Drawing Key Points & more - Ep.14 Oil Painting Q&A with Mark Carder

If you have a question for me, post it in the comments below. I'll answer as many as I can in the next episode. Here are links to each question answered in this video:
00:05 - a lesson on drawing and maintaining key points in your composition
08:46 - Could you do a demonstration of a seascape or paint water?
10:22 - After you have mixed up so many steps and are ready to paint, how do you remember where each step originated from in the source material?
12:07 - What do you think your career would have been if you hadn't chosen to be an artist?
13:13 - Could you please do a short video on how to check colors on laminated photos?
15:05 - If I discover a flaw in my drawing after my painting is mostly finished, how do I remove paint in that area, and can I just paint over a portion of the painting?
17:06 - What is most important, independent of the style of a painting: values, proportion, or edges?
18:19 - I am working from life and having trouble matching colours in very small spots in a still life. Please help me, I am really stuck!

[@laurencelance586]

I continue to learn more at this source than in any other book, or course, or video I've ever read or seen.

[@calvancandy8384]

I started using Marks method and his ideas recently. I could always get a decent likeness of people but when I used key points (for the first time on my current portrait) I could see how far off I really was before even though it looked ok. It was a real eye opener for me and I will always use this method in future it's so helpful and takes out guess work! I am also using just the five colours and I find it so interesting and simple at the same time.

[@jcepri]

what agift, to have free access to great minds like this. This is great.

[@lisalushin4974]

Mark, you are by far the best artist and teacher I have ever seen in my lifetime. Thank you so much for producing your videos. I am producing great art because of you!

[@evelynberdan5341]

Hello Mark, just recently discovered your videos. I truly appreciate all the time you have taken to provide these amazing tutorials to anyone. I have never seen so many helpful tips in just one source. I have been struggling for many years looking for practical tips for mixing and working with the paint. I have no problem getting likeness, but need the help with mixing and working with the paint, care of brushes etc. I like realism and mainly portrait work and your videos definitely inspire me. Also I like to mention that I am very pleased that you dont have background music going in the videos. I hear every word you say and even when you are demonstrating/painting, the quiet is so realistic. There really is no need for music and I find it more distracting. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge. Sincerely, Evelyn Berdan (Canada)

[@guyroy695]

I agree thanks. Quebec , Canada

[@BoHorror]

I thought this was cheating 🤔, so glad I'm seeing this guy use it, it's so much of a relief.

[@marisangiovanni]

Hi Mark just wanted to say thank you very much for your channel! I have learned so much and I absolutely love using your Geneva paints. I mentioned you on my channel as one of my all-time favorite teachers, I wish I had had you as a teacher years ago!

[@laurienels]

Also, I think the world is missing out on your portrait paintings. I believe you have so much more to give in this area.

[@laurienels]

Well Mark, I am so thankful that you are doing what you are doing now. I am learning so much from all your tutorials. I hope you get the place by the beach, making furniture, but be encouraged, you are so helpful for us struggling artists! Keep up the good work. I am using your Geneva paints and I love them. I made my own proportional divider, but I purchased yours, it is so much better than mine, worth the investment!

[@margaretoconnor874]

Can’t believe I didn’t find your videos sooner! Fantastic! I am learning more in this one binging weekend than in the 20+ years of lessons I have taken. I will continue binging 😂. Waiting for supplies to be in stock again to order.😊. Thank you!

[@1woodcarver]

You are an open treasure chest. Thank you very much :)

[@danfe9064]

Thank you so much for your videos

[@allenvoss7977]

I like using the rules of 3rds .

[@gc1572]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I hope you make millions of dollars and live a life of happiness, fulfillment, and health.

[@ELLENSHUNT]

Thank you for all your videos! Love them. Learning so much😃

[@madsingh]

Thank you, very informative

[@jamieholmes5443]

You are awesome Mark. Thank you so so much for all these lectures. I work as a digital artist in film and series. I just ordered a bunch of oil paint and your vids has answered alot of my questians!

[@jenalways1]

Thank you Mark.

[@EvanDahill]

Essential. Thanks Mark.

[@TheCamillajmarchi]

thanks again mark look forward to each one

[@nategrady]

You're so awesome thank you again and again for the tips!

[@karinachiesa7470]

Are you writing a book? Would love to have all your knowledge written down with photos in a book! Truely enjoy your God given gift to teach.

[@richardoakley6560]

Surprisingly, or not, the thing that tends to strike me is how the tones of your clothes are always enlightening you, enhancing features et. al.

[@marysortinoart]

very nice, very claire! thanks you.I do not understand much English, but seeing his gestures and colors help me, use translators who are not so good, but Forever learn, thank you very much. I do not understand how qque the key points to last until the end of painting. Thank you

[@jamlane]

+Maria del Carmen Sortino Hola, tienes alguna pregunta sobre una parte del video? Para lo del "golden line" (00:30) se puede buscarlo en el capitulo 4 de su sitio. Los "plot points" (02:00) son esos puntos que indican donde estan los lugares mas importantes. Luego los angulos y los curvos. Los "key points" (03:00) son muy importantes porque nunca queremos perderlos mientras que estamos pintando. Si nos perdimos podemos volver a esos puntos para ubicarnos. Con los retratos de una persona habla mucho de lograr un "likeness" (07:00), significa que se parece como esa persona, no cualquier persona. Si mueve el ojo solo un milimetro a un lado, el cliente va a saber que no es su hija, por ejemplo. Mark a veces no los cubre con pintura hasta el fin para no perderse mientras que pinta.

[@herzelmoshe7577]

i saw one of the lesson and i really understand all steps mix colors .i will write to you soon.

[@johnrogers8535]

That was helpful thanks

[@NatanEstivalletPaintings]

Great video, as always!

[@gregorythomas4366]

Thx professor

[@pamrambo9205]

I love your videos. Thank you!

[@gitimotevalian8717]

So great master, thank u so much 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

[@SuperDantastic1]

I really like how you teach. I am learning drawing right now and would love one day to do oil paints. I will refer to your website and buy your portrait download when I do.

[@guyroy695]

Dana Worley aQ

[@enriquemejia4802]

I icon posrait artist,,in Philippines country,, support you and like too your videos,,you tube channel

[@ianjackson5834]

very nicely explained, thank you

[@arthurzulman3829]

BRUSH CARE - Hi Mark could you please tell us exactly what you do with your brushes after each session and after finishing a painting. How do you restore brushes whose bristles are wayward - Thanks

[@plumadecuervo]

Muchas gracias!!!

[@stevesloan5935]

Thank you for the excellent content. Regarding the fact that Geneva paints are solvent-free, I was wondering when if ever you have occasion to use any kind of solvent, let's say in 1,000 hours of painting over the course of a year, whether for painting with a specialty color from another manufacturer or for brush cleaning on extended absences. If so, what do you use? I've heard Gamsol is the safest but not totally safe. How much ventilation is "adequate"? If indoors, how would you setup ventilation?

[@dsliceable]

Regarding the color black, can you explain when you would paint black by mixing a few colors to achieve black, or simply paint from a single jar of black

[@jgoodall1000]

Your videos are so educational. Thank you. What I want to know is when I get to paint odd times, can I keep my water mixable oil paint wet? Especially taking the time to mix the colours.

[@oyeleyeolalekan4486]

really appreciate all your teachings for they are great.Please is geneva fine art going to be selling references of various still lifes that are soft copies so that the issue of shipping will be minimized

[@thenameisdream]

Color checker is like real life version of photoshop eyedropper tool :D

[@karl-heinzfietzek7371]

Hi Mark, please give some advice for copying portraits from Sargent. Which portrait should be used for learning? Where to get useful images for print?

[@donnaryan71]

Hi Mark, I have a question about the right sort of light in a room. I'm about to move into a home that features a window wall (that is, the entire wall is windows) that look out onto a body of water; it's a lovely ,unobstructed view. At first I thought that with all this light streaming into the room, it would be ideal to set up my painting area. However upon closer inspection, the glass is tinted. Other than that, the room is well lit, but the light is filtered (more noticeable when you step outside and look at the body of water and then come back in and view it through the glass, the difference is evident). My question is: Is it better to work in a room that has natural light coming through clear glass, or is the tinted glass actually an advantage? Thanks so much. Cheers, Donna

[@DrawMixPaint]

+Donna Ryan It's hard to say without seeing it in person - it depends on if the tinted glass is affecting the color of the light, which I suspect it does. You also need to consider glare, because unless the windows are high up and don't got down low (or to the floor), if you have those windows behind you it might be difficult to both light your canvas and palette while also avoiding glare.

[@marylouniebrugge9174]

Do the marks for the key points on your canvas not show through?

[@artcarnrick6905]

Another excellent video. My current problem... my live drawings/paintings look too stiff and corpse like. Through your DMP videos, I've gotten so much better with proportions, values, and colors... but everything live looks dead. Any suggestions?

[@christinegalysh7433]

what is the difference between value and color.? looking at the foreground which i was taught mostly has darker tones, however many paintings of different subjects have much lighter tones in the foreground. why would that be? Thank you

[@chavruta2000]

Would you say that realism as a technique doesn't work as well for larger scale subjects? For example, things with lots of detail that are large, large fields of grass, fur, forests, etc. I noticed you using what I call abbreviated techniques when you did carpets, or dog fur, and it worked fine, but are there subjects you would avoid or at least recommend as being more difficult or for students to avoid?(I see you focus a lot of still life of mostly solid objects for them).

[@karl-heinzfietzek7371]

Hi Mark, which tool (pencil, brush, ...) andn which color do you use for making key points - especially for portraits on a canvas?

[@somerandommom695]

I'd like to know this as well

[@sunilkolekar6006]

Good

[@citizennobody5518]

I have a question. I am a musician and I have noticed how those musicians that work from technique and muscle memory are usually not very creative. How do you walk the line between art and technique. How an apple for example is painted does not have to be drawn from how it looks exactly, but from a feeling or memory of emotion that the apple brings to you that could have nothing to do with how the apple looks. How do you walk this line.

[@liak3642]

could you show us one of your sketches from when you were a child?

[@peterkoval]

Do you ever use walnut oil to thin your paints, or even create paints with walnut oil? I hear walnut stays wet far longer than linseed oils. True?

[@RobertF-]

Hello Mark, if you draw a portrait from life do you arrange strings in front of the person to take measurements from?

[@maryambavarsad6710]

my drawing is not very good, should I work on that and then persue painting or I can paint with my average drawing skills?

[@wajang1000]

Can you explain what you mean by dirty color. Dirty suggests something negative that ought to be avoided. Can you also relate what you mean by dirty to making a color less intense or darker. Wouldn't adding a color to any other color produce a dirty color from a technical point of view?

[@DrawMixPaint]

+wajang1000 When I say "dirty" color I do not mean it in a negative way - dirty colors are wonderful. I have mentioned it before, but if you gave me a painting with all dirty colors that needed a few adjustments, I could easily make it work because I could add color in and make it stand out, but if you gave me a painting where everything is bright and saturated, I would probably have to just start over from the beginning. To clarify what I mean by dirty color, in my red-yellow-blue palette, each of the primary colors is on the outside of the color wheel. Mixing any two of those colors (like yellow + blue) gives you an intense secondary color (in this case green), which is also near the edge of the color wheel. A dirty color is any color that has all three of the primary colors mixed into it. For example, if you mixed all three in equal proportions, you would get a greyish color near the middle of the color wheel (it would not actually be perfectly neutral since you have to account for different tinting strengths etc, but it would be a very "dirty" color nevertheless). So if you take blue and you add orange to it (orange being a mix of the OTHER two primary colors, red and yellow), you get a dirtier blue. Likewise, if you take a green and add red to it (red being the only one of the three primary colors that is not in pure green), it will make a dirtier green. This is why I say you can tone down, or dirty, a color by adding the color on the opposite side of the color wheel from it. So "dirty" just means it is not on the edge or near the edge of the color wheel. And yes, technically, any color is "dirty" because it's all relative, and you could compare, say, orange paint to a glowing fluorescent traffic cone in direct sunlight, but I use the word relative to the colors available on the palette. So a neutral color that you can't really tell if it even tends more towards blue, green, yellow, orange, red, or purple, would be the dirtiest color you can mix; meanwhile, pure red, yellow, or blue - or a pure mix of any two of those colors - are the least dirty colors you can mix. Almost all colors that you actually use when painting realism are "dirty" to some extent, usually very much more so than most people would assume. Anyway, it's just the word I use for this concept. :)

[@Disirablepossessions]

There is no sound. I have checked your other videos and the sound is OK.

[@emular5028]

Hi Mark. I am so keen to purchase your paints. When will they be available in Australia?

[@DrawMixPaint]

+E Mular Possibly by December, but more likely very early 2016.

[@emular5028]

+Draw Mix Paint Great, the sooner the better, I am running out of paints :)

[@chrisfletcher6827]

Hi Mark, I live in Australia and as far as I know can't get the Geneva paints here. To mix my own jar of Yellow should I use both Cadmium Yellow and Lemon Yellow...how do I get the pure Yellow you talk about? Same with Red, should I mix Cadmium Red with Alizarine Crimson to get a balance of cool and warm...or is there another way of achieving colours that are pure like the Geneva limited palette range using my old set of oil paints?

[@chrisfletcher6827]

+Chris Fletcher p.s I use Art Spectrum oil paints

[@mustafamahmoud5667]

Geneva paints are ready to use, so in INdirect painting How to overcome the rule of "Fat over Lean"? Should I add some oil in every new layer? Or Can I just use the paints from the jars again without any risk to cracking?

[@DrawMixPaint]

+Mustafa Mahmoud If painting wet oil paint on top of dry oil paint, add a few drops of extra oil to each new layer, even with Geneva paint.

[@mustafamahmoud5667]

Thanks a lot

[@mromag4773]

thanks for your video. Is it possible to check colors on a computer monitor with a good result ?

[@DrawMixPaint]

+Massimo Romagnani A good print is better, but yes, you can with a color checker, but there are some things you have to consider when you do. I discuss it before I get to the Q&A portion of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYKpqWieacqhZrM

[@lindadevuyst9311]

could you please explain why you say your still life should be 4 1/2 feet away thank you so much...love all your videos...very informative

[@DrawMixPaint]

+Linda Devuyst I answer that question in detail in this episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zpiri6iHhc2sfqM

[@enriquemejia4802]

Hi sir good my question me. ,,how is straight line to face. Need ,bolpen or pensil. Drawing too face ,,,and after. Try to oil painting or paint brush ,small brash or bigger,,I like knowing me,, thanks you,,I icon posrait artist,, try me transform too image ,, thanks you gobless you,,

[@eyeonart6865]

I want to paint Abraham Lincon's face. He looks allot like my deceased dad. I have no photo's of my dad. Thanks

[@kidnewton]

With all the modern methods of getting an outline of the subject on the canvas...ie... projection, printing...etc.. why painstakingly measure every point which is effectively tracing with an antiquated device?

[@ratulpaul6969]

Because it will help you eventually to draw better. IDK for others, but for me this helped me to understand the proportion better. I had started this way and I can now draw free hand. So if you say it's tracing, I would say yes, but it trains your brain to see things., Eventually you do not need this anymore.

[@Disirablepossessions]

Sorry, somehow my sound got switched off.

[@leonaryder7439]

Dude you remind me of the guy who goes out on the golf course who is wearing all those technical wear that is suppose to make him play better.. Is seems like you are just making this stuff up... This is nonsense.. Your suppose to have those things correct..

[@wamtum7515]

1:02c.

[@silkesauritz7690]

Hi Mark, since I am trying to achieve a more painterly look, with visible brushwork and maybe thicker paint, my paintings come out less good than when just 'copying' a photograph step by step in a very realistic way. What helps in learning to paint more like Sargent, Sorolla etc.? Copying the masters?

[@Brosef1974]

Thank you so much Mark for these great videos.

[@allenvoss7977]

Composition is #1. It really wouldn’t matter how good your values are or your color if your composition is off.

[@nishaboy2834]

Dear sir, please could you so us how to draw the fur, um trying to draw so hard but its so difficult for me. thank you, nisha.

[@Paula19482]

Hi Mark, I purchased "Clove Oil" to add to my oil paints, wondering when that "smell" goes away? help

[@tomcuff9971]

Hello Mark, do you see an advantage of doing an under painting before you lay in colors? I've never understood the benefit that serves. Thank you.

[@chrisfletcher6827]

+Tom Cuff Hey, I don't think you need to but to understand the advantages see Tom Keating's oil paint demos on KZbin especially his Titian or Rembrant espisodes. Cheers!

[@vaderetro264]

The most important (and hard to get right) aspect in painting is probably tone: the underpainting serves as a tonal guide, so when applying paint one can (almost) only be concerned with hue and chroma.