Rory under the kitchen light, oil on linen, 20cm x 24cm.

Almost finished. 

This little painting is almost finished. I've put the photos in reverse order so you can see the process from the finsh, backwards.

Originally I went straight to canvas on this, but realised that there was a lot of investigation of shapes and tonal relationships, so stopped and went back to the drawing board (literally!), and spent some time drawing. In truth, if I miss this step I am always sorry. While colour is the big attraction, it is much harder to get everything right when you don't prepare.

The word 'drawing' doesn't refer to the medium - we can draw in anything, including paint. But if we take it to mean 'investigating', 'studying', 'problem solving' and 'gathering information', it is a much larger task to do all of these things on the canvas. After the drawing I did a colour studt, then returned to my canvas. I painted many layers, and managed not to be precious by painting over the whole face four times, to see what would happern. Lots 'happened'!

The lighting on the head was from more than one source - a central room light, as well as a downlighter driectly above, which created the stripes of light on the forehead and the nose. In order for these to be bright, everything else needed to be dark. I finished with the hair - a special challenge which I enjoy, even though I pretend not to! 

Next up: oils workshop, portrait workshops, childrens workshops. For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

notes from the airing cupboard.. Oranges in oils

So, I mentioned that I moved my workspace up to my small spare bedroom, and felt the benefit of being away from the general living space of the rest of the house. After the first painting, of an orange, which I'd set up in  shadow box, on top of a chair on top of a table, I decided it would be useful to have some shelves, to vary the height of my subjects. And then I remembered that the other wall is a set of cupboards, with lots of shelves! Da-naaa!!

So I turned my easel and lamp around, moved a few towels, placed the shadow box on the right shelf and set up the next arrangement. Oranges in the airing cupboard. Perfect...

Fruit in the airing cupboard..

One of the important factors in using the shadow box is the ability to control lighting, or to prevent more light than you want, on the subject. I lined the edges of the cupboard with black fabric, and used the cupboard door to block external light. Yes - a lot of time is spent preparing and setting up. This is so important. Composing, arranging and lighting your subject  is the making of the picture. It has to look delicious, or there's no point in painting it. So all this faffing about isn't a waste of time, it's the creative part. 

One lamp on the subject, another on the canvas. 

I did my preparatory drawing in my sketch book - I love this stage. This is a step which so many students leave out. Why? Drawing is information gathering - we draw information from the subject, to gain understanding of spacial and tonal relationships and to get the balance right. 

Something magic that happens when we draw before painting. Familiarity with the subject, an intimate getting-to-know it better. Then, at paint stage, we've already observed it, we kind of FEEL it, and the NEW decisions we are making are about colour - we still have to make the spacial and tonal decisions too, but we're half way there with those by then..

Underpainting, over a burnt sienna base colour

I painted the white canvas with a layer of burnt sienna, as a good base to paint on.

I propped my drawing up as additional refrence material next to my easel. Sometimes looking at the drawing helps, even though the fruit is still right there!

With this painting, I was trying out glazing techniques, and trying to be a bit looser. The canvas was one that I'd already opened, from my pre-Milliken Brothers days, and it was horribly rough and textured, which at least helped to restrict any over-tight tendancies. Sometimes though, it can feel like we're battling with the materials, which is not a good thing. I stuck with this painting till I couldn't stand the rough canvas any more, and moved on to the next one (making sure it was a nice fine linen).

For me, painting really is about the doing of it, rather than the completing of it. The hope is always that the next one will be better, and the next and the next...

Up and coming workshops: Oils weekend, Belfast. For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Fifty Shades of Grey.. Oil Painting in Black and White

Black and white tonal studies, but without using black - a very good way to begin understanding about mixing Oil paint, without the stress of exact colour matching.

This week my weekly students tried their hands with Oil Paint - most had never used it and were very excited at the prospect (I know, it's lovely to be so easily pleased!). Many brought their old clothes ready for the Big Mess, though I think most of the mess was on my hands, not theirs.

Apart from Sarah, who did a beautiful print on her.. er, arm! And one or two others, now I think about it, who slathered a good bit over their own noses!

Now my work room is festoooned with little black and white paintings, hanging up to dry. Delicious!

Upcoming workshops - Portrait Drawing Day with model, 25th November,

Big Drawing Day, Dublin 2nd December. For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

BYOB art class...

Occasionally I hold BYOB art classes, which are a truly entertaining and enlightening experience, both for me as well as the participants! The atmosphere is light, and no one comes for The Drink, but for a one-off try-out of a bit of drawing and painting.
Everyone enjoys themselves, even the most nervous and reluctant attendants, and all are delighted with their new-found art genius. In fact, after one particularly jolly evening, I received a text from one lady while she was in her taxi going home. The text said simply, I love my mushroom. Well, AW! The ladies in the second photo were going on to a nightclub after the class, but by 9pm one said she was so exhausted after painting that she just wanted to go home and get into her pj's..!!

The last BYOB included a young woman who told me she's a scientist, and instantly bribed her way into my affection by presenting me with a Scientists White Coat when she arrived (I love a bribe, by the way), as I'd mentioned in an email that I was fed up getting oil paint on my clothes (mostly my elbows, when I lean in the palette, tsk..) So I'm delighted with it, even though it's ENORMOUS... So I've stuffed the pockets full, so I never misplace anything again.. Looking forward to getting it really slathered in paint... 

Up and coming - I have a portfolio course at the beginning of June and so far it's mostly boys who have booked. So if any girls out there need a portfolio, please get in touch!

julie@juliedouglas.co.uk