🎨 New FREE Watercolor Guide: Decoding Your Pigment Labels! Ever stared at a watercolor tube and had no idea what all those letters and numbers actually meant? Or maybe wasted a whole bunch of money on colors that looked pretty in the store but behaved unpredictably on paper? I made something just for you! 💛 In yesterday's video, I shared a link to this quick-reference guide, adapted from Chapter 1 of my book, 101 Watercolor Secrets. Inside, you'll learn how to:
🔤 Decode the pigment code on any tube, from any brand 🖌️ Understand staining, so you know what will lift and what won't ☀️ Spot lightfastness ratings before a color fades on you 💧 Predict transparency before you even open the tube 🌾 Recognize granulating pigments for that gorgeous textured look
Today I’m painting in my new cotton sketchbook from the FULL BLOOM set - the one I designed in collaboration with @EtchrLab 🌸 I’m still pinching myself over this collection. The paper is 100% cotton, acid-free, and just gorgeous to work on - it holds every vibrant wash beautifully, and even with my heaviest layering, it does NOT warp. That’s the dream, right? To everyone who’s already pre-ordered: thank you 💕 Watching this set hit 100% funding within 12 hours of launch was AMAZING and I hope it brings you so much watercolor inspiration 🥰 🌷 Grab yours here: etchrlab.com/products/full-bloom
🌷 LAUNCHING TODAY: 🌷 From My Studio to Yours: The Full Bloom Sketchbook Set! 💕 By popular demand, my 2nd sketchbook collab with @EtchrLab is finally here → etchrlab.com/products/full-bloom This time it's a 2-book set and here's what you'll find inside to help you on your watercolor journey: 🌸📚 The Accordion Sketchbook: 100% cotton hot pressed, buttery smooth paper in a format I've fallen in love with - it unfolds vertically, horizontally, or into one long continuous spread across multiple pages, which means... those long flower branches that never fit on one page? THIS is the sketchbook made for them. 🌸📚 The 8" Square Sketchbook: following the same beloved format from 2025 sketchbook, but this time filled edge to edge with beautifully textured cold press paper. Same size everyone loved, same lay-flat binding, just pure 100% cotton cold press goodness for your washes and layering. 🎨 🎥 The 19-well porcelain Mini Palette set to build your own custom color selection + Two flower tutorials walking you through watercolor florals - one for each sketchbook.
This is a pre-order / crowdfunded run, so the more of us that jump in together, the more we make it happen - and if we hit 200 pre-orders, every set will include an exclusive printed artwork on the opening spread of the Square Sketchbook. Pre-order Your Full Bloom Set here → etchrlab.com/products/full-bloom Thank you for being part of this 💗
🐈⬛🌸 Happy International Cat Day! 🐾 I used to paint sooooo many cats and I am digging through the archives today - most of these cat portraits go back to 2015-16, over 10 years ago now! Funny enough, I don't think I've ever posted a cat watercolor on this channel except for maybe the first furry guy with Peonies and orchids! 😅 I think it's time to bring my favorite subject back! 🎨 At the time I wasn't filming or teaching at all, just painting whatever I loved most: animals, flowers, and a whole lot of cats. 🐾 My watercolor technique's far from polished in these - washes aren't always clean, proportions wobble in places - but there's so much heart. If you love cats as much as I do, I hope these bring you a little joy today. 🧡 What type of cat would you want to see as a tutorial?
🐟💙 This might be one of the most beautiful (✨and one of my absolute favorite) watercolor techniques to teach! For everyone who enjoyed my recent betta fish video on the channel - I just released a full tutorial all about the wet-on-damp technique! 🎨✨Join me over on Patreon - I'll be walking you through the entire process in real time, with outlines and detailed explanations so you can follow every stroke and master this look for yourself. 👉 www.patreon.com/AnnaBucciarelli/posts/betta-fish-w…
🚨 ART THEFT UPDATE: What Happened, Paul Rubens' Response, and How It Was Resolved 🚨 🚩🚩🚩If you've been following along, you know the situation - Paul Rubens, a major art supply brand, used footage from my most popular tutorials (Blue Orchids, Sunbird & Lemons) and made it look like I was painting with their watercolors on their YouTube channel. (I've never used their pigments in my work - in fact, I repeatedly turned down offers to test their products over the years). It was an incredibly upsetting, confusing few weeks, and I appreciate every single one of you who had my back through it. You can read the original post here: youtube.com/post/UgkxgRgaXRd_ffw22nN3okRgKUemzgBbj…
⚠️ I am fully aware that the resolution summarized below would never have been possible without the incredible support and open outcry from this community. I want to share the details, but more importantly, acknowledge how much power we have collectively - and encourage every artist out there to speak up when art theft occurs, and to support others who do the same. 💛
🚨 So here's where things landed: Paul Rubens issued a full public apology on their own channel (newly created in June of 2026), which you can read here: youtube.com/post/Ugkxupv-A58DB1o0XLSbgdtrQNRIrJcpf… Here's what they confirmed 👇 🔹 The unauthorized clips were taken from several of my most popular tutorials and used without my permission or knowledge 🔹 The videos have been permanently removed from their channel, and they've cut ties with the third-party editing team responsible 🔹 They've stopped using the automated/AI editing tools that - according to them - led to this in the first place 🔹 They publicly confirmed I have never used, promoted, or endorsed their products 🔹 They committed to fair compensation for the unauthorized use of my work, which I've now received
🙏 I do think it matters that they've owned up to this publicly. But I want to stress that this whole thing was never really about me vs. one brand. It's about all of us as creators, and how easily our work can be repurposed to sell products to the very people who trust us. The more we talk about this openly, the more we look out for each other - especially in a climate where AI and bots scrape our content with little to no consequence.
I also want to thank those of you with your own platforms who immediately rang the alarm and let your subscribers know - especially @KristyRice and @thefrugalcrafter Ladies, I can't thank you enough. As artist educators on YouTube, we have a responsibility to our community and to each other, and knowing you had my back throughout this gave me the confidence to see it through, as uncomfortable and time-consuming as it was.
Finally, for the couple of individuals who publicly tried to shame me on my original post, calling it "low class" to address the theft of my intellectual property publicly - I want to reiterate: a) I did this to protect artists from investing in products that misrepresent what can be achieved with them by showcasing work made with entirely different formulations (when individuals steal my art, which happens way too often, I usually address it privately) and b) I truly hope you take some time to reflect on why that reaction felt necessary to you.
This experience showed me, once again, just how strong this community is. Your support carried me through a genuinely hard few weeks, and I'm endlessly grateful for it. Now I'm ready to leave this behind me and put all my energy back into what I love most - creating inspiring artwork and tutorials for all of you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 💛
~ Anna
PS: And if you're curious what paintings caused all this fuss (and want to paint along with me!) - here are the links to the original tutorials 👇 (but we'll be using Daniel Smith and QoR watercolours, obviously 😉) Sunbird & Lemons: www.patreon.com/posts/sunbird-lemons-1-80165816 Blue Orchids: www.patreon.com/posts/78657273
🎉🐉🍈 It's here! My Dragon Fruit & Dragonfly tutorial is now live on Patreon! This one's a great practice piece for anyone looking to level up their skills painting multi-coloured subjects - full outlines, step-by-step narration, and all the layering magic included ✨🎨 And of course... a huge thank you to everyone who suggested I add a dragonfly! 🐛💜 You all were right, it makes the piece 🙌 👉 www.patreon.com/AnnaBucciarelli/posts/dragon-fruit… Happy painting, everyone! 🖌️💧
💜 Woah! Thank you so much for all your incredibly warm feedback on the latest pigment deep dive - your comments and messages mean the world to me, and they keep coming! I'm going to try and answer everyone today, but in the meantime don't forget to grab your FREE swatch guide: 👉 www.patreon.com/AnnaBucciarelli/posts/essential-sw… 🎥 And of course watch the full review here if you missed it: https://youtu.be/7KsWEcIrqSc P.S. 🚨 A big and important update is coming very soon regarding the recent incident with Paul Rubens art brand. I think we've reached a decent resolution around the unlicensed use of my artwork - stay tuned, and thank you so much for your support through all of this. It means everything. 🙏 🎨 Happy World Watercolor Month, everyone! 🌊✨
If you are following me on Patreon you already know the details.... This has been an extremely upsetting experience, obviously. BUT (!!!) this post isn't really about me. It's about our art community as a whole, and what SOME brands are willing to do to sell you their products.
🚩🚩🚩Quick recap for anyone just catching up: Paul Rubens used footage from some of my most popular tutorials - including Blue Orchids & Sunbird & Lemons - my painting, my hands, my technique — and presented it as if I were painting with their watercolours. I wasn't. The paints in that video are QoR and Daniel Smith. This came after they repeatedly asked me to review their products, which I never did. Apparently, Paul Rubens decided that if I wouldn't promote them voluntarily, they'd JUST TAKE what they needed.
🛑 I've filed a copyright claim, and Youtube promptly removed those videos. I will keep you posted on what happens next, as I have also reached out to Paul Rubens and consulted with a lawyer. Unfortunately, the damage is already done, in my opinion. A clip like that lives on in screenshots, reposts, and memory long after any official action. 😔 On top of that, Paul Rubens products have been reviewed by so many wonderful creators on this platform — artists we all love and respect, like @SaraTepes and Steve from @mindofwatercolor I have no doubt they approached those reviews honestly and in good faith. What troubles me is knowing that my artwork was used alongside that kind of trusted content, without my consent and without my knowledge.
What this really highlights for me is bigger than one brand or one video. It's a reminder of how easily creators' work can be repurposed to sell products to the very people who trust us - and how important it is that we keep talking about it openly, so we can look out for each other. Thank you to everyone who alerted me to this in the first place. 🙏 And a special thank you to the fellow creators who reached out with support - including @KristyRice 💙 your solidarity reminded me why this community matters so much to me, even on a hard week.
It's World Parrot Day! 🦜💚 And I couldn't let it pass without celebrating all the stunning parrots and cockatoos we've brought to life together through watercolor over the years. Thank you all who joined me here + on Patreon as we painted togther. Swipe through and you'll even spot one of my earlier parrot paintings - created long before this channel was even a thing! 🎨 If birds and watercolor are your thing, come paint alongside me! My Birds & Blooms library is packed with beautiful bird tutorials waiting for you: www.patreon.com/collection/33857
Anna Bucciarelli
🎨 New FREE Watercolor Guide: Decoding Your Pigment Labels!
Ever stared at a watercolor tube and had no idea what all those letters and numbers actually meant? Or maybe wasted a whole bunch of money on colors that looked pretty in the store but behaved unpredictably on paper? I made something just for you! 💛 In yesterday's video, I shared a link to this quick-reference guide, adapted from Chapter 1 of my book, 101 Watercolor Secrets. Inside, you'll learn how to:
🔤 Decode the pigment code on any tube, from any brand
🖌️ Understand staining, so you know what will lift and what won't
☀️ Spot lightfastness ratings before a color fades on you
💧 Predict transparency before you even open the tube
🌾 Recognize granulating pigments for that gorgeous textured look
Grab your free guide here 👇💛
www.patreon.com/AnnaBucciarelli/posts/decoding-fre…
Happy painting!
Anna
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 597
View 16 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
Today I’m painting in my new cotton sketchbook from the FULL BLOOM set - the one I designed in collaboration with @EtchrLab 🌸 I’m still pinching myself over this collection. The paper is 100% cotton, acid-free, and just gorgeous to work on - it holds every vibrant wash beautifully, and even with my heaviest layering, it does NOT warp. That’s the dream, right?
To everyone who’s already pre-ordered: thank you 💕 Watching this set hit 100% funding within 12 hours of launch was AMAZING and I hope it brings you so much watercolor inspiration 🥰
🌷 Grab yours here: etchrlab.com/products/full-bloom
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1,377
View 17 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
🌷 LAUNCHING TODAY: 🌷 From My Studio to Yours: The Full Bloom Sketchbook Set! 💕
By popular demand, my 2nd sketchbook collab with @EtchrLab is finally here → etchrlab.com/products/full-bloom This time it's a 2-book set and here's what you'll find inside to help you on your watercolor journey:
🌸📚 The Accordion Sketchbook: 100% cotton hot pressed, buttery smooth paper in a format I've fallen in love with - it unfolds vertically, horizontally, or into one long continuous spread across multiple pages, which means... those long flower branches that never fit on one page? THIS is the sketchbook made for them.
🌸📚 The 8" Square Sketchbook: following the same beloved format from 2025 sketchbook, but this time filled edge to edge with beautifully textured cold press paper. Same size everyone loved, same lay-flat binding, just pure 100% cotton cold press goodness for your washes and layering.
🎨 🎥 The 19-well porcelain Mini Palette set to build your own custom color selection + Two flower tutorials walking you through watercolor florals - one for each sketchbook.
This is a pre-order / crowdfunded run, so the more of us that jump in together, the more we make it happen - and if we hit 200 pre-orders, every set will include an exclusive printed artwork on the opening spread of the Square Sketchbook.
Pre-order Your Full Bloom Set here → etchrlab.com/products/full-bloom
Thank you for being part of this 💗
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 646
View 29 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
🐈⬛🌸 Happy International Cat Day! 🐾
I used to paint sooooo many cats and I am digging through the archives today - most of these cat portraits go back to 2015-16, over 10 years ago now! Funny enough, I don't think I've ever posted a cat watercolor on this channel except for maybe the first furry guy with Peonies and orchids! 😅 I think it's time to bring my favorite subject back!
🎨 At the time I wasn't filming or teaching at all, just painting whatever I loved most: animals, flowers, and a whole lot of cats. 🐾 My watercolor technique's far from polished in these - washes aren't always clean, proportions wobble in places - but there's so much heart. If you love cats as much as I do, I hope these bring you a little joy today.
🧡 What type of cat would you want to see as a tutorial?
1 month ago | [YT] | 1,574
View 90 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
🐟💙 This might be one of the most beautiful (✨and one of my absolute favorite) watercolor techniques to teach! For everyone who enjoyed my recent betta fish video on the channel - I just released a full tutorial all about the wet-on-damp technique!
🎨✨Join me over on Patreon - I'll be walking you through the entire process in real time, with outlines and detailed explanations so you can follow every stroke and master this look for yourself.
👉 www.patreon.com/AnnaBucciarelli/posts/betta-fish-w…
1 month ago | [YT] | 937
View 16 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
🚨 ART THEFT UPDATE: What Happened, Paul Rubens' Response, and How It Was Resolved 🚨
🚩🚩🚩If you've been following along, you know the situation - Paul Rubens, a major art supply brand, used footage from my most popular tutorials (Blue Orchids, Sunbird & Lemons) and made it look like I was painting with their watercolors on their YouTube channel. (I've never used their pigments in my work - in fact, I repeatedly turned down offers to test their products over the years). It was an incredibly upsetting, confusing few weeks, and I appreciate every single one of you who had my back through it. You can read the original post here: youtube.com/post/UgkxgRgaXRd_ffw22nN3okRgKUemzgBbj…
⚠️ I am fully aware that the resolution summarized below would never have been possible without the incredible support and open outcry from this community. I want to share the details, but more importantly, acknowledge how much power we have collectively - and encourage every artist out there to speak up when art theft occurs, and to support others who do the same. 💛
🚨 So here's where things landed: Paul Rubens issued a full public apology on their own channel (newly created in June of 2026), which you can read here: youtube.com/post/Ugkxupv-A58DB1o0XLSbgdtrQNRIrJcpf…
Here's what they confirmed 👇
🔹 The unauthorized clips were taken from several of my most popular tutorials and used without my permission or knowledge
🔹 The videos have been permanently removed from their channel, and they've cut ties with the third-party editing team responsible
🔹 They've stopped using the automated/AI editing tools that - according to them - led to this in the first place
🔹 They publicly confirmed I have never used, promoted, or endorsed their products
🔹 They committed to fair compensation for the unauthorized use of my work, which I've now received
🙏 I do think it matters that they've owned up to this publicly. But I want to stress that this whole thing was never really about me vs. one brand. It's about all of us as creators, and how easily our work can be repurposed to sell products to the very people who trust us. The more we talk about this openly, the more we look out for each other - especially in a climate where AI and bots scrape our content with little to no consequence.
I also want to thank those of you with your own platforms who immediately rang the alarm and let your subscribers know - especially @KristyRice and @thefrugalcrafter Ladies, I can't thank you enough. As artist educators on YouTube, we have a responsibility to our community and to each other, and knowing you had my back throughout this gave me the confidence to see it through, as uncomfortable and time-consuming as it was.
Finally, for the couple of individuals who publicly tried to shame me on my original post, calling it "low class" to address the theft of my intellectual property publicly - I want to reiterate: a) I did this to protect artists from investing in products that misrepresent what can be achieved with them by showcasing work made with entirely different formulations (when individuals steal my art, which happens way too often, I usually address it privately) and b) I truly hope you take some time to reflect on why that reaction felt necessary to you.
This experience showed me, once again, just how strong this community is. Your support carried me through a genuinely hard few weeks, and I'm endlessly grateful for it. Now I'm ready to leave this behind me and put all my energy back into what I love most - creating inspiring artwork and tutorials for all of you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 💛
~ Anna
PS: And if you're curious what paintings caused all this fuss (and want to paint along with me!) - here are the links to the original tutorials 👇 (but we'll be using Daniel Smith and QoR watercolours, obviously 😉)
Sunbird & Lemons: www.patreon.com/posts/sunbird-lemons-1-80165816
Blue Orchids: www.patreon.com/posts/78657273
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,374
View 148 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
🎉🐉🍈 It's here! My Dragon Fruit & Dragonfly tutorial is now live on Patreon!
This one's a great practice piece for anyone looking to level up their skills painting multi-coloured subjects - full outlines, step-by-step narration, and all the layering magic included ✨🎨
And of course... a huge thank you to everyone who suggested I add a dragonfly! 🐛💜 You all were right, it makes the piece 🙌
👉 www.patreon.com/AnnaBucciarelli/posts/dragon-fruit…
Happy painting, everyone! 🖌️💧
2 months ago | [YT] | 1,436
View 36 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
💜 Woah! Thank you so much for all your incredibly warm feedback on the latest pigment deep dive - your comments and messages mean the world to me, and they keep coming! I'm going to try and answer everyone today, but in the meantime don't forget to grab your FREE swatch guide: 👉 www.patreon.com/AnnaBucciarelli/posts/essential-sw…
🎥 And of course watch the full review here if you missed it: https://youtu.be/7KsWEcIrqSc
P.S. 🚨 A big and important update is coming very soon regarding the recent incident with Paul Rubens art brand. I think we've reached a decent resolution around the unlicensed use of my artwork - stay tuned, and thank you so much for your support through all of this. It means everything. 🙏
🎨 Happy World Watercolor Month, everyone! 🌊✨
2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,018
View 27 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
⚠️ Major art brand STOLE my art. 🚨 UPDATE AND RESOLUTION (JUL 24, 2026) 🚨
👉 You can read my original post here: youtube.com/post/UgkxsNDdqEVDSG44BjnJs6HBMVAQOsaC7…
👉 Paul Rubens issued a full public apology on their own channel (newly created in June of 2026), which you can read here: youtube.com/post/Ugkxupv-A58DB1o0XLSbgdtrQNRIrJcpf…
___________________________________________________________________
If you are following me on Patreon you already know the details.... This has been an extremely upsetting experience, obviously. BUT (!!!) this post isn't really about me. It's about our art community as a whole, and what SOME brands are willing to do to sell you their products.
🚩🚩🚩Quick recap for anyone just catching up: Paul Rubens used footage from some of my most popular tutorials - including Blue Orchids & Sunbird & Lemons - my painting, my hands, my technique — and presented it as if I were painting with their watercolours. I wasn't. The paints in that video are QoR and Daniel Smith. This came after they repeatedly asked me to review their products, which I never did. Apparently, Paul Rubens decided that if I wouldn't promote them voluntarily, they'd JUST TAKE what they needed.
🛑 I've filed a copyright claim, and Youtube promptly removed those videos. I will keep you posted on what happens next, as I have also reached out to Paul Rubens and consulted with a lawyer. Unfortunately, the damage is already done, in my opinion. A clip like that lives on in screenshots, reposts, and memory long after any official action. 😔 On top of that, Paul Rubens products have been reviewed by so many wonderful creators on this platform — artists we all love and respect, like @SaraTepes and Steve from @mindofwatercolor I have no doubt they approached those reviews honestly and in good faith. What troubles me is knowing that my artwork was used alongside that kind of trusted content, without my consent and without my knowledge.
What this really highlights for me is bigger than one brand or one video. It's a reminder of how easily creators' work can be repurposed to sell products to the very people who trust us - and how important it is that we keep talking about it openly, so we can look out for each other.
Thank you to everyone who alerted me to this in the first place. 🙏
And a special thank you to the fellow creators who reached out with support - including @KristyRice 💙 your solidarity reminded me why this community matters so much to me, even on a hard week.
2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 2,279
View 365 replies
Anna Bucciarelli
It's World Parrot Day! 🦜💚 And I couldn't let it pass without celebrating all the stunning parrots and cockatoos we've brought to life together through watercolor over the years. Thank you all who joined me here + on Patreon as we painted togther. Swipe through and you'll even spot one of my earlier parrot paintings - created long before this channel was even a thing! 🎨
If birds and watercolor are your thing, come paint alongside me! My Birds & Blooms library is packed with beautiful bird tutorials waiting for you: www.patreon.com/collection/33857
3 months ago | [YT] | 1,600
View 43 replies
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