Trees in oil, student works

The more preparation we do for our oil paintings, the more successful the outcome. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, as they say. This exercise, from a photograph I took in Belmont Park with beautiful light peeping through the trees, started as a charcoal study. Charcoal is a lovely, tonal medium which allows us to move tones around by smudging with a cloth, a sponge, our finger or a putty rubber, to give soft gentle nuances of values, in an attempt to create the right atmosphere. 

Charcoal study by Rose

The next stage is to do an underpainting in oils on the canvas of choice, beginning with a gentle layer of raw umber, diluted with Sansodor,  or odourless mineral spirits. It will look a bit like a water colour. Like the charcoal, the mix can be moved around a bit with paper towel. It is important not to let the dark areas be as dark as you want them in the finished painting. We paint on top of this layer creating a grisaille, and those subsequent layers can be dark. If we go too dark too soon then all will be too heavy. Err on the light side. 

Below we see the beginnings of the grisaille going down - this is Raw Umber,  French Ultramarine (which together will make a black) and White. You can see it, in this painting, in the lightest areas and the foreground. The whole painting will get this layer, creating a black and white painting 

Rose's completed grisaille

Louise's completed grisaille 

                   Once the grisaille is dry (in this case, the following week) colour is put on top of the grisaille. 

Louise finishing the colour on top of her grisaille 

Why so many layers? It gives you a rich and BRIGHT painting, which looks solid and substantial. 

Louise's finished painting 

Nichola's

Christine W's

Students enjoyed this exercise, though there was much nashing of teeth along the way too! 

For info on upcoming workshops please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

water colour apples and some oils, student work

Georgie's lovely artwork 

If I could put all my student's work here, I would - but you would be inundated! Here is a small selection of lovely artworks from a recent session, both from students in-studio as well as some working at home using Zoom. 

Students drew the whole of this composition, then selected their favourite section, a composition within a composition, and worked it to a finish within the time available. 

Painting by Christine McC

Tania's

Working up just a section of a larger drawing means that we get a sense of completion - classes are usually just over two hours, which means it's a challenge to finish larger works. 

Ann's

For info on upcoming workshops please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

 

Apples - student works

My classes are full of students with mixed experience, which is a lovely way to learn. Beginners start with a few short introductory  exercises to cover the foundations of observing, and trying new materials, then join in with the same subjects as those with more experience. 

Recently the subject was composition using apples, reflective objects and fabric. Here are some lovely examples of student studies. 

 

Above - lovely water colour by Heather. 

Little water colour by Glynis

The next two images show the same artwork at an early then later stage. By Jane. 

Half way stage by Jane - this shows the graphite drawing

Jane's water colour, complete. 

Below - a few photos of the progress of one artwork. It started with a drawing, part of which was shaded in graphite pencil, then painted in water colour. This was done by Rose, who is very new to water colour but clearly is getting the hang of it!

The drawing stage, with graphite shading in one area. 

First layer of washes

The completed study.Lovely job!

Below, the same subject done in oils. 

For info on workshops and weekly classes please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

From raw materials to delicious arrangement - making the composition greater than the sum of it's parts

Composition. This is the fun part of image making, yet one which is so often completely ignored! That word 'fun' nicely segues into fundamental - composition is the fundamental ingredient that makes a painting worth creating at all, or not bothering. It need not take long. Or it might take ages. Either way,  if you fail to plan your composition, then you plan to fail. 

a multitude of apples

Early in the term, I piled the studio tables with subject matter - apples, 'shiny things' and fabrics. The students then had to take some of each, and create their own arrangement. 

selection of shiny objects

a mountain of material

The fun begins! Reflective objects give so many ways to play with colour. Patterns can look like fairground mirrors, from the grotesque to the ridiculous... 

..and popping an apple into a shiny bowl changes the colour of the interior of the bowl, and creates a 'new' tone. Delicious! 

Changing the view point offers more opportunities to change the look of the creation. And zooming in closely changes the atmosphere., making it feel more intimate. 

We must never 'blame' the objects for being 'boring' - it is down to US to make the ordinary look enticing and interesting. Playing with lighting and changing the height of the arrangement is also great. In fact, all good still life set-ups should be able to offer many different possible compositional outcomes. 

Give it a try! It'll get your creative juices flowing and deliver that 'inspiration' factor that often only arrives after you begin! 

For info on upcoming classes including weekly drawing and painting classes and the April portrait workshop, please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk