Cherry Cherry - a new set of 'Kremer' Water Colours in Gray!

 I love black and white work, and think that giving concentrated time to understanding values will help improve colour work later on. So I was intrigued when Lisa, who I stood at the next easel to me last week on a drawing course, showed me this new set of water colour paints, in shades of gray. Who KNEW....?! The thing that is surprising here is that usually, no white is used when painting water colour, as it has a tendancy to 'fog' the colours, and stop them being transparent (which is one of the main charms of using this medium). So next morning I headed to the art store to buy a set to try out. Everything about them feels 'different' - some of the pans are sticky to the touch, others feel a bit rubbery, like putty.

They were nice to paint with, but I had to remind myself to keep switching 'colours' rather than using water to dilute. The consistency is thicker than usual, but some of the darker grays have a lovely warmth about them, with the paler ones veering towards brown-gray rather than blue-gray. There is no actual Black in the set, but the darkest gray is rich and sooty. I'm not sure if I liked them - but I do tell my students that they need to use a new medium about 5 times before deciding if they're our new best friend or not. The first time, we are more aware of what it CAN'T do, the second time we're a bit more prepared, and by the third time we can really get a sense of what it CAN do, and after that, we practice it.. So I'll do plenty more. 

Having said that, it was a treat to do a quick colour one afterwards!

Upcoming courses: Intensive portfolio course for college entry

Big Drawing Day at The Drawing Office, in Belfast's Titanic Quarter.

Draw In - symposium, Belfast 30/31st August.

Oil Painting workshop with Matt Weigle

Figure Drawing Workshop with Colleen Barry

For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

www.draw-in.co.uk

Leaves and berries, water colour, student work

It doesn't take much to suggest a mood - a few red berries and a bit of green and we feel like it's Christmas! This weeks students enjoyed this challenge so much that I have carried it on for a second week of study. Its a tall order to try to finish a painting in a couple of hours, and its good to have extra time sometimes to take the painting through to a more finished level.

By Jean R, student

Work in progress, by Thomas McC, student

Work in progress, Thomas R, student

Teresa, demonstrating the art of colour-testing around the edges! Completed over two sessions

Nisa, a stunning painting, completed over two sessions

Next up, Portfolio course, portrait workshop, water colour workshop and oils workshop.

Email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk for info

Water Colour workshop, Dublin

Here are a couple of shots from my Water Colour Workshop at the weekend. It was pretty intensive as it was designed for my Distance Learning students, as the starting-block to their water colour term, but many other students decided to come along too, jumping in at the deep end. They produced a mountain of paintings (or rather, EXERCISES), accompanied by screams of Torture, huffing, muttering under the breath and wailing for More Coffee... (and that was just me!! Only joking...) But today, I'm getting emails from them saying how Relaxing it was! How quickly we forget, which is how it should be, or we'd never start another painting.
Lovely that students came from far and wide, including flying in from Kerry, how civilised(compared to me driving through the fog!),  and Wales.

Next up, Portfolio Assembly for NCAD portfolios. This is a horrible job, but I was nearly knocked over by stampeding students when I sort of Thought-out-loud about offering this... Presentation of artwork is very important, and can transform the feel of the whole portfolio.  Portfolios need to be dropped off for a couple of hours to be sliced, cut and rearrange to its most glorious advantage ready for submission. Sunday 30th January.