Reviewing Color By Feliks Painting Tutorial
Ok ok it's not as bad as it sounds, I am not judging him, I am just letting the world know how I think his tutorials are. One opinion in a billion voices.
Let me start by saying he is a huge Instagram star, and I am slow off the post and have just recently started watching his videos. The paintings he makes are so peaceful and make me feel like there's something worth smiling for in this world.
I actually tried his boat painting, the sunset is to die for.
He makes it look so easy, sigh. First off, my fluffy brush, too fluffy. Actually no, it worked well, the way his did, it was blending like a bad ass, but, and a big but, for every stroke I did with it, it lost ten hairs. These hairs stuck in the paint, making it impossible to flick them off. So I had to scratch them off, leave a mark in the paint, and fix it up with more paint. I specifically went to Spotlight (Australia's Hobby Lobby I guess), and spent $30 on this Mop Brush.
This is it. A one inch Royal & Langnickel Mop brush. $30. I was super excited to try it. That is a lot of money for one brush, but I love painting, and I wanted to try his technique.
If I could list regrettable buys, this would definitely be on the list. It made me so frustrated and upset with myself that I just couldn't stop the hairs from sticking to the painting. I wet it, plucked the hairs out that I could see were loose, but it would still lose more and more hairs. I swear it was mocking me.
So luckily I remembered a previous purchase of a mop brush. (Ooops) I bought it from Officeworks here in Hervey Bay, it is a J.Burrows number 20. Barely lost a hair, not a hair was there! By this stage I was too agitated to properly be able to follow Feliks. I wanted to cry. This is no reflection on his teaching, this was a bad purchase, bad timing and frustration.
This is it. A one inch Royal & Langnickel Mop brush. $30. I was super excited to try it. That is a lot of money for one brush, but I love painting, and I wanted to try his technique.
If I could list regrettable buys, this would definitely be on the list. It made me so frustrated and upset with myself that I just couldn't stop the hairs from sticking to the painting. I wet it, plucked the hairs out that I could see were loose, but it would still lose more and more hairs. I swear it was mocking me.
So luckily I remembered a previous purchase of a mop brush. (Ooops) I bought it from Officeworks here in Hervey Bay, it is a J.Burrows number 20. Barely lost a hair, not a hair was there! By this stage I was too agitated to properly be able to follow Feliks. I wanted to cry. This is no reflection on his teaching, this was a bad purchase, bad timing and frustration.
I ended up painting this and then stopping. It was pointless, I couldn't salvage it sigh.
I will come back to this tutorial when I think I am better prepared. So, I tried another Feliks tutorial. It is a snow scene with trees and a little cabin. Ok, I was ready......
ColorbyFeliks snow scene tutorial
He talks clearly, I can understand every word, he shows the mixing of the paint and uses minimal
colours, which makes things easier. He isn't selling super expensive brushes to me and he worked at a speed that enabled me to follow his progress easily. I will say that I am still a beginning painter and I am used to the Youtubers like The Art Sherpa, and Painting with Jane. They specifically explain every brush stroke, and tell the reasoning why a colour is being put on the canvas. Feliks does do this fairly well, just not to the extent that the beginniner tutorials do. I had some issues with the way that he made his trees, I couldn't grasp the concept straight away. I did have to watch a few other painting tutorials on pine trees to get what I was doing wrong.
My trees were too pointy. And too sparse, and just wrong.His explanation of mixing the colours was absolutely perfect, nothing amiss there. Easy to understand, easy to follow. The only problem I was having was, he is just a step above the beginner painter.
These are ColorbyFeliks' winter trees, I just couldn't get mine to look like his. That said, every other aspect of the painting I could follow, and understand his reasoning one hundred percent.
This is what my final trees ended up looking like, after a couple of attempts and some repainting and fixing up of the things I did not like. Still nothing like Feliks' but I was "happy" lol. I followed the rest of the tutorial easily. Not a problem. He is funny, easy to understnad and most important of all he makes some gorgeous paintings that I just want to paint and paint and paint with him. In all honesety, I loved it. I like the way he teaches, albeit not quite as detailed as others, I like that he uses a minimal colour palette, his paintings are, well words cannot describe them. That said he is not for the absolute beginner painter, unless you are one of those people that catch on really quick. I am not. Takes me a little time and explanation to get some things. Considering he is only "new" to youtube (less than a year I believe), he still has lots of time to improve on the small little things.
I wholeheartedly recommend watching his tutorials and trying them at your own pace, to be able to paint even a little bit like him would make me super happy. I love painting tutorials, and I love trying new techniques and teachers. To put him in the same category as The Art Sherpa is a little difficult right now. She does many many live paintings with questions coming in as she paints and so she can answer them.
If I was to crituque myself on my painting below I would have lots to say. 😉 So luckily I am not lol.
Remember, mop brushes shed, they shed a lot, be prepared for that. I have not tried all brands of mop brushes though, so maybe one day there will be a non shedder lol. That said they blend perfectly, like a dream, like using oil paints. It's just those darn hairs.
I am currently working on a few different things, like I said, trying to find who I am and what is my niche. I am selling my art items on Etsy, although my goal is to own my own website and be an Artist, whatever that means.
Tomorrow I will be working on finishing my miniature resin geode tables and the miniature resin river table. Perfect for dollhouses and anyone who likes miniatures. These are prototypes, experiments, and I have no idea if they will work out. I am just trying to make a name for myself, make something I am proud of.
I am also working on miniature resin geode tables. I just have the legs left to do on these babies.
Please follow me on facebook........... KristinaObrienart
I am also on Instagram.......... https://www.instagram.com/kristina_obrien_art/
Aaaand Pinterest....... https://www.pinterest.com.au/krystalrose316/pins/
And now on Etsy......... https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/KrystalRoseCreations?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
I am also on Instagram.......... https://www.instagram.com/kristina_obrien_art/
Aaaand Pinterest....... https://www.pinterest.com.au/krystalrose316/pins/
And now on Etsy......... https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/KrystalRoseCreations?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
Very informative and impressive post you have written, this is quite interesting and i have went through it completely, an upgraded information is shared, keep sharing such valuable information. Wet Paint Brushes
ReplyDeleteI am continually amazed by the amount of information available on this subject. What you presented was well researched and well worded in order to get your stand on this across to all your readers. Pixels en Steken
DeleteOmg I felt the same way.....the brush shed and shed and I was trying to flick the hairs of the canvas leaving scratches all over the painting. Thank you sooo much for posting. I feel a lot better now :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you wrote. Not for an absolute beginner at all!!!!
Have a nice day and happy painting :-)
He explains in one of the videos, that not to worry stuck hairs. He says to wait for the paint to dry. By then the acrylic will shrink letting the fiber easy to flick off. But losing 10 fiber in a stroke is frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI just use a make up brush. Just perfect 😅 And no hairs coming out!
DeleteI found my natural goat hair brush finally stopped losing lots of hairs... But it took months. I keep a set of tweakers handy to pick out hairs or other things that end up doing into my paint.
ReplyDeleteMakeup blush brushes work amazing as a brush and they never lose hairs! I bought several from the grocery store for just $3 ea and I'm still using them almost a year later!!
Thank you for this. Feliks now sells his blending brush but I'm thinking of trying out first the local make up brushes for blending. Been researching the internet if a goat hair make up brush would work and I find this reply very helpful.
DeleteI'm wondering if your mop brush was squirrel, they are absolutely brutal for shedding. I've actually found that the inexpensive synthetic brushes are the best
ReplyDeleteI use make up blush brushes for blending. A tip given by another artist and a cheap alternative.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I do, but cheap makeup brushes shed as well, so be careful to get a good one. Still cheaper than some of the blending paint brushes
DeleteHi, I use the blending bushes by Felix and find them amazing. Expensive, yes but worth the money. As for the tutorials I have no trouble following them and I am 78 and partially sighted (I have 65% in one eye only) If the tutorials are too fast then just pause them and when you are ready continue. For leaves on trees use an artist sponge or a fan brush. Oh and I have never had a painting lesson in my life and now can't stop painting. Good luck with yours and don't give up.
ReplyDelete