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

 

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 

Hair and beards! Portrait drawing prep before painting, graphite.

Sometimes I will see a wonderful face, in the street, in a shop - even singing in a choir!, and I know I'd LOVE to paint it. 

The first time it happened,  over twenty years ago, it was a young woman with her mother, quietly browsing in a book shop in Rye, East Sussex. She had milky-white skin and very long, burnt orange wavy hair. She ALREADY looked like a painting. But I was too shy to approach her, and have regretted it ever since. So now, I just go for it, and politely compliment the person on their interesting 'head' (I notice that I tell them I like their head. Rather than 'face'), and would it be ok to draw them? So far so good, its always been a YES! 

Soft tones showing the gentle textures on the skin. 

On a recent trip to Bath and Wells, there was a lovely-looking gentleman staying in the same hotel. I mentioned my admiration of his looks to my traveling companions, and was almost immediately sorry, as they pointed him out so often I was nearly 'morto', as they say here. Just before we left, the lovely man was checking out, so it was now or never. 

"Er... excuse me, I couldn't help notice your lovely head..."

And so my new best friend is the wonderful Vernon, who was traveling with his wife and very happily sat for me. Here are some progress shots of my drawing study, and a small video. 

for scale - the drawing is on A2 paper. 

I enjoyed working on the flesh areas, but the beard is a challenge. It isn't finisehd yet, but I thought I'd share the progress so far. 

Hmm. The beard... 

Pencil is so difficult to photograph - the camera doesn't like all that white paper. So I did the video to try to show it better. 

And yes, it seems I have trouble speaking, thinking and drawing at the same time. 

More as I progress... 

Drawings by Julie Douglas, Belfast Academy of Realist Art (B.A.R.A.) 

Day trip!! Drawing in the Ulster Museum, trees in charcoal

I do love a drawing day out. It's great to change the location for classes sometimes, though students are very afraid at the beginning... The atmosphere is very relaxed and user-friendly at the museum, and the attendants were very helpful and earmarked all their best stools for my students..! I got there early and walked around the whole museum, gasping at the range of possible subjects, chose a couple and went back downstairs to meet the group. It was the famous Thursday-Girls! 

From the back, Hilary, Deirdre, Glynis, Geraldine, Linda, Jennifer and Helena

But as soon as I looked out the window and saw the gorgeous pine trees - it was a clear bright day, with lovely light  - that was it, all museum artifacts abadoned, it HAD to be the trees. (Any suggestion that this was because the trees were visable from the cafe is just viscious rumour) Which of course meant I didn't need all those stools the nice attendants had set aside for me.. 

Jennifer's lovely drawing in progress

Helena's sketch book

Linda and Geraldines work in progress

I went on my bike and was really glad as the traffic was terrible and parking around the museum is... er,well, its great if you're on your bike as there are lots of railings. 

I did a demo drawing but most of it was smudged out on the way home on my bike, never mind! (I must have been cycling too fast..) It was a great experience, and we managed to hear a talk about Kenneth Shoesmith's water colours which are on show for a few months. Worth a visit. We'll be back soon to make better use of the amazing artifacts (and the stools).

Next up: Portrait drawing workshop, and intensive portfolio preparation course. 

For info, Email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk