Live Portrait Painting Facebook Q&A from studio

[@centralforro5283]

very good! watching from Brazil

[@gloriaj.pinsker9577]

For watercolor paintings of people, especially women, children and babies, the work of the late Steve Hanks is amazing!

[@keithbrown3362]

thanks Brian from watching your videos i realize your methods of painting are really gonna work for me so I'm buying your teaching videos Thanks a lot!!! God bless!!!

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much, Keith! I'm so glad to hear that the videos were a help to you. I wish you all the best with your art!

[@gloriaj.pinsker9577]

Would love for you to do more of these question and answer, maybe one for more advanced portrait painters. Would love to know how you started, advice on getting and handling commissions, etc. Loved your observation on how Sargent painted mouths!

[@hetcarnavalsbeest]

Its oke. Keep this that way. Thanks. Love from Holland

[@joebrann261]

What's your favorite yellow, red and blue? Enjoyed your video, and yes I fiddle with oil paint a little myself. And I live near Farmville N.C. also.

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the question, Joe! The colors that I use on my palette every day include the following yellows, reds and blues: Cadmium Yellow Pale, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Red Deep, Manganese Blue and French Ultramarine Blue. I will occasionally add Indian Yellow on my palette when painting landscapes as well. I hope this helps. Thanks so much again!

[@joebrann261]

Thanks dude

[@canalcerrado2433]

Cool thanks for sharing

[@meerabakshi2676]

thanks for the Q A session. Wonder why you used mirror reflection instead of normal view!?!?

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the question! I think I may have mistakenly used the mirror view when going live and didn't realize it until the Q&A was over. I'll work on trying to resolve that issue before the next live session. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!

[@thomasvickers3914]

if these are acrylics, how do you keep them fluid while working - they don't seem to dry out considering the time frame

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the question! The reason for the longer drying time is because I work in oil, allowing me to mix and blend paint during an extended time period. Although the same principles apply when working in acrylic, the differences in drying times between the two mediums are much different. Unless you're using some type of medium which extends the drying time of acrylics, you'll find that the paint starts to dry within minutes of applying it to the canvas. For this reason, I prefer to work in oil. I hope that this information will be of help to you. Thanks so much again for the feedback!

[@thomasvickers3914]

thank you Brian - very professional and very courteous reply - love your work

[@robertwhite1992]

African American complexions are difficult for me to paint. Is there a special pallette you use? Also could you a demo painting of a dark complexioned African American? Thank youBob

[@sambadancer6036]

Good session Brian. Very Educative and a beautiful wife you have there. Was wondering if you might upload a complete painting tutorial perhaps ? A darker african american skin tone provides me some challange. How do I go about tackling this ?

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the kind comments and question! As far as painting different skin tones goes, I do have a class on Craftsy which goes into great detail about how to mix and paint colors for different ethnic groups at www.craftsy.com/ext/BrianNeher_4984_H. I like your idea of uploading another tutorial and will definitely keep it in mind. Thanks so much again and have a great day!

[@tonyarnold9784]

You are talented but it must frustrate you that you have to flatter your subjects as they are paying clients. For instance if you treated your subjects in the style of Lucien Freud you probably would get any work.

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the message, Tony! When it comes to painting portraits, there is often a lot of conversation about the topic of making people look their best. While some may refer to this as flattery, I view it as interpretation. In other words, I paint people the way that I choose to see them, whether it's a commissioned portrait or a painting for myself. The result would still be the same in terms of interpretation (making people look their best) , but may not be taken to the degree of finish as a commissioned portrait would be. Each artist has their own unique interpretation of how they choose to see and paint their subject. It's this interpretation that not only sets each artist apart, but also bridges the gap between the artist and the viewer, allowing an emotional connection to be made. If you were to have 10 different artists paint the same subject, you would have 10 different interpretations of that subject. Having said all of that, the challenge of interpreting the way that I see people and then translating that image onto canvas is one of the most rewarding experiences of being a portrait painter. I hope that this information helps to better explain this topic. Thanks so much again for the message. It's greatly appreciated!

[@tonyarnold9784]

Thanks for taking the time to reply and share your approach to the subject. Much appreciated. My first love is painting, though my work was as a photographer. Now I am putting more into my 'art' and your insight is very helpful and your technique like the renaissance masters is really impressive. I work under a pseudonym if you care to look www.thurstonarnold.co.uk My grandfather was a renaissance style master and I should scan and show you his work. He taught all his life-came from a poor background in East end of London. A large family largely brought up by his mother, he went to Oxford University and taught classics. He was however an artist in his own right but hid his talent from the world. He had some fine Renaissance prints on his walls as well as his own work. He would have liked your work and approach.