Painting Outdoor Light by portrait painter Brian Neher

[@conniecash5681]

What a wonderful Artist and teacher you are ! Thank you for being so kind to share you knowledge.

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Connie Cash Thank you so much for the kind comment, Connie! It's greatly appreciated!

[@tannyvansparrentak4171]

Brian Neher n

[@morningstarworks]

I found your teaching method to be very helpful in creating flesh tones, something I have always struggled with... apart form being an amazing artist, you are an excellent teacher... thank you

[@giovina23]

Great video, Brian. Your mixture of flesh tones is so helpful for me.

[@jetsonjoe]

Congradulations...you have download options..that is wonderful. The ecological footprint is small...no trucking to delivery over expensive shipping DVDs...and it is a huge cost to ship anywhere outside of the USA. And...and...great content and excellently organized information...One of the Best out there...Thanks.

[@hetcarnavalsbeest]

Fantastic technic. Love from Holland.

[@fubarizationnation]

Thank you!! I had your video on while I was painting a portrait, and you explained some of the things I was instinctively doing. Wonderful knowledge, thanks again.

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for your kind message and question. Yes, I always work from black & white photos because I find it easier to judge the correct value relationships and also like to incorporate my own color scheme. If there is a complex lighting situation then I will sometimes look to the color photo to determine whether or not a color is warm or cool and will sometimes refer to the color reference if there is a complex pattern involved in a sitter's attire. Hope this helps. Take care.

[@artisfu9]

Brian, you are a solid portrait painter. I learned flesh tone mixing through J.H. Sanden's book 29 Steps to Portrait Painting. But even with the book, I did not have the benefit of seeing the mixing process in motion. So I still had to trial-and-era it until I got the right method of how to mix and create skin tones. You just cut the experimenting out of the equation...good job!!!

[@mirtapither2238]

Great help showing the mixing of colours. Many thanks.

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the feedback, Mirta! I'm so glad to hear that the video was a help to you. Take care and I wish you all the best with your art!

[@MagicPie2013]

wow. this is so amazing. I'm learning to oil paint and it is by far the most difficult medium for me. You inspire me.

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the kind message! Take care and have a great day!

[@MrNani1983]

hi brian this helps me a lot thank you.. i would like to see a video of how to do an underpainting and overlay techniques if you could help.

[@carloscarriles]

Thank you so much! I was looking for a insight explanation on mixing values and tones for human skin. It's been very clarifying to hear that the right complementary for a color is its contrary not only in tone, but also in warmth!

[@braylennasir62]

I guess Im randomly asking but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..? I stupidly lost the account password. I appreciate any help you can give me!

[@lochlanseth9092]

@Braylen Nasir instablaster =)

[@braylennasir62]

@Lochlan Seth i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and im trying it out now. Takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.

[@braylennasir62]

@Lochlan Seth It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thank you so much, you saved my ass !

[@lochlanseth9092]

@Braylen Nasir Happy to help =)

[@MYRIAMLATEUR]

So interesting! Thank you, sir!

[@kimosabi70]

Finally, not just a commercial on KZbin! Excellent work, Brian Question: can you recommend books or websites on painting different ethnicities? I have a hard time figuring out what to do (painting subcontinentals, ie, people from India)! Thanks!

[@ArtbyAtlas]

Masterful, Brian. I'm learning Watercolors, but I've no doubt this'll be useful even to me.

[@josvanr]

thnx, nice to see you paint.... May I ask what type of canvas/medium you use?

[@TheJakedirector]

I'd like to say I think your paintings are beautiful! I studied painting in college, and this style was the sort I wanted to acheive. I've since stopped painting; I would feel very tense and stressed when I would try to paint- all b/c my pallet was a mess, or I overworked my oils on the canvas and ended up with a muddy mess, lol. But anyway, I was wondering, do you always work with black and white references and use the light and dark values as your only guide to your color for the painting?

[@kimpeinture8480]

I love your color, they give life to your portraits ...

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Hi, Kim. Thanks so much for the encouraging comment! It's greatly appreciated.

[@anneg6635]

Hello Brian, Watching your video, I was wondering about the palette you use. Did you have it custom-made? I've been looking for a second-hand service table with small wheels as I thought this would help moving it around. What is your advice, please? No urgency, but would appreciate having your thoughts on the matter, as palettes are usually so small... With kind regards. Anne

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Thanks so much for the question, Anne! Yes, I did make my own palette. It's a 20” x 28” piece of glass (1/8" thick) with 1/4” white foam board underneath which is placed on top of a sturdy, flat surface. The idea of the service table which you had mentioned sounds like it would work great for the base of the palette. The reason for putting the foam board underneath the glass is because I start out working on a white canvas, so it makes judging colors and values easier for me. If you work on a toned canvas (one that has been covered with an overall value to start out with, such as a monochromatic gray or earth tone), then you may find it easier to place a similar value underneath the glass in order to better judge the values and colors when mixing on your palette. The piece of glass can be bought and cut to any dimension at your local hardware store such as Lowe's or Home Depot. I hope this helps. Thanks so much and have a great day!

[@anneg6635]

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, Brian, it's much appreciated. I live in Brittany in France, so Home Depot is a no no, but we have similar stores here too, I know what you mean. In the space I can use in my house, I think the service table with wheels would perhaps be easier initially to move around, but your idea of a glass palette is brilliant too. Thank you and kind regards. Anne

[@H48972]

incredible

[@ВенераГосподинова-и8т]

Thank you! 😊

[@julix0minat]

You have a really nice voice.. It's just a thing I wanted to say ^^ your video was very helpful to me

[@nicholaswagner1461]

Brian i love your work and your videos have been helpful. Thank you. Also, what brand of paint do you use or recommend?

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

+Nicholas Wagner Thanks so much for the kind message. It's greatly appreciated! I've been using Winsor & Newton professional grade oil paint for over 20 years. I find that the colors are extremely consistent with each tube. Because of this, W&N colors tend to be very predictable in terms of drying times, how each color performs, etc. There are several other great brands that could be recommended as well (Grumbacher, Old Holland, etc.), but W&N has always been one of my favorites. I hope this helps. Thanks so much again for the feedback!

[@lindapeacerose]

What's that blue tool?

[@Mutt1961]

How come your palette full of paint still looks organized and mine always looks like a mess? ;) Love those colors you got in that half-light portrait, esp. the cheeks and shadows around the eyes. Great stuff!

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Mutt1961 Thanks so much for the comment! It's greatly appreciated! Take care.

[@108Isabel]

what colors did you mix to get the skin tone??

[@sherrysophia4028]

Hi, A dummy question for you Brian, I noticed you use a wooden thing like a stick that prevents your palm touch the canvas. What is that called? I am an amateur and I don't have enough information about this kind of stuff...

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

Hi, Sherry. Thanks for the question. I use a common walking cane to steady my hand while painting. It's used much like a mahl stick, but the crook on the end of the cane allows me to hang it over the stretcher bars of the canvas or easel. Hope this helps. Take care and I wish you all the best with your art!

[@avgfroot]

Scrape after it's dry, or when wet?

[@marianrowling9281]

Do you find as a professional portrait artist that you mainly have to work from photos for commission's as people don't have the time to do multiple sittings? Do you prefer to work from life when possible and have you ever done an outdoor portrait totally from life. I would imagine with the weather constantly changing it would be very challenging.

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

+Marian Rowling Thanks so much for the question! When painting commissioned portraits, I prefer to work from photos, especially if the subject is a child. This way, I have the opportunity to compose the lighting without having to worry about changing conditions such as a moving child, weather conditions, etc. The reference photos also allow me to take a painting to a further degree of finish when capturing difficult lighting situations that would otherwise change very quickly when painted from life. When painting for myself, I often work from life and find that it's one of the best exercises for developing better hand/eye coordination. Each working method has its pros and cons, but are both valuable tools when trying to get the effect that you're after. I hope this helps. Thanks so much again! Take care and have a great day!

[@premierjet8558]

+Brian Neher Hi Brian. Fantastic work! I noticed in a few of your videos you render color images from B&W photographs. Do you also use a color reference photo or do you just interpret the B&W? All the best!

[@Liberty40]

I always get a little anxious seeing beautiful paint left over on the palette knife after mixing being wiped off onto a rag. It makes me think of the waste and I can't watch anymore. But you do stunning art!

[@BrianNeherFineArt]

+Liberty Aragon Thanks so much for the comment! It's greatly appreciated. Take care and have a great day!

[@giuseppamatraxia6356]

Bravissimo

[@varnaneculai]

Foarte frumos

[@basc5836]

Спасибо, Брайан. Нехер...

[@elenaortiz2364]

magicpie2013 you think oil is hard try watercolors

[@afaf233]

not too bad...needs more work on colors....but overall good job