In this video I talk about why your easel should hold your painting vertically. For more free videos on painting in oil visit drawmixpaint.com For more about the paint that I use visit: genevafineart.com
I've been guilty of tilting back for the last 30 years so my light could come in from above and YOU are absolutely correct and this is exactly why I've subscribed to your channel. I am astounded that I didn't give this more thought before your excellent presentation. thank you.
When I created my easel and it's also completely vertical, I hear people say, "it looks weird painting that way." My point is my paintings will be hanged on the wall vertically, NOT in an angle. So I just wanted to see how my colors and brush strokes would look like in the process, and know exactly how it would look like when it's on display. And now that I see you're also using a vertical easel, I feel much better now. Thank you.
You are so informative about everything and this is why I watch every video you do. No other professional artist that I ever watched does this. Covering so much information has really helped me improve as an artist. I wish I had an instructor in my college years like you but I praise you for teaching us. Thank you so very much!!
I have just last night discovered you, watched several video's and am so happy i did. I am just a beginner, {at 70,} and need all the help i can get. Hahaha ...I ordered some paint and am so looking forward to receiving and find you so generous to offer all that you do with your videos. I am very impressed and looking forward to learning more from you as i move along with my painting endeavors and wanted to thank you very kindly for what you do!!!
I appreciate what you share with us. Your talent goes beyond you skill as a painter and it is your willingness to share info that helps so many painters. You are a good teacher. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your videos, especially the once you build Art Supply in. I live in germany, so i can not buy your stuff, like brushholders or your palett stand. But with your videos at hand, i can build them on my own. Your videos are very educational and easy to follow, after years off from painting with oil color, you motivated me to set up a studio and work again. Thanks and Greetings from germany.
Since watching this I have mounted my easel to my studio wall. Wow what a difference. Thank you so much for your channel I have learned so much from you :)
I can vouch for his paint and supplies...some say his paint is a bit too wet but it's a learning curve that once you understand the consistency it's like painting with butter ...friends have bought everything from Geneva and are extremely happy...can't wait for the easle
Thank you Mark. I enjoy all your videos. I'd like to see Emily do some more. She has a natural way about her painting process, not afraid to make her mistakes known , and when she said "it seems like I'm always going back to fix something" , I thought "yes! Me too !!! " But, that said, Emily, love your work. .
Thank you very much for the insight about the dust! I had been searching on the web for a solution and lo and behold I found it here with you. I will certainly make the adjustment.
At 48, I am just starting out painting and your channel has taught me so much. Thank you!! This makes me feel better knowing that I was atleast doing one thing right😊 I can’t paint with the easel tilted back, it just doesn’t feel natural to me it that makes sense.
Thank you.... this is great... I had been researching on making an easel and came across a video of yours about making the same.... I was going to make the same.... but was still searching as well.... because I realised that the easel you showed how to make didn't have the tilt feature... I have been tilting most of my painting and I am a complete novice.... but now I am convinced... I too have glaze problems.... you r a very good teacher.... thank u...
Thanks Mark for your everusefull advices..after working for ages on factory made easels,i noticed they all come with the "tilting " option.didn't mind that,only i allways had my canvas ,if not vertical,rather"falling on me"from the topside,just to avoid the problems you mention..now i use an easel i made myself that keeps the canvas vertical,and that does the job
The reason that I tilt my easel is for comfort. It's awkward for me to paint straight on/verticle but I really need to rethink how I want to paint because everything about my painting/studio set up is uncomfortable because I'm confined to a very small space and I have to put away all my things after each time I paint.
That easel he uses is fantastic in that one can very quickly slide the painting up and down to suit, allowing no neck or back pain or ache. He designed it himself. I think he is very very right in fairness!
I like your calmness in instructing your lesson, very helpful professional tips, would be glad to be one of your students. I will try to make my studio as dark as yours because the lighting in yours is very beautiful. Thanks a lot for your videos.
I long time ago, I was told to place your painting in your easel on the same angle as it would be when hung on a wall. This way the light would be the same when you are painting your picture as it will be when displayed (hung). From what I've seen, paintings rarely hang perfectly vertically but rather tilt slightly forward.
Really good advice. One thing I do, since the placement of my lighting and where I sit to paint are fixed, is have another light coming from the side. It especially helps with getting rid of the shadows from my hand, arm, head.
I just bought an easel and thought I'd better look up some tips on how to use it properly. I never even considered having the canvas upright! Makes total sense - thank you.
Back some 45 years ago I was told to use a 35 degree light source for taking photos of one's completed paintings. This was shared by a professional photographer friend. Naturally he shared that the glare would be lessened by having the canvas vertical. I immediately observed that the glare on the canvas was ameliorated when one painted. I use an old trout net between the legs to keep the easel firm. One or two brain size rocks works quite well. I rather think that if I were using that method inside in my art lab would keep the easel from wandering as well. Good show. Strange isn't it that good ideas aren't subsumed to be used in other techniques.
Omg! I'm fairly new to painting, but I've been wondering if someone had thought of a different style of clamp. I love gallery canvases, these are perfect. It looks like I will be able to get all the way around the edge. Thank you for the redesign.
Another reason not to do it - it distorts your perspective! People are going to be looking at your art when it's hanging vertically on a wall, not leaning back. Paint it for the conditions people are going to view it in.
but doesn't it actually distort your perspective to hang it vertically? I thought the idea was to have everything as perpendicular to your line of sight as possible, so as to not get foreshortening effects in your drawing in the end. Especially when you look down on your canvas.
No gallery or homeowner is going to hang art on a wall at such an angle, though. If you paint it at an angle, you'll inevitably introduce unwanted visual inconsistencies when it's hung vertically for display.
+Lu Dux well they're going to hang it at eye level though. When I look down on my sketchbook (not talking oil specifically here, more general), it's a different angle of view compared to someone hanging it up vertically on eye level. Sure, if your easel makes it so you have your canvas on eye level, vertical is without a doubt the way to go. But if you don't have it on eye level (and sitting won't make it so), then creating an angle is keeping it safe from structural errors.
People do sometimes display paintings on an easel. Maybe not the best way but I've seen it more than once.( I do mean in homes or galleries not just random people selling)
Not always the case. Most of the paintings I've at home are not at eye level but somehow higher because happen to be above furniture, sofa, etc..so the "ideal" eye view IMHO can only be produced when the painter does the work on the easel or when displayed in a gallery. It's an hard-to-solve issue in any case!
Hey there Mark, been thinking about you and your family. Hope all is well with you all during the Harvey Hurricane. Also, the great paints you make, hope the production process has not been destroyed. I have been meaning to write back to the e-mail sent to me asking what I thought of your paints. I absolutely love them. I had to get used to the clove scent, and I need to figure out how to take them on Plein Air outings, because they tend to slide into each other when I move my Plein Air station with me. I love how the drying is balanced so that all the paints appear the same, no matted areas or shining areas. I love that the paints do not dry out and that I can work on a painting for several days in Alla Prima Style. And lastly, I love working with the limited palette. Thank you so much for putting so much thought in what you do and for sharing. I look forward to one day having a studio big enough to design it in your fashion. Take Care!!!!!
Mark, I realized my mistake, for some reason I kept thinking you lived in Houston. Anyway, glad to know the paints will be find. :-) I will write a proper review through the e-mial sent.
Good points on the vertical canvas and lighting. I plan to get a real wood easel for my birthday (Monday.) I'll look for a vertical one. As for lighting, I'll have to take what I can get for now since I usually paint (and draw) in my kitchen. We plan to convert a spare room to a studio later.
I salute this man: very very intelligent and practical observations, yet he is still a modest man. Normally this type of individual is egotistical and in love with themself. Thank you for the great video, great observations and great presentation of such. God bless
I think I finally found something I know that you don't, I can tell you exactly why those easels lean back. When drawing it is best to draw at a natural 45 degree angle. Most of the weekly painting classes are taught to draw their images on the canvas, at that point they are painting inside the lines and I've heard the glare argument beforehand but I paint upright for perspective.
Ordered the complete set for a strawberries painting I'm going to be working on (should be arriving tomorrow!) . 120x120cm hopefully got enough paint! Will be posting video of painting in a few months :)
all good points. I have even light and no glare issues, and no dust issues but good to keep in mind. I thought you were going to say that tilting the canvas makes it harder to get the perspective right.
I'm probably doing completely the wrong thing but I've never used an easel and have always had the canvas laying flat. I find gravity is user friendly that way where as with an easel my arms don't want to work on it.
I agree. Movie makers do this with white reflection panels behind the camera. Lighting never pointed directly at the subject, but pointed towards the white reflection panels. This is to soften the light and eliminate shadows, glare. IMO.
I'll lean my canvas anytime I want pal!!! lol kidding this was actually great info, guilty of that as well but plan to fix it! Enjoying all your videos, very informative. :)
Painting portraits vertically will cause most people to distort the mouth and chin of the subject. Assuming you aren’t projecting your sketch. Sometimes even then , the eye compensates for the perspective and you end up with a flat eye on one side of the face, and a superhero chin. Not looking to debate this. This IS the reason easels tilt. Doesnt mean you have to, or that it is the best practice. Just stating the facts. Have you ever seen anyone trying to hold their sketch pad vertical while sketching? I appreciate this guys talent, but dont try to reinvent the wheel to stand out. Ps- a trick to avoid glare is directional studio lighting that you can aim slightly over the top of your canvas, and start tilting down until you find the sweet spot.
Jason Todd Jason Todd I agree! Also, tilting a canvass, or sketch pad or whatever is a lot less tiring on your arm and wrist. I’m not trying to be obsessive compulsive about it; there are many types of work that it makes sense to work vertical. Tilting a canvass is just more natural for your arm. One final point: suggestion for Mark! Why so serious and dogmatic? Lighten up man!!
Hi Mark, Do you ship your Geneva paints internationally yet?..I'm in New Zealand REALLY looking forward to trying them out. thanks for your informative videos.
On glare... Angle of reflection equals angle of incidence, this is physics. So, how you place your lights really matters here. As an avid photographer, one of my favorite books is "Light: Science and Magic" and it teaches you how to light highly reflective materials, including art. Well worth a look, even if you're not into photography. To stabilize a tripod, first you should use a good one as cheap tripods are not stable, ever. Good tripods also have hooks for sandbags which stabilize and are probably a little easier to handle than taping a brick. :)
Another important point is if you are photographing your work you will have your painting vertical and shot directly on horizontally onto the perpendicular plane to get a free of distortion image with a slightly telephonic lens.
I've got a question: once my painting is dried it turned super white, so I varnished it, and because my varnish is slightly yellow, my painting turned yellow. Is it the type of paint or varnish I'm using causing this issue?
Hi thanks for the tip. My question is about how one should mount or secure the canvas on the easel it is to be vertical? Some people put a piece of wood on the bottom edge of the support to prop up the canvas a bit so the support isn’t in the way of the very bottom edge of the canvas and it can be painted easier. What about the top edge of the canvas? If the clamp thing is locking the the canvas’s top edge how is one to paint that very top edge? Thanks.
I tilt my Canvas just to have a good hold on painting , that way you can draw more precisely and effectively . Further you are leaned down which rules out shaking .
thx never really though about that , I always try to have it straight but on my small easel that I have in my motor home, its really leaning , things we don't really take in consideration
Hi Mark, this is not directly related to the video but do you recommend linen canvas over cotton canvas or it doesn't matter? The price is definitely a factor so I would start with cotton if the quality is equal. If anyone has an opinion you're welcome to comment. Thanks in advance. Phil
speaking of which what happened to that really nice easel you built that looks like a piece of art itself. There was a link to it but it never went anywhere. Are there plans for a home build?
exactly, art and creation of art is up to the person, I am a watercolor abstract artists, so my needs are much different, although I would like to paint more vertical, sometimes the situation just doesn't work
Amen ! I need to when I get oils . I am doing acrylics atm. That is why Bob Ross made his own straight ladder one and so orher not have to spend much. I don't want to bpay for leaning piee of woird sticka. I'm poor I have to studio light and I am on Twitch & hopefully develop my RU-vid one back to back, but if i haveqhie xancas and ansee ok in bad yellowish white ceiling fan lights ok when checked camera then i professional light though my las artists sitting down coloring and b4 trying to draw a horse in a lern to drawhorsea book go by chance out of it corresponding section
‘I can’t think of a single reason why an artist would lean their canvas back’ Because when working in oils, you don’t want your washes dripping straight down making a mess on the floor. Having it at an angle is also good to have to rest your hand on vs the vertical canvas which can fatigue your hand more. Having it at an angle is also good because it gives you a better visual of your piece because you’re using standing (or you should be standing) and looking a bit down when working. Not all lights in your studio, are directly above you. Dust doesn’t always fall straight down. Sometimes it floats all around, before it settles down and lands. This is how you can get dust on a wall…which are also vertical. Anyone who’s ever dusted a house can tell you this.
Mark can you find a way to send your palettes in Canada. I really want two of those but can't get it because it is only US. If there is a problem I will go in US just to order them and come back to Canada after.
Agree partially on glare issue, but only partially, because I mostly paint in natural light, that should come from the north and is constanly moving anyway. Second issue on dust, particals and or hair depends on taste. Even Rembrandt accidentally put his own hair in the painting . And what about Van Gogh? He went to the beach to paint "en plein air" in stormy weather. This often resultet in sand, plants and bugs in his paintings. Even a grasshopper has been discovered lately: www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/nov/08/dead-grasshopper-discovered-in-vincent-van-gogh-painting
so hard to find vertical easel, looking for everywhere couldn't find it and I'm not comfortable using leaning ones... I am about to purchase my 4th easel then I will give up and do watercolor instead of oil painting... I can work only on flat surfaces.I would like to know if your design is available.
Could you possibly do a video on brush work and more specifically layering oil paint? I use student oils and student brushes and each time I try and layer paint it gets pushed around or just mixes on the canvas yet I always see artists laying doing colors on top of colors and seemingly are able to lay down the new paint as if it were the first layer. Do artist oils or more expensive brushes the difference maker or is it just poor technique?
wilsocn That first layer of paint you put down should be applied very thin. If you put too much, wipe it off. If the paint is thick and you want to paint on top, it will not work. Your brushes can be stiff when applying the first layer, but when applying the second layer your brushes should be softer, but, firm.
Yes! Better paints and brushes do make a difference. Try Jerry's Artarama for excellent prices. Wait for sales. Sign up for their newsletter and every couple months, you'll get notice of an extra 5%-15% off Gamblin and Old Holland paints. Gamblin is very good paint at very affordable prices. Better paint has less filler and goes further, lasts longer, looks better, feel better than student grade. Don't waste your money! Rosemary & Co. brushes are hand made in England and are more affordable than many lesser brands you might buy in an art/craft store. Check them out! You can also find good deals on brushes at FB art sale pages.
But, look at paintings from 17th century Holland, for instance. Rembrandt’s self-portrait in his garret in Leiden is a case in point. His panel leans back, as did everyone else’s, Vermeer for instance. Nothing detrimental there !
I just happened to cross your RU-vid channel for a guy who's never painted before if you hold your canvas vertical what's holding it? I'm sure that's a stupid question for painters but I don't know
