Yong Chen
My name is Yong Chen, an artist, illustrator and college professor. In 2016, I have created an artist community on Patreon.
EnjoyingArt is an artist community primarily focused on teaching art through the Internet and local classes, catering to beginners and all skill levels.
As a member, you will have access to the dedicated Learning Center, which features over two thousand of my full learning videos with references. The Learning Center includes eight easy-to-use libraries, allowing you to learn at your own pace.
Members can also participate in weekly club meetings, monthly challenges, and live lessons. Additionally, you can join online chats to share your progress and get answers to your questions. Come to join us today.
Yong Chen
Your First Steps in Watercolor
Our community is made up of artists at every stage of their journey. Some members have been with us for many years, while others have just joined. Some are exhibiting and selling their work in galleries, while others are picking up a watercolor brush for the very first time—and many are somewhere in between.
That’s why we’ve created learning resources for every stage. No matter where you are in your artistic journey, you’ll find the guidance and support you need to keep moving forward.
If you’re just beginning with watercolor, we have a special library created just for you: Your First Steps in Watercolor.
This library includes 72 lessons, starting with the fundamentals—such as mixing colors, caring for your brushes, and understanding basic watercolor techniques. From there, you’ll gradually paint a variety of subjects, progressing from simple exercises to more advanced projects, building both your confidence and your skills along the way.
Come take a look. Your watercolor journey can begin one step at a time, and we’ll be here to support you along the way.
Visit us members.EnjoyingArt.com/
2 months ago | [YT] | 109
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Yong Chen
Do you do a composition study before starting a painting?
A composition study is a wonderful way to explore and test your ideas. It is not about copying the lines, values, or colors from a reference photo. Instead, it is the process of designing a brand-new “house.” You may borrow some of the “building materials” from the reference, but the final design is guided by your own intention, purpose, and feelings.
This August, we have four major painting projects—one for each week:
• Flowers
• Animals
• Landscape with a figure and water reflections
• Portrait in profile view
For each project, I will first create a lesson on composition study before beginning the watercolor painting. In these composition study lessons, I will demonstrate using different mediums: Watercolor and gouache, Pastel, Charcoal, and Graphite pencils.
If composition study is new to you, August is going to be a wonderful month of discovery. You’ll learn to think beyond the reference and create with greater purpose and confidence.
Get ready to work hard, experiment boldly, and have a lot of fun!
Join us members.enjoyingart.com/
2 months ago | [YT] | 122
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Yong Chen
When we design a painting with intention, the principles of Gestalt theory become valuable guides. Among them, repetition and similarity are two of the most useful when creating a strong composition.
By allowing similar shapes, colors, or directions to repeat throughout the painting, we create unity. Then, when we make our main subject different—whether in its angle, size, color, value, or shape—it naturally stands out and becomes the center of attention.
Composition is not an accident. It is a series of thoughtful design decisions that help communicate our intention.
Come join us-members.enjoyingart.com/ -in our live member meetings and discover how these ideas can strengthen your paintings.
2 months ago | [YT] | 155
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Yong Chen
When it comes to mixing skin tones in watercolor portraits, many artists feel uncertain. It often seems difficult to achieve natural-looking colors, and it’s easy to wonder which pigments to use.
For a limited time, enjoy 50% OFF our Summer Special! Simply use discount code E2A7A when you join - members.enjoyingart.com/membership
Before I developed my simplified painting system—three paints and two brushes—I usually started with Burnt Sienna, then adjusted it with red, yellow, or blue to create the different skin tones across the face.
Over the years, my approach became much simpler. Now I can mix a full range of beautiful skin tones using only three primary colors—red, yellow, and blue—plus water. The process is not only easier to remember, but it also helps create color harmony throughout the painting.
In this short video, I’ll show you how I mixed all the skin tones for this portrait of a beautiful woman using only those three colors. Sometimes simplifying our materials opens the door to greater freedom and confidence.
If this philosophy of simplifying watercolor resonates with you, I hope you’ll join us at EnjoyingArt. It’s a community where we learn, explore, and grow together through the joy of painting.
https://youtu.be/xOoOsEfIneQ
3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 17
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Yong Chen
Few watercolor techniques feel as magical as negative painting—so if you ask about it, I can’t help but smile, because it has long been one of my favorite watercolor topics.
In our Watercolor Animals Collection, you’ll find a lesson I created about seven years ago featuring a white horse. In that painting, I used one of my favorite approaches—lifting the white horse out of the dark, colorful washes with a 1-inch flat brush. Rather than painting the horse itself, we gradually reveal its form by lifting paint and carefully designing the surrounding negative shapes. This process not only creates the subject but also strengthens the overall composition, helping us see positive and negative shapes as one unified design.
You’ll find this same concept explored in many of our flower painting lessons as well. Although the subjects are different, the underlying design principles and techniques remain the same.
I’m sharing three screenshots from the lesson to give you a glimpse of the process. If negative painting has ever seemed challenging, I hope this encourages you to give it another look.
As always, I love hearing from you—have you tried negative painting before, or is it a technique you’ve been curious to explore? Feel free to reply and share your experience or questions below. I always enjoy seeing how you’re approaching your watercolor journey, and I’m here if you need any guidance along the way.
For a limited time, enjoy 50% OFF our Summer Special! Simply use discount code E2A7A when you join.
Join us here: members.enjoyingart.com/membership
3 months ago | [YT] | 119
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Yong Chen
I was born and raised in a large village. In our village, there was one house whose door was always open—every day of the year.
Anyone could walk in at any time of the day. There was almost always someone there to talk with, share a cup of tea, or simply enjoy each other’s company. Even in the middle of a cold winter night, the oil lamp was always lit, welcoming anyone who needed a place to stop.
As a little boy, I often thought that if every village in the world had a house like that, no one would ever have to feel lonely.
Years later, when I left home for college in the big city, I found a small kitchen on campus. With permission, I gathered about fifteen fellow students, and together we cleaned it and turned it into a little art studio. Throughout my college years, it became another house with an open door—a place filled with warmth, friendship, and light.
Today, EnjoyingArt has become that house in my heart—a place whose door is always open.
Our community is filled with clubs created by members, for members, each one growing from a shared passion and a desire to learn together. One of the most special is our Sketchbook Club. Every day, members fill their sketchbooks with moments from their lives. They draw the landscapes they have visited, the cup of coffee they shared with a friend, the flowers blooming in their garden, or the faces of the people they love.
Through our sketchbooks, we share far more than drawings. We share our lives, our stories, and our journeys.
EnjoyingArt is that house with the open door.
A place where you and I never have to be alone.
Attached are a few pages from our members’ sketchbooks. Thank you for being members of EnjoyingArt, you help to make it a welcome home for others, members.enjoyingart.com/
3 months ago | [YT] | 195
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Yong Chen
I’m honored that this watercolor painting was selected for the American Watercolor Society National Traveling Exhibition.
I am sharing my painting process with our community members. Here I want to chat about one of the most powerful design tools in painting—edges.
For a limited time, enjoy 50% OFF our Summer Special! Simply use discount code E2A7A when you join. Join us: members.enjoyingart.com/membership
Edges help guide the viewer’s eye through a painting. Some edges are intentionally softened, often where values are close to one another, creating a sense of atmosphere and allowing areas to recede. Others are designed to be sharper, drawing attention to the places we want the viewer to notice first.
Learning to control edges is more than a technical skill—it’s a way to tell your visual story.
Come learn with us, and let’s continue to grow together.
3 months ago | [YT] | 90
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Yong Chen
Our Member Portrait Club is one of our weekly Member clubs, where we gather on Zoom to draw and paint together. Using the same inspiration—sometimes a live model and sometimes a photo—each artist works in their own preferred tools and media, with plenty of opportunity to explore and learn new approaches over time.
For a limited time, enjoy 50% OFF our Summer Special! Simply use discount code E2A7A when you join. Join us: members.enjoyingart.com/membership
During our one-hour meetings, we create together, share experiences, and encourage one another. Afterwards, members post their artwork in the Member Chat to discuss challenges, progress, and discoveries. Portrait Club is a warm, creative space for artists who enjoy capturing the character of people and animals—from expressive faces to beloved pets. Here’s a small glimpse of the wonderful artwork being created in the club—we’d love for you to join us!
3 months ago | [YT] | 132
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Yong Chen
I hope you’ve been enjoying my portrait lessons here on YouTube!
If you’d like to continue your watercolor journey, I’d love to invite you to join the EnjoyingArt Learning Community. We have many new watercolor portrait lessons coming up, along with thousands of full-length lessons covering portraits, landscapes, still life, flowers, and more.
As a member, you’ll also be part of a friendly, encouraging community where you can join live classes, share your artwork, receive feedback, and grow together with fellow artists.
For a limited time, enjoy 50% OFF our Summer Special! Simply use discount code E2A7A when you join.
Join us here: members.enjoyingart.com/membership
I look forward to painting with you inside the community!
3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 141
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Yong Chen
In our member recent watercolor class, we experimented with different techniques to create the atmosphere of an early morning on the lake—misty, damp, and filled with fresh, cool air.
What do you think? Using paper tissue, paper tower, or a brush to lift the second layer of paint?
In our upcoming video, I will share my process to finish the watercolor painting.
9 months ago | [YT] | 154
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