Thank you. So many art teachers preach “watch your edges” but NONE have explained what that means. You’re the best!

I've learned more from you in just a couple of days than I have in art school etc. Nobody has been able to explain it the way you do.

3:45 You're so right about that. That actually really helped. I've been struggling with connecting highlights to shaded areas so much and now I feel pretty dumb for not seeing it before.

Thanks for taking the time to post this and explain it so well.

Please never stop making videos! I learn so much from them. A million thank yous

I have watched this so many times but I always need to hear this information. Thanks so much for this video and your knowledge

Your advice and tips are so unbelievably helpful - when you speak it’s like I have a lightbulb moment! 💡 it all just clicks into place. What you say here makes total sense, and is something so obvious and simple that will really help me. Am loving your channel, you’ve taught me so much! Thanks, Mark 🙏🏼💚👏🏼☺️

Wow!!! I’ve been making that mistake for a long time wondering what it was I was missing! You really have a gift of teaching not just knowing but being able to relay the information. Thank you!

Mark, thank you. I'm a watercolor artist that has just gotten back into oils again and your help is vey much appreciated.

I really appreciate the way you explained this. I have really been struggling with this exact problem in my work but I wasn't sure how to fix it. Now I have a better idea of what to do. Thanks so much!

Thanks. You are a really good teacher

Your paintings are amazing, thank you for teaching me about colour checking!

I believe my next oil painting will be much better just because of this one video. Great explanation. I should have been moreaware of this. Your videos are so very helpful. TY for taking the time & effort to film, process, narrate, and finally share!

Every video over the years has been a real gem !

Great explanation - I tend to be lazy and just mix the color I see not bothering with all the minute variation- it is these subtle variations that make the painting realistic- thank you Mark, always so efficient in your teaching that get the point across. Can you show more of Emily painting a still life.

Some of the most valuable videos i've watched as an artist. Hope you can upload more

Excellent explanation and examples. Thank you!

Thank you! This helps so much! You have helped me get past a point that I have been struggling with for quite some time. I now understand what I have doing wrong. Thank you!

As always your explanations are very clear and concise. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge.

I love this channel sooooooooo much I really need to book my ideas up and get started. I don’t know why I keep holding back

You give me the confidence and knowledge to paint again.. thanks for all the great lessons.

Thank you Mark, you explained this error beautifully!

In the case of the book on the table; I always thought of it as being a situation where light has difficulty making it into such areas, therefore these areas are naturally darker than the rest of the book. I've never had an art lesson and never used a color checker but this behavior of light just always seemed so natural to me. Thanks for this. Ken in the Philippines.

Very helpful! Thanks for sharing that deeper viewing

Another excellent tip. Thank you.

Very well explained. Thank you.

As always very precise and nuanced information of how to be really aware -

Always love your videos! Thanks for sharing!

Really helpful info on the dark edges - thankyou

I love this video, I’d love to know how to paint realism like Sargent with bolder brushstrokes, how do you get all the different shades of highlight in with just one brush stroke ? Because I feel like painting multiple smaller brushstrokes will take away from the style I’m talking about. Please answer this in your next q&a or here if you have the time ! Love everything you do

Thank you Mark Carder! This was very helpful. I just posted a painting, a portrait on DMP " Portrait of my father in law" "Filuren" where these issues that you address where much up front for me.

Thank you, excellent information I will be looking at this again -very helpful

This was great information. Thank you...I'm going to pay attention and try not to do those highlights ALL the same color now.

Mark - that painting is the most perfect work i have ever seen! - Exquisite!

You sir are brilliant. Great knowledge shared. Many thanks and of course a big thumbs up always

Thank you Mark. Very helpful.

Wow, thank you, that is so true and was and is very helpful. 💞👏👏👏

This is sooo useful! Thank you!

Really appreciate the advice, very helpful.

Top shelf advice, cheers

Great lesson thanks

Great video. Thank you!

You're such a great teacher

I wish I lived closer, to get a what's wrong with my painting exchange. I think I know what I am doing wrong, or learning to try and improve. I had an experience with this very example doing a copy portrait paint study on Salvador Mundi. I should have never picked that to paint, its not defined and trying to copy a da vinci, lol, Total disaster, but I learned a lot from this experience though, and this vid was it, hightlights are not just one value, edges are not so exact, and on and on. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise, greatly appreciated!

God bless you for teaching with such clarity. I'm learning so much from you..... :)

Thank you, very helpful.

Thank you! Very helpful.

Excellent, thank you for a great video

Check out Henk Helmental, if you don’t already know his work. He is a Dutch still life painter, presently. The two best in history were Willem Kalf, Dutch 17c. and Emil Carlson, American 19c. The most important aspect of Still life is that it has to read. The objects have to correlate in a natural setting. Years back, artists would put something in just because they needed something there.. I. e. A plate standing up behind, a teacup, a wineglass a material backdrop. The Dutch were masters at this. They would also stick to rules such as.. one metal, one clay, open bottle, closed vessel, material such as a napkin, organic.. food, one light source… indicating their culture or their wealth or lack thereof. There was an actual competition at painting the best peeled lemon. The lemon was the symbol of sobriety.

Thank you Tony...West Hills, California USA

Very helpful, thank you 🥰

Excellent help

thank you Mark for good explanation :)

I made that mistake with the values with the reflection. Yes it happen on my 2nd painting using ur method.

A GREAT TUTORIAL,,,EVENI I CAN SEE THAT. I TRY TO REMAIN AWARE AS "COLOR TEXTURE"AND "SURFACE TEXTURE" IE: "ORGANIC".

Danke, das war lehrreich. Es wird mir helfen.

Could you please do a demonstration. It is much easier to see it.

great tip❤

In my view this problem points out one of the huge weaknesses of using a color checker at all. I would suggest that the artist rely on his eyes, and experience. Probably the best teacher of all is to study the very best paintings to see how great artists dealt with things like reflections.

youuuu are the best ...

Thank you!

Adding the whitest parts last has helped me

Thank you 🙏🏼 Par Excellence 💝

excellent video. this is something I struggle with and as a result my paintings look cartoony.

I was wondering if you have any method or tip on how to paint rhinestones, crystals, sequin and glitter just all that sparkly stuff. I would love to see a tutorial on that since a lot of my art has sparkle in it and I can't really get it right.

Thanks a lot 🙏

Thank you, thank you ... the information is in the details, in other words, .3D light and shadows and color atmosphere, right? I seem to forget to pay attention sometimes. :)

My eyesight isnt that great to catch all the tiny details that you talked about. So what I've done to solve that problem is : I take a picture with my tablet and then really zoom in on those details. Also eliminates any optical illusion where one color might appear darker than what it actually is. It really works for me. My artwork has improved with this method and your great videos.

than you so much!

how would you add those little dark bits then? I would love to see an example in action

I see now, depsite checking my colours the look of my paintings is always cartoonish if this make sense, never realistic. Thank you so much !!!!!! For someone who just started painting still life would you recommend to start with one object only or being brave and set a composition of few objects?

your paintings belong in a museum...

Hi M fari from Pakistan and I really learn a lot from you.., Kindly explain how to shape up the object from darker to light .... Thanks

I sometimes find issue with light reflections too. It’s an issue with focal point verses an object’s texture. Like the elephant in this still-lift display, the reflection necessary to show its shape and texture could actually steal the show from the subject. Very soft highlights work in this case, yet as Draw Mix Paint states here: you mustn’t use the highest contrast in anything but the subject.

so cool

This is a struggle I’m having with my rocks on my landscaping and trees too. it really is a difficult thing to Master.

Omg, you are amazing

"We don't make mistakes, only happy accidents." - Bob Ross

very useful thansk

You're my champ!!!

Please explain to put multiple coating of oil painting from life and from coping from a photograph.Do focus on number of coating , method etc.Secondly how to deal second or third coating where painting is made with thick patches of brush strokes.Thanks a lot.

Yhank you.

I've learned more from mark in a month than I have in the last three years in art school😮

Merci 😊

but for the reflection will it be okay if we start with the light color and work our way to make the little details that are darker to make the area accurate

One small step from black, one giant leap for artists in kind.

Nice

Can i know what’s the camera you use to take photographs?

So you gradually go from dark to light to get a refection?

Only he can clip a mic to his glasses and get away with it 😊

An oil painting was done for myself and I asked the artist if it could have a patination upon the finished result and this was done yet the painting has now become very dark where one struggles to see with any clarity the painting and items portrayed in the painting itself , any advise

one small step from black, one giant leap for burnt umber

Do you sell a color checker?

So the highlight area would actually be a mix of maybe 3 tones than a spot of highlight.

THIS IS THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM...

I need to see it you doing it not just the talking. Thanks Mark, I am visual.

So basically have more gradations?

I don't know man, I just oil out, place in a tap tap tap of color, and keep a rag in hand. In fact, sometimes nothing is better than a tap tap and a rag wipe right afterwards.

Wow, Emily looks so real :v

wow, so tinny details, how can you even judge them? its so hard to notice it.