Bring Julie to your home! New BARA Distance Learning Programme

This morning's lovely drawing class, home from homes. 

Bring Julie to your home!! Distance Learning from BARA.  Julie Douglas is resuming her very popular drawing and painting Distance Learning programme to enable personal growth and development while working from home. Click the link below for Julie's video to tell you all about it. https://vimeo.com/400636432 This week she began teaching her regular weekly students from home and has decided, after many requests, to extend the sessions to make them available for new students too. Using a combination of full tutorial videos, notes, AND weekly online classes, Julie will guide you through a fulfilling and rewarding creative experience. Julie has helped thousands of students to improve their drawing and painting through her user-friendly and positive approach. Having taught for a few years with London Art College, Juile is well equipped to teaching students at a distance. Feedback from the online classroom includes - Paul: 'that was so uplifting this morning, thank you' Kate: 'Julie this morning was fantastic. A real soul-lifting experience in a very challenging time. Thank you for your efforts' Student numbers will be strictly limited – please apply quickly to ensure your place, and to buy art materials from the list while you still can. email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Big Drawing Day Out... The Mac, Belfast

There is something fabulous about a group of work colleagues spending time together doing something new... It means that people who might not usually work directly together have an occasion  to interact, and provides an opportunity to engage in unexpected new ways even with those you do work closely with in the office. 

 I was contacted by Noel from a local Product Design Company and was asked if I would teach a corporate drawing session, for their Day Out. He gave me a very clear brief. Some of the participants use drawing in their work already, but not everyone. So I was to design a session that would stretch everyone without intimidating anyone, would be educational to all levels of past experience, challenging yet fun at the same time... 

!!

Well alrighty then..!

We started by working with hands behind our backs - a bit of ripping paper is a great way to start..! It immediately puts everyone on a level playing field as everyoe is working 'blind' - and, importantly, removes any preconceived ideas about what lies ahead. 

It was a great session, and we managed to cram about two weeks of exercises into just a morning. The best bit was musical chairs, where after drawing their chosen boot for 10 minutes, everyone had to swap seats with someone else and carry on working on that persons drawing... Gasps of WHAT???

They moved around twice, then ended up back at their original drawing to finish it off. A tough exercise, but really successful. All drawings were excellent, and everyone had no hiding places!

Happy bunnies! 

The cruncher for me was that Noel had said if they enjoyed the session, then I would be invited out to lunch with them. Fortunately, at the end of the class, he DID invite me, yay!
Thanks for lovely lunch.

Pink, makes the boys wink..! Peonies, water colour without drawing.

Going straight to paint with water colour is a refreshing and liberating experience. I find it relaxing. And if you are relaxed when painting, it shows in the outcome.

Sketch book studies for demonstration, Julie Douglas

In a class situation, going staight to paint means students spend the whole session painting, giving them not only a better chance of completing their artwork, but a fuller opportunity to try different techniques - more playing and experimenting.
This week I wanted my students to paint with a colour restriction. Limiting the range of colours is a great way to discover new tones and mixes, and it is also a good way to ensure the image holds together well.
I was seduced by some lovely peonies, which were a perfect subject for colour restricting.

The two paintings below show the starting points, and neither were taken any further. 

This shows how pale the first layer is. Red pigment not only stains the water, but also the page so a light start makes it easier to change your mind. 

The colours we used were Permanent Sap Green and Lemon Yellow for the stem, Permanent Rose for the flower. Later in the process students were allowed to try (I say TRY) Alizarim Crimson and French Ultramarine on the petals, if they needed it. 

This painting shows a build up of the second layer of tones, on top of a dried base-shape. 

The two images below show the beginning and end of one flower. This one I didn't use such a pale mix to start, as the final colours were so strong.

Julie Douglas

Julie Douglas

Upcoming workshop: Figure drawing, portrait drawing, Water colour for location, beginners drawing and portfolio courses. 

I am holding a drawing class in The Drawing Offices, in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. 

For details on all courses email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

www.draw-in.co.uk

A musing Mark - Lovely buns! Cupcake in Colour Pencil, student work

Usually, I try to LOOK for appropriate subjects for my regular students to draw, but this week, I decided I wanted cupcakes, and a desperate hunt began.

Minor problem* number 1. Where to find them, immediately? Luckily, I have a few friends vying for the role of Oracle, and soon I had several leads.. I cycled off to the bakery nearest the art college, and wow! HUGE, slathered with sauce AND a cherry on the top. Cup cakes don't get much better than this...

and a little heart, for St Valentine..

Minor problem* number 2. They wouldn't fit in my panniers. So, I cycled home and went back in the car...

(*note - problems are only questions which help us find interesting and creative solutions)

This is Mark! (who is always amusing) 

As you can see from the photo above, I cut the paper down (we used bristol board, which is grain-free) so that everyone had the same size restriction as colour pencil is very slow. If we work large in colour pencil, it simply takes longer to do, and the students only had two and a half hours...

student selection

Selection of student work - delicious!

Even though everyone had the same sized paper to work on, it is interesting to see how everyone used the paper differently. Above right, Ciara's meltingly-lovely drawing is large enough to almost completely fill the page, by zooming in - this is effective as it reduces the amount of background area. 

By Nisa V. Student

Selection of student drawings - yummy!

Most of the photos were taken in the evening, so the quality isn't great, but you get the idea! 

An usuaul and challenging subject, as always. Meaning that, as usual, every class was punctuated by SIGHs, huffing, anxiety and a large dose of humour! A muse ing. 

Here are a few of the students, showing how to suffer for their art - they had to LOOK at the cakes, but not touch...! Note that the cakes were raised above the table-level, to give a more interesting view. all drawings were done as a careful line-drawing first, before colour was added. 

Unique Tutorial, a joint drawing project, accidentally on purpose.

F, 2B on Strathmore Bristol paper, vellum surface.

I had a panic email from an excellent student, having just finished her non-art degree, about to pursue her creative path.

 'Help', she cried.

 'Come for cake', I replied. 

She was on the next train. I anticipated a tutorial/chat for an hour or so, punctuated with a bit of location drawing, purely for our health. Things didn't go quite as planned.. 

Admittedly, I was just back from New York and the jet lag was, sigh, becoming part of the family (in a  'you'd not choose it, but you gotta live with it', kinda way). First stop after picking her up from the station was the art college cafe for tea. This was 10am. 

Of course, the secret weapon of tea is the chat. Once we had a sip, the tutorial was On. Her train to Dublin left at 3.30. She just made it. The tutorial lasted 5 hours and two artworks. Two amazing and unusual artworks which are truly beautiful to behold. Did we manage any location drawing? Nope. We sat in the same chairs and didn't budge, except for more tea. 

Best tutorial I ever gave. 

How's Niamh? AWESOME.

My view

Niamh's view

Guitar Oil Pastel, Strathmore Bristol Paper, Vellum surface.

My view 

Niamh's view. If you look carefully, there's a Heart in this. In fact, there are several.

Luckily for me, we worked in my pad. So I've got the drawings. But, half of them really are Niamh's. Multidisciplanary design, co creating at ground level. Delicious. (You can't tell what it is, because it's Niamh's path.) 

Jet lag has gone now, it stayed a month, longer than any visitor really should..

Up coming courses - intensive portfolio prep over half term, childrens art class,oils workshop and weekly classes. For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk  

Portrait number three with a LOT of leaves...Step by step

Materials - Bristol Board, a Melamine drawing board, A Daylight bulb in a desk lamp, Caran d'Ache Luminance, Caran d'Ache Prismalo 1 and a mixture of Derwent pencils. 

Step 1 - a detailed line drawing, so that all my colour work runs continuously. This is not the last word in process, it's just the way I like to work. I prefer to make all the tonal decisions from the offset then spend the rest of the time on colour. 

Everything needs more than one colour. With dark tones in fabric (ie large areas at a time), I like to do a full all-over layer and then lay the next colours down on top. With smaller areas, I prefer doing all layers as I go along, to stop it becoming tedious through repeated revisiting. There's a BIG difference between a Labour of Love, and Laborious. So with the leaves, I did a complete leaf at a time, with skin, I work up tiny areas about an inch square. 

Hair... I always do hair last because... I don't like doing it!

My desk space gets more and more cramped as things progress. I always cover finished areas with a piece of paper to help keep the work clean. Particulalry important when there are large dark areas, which create fine dust which can stain the lighter colours. 

If you have any questions, do ask!

Up coming workshops - children's drawing, portrait weekend, water colour weekend. Email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk for details

When a Distance isn't a Distance

Technology and the internet has transformed our lives, and there's no going back, only faster and faster forward.
This is very exciting, and just about anything we can think of can be reality very quickly. However, this doesn't mean that everything happens quickly. Change is rapid, communication is instant, BUT the skills we need to be really good at something take almost as long as they ever did. This is not a bad thing, it is just the way it is. And perhaps the learning of deep skills is the saving grace that people are seeking - the time and focus required to be really good at something is in that place where the fast-moving world can't reach, once we start focusing - it is a mindset, a choice, a commitment, a discipline.

One of the beauties of the internet is that it reduces miles between us. It means that we don't have to be beside the teacher any more. This week I accepted a new student for Distance Learning - she is in Kansas City Missouri, 4164 miles from me. Or a click of the mouse. It's so exciting to exchange knowledge and create new bonds across the globe - or just across the pond.

And because the requirements of students is different I am beginning to personlise the courses so students get to venture more into areas that interest them individually. This makes it never endingly interesting for me too.

So while students may rightly regard their creative learning experience as a journey, they aren't alone. It's my journey too. In fact, I'm the navigator.

Distance Learning - for info on the course, which has modules in Drawing, Water Colour, oils and portraiture, email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

How to find the right teacher for you.

Learning is a very personal experience, though many students regard it as something of a group activity, certainly a competition, and often anticipate a degree of personal failure along the way. An expectation of failure is in opposition to our make up, and a good teacher will help you find ways to succeed - help you to find ways to expect to succeed.

Therefore, an important element in everyones learning experience is the teacher you choose. (I appreciate that in a college situation you may not have any option, but outside of that environment, we get to select whose class we join). This is a very basic fact that SO MANY people ignore. If we want to buy a chair, for example, we don't go out and buy ANY chair, we are selective.  Or if you were looking for classical guitar lessons, you'd not want to sign up with someone who only teaches Rock guitar. The same should happen when looking for a teacher. (and while the language we use may encourage you to think you are looking for a Class, what you are really seeking is a Teacher. The Class is all the other folks who are also looking for a Teacher.)

Here are some questions to ask yourself, as a Learner.
In advance of enroling - does this person appear interested in my learning, or are they keen to sweep me along with something I am not interested in doing?
Is the teacher asking any useful and relevant questions about ME?
Is the teacher guiding me in a positive way before I enrol?
Is this class structured in any way?

Once you begin attending a class -
Do I feel comfortable and nurtured?
Have I learnt anything that I didn't know already?
Do I feel important in the group?
Do I feel welcome?
Do I understand what I am being told? Do I feel that it is ok to ASK, if I don't understand?
Does the teacher care?
Am I being praised - in other words, is any notice being taken of any improvements I am making?
Is this enjoyable?

What to avoid like the plague..
EVERYTHING that makes you feel uncomfortable. Everyone's interpretation of this will be different. Personally, I can't bear sarcasm from a teacher, or any language that humlitates of discomforts a student.  No one should be laughed at or humiliated in any way. This will seriously hinder any possibility of the student learning anything.
Avoid the teacher who can't answer your questions. If you aren't progressing, don't assume it is because you are hopeless, ask for help. If it doesn't come, ask why that is.

And when you have FOUND the right teacher for you, make sure you always book your seat in advance, and then tell everyone you know - for they may be looking for them too!

Currently, I am a student as well as a teacher, and its an interesting and valuable experience. The tutors are fantastic and I am so grateful. We can all recognize the teacher who gives way beyond what is expected and it is good practice to acknowledge their gifts as we go along. A great teacher GIVES, and it doesn't take a lot of effort to recharge THEIR batteries, by thanking them.

Three cheers for the great givers out there. Thanks.

Wish you were here... well, Kiss me Quick!

It seems the days of getting postcards from abroad are over, because the thing I keep getting from my students from their holidays are Emails, full of their holiday-drawings, oooooOOOOOoooh!

First up was Matthew, who sent me a drawing of a trawler, which impressed me a lot as up to now he's worked mostly on still life - meaning subjects which are small. Matthew, as my Monthly Monday group well knows, is very well behaved, never a moan, always takes the (substantial) challenge given, and always says Thank You Julie, unlike SOME.. But of course, I have no Pets in my class (apart from the dog), I love you all equally... Matt drives from the midlands to County Clare for my class, and we often see each other on the way there. Once though, he was patiently waiting at the venue when I arrived and I was apologizing as I'd missed the exit on the motorway, somehow... He smiled and said, Yes I saw you. You missed the exit because you were so busy... overtaking me!'. Well oops!!

Trawler, by Matt C, student

Then, there's Jayne..who if I didn't know better I would suspect was attending an art holiday, she's produced so many lovely pieces of work. (Possibly a consequence of holidaying in the British Isles, all those damp evenings!) Two studies of a gigantic water wheel, and flowers too. Fabulous.

Water Wheel by Jayne McC, student

And then, Orla. Recently she sent some drawings including this one of amazing shadows - a delicious subject matter, I love this.

Glasses and shadows, by Orla F, student

One of the intriguing things for me is that none of the students have chosen a Chocolate Box theme, but have been attracted to interesting, personal, difficult, complex subjects. Well done folks, you're obviously hooked.

Next up - Oil painting workshop, portrait drawing workshop and weekly classes in Belfast, including Illustration. For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Distance Learning

Teaching students through Distance Learning is a really rewarding experience for me. People from all over the globe send me artwork to crit, following exercises I have written, and it's wonderful to share their learning experience. I get such amusing letters too - I have a few students in Australia, and one in particular, Yvonne (you knew it was you!) has me in stitches with her dry self criticism, including suggesting her egg-plant was hairy (which I hadn't noticed until she mentioned it) and hitting the bottle after a particularly tough assignment..! A common thread is that students are very hard on themselves - and while this is better than being over confident, I think its always worth remembering that while the goal may be self-improvement, the point has to be the pleasure in the production. So no matter how many aches and pains, we are all happy to be learning.
Here are some fabulous pieces from some Distance Learning students of mine.

                                Charcoal Mushroom, by A.W in Holland, a multi-talented lady.

                        Peony, water colour by Y.K, Australia. This painting was done while Yvonne attended a painting workshop in Ireland. On this day, she was joined by my regular Monthly Monday students, who moan accusatorily every month that its all my fault they're 'rusty', grumble mutter moan groan.. Yvonne, who was using her trip to get to know the locals, was most dismayed at this, until after lunch, because by then, they had all settled down, ceased their worrying, and began (quietly!) producing wonderful paintings. Just like always. A double learning experience for Yvonne!

 I am always so impressed at students dedication - it is much harder to work alone at home than in a group at a class or workshop. But some people live in far away inaccessible places making distant learning a great option. Most send work on line, but one Australian student lives remotely without internet access (something which we take for granted!) so posts me her artwork. I feel so honoured that her wonderful drawings come all the way around the world for me to appreciate them.

            Fantastic Colour Pencil drawing, all the way from Australia.. By Distance Learning student N.B

And today I had an email from one student in Wales, on receipt of her crit - she said 'Hi Julie, I just quickly read through your crits and now want to leave the office and go home and paint! I can almost smell it and touch it. Can't wait for the weekend.'

Charcoal drawing, SB, student, Wales.

           Water colour pencil (above) and Pepper in Oils (below), both by G.G, County Kerry, Ireland.

I had an email enquiry recently asking about my distance learning, from a lady in Dublin called Ciara. Unfortunately, you didn't give your email address, so I can't reply - please do email me directly so I can send you information, thank you.

For information on all my courses email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk