Tour of My Painting Studio & more - Ep.18 Oil Painting Q&A with Mark Carder 

At the end of the day Mark is about teaching. A gift that goes far beyond self promotion and ego. Thank you! I’ve learned so much over the last year.

Mark, I don't have a question currently, but I wanted to compliment you on these Q & A videos. They are very helpful and your answers are so well explained.

Thank you very much for your videos. I've been watching your channel since 2018 and I am puzzle by such kindness in sharing your knowledge. No ad, just some mentions of your brand and your private classes. You even give us tools to build our own stuff if we're not able to afford better options. I am an old beginner, but you helped me figure out stuff no other teacher was able to. In an era where everything is about ads, monetizing and followers, your channel, and website, are a blessing. Thank you sir.

I must say I have just come across your video and am so impressed that you do this all for nothing. I have watched for a couple of hours this evening and am so impressed with the knowledge you impart. Thanks very much

First video with QA i see and listen. It is amazing what you share and the way you do it, so calm a no fuzz, thank you.

hi Mark, I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for all the time and effort you have made to help artists and anyone trying to paint for the first time. I was forced to retire early due to a back injury and the only card I have left up my sleeve is that I have loved drawing all my life and people always suggested I could have been an artist when they seen my drawings. I am absolutely loving having a few brushes and cheap paints, I can paint a dozen scenes on top of each other and I have to, I meet so many problems that I have no idea how to overcome, but since I discovered your videos I feel as though you made them just for me....even down to the hairs getting into the paint, I have cats and dogs and had no idea how many hairs were in the air, but you did.....it's amazing! Everything about your videos is for me, every question I have seems to already have been answered by you.....I am going to try to buy my materials and tools from you, partially in gratitude to you, partly to help you continue helping others and very important to me right now, because I am completely confident that the paint will be somehow more of a pleasure to experience than what I have had so far with my low budget tinted caulking or whatever it is that I've been trying to learn with.....I have never been interested in the technical instruction behind art lessons and as a kid I just zoned out and did what I did, doodled and drew and relaxed....no drafting, no measuring....somehow your way of teaching has lit a fire and I want to know all those things...one math teacher in my life managed to light my imagination like that, Mr. Travers, the only teacher I really remember from an arts and science course, he just had a way of teaching that made me feel like we were partners or companions trying to discover answers to puzzles....I would never have guessed that would be possible, finally they put me in a course where my drawing was encouraged but somehow the presentation completely turned me off as if it was the drafting class they added which I hated.......yes, I could do it, but would I ever even once want to? I can't really express myself in a few words Mark, at almost 63 now, I have just been told my my doctor and a psychologist that I have been going through life with adhd and it was my talking that caused them to think that and now I've discovered that I write just as many words when I try to communicate my thoughts but in reality I am trying to paint pictures as clearly as possible with words....the one I'm trying to paint now with these words is one of you appearing to me now as a Revelation, like the subject of a little book I found called The Prophet....maybe its my add? sail! haha! I want to thank you so much that even I am lost for adequate words Mark.....y'know what would be funny though? if all my life I loved art and people said I should have been an artist and then I turn out to be so bad that I'm like one of those people trying out for a t.v. talent show and even though I'm full of love and passion and commitment, I'm so bad that I could actually make my fortune like that Asian guy singing she bangs!.....remember that old woman some Church in Spain hired to repair some famous old mural they had which was hundreds of years old? they hired her because she painted and people complimented her and when her church priest was looking to have this prized painting restored he just went by word of mouth, even though nobody had actually seen the old lady's work everyone had heard that she was a painter and the priest had her do the repair...it was so badly done that it made Global news, it was hilariously bad and ended up bringing in more tourists and money than the actual masterpiece ever did....if I am bad, I only hope I am hysterically bad....it might be my saving grace....well, I am off to your website to try and buy some limited pallet paint and maybe a brush or two...in hope and appreciation, Peter.

Thanks for this, Mark. Honestly, your videos are so detailed and helpful.

I love how you can break down all the complicated facets of painting in oils with very simple, logical thinking. The things you say are really obvious, but obviously stuff I don't normally think about. That's the difference between messing around on the go versus being in full control of your what you do. Enlightening , thank you 😊

Thank you so very much for the instruction and knowledge. I can see why people can learn the art of painting so well from you.

Thank you. This was very helpful.

Mark, after applying your method of color-checking to my painting process, my colors have really improved. I can't express how much you've helped me and made me just a bit more confident in my growing skills. Thank you so much.

Mark, Thank you for all of your videos!

Thank you for all of this wonderful information. Your knowledge is a real asset to the artistic community! I was wondering what you are using as your photo holder? I apologize if it is duplicate question but when I skimmed through the comments below I could not find it. Thank you again for sharing. You are very inspiring!!!

Thank you, great idea!!! You are awesome Mark Carder, great teacher too. Your setting have been great help.

Hi Mark, I'm an artist, most likely a contemporary,or so, of yours who will be ever grateful that your tutorials magically appeared on my utube wandering one day. Being more or less self taught, it's not surprising that I've been a victim, one time or another, of all the pitfalls you describe. Not sure if you've saved my career, but you sure have opened my eyes and provided inspiration. Thanks so much.

I am an eighty-four self taught oil painter and much appreciate your videos . i

Hi Mark, i would love to see a demonstration of the use of the color checker when painting outside, for example doing a landscape. Thanks! a lot!

Thankyou Mark

Amazing. Thank you.

Thank you, you are helping me

Thanks for all the great video's. You've given me a lot of great ideas on what I may do or maybe more importantly what to avoid and not to waste time and materials on. Thanks again for the help and I look forward to your great work.

You have so much value in your videos and youre a great teacher. Thank you for sharing and inspiring us to paint!

Thanks for clarifying about cadmium. I read the science quite some time ago, and know that cadmium used in artist paint is insoluble and is safe unless inhaled. Even inhaled in large quantities by rats, the risk is incredibly slight. However, people lose their minds when they hear something contains cadmium and they don't even know why. It's like the suffocation danger of dihydrogen monoxide, I guess. :)

Q&A vds are a great addition to your channel, thanks!

About staining the canvas... I have heard that in the long run oils will delaminate from an acrylic surface, causing problems. I have actually had experience on one of my paintings that has an acrylic underpainting doing this. The linseed oil has little adhesion beyond the surface tension, and if the surface begins the crack down the road, any single piece of paint could flake off the acrylic. The better practice is to use an oil ground over rabbit skin glue, not that I would, we are talking about ten or more years down the road... There are a few alternatives to acrylic or oil ground is an alkyd based ground. Today you can purchase alkyd paints in any color you want for the paint store. Alkyd resin is very stable and long lived. There is also urethane based paints which are new on the market from about 2007. Very durable, and water clean up.

Thanks for your tutorials your teachings are been significant for my learning process and I would like to know more about the Geneva Palett.. Thanks again

I have learned so much from your excellent videos and will be taking your online class ASAP! Thank you 🙂

Tip: auto parts stores/sections usually carry blue and/or unbleached paper towels.

I'm thrilled that you answered my question!!! Thanks so much!!!!

Hello Mark, thank you so much for all that you do to make learning to paint realism achievable for aspiring artists. Your pragmatic experienced incite from an artist's perspective is very helpful and easy to understand when I watch your videos. My question relates to color. Do you ever get the feeling certain colors are easier to paint then others? For example, would you find it easier to see the colors to paint a golden retriever then say a black lab. I personally find it more difficult to see details when painting really dark colors and even more so when trying to add highlights to dark colors.

I know you must be busy with introducing new products. What is your time line estimate for the availability of the palette table and photo holder?

Thanks Mark’ I've benefited a lot from your videos, you're really awesome ' thanks again 👍👍👍☺️

Can I See how to do the canvas prep? At times I’m confused as to how exactly to color the canvas. I have linseed oil and burnt umber to use but do I brush it on and should the ratio be 50/50 mix? Should I scrub it on canvas with a shop towel? I’ve seen so many different ways but would love to see yours. I’m new to painting but have a lot of passion for oil painting and I love your techniques and brush work. Thank you for your time🙏🏼

Love this brush holders and will order! Thanks!!

thank you so much for sharing your advices

love these videos

I like the dark room, wondering if you have commented on this before? New to it all and have been looking around for a teacher. I am attracted to your cander and honesty.

I think it would be helpful for you to address color rendering index of light bulbs. I have looked through youtube videos on studio setup and no one seems to address it. I just got some solux bulbs from amazon and a 120v to 12v transformer from 1000bulbs and it made a HUGE difference. Its like getting glasses... for color. For your high ceilinged studio I would recommend a bulb with a narrow beam maybe 10 degrees

Great ART

Hi Mark, very grateful for all the tips. Do you have any videos explaining the pros and cons of working from life and working from a photo? Do you mostly work from life yourself?

I wonder about any sort of acrylic stain , even acrylic gesso which sometimes is not gesso but some cheap ass white paint. I was reading some article from Rob Howard that acrylic gesso will suck the oil like crazy out of layers on top of it. This would therefore weaken the paint film. Even oil colors like burnt umber/ raw umber will suck up a lot of oil from overlayers. i

Once you make your pallet, how do you keep the paint from drying out from day to day? Cover it? Put in the refrigerator? 29:35

I know you can generally mix any color with the limited palette, but would you discourage using/mixing Geneva paints with other brands? Say for instance using a pre-mixed Paynes Gray for convenience along with the Geneva paint set.

Thanks! That's really smart and high level of preparation. I just have aproblem with the canvace quality, I tried to make it home but didn't succeed.

Thank you for these videos, they are very useful, and you are incredibly generous with your advice. Please excuse if this question has come up before; I am not done with all the QA videos yet. Can you please spare a few words on practical eyeglasses for painting from live models or still-lifes? I ask, because I have trouble finding glasses that will allow me to focus on both the palette and canvas, and the relatively far-away subject at the same time. Thanks again for this wonderful resource.

Thank you so much for your advices there verry helpful,specially for a beginner!..you are my idol! :)

I am very grateful for all the video's you post and the questions you answer. I just watched your video about NOT cleaning your brushes with solvent but use a dip made from saffloer oil with 2% clove oil. It works great and I could stop using white spirit. When I however need to change colors or have to make a slight change you say to just use paint (the new color) to clear the brush from the former mixture once or twice and wipe the brush on paper. It doesn't work thát great for me, and I spill a lot of paint that way. Also my palette is going to look like a battlefield. You are so tidy in painting but do you have a solution for someone more messy? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the useful information. Please let me know why you have all black colour around you in the studio. Other artists usually have windows and sun light around them

I love your instructions. I do not sit while painting. I stand. I usually have the subject matter just above my canvas so in reality My eyes do the moving not my head. Are you a Virgo you are sooooo organized?

Thanks thats realy helpful.

I have a question. Talking about blending colors? how can you create that transparent skin color without mixing oil or any other medium. I love the quality of the realistic skin tone

Mr. carterI see that paper towels are used by most artists. I personally prefer to use a box of Kleenex. I enjoy the ease of grabbing one and feel I’m using more of the paper not having to waste paper. And it’s cheaper I think. I saw also that your pallet set up two glass pallets what is the measurements approx. My husband likes making my art setup it makes him feel involved in helping with the art project. I want him to feel useful since I spend many hours painting. I watch all of your videos while I’m painting it makes feel like I’m in your class or studio , it keeps me inspired to paint I watch them over and over I pick up things I may have missed that you stated. I will never be able to afford your paints being on SS but your teaching is easy to follow and I appreciate you not having music in the background some videos play the same song over and over again the whole time, that is a real turn off. Thank you again for everything .

Something that has confused me about going non-toxic is whether oils can be used as substitutes for solvents. In your slow dry medium, the recipe is almost 50% odorless mineral spirits. Wouldn't substituting that for a non-toxic oil like walnut oil or linseed oil change the property of the medium, making it more "thick"?

Mark, Kind of a goofy question, but lighting the studio: do you use one of those curlique light bulbs as light source? Can I use a 5000k flood light instead. A spot probably wouldn't work due to the nature of a spot light. I thought a flood would spread the light and provide a wider area in the studio. fausto DelGrosso

This is awesome 🥲 thanks

When setting up your still life, do you balance your whites every time to be sure nothing shifted? Also, do you control your light source over your still life with a dimmer switch of some kind?

Thank you!!!!

In my most recent painting, I had issues with contrast. Some of the dark areas looked too dark and were distracting, even though they were close approximations of the reference. I've read advice before to be careful about making darks too dark, especially in well-lit subjects, also to avoid the amateur mistake of ramping up the contrast, in photoshop, for example. I'm having trouble "seeing" the lighter colors though and have the urge to "invent" them. Have you dealt with this problem before?

what the difference between painting on wood panel and painting on canvas with oils ? is painting on panels would effect the quality of the painting ? thank you for all your videos !

Hi Mark, would you talk about removable varnish and permanent varnish. I've only ever used Winsor & Newton glossy removeable. How long should one really wait before varnishing with either one? Thank You, Bea

Question: What is the status of the Geneva painting easels and would you consider selling the woodworking plans for international customers where shipping costs of the completed easels might be prohibitively expensive.

Thanks for your posts, Mark; why your painting distacne from a photo is closer than that of painting from a set up in a shadow box( 4 ft.)?

I wish there was more info on the photo holder

Again, your videos are a wonderful resource. I think I have understood your method, if I may paraphrase for the purposes of asking the question: "pick the correct color, and put it in the right place" (easy, right?) I know I am oversimplifying. I have argued something similar for years (I can't paint, only argue) and claimed that Anatomy Studies are not necessary for artists. After all, a camera doesn't know any anatomy. Have you any opinions on that subject? (apologies, if you have already answered a similar question).

thanks for your informations :-)

Why do you choose a neutral color for staining your canvas and your palette that is a mix of brownish umber rather then using a neutral grey? And what are the advantages of staining your canvas to start painting on white canvas? And I have seen artists staining their canvas with a color that is not dead neutral but has a distinguishable hue. What is the thought behind that approach, do you think?

First, I really like the Geneva Paints. However, I use more white than any other color. Perhaps you could make the white jar/tube at least half more larger than the other colors. I have had to order the white again and I am about to order another white and still have a good amount of the others. Also, are you considering having the Geneva Paints in a tube instead of jar?

If you walk away from painting for a week or more do you clean your palette off clean or do you leave it as is? Could you lay something like seran wrap over the palette to seal off air and dust? Just thinking out loud.

Should I use a brush or rag to varnish my paintings? Chuck Akers, Phx

hi enjoyed your video. maybe a silly question just starting out, had never used oil paint. how much oil do you add to your paint? or maybe you don't need to add any. Thanks for any help. Made one painting looked terrible and took for ever to dry.

Mark do you have a recipe to mix our tube paints into pots or jars with oils and save them like that ?

What about retouch varnish I thinkit works great

What are you using for your palette and why its color? I watched your ads in 2009 and decided this is "the" way I'd like to learn to oil paint and bought your DVDs, proportional divider, etc., but I live in a small apartment and I was stopped by not having the room to set up a painting place like you described. Now that your paint, color checker, brush holder, and other items are available ready-made, (I do not have the place for making do-it-yourself products either), maybe you can tell those of us in this situation how it's possible to create adjustments for this in order to paint. I did hear you mention your wife paints in your home, so I have hope that you will create products for those of us in my situation.

Habrá versiones en espáñol? Veo interesante estas clases de pintura.

Is it weird I prefer painting on the floor over using a easel?

Can we use turpentine oil instead of Linseed oil because it dries quickly and looks same in result.

Could you list some modern day realist portrait artists who sell all their paintings at good prices and succeed in the art world? Thanks!

Hi Mark, there was a question on this episode #18 about drying time B/4 varnishing. I've used Artists Retouch Varnish after only a week or so and thus far have not seen any problems. I must say though, I paint very thinly..Also, the palette you show, is it plastic or glass? Thx.William G.

I'd be interested in the Geneva glass palette for sure. I'm currently using transparent plexiglass which is okey and can be cleaned in the dishwasher if need be, but it lacks the neutral background stuff for sure. Using a loose paper or something doesn't really work too well. Anyway, good video.

How do you store completed art works?

Hi Mark, i dont know if this question is off topic, but do you know the work of Casey Baugh or Henrik Uldalen?, they are two very very awesome modern oil painters, and paint in a realistic way with that sence of abstraction you always talk, you should check out the "Nocturnal Paintings" from Casey, i think you may enjoy his work .

hi ..please tell me is varnishing necessary to be done on any kind of painting and of any medium acrylic oil and knife painting and portraits, on canvas ?

Hi. What's your thought regarding water-based oil paint? I live in Asia and have no access to buying Geneva oil paints, which I feel is ideal for me given that I have allergic reaction to fumes of turpentine, etc. I am considering using water-based oil paints. Thank you.

I am slightly confused about the solvent free studio comment. Doesn't your slow dry medium recipe have OMS or do you now substitute it for something else?

Do you recommend backing board and staining before oil painting?

Mark, instead of working from photographs or still life, I'm most interested in painting surreal images & abstract textures, ex nihilo, out of my own imagination (my favorite painter is Zdzislaw Beksinski, who I think worked from rough sketches & imagination, making it up as he went). Is this doable enough for you to offer any tips & advice, or is this simply a beginning painter's naive recipe for disaster?

I live in a very warm, humid tropical environment where mold is a serious issue. How can I clean mold off the surface or back of the painting?

Mark, is there a certain forum where I can ask questions for your Q&A sessions, or do you collect them from the comment section of you videos? Thanks! -Ryan

Do you have an idea when the easels will be available for sale again?

I had always used turp or mineral spirit plus boiled linseed oil set in sunlight.. Now I use odorless mineral spirits and refined linseed oil .Even the dog agrees that less odor is much better. I think that the refined oil dries glossy but maybe it is to much oil is being added to the paint. Do you have any info about this? Does it dry gloss?Thanks

Aww, I missed the brush holder promo :(

Hey mark what brand of paint brush do you use nice video

remind me of a drummer setup, did you use to play?

love your videos and products you do seem like a high school art teacher that isn't happy with your life choices as an artists.

Somebody should make you, and in general, make neutral paper towels for artists

Hi Mark, I was just wondering, apart from the safflower oil & clove leaf oil brush dip mix that you use, can other vegetable oils be used as dip? Thanks

Taboret = artists side table

Can you please let me know what the shipping dimensions and the shipping weight is for the GENEVA SET #4 . Thanks

This painting studio have black curtains and black floor. Is this make in porpuse?

Many thanks for sharing your expertise to oil painting mystery. I am a novice and had so many questions that blocked me. Your film has answered many questions and I would like to say thank you. Is it possible to buy your oil paints in Denmark, where I live. Tanks! Lisbeth