Portrait drawing workshop with Julie Douglas, 2023

 

There are many facets to drawing portraits, from capturing the 3-dimensionality of the head, to proportion, creating atmosphere and understanding how to guide the eye of the viewer. This workshop will help you create something which looks alive and dynamic, to capture gesture and movement, creating a believable likeness and an empathetic rendering of the face.

             

Over 5 days we will look at the head from all angles, helping you to understand the shape through tones and shadows, using pencil. We will look at the form of the head as well as the individual features, working through a series of projects until we reach a full portrait study. We work using many exercises, rather than just one and mostly from photographic reference. 

We will use a variety of visual aids, become familiar with the order of work, and make great efforts to move away from our preconceptions of how to produce a portrait. The workshop is designed to create a relaxed, informative and focused working environment for all skill levels. 

In other words, we will retrain your eye so you ‘see’ freshly, and create new understanding with positive and successful results! This workshops is backed up by several demonstration videos which you can watch over and again at home. They include an extensive explanation of comparative measuring, which is important to grasp. 

With lots of thorough demonstrations and time given to each individual student, your portrait drawings will improve and you have many opportunities to ask questions. Julie has written and e-book of illustrated notes to accompany this workshop. 

Dates - July 17th - 21st  and also  August 21st - 25th

Cost £450.00. Materials list provided upon booking. Spaces are limited to a maximum of 8 students.  For more information please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

If you would like to do this workshop but are unable to do these dates please get in touch. 

Julie Douglas is an award winning artist with 30 years teaching experience under her belt, both at home and abroad. She is respected for her ability to bring out the best in students in a friendly and positive way. 

She published a large drawing and painting manual in 2017 which is fully illustrated using her own and her students artworks, and is currently writing two more books, one on portrait drawing and the other on oil portraits. She teaches weekly drawing and painting classes from her studio as well as longer workshops. 

Portrait Painting (oils) workshop with Julie Douglas 2023

This five day workshop guides you through the process involved in painting the portrait. We will look at the structure of the head, and do several studies in colour as well as black and white. 

We will practice colour mixing to give you confidence as well as some small colour studies. We will use different models, from photographic reference. From learning how to get the right proportions, to blocking-in and building up in layers, to working alla prima. 

There will be lots of demonstrations with individual guidance and feedback throughout. 

The workshop is designed to create a relaxed, informative and focused working environment for all skill levels. The core of the lesson will be based on drawing, values, edges, composition and creating life-like skin tone colour. 

Colour study

Colour study (left) and work in progress

Above - drawing study and colour study

Dates - July 24th - 28th  and August 21st - 24th

If you would like to do this workshop but are unable to do these dates please get in touch. It is suitable for all levels of experience due to the nature of the exercises. 

Cost £450.00. Materials list provided upon booking. Spaces are limited to a maximum of 8 students.  For more information please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

Julie Douglas is an award winning artist with 30 years teaching experience under her belt, both at home and abroad. She is respected for her ability to bring out the best in students in a friendly and positive way. 

She published a large drawing and painting manual in 2017 which is fully illustrated using her own and her students artworks, and is currently writing two more books, one on portrait drawing and the other on oil portraits. She teaches weekly drawing and painting classes from her studio as well as longer workshops. 

White flowers - lines and gladioli, chalks and oils, students artworks

At the moment, I am using colour as the theme for my oil painting classes, and recently the choice was...WHITE. I decided to have white flowers as reference, and headed to Ikea to pick up some lilies, though I was seriously diverted by the gladioli, so bought some of those too. They look rather tremendous at the bottom of my stairs! 

Jug of fakes!

I wouldn't usually go for fake flowers, but as I wanted students to work from life, this was a good solution as they wouldn't wilt (the flowers, not the students!).

The lovely finished painting by Julie B

I started by clamping each stem to the boards on the easels, then moved the lamps around to create as much light and shade as possible. I wanted to have plenty of variation, with only a limited amount of unshaded white. This meant that everyone had lots of opportunity to paint a multitude of different 'whites'. 

 

Charcoal study and finished painting by Ruth T

 

For the first session, all students did a tonal study in grey and white compressed charcoal, on tinted card (apart from Sara, who did a lovely colour pencil artwork instead).  

Gorgeous coloured pencil on tinted card, by Sara C

Doing a preliminary study gives us the space to understand the subject, in the manner of solving a puzzle, and helps iron out some of the tricky pitfalls, without the added difficulties of dealing in colour. 

A delicious pastel tonal study by LM

Students had up to three further sessions to complete an oil study of their flower. 

A-M's home set-up showing the lily clamped to her board on the right, with the underpainting on the left. 

Lovely pastel tonal study by Bronagh B

Dramatic tonal study by PC

Look at the difference a strong background colour makes to the perceived value of the white petals. Lovely painting by Marie P

The most dramatic paintings were the ones which had a strong background. This meant that the different tones and shades within the petals looked subtle and pale - when the background was also pale, the petals risked looking overly colourful. Great work, with excellent amounts of suffering in the name of art!! 

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

Julie's studio is above the pop-up shop in lovely Comber - 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Julie+Douglas+Art+Courses,+Belfast+Academy+of+Realist+Art/@54.5504618,-5.7486225,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x48610b29599d173d:0x3095b2d4c8c4e7c1!8m2!3d54.5504587!4d-5.7460422!16s%2Fg%2F11f5q8zld9