their own style. So many people I've tried to learn from constantly tell you there is only one correct way to do it or all the ways you are doing things wrong. The way you teach makes me feel hopeful that I can learn and still be able to create things in a unique style!

@JenniferSpac3 4 weeks ago

I love that your lessons are focused on teach us to understand instead of following steps to paint a single scenery. Thank you so much for your dedication.❤ 🎨

@jessegirlb 1 month ago

This is the single most helpful watercolor video I've ever watched.

@wendycombs2949 1 year ago

Genius. You understand the beginning watercolor efforts that we all go through. Your pigment consistency exercise with the house, in a previous video, was absolutely ground breaking! Now that I’ve gained that confidence I am ready to try this warehouse/car Value. I am soo guilty of getting those pretty colors down 1st. I will perform this exercise as many times as it takes! Thank you so much ❤

@vermiliongamboge155 1 year ago

Your videos are concise, approachable, and the most useful I've come across on YouTube. I've taken art classes off and on for years, but this method of understanding paint consistency and doing a value study in paint (not only in pencil) is going to improve my sketches tremendously.Thank you!

@tessellatiaartilery8197 1 year ago

What a brilliant watercolor tutorial. You are skilled at distilling the essential valuable points into a succinct lesson. And the visual supporting slides are fantastic: example pictures, reducing to monochrome, key principles, so clearly explained. I am going to try these exercises with my images. Thank you for sharing your expertise and beautiful brush strokes so kindly and positively with us! 😊❤

@sunningphoenix 9 months ago

This is a true setting for learning watercolor. I have been floundering for a year trying to mimic others with pearls of knowledge that did not adequately provide the foundational basics necessary to consider before gathering materials to paint. I have watched 2-3 videos here and see/feel I am on a different vector. Thank you for developing this instruction in a way that will be with me each time I sit to paint. This has been "grounding" for me.

@astudent1109 2 weeks ago

Thank you; you are most helpful and also generous in sharing your knowledge and experience!
A remarkably rich and easily accessible resource!!

@normaspande3141 3 months ago

I am so excited to learn how to make my painting look painterly. So far it's simply reproducing my instructor.

@rdrouynriv 1 year ago

Another excellent video. I find your teaching method very straightforward and approachable.

@ramaehamrin 3 weeks ago

Brilliant and so incredibly helpful. Thank you!

@sararogers2602 1 year ago

I love your clear, concise teaching style.

@Mintliam 1 month ago

This is so so so helpful. Thank u!

@CaroleCarrier 7 months ago

Just discovered your channel and I I’m absolutely flabbergasted by the quality of your teaching! I started watercolour 18 months ago at age 71 and totally fell in love with this medium. I’ve become a « photocopy machine » but can’t paint my own stuff… your step by step teaching of how to evolve with watercolour is exactly what I need! I will definitely join your patreon in the near future! Thanks again for sharing not only your painting skills but your teaching skills as well!