Just realized most online watercolor tutorials are setting beginners up for failure

I've been diving into watercolor painting for months, and the number of tutorials that gloss over key techniques is maddening. They'll show a beautiful gradient but not mention the paper weight or brush type, which completely changes the outcome. Why do creators assume we all have professional-grade materials? I spent hours trying to replicate a sky wash only to find out the tutorial used a different pigment brand that behaves uniquely. It feels like they're more interested in aesthetics than actual teaching. How are we supposed to learn if the basics are treated as common knowledge? This approach just leads to wasted paint and frustration.

4 comments

4 Comments

matthew_martin6h ago

When you mentioned tutorials showing gradients without paper weight, that resonated. I mean, I used to brush off material specs thinking technique was everything. But after my own sky wash fiasco where my student-grade paper buckled while the tutorial assumed heavyweight, it clicked. Now I see how omitting basics like pigment brands or brush types just sets up confusion. It's not just about aesthetics, it's about actually teaching, and skipping those details feels like a disservice. Maybe it's just me but that realization changed how I pick tutorials entirely.

alicejones6h ago

But is it really that serious if tutorials leave out some details? I mean, haven't we all made things work with what we had on hand? Sometimes doesn't winging it teach you more anyway?

jessep165h ago

Isn't teaching incomplete just glorified guessing?

grayc273h ago

Listen, did you just say your paper buckled during a sky wash? That's insane... tutorials glossing over paper weight is how you end up with wasted effort and frustration. It's not glorified guessing at all, it's setting up for failure when they assume heavyweight without saying it. And beginners don't know what they don't know... so they blame themselves instead of the incomplete instructions. Makes you wonder how many other basics are silently assumed in those videos...