Christmas Wreath making workshops 2024!

Friday 29th November and Tuesday 10th December. - Christmas Wreath making with Fiona Harvey. 

I'm delighted to be welcoming Fiona back to my studio for this lovely event. This sold out very quickly last year, so don’t hesitate! £65 to include all materials plus refreshments. A lovely start to your personal festive arrangements with a fun evening of creativity. 7pm - 9pm

To book please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

 

Autumn in the studio, Comber

 It's been lovely in the studio this half-term. We've studied seasonal delights, including some leaves, warty gourds, trees, plus landscapes and... pigs! We have been using water colour,  charcoal, oils and colour pencil. Delicious variety keeps the spice of creativity alive. 

Here's a selection of works produced along the way. 

The Wednesday session...

Student Sara with her beloved colour pencils. 

Georgie's easel - a colour mixing exercise - Thursday morning class

pauline with her lovely charcoal drawing study and oil study - Monday night class

A lovely double page from Sara's Moleskine book

  

               Ken, Aidan and Alan working hard in the Thursday night class.              

Nicki's excellent yellow-red exercise - Thursday night class

                                                                                                

Peggy working on a charcoal study, Thursday morning class

Lovely water colour leaves, Thursday night class

Lovely little pig study, by Clive in the Tuesday morning class. 

 

 Diana, who really wanted to paint a pig! Monday night class


Well done everyone for working so hard!

For information about attending a weekly drawing and painting class please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

 

Blooming June!

 

Weekend Workshops in June Saturday 15th June - 2.30 - 4.30pm Drawing and painting for age 8 - 18. Sharpen the drawing skills and brush up on painting in this session. Fun and fully tutored. Cost £35 per person Saturday 22nd June 2.30 - 4.30pm Comber doorways, drawing and watercolour wash. This class is part of the Comber Earlies Food Festival. Suitable for all levels of experience. Cost £45                     Saturday 2nd June 6.30pm - 9.30 pm  Portrait drawing session as part of National Portrait Day! We will draw a famous face in graphite pencil! Cost £75 To book please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

This week in the studio we painted...

Quails eggs and pebbles! This subject is just gorgeous to paint - I love the similarities of shape and scale and pattern. Luckily, my students loved it too. There is not much drawing involved, leaving more time during class to spend on the paint layering. 

 

I bought the eggs first, and then headed to the shore to try to find pebbles of a similar size. A rather addictive habit, once you start spotting little stones. 

Above - this photo shows the start of my demonstration. I worked on several stones/pebbles at a time, which meant that I didn't 'poke' around when things got too wet to play with (I don't like waiting for things to dry...), but instead transferred my attention to another pebble to build up the layers gently. 

I worked in a Moleskine book, A4 size, and used the page next to my drawing for colour tiles, as well as demo-ing possible processes. 

Above - the finished demo. 

Below - eggs for lunch! It took 9 eggs to make a modest amount of scrambled egg. But the biggest joy was the colour of the shells on the inside when I cracked them open - the softest, gentlest shades of blue. Delicious. 

For info on workshops, including watercolour, colour pencil and oils,  email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

Summer workshop add-ons

 

The Summer 2024 Programme of Workshops (check back as there may be additions)

June - 15th Drawing & Painting for age 8 - 18. Sharpen the drawing skills and brush up on painting in this session. Fun and fully tutored. Cost £35 per person

Friday 21st June 6pm - 8pm Life drawing. Fully tutored, with poses short and long. Cost £40 

 22nd - As part of the Comber Earlies Food Festival, a watercolour, pen and wash workshop, Comber Doorways. £45 The studio is on the way to the food festival - this is food for your eyes! 2.30 - 4.30.

Saturday 22nd June 6.30pm - 9.30 pm  Portrait drawing session as part of National Portrait Day! We will draw a famous face in graphite pencil! Cost £75

July 17th & 18th Wonderful Watercolours! Understand the process and techniques to create lovely paintings from washes to pen using paint alone with graphite pencil and pen. Skies, landscape and still life. £220

July 20th Figure Drawing (clothed model), including long and shorter poses in any dry media. Fully tutored. £110

July 22- 24th Colour pencil. All things animal! Looking at texture, tonal variations, hair, fur and how to creat believable lovely colour pencil drawings. 10.30 - 4pm. £330

July 27 Portrait in pencil. 2.30 - 6.30 £100 Intensive, concept-changing workshop which changes your perception and improves your skills. 

August 7th & 8th  Portrait drawing including graphite and colour pencil. 

August 12th - 14th Portrait in oils - includes colour mixing and how to work with a limited palette. This can be extended for an extra day if students need more time. £350

August 16th - 17th Birds. Drawing and on to colour using ether water colour or colour pencils. £220

Please note, courses are added regularly so please email if you'd like to be kept updated. Please also get in touch if you'd like to do something which is not listed here OR if you'd like to do something but can't make the date, and I will do my best to accommodate you. 

Art hoiday in Cavtat, Croatia

There is something special about going away to somewhere warm and lovely with a group of like minded souls. Cavtat, just south of Dubrovnik, ticked all the right boxes, and even gave us lovely weather in spite of the forecast. Warm with a breeze - perfect. 

Above - the view from our hotel. Below - across the bay to the back of the tow. 

Below - Cavtat is at the base of a small peninsula, which we walked many times. It offered shade as well as beautiful little bays and beaches. 

Below - Cavtat is full of friendly, sleepy cats. Here (below) is one asleep on a hot tin roof...

Below - more cats...

The first day we set up on the broad terrace in front of the hotel, and looked across the bay to a wonderful clump of trees. This meant we could sit on large comfy seats and not suffer too much discomfort to begin the week. 

Above and below, my first demo

Student work

The next day was a little bit overcast, so I chose for us to draw and paint the arched walkway as this didn't rely on sunshine and shade in the same way that other subjects would. There was definitely 'suffering' doing this, with a lesson in perspective as well as colour and tones. 

Aidan and Tricia looking glamorous, at the edge...!

Clive and Jeanette

Students hard at work!

Some folk brought their own collapsable seats, and others were happy perching on rocks on steps.

Sara with her watercolour of the arches

Some of the students and I at break time..!

arches demo

Above - demo of the arches

Clodagh on the boat in Montenegro

Lorraine and Sara hard at work

Gennie, Aidan and Tricia having a Kayaking lesson after the morning's painting session

Clive, sitting in a huge seat outside the city walls in Kotor, Montenegro

Sunset over Cavtat

Above and below, lovely little studies by Ruth

     

Ruth, not stopping for the rain!

Christine cooling down!

demo in Cavtat

Above and below - the demo on the last day, of the town itself on the hill

Finished demo

On the afternoon of the last day we met again after lunch and walked along the peninsula to do two more drawings, of steps leading down to the sea and a tree leaning towards the water 

The afternoon demos

Students perched in a row

Aidan on the cliff edge!

The whole gang on the last evening. 

A lovely trip, and my favourite days were the ones with the most drawing in them... 

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

Summer workshop programme available on my website www.juliedouglas.co.uk