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

Portrait in Oils - all about hair

I have just finished a portrait commission, which was a little bit unusual as it didn't include the sitters face... The model is a professional pianist, and she loved the depth in the image - so the focus is on her, but we see what she is looking at. Compositionally it  is very striking, with the figure taking up less than half the area of the painting, and the large strip of piano-black being challenged by the even larger strip of music-white, with out of focus multi-colours in the furthest background.

For me, it was good to get to play with hair, as well as dolloping large amounts of colour at the top, and resisting the temptation to make the shapes look like something recognisable. The whole thing looks very Painty - slightly thicker application of paint than I often use, so that it doesn't look so like a photograph.

Up and coming - Oils weekend, and a two day portrait workshop. 

email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk for info. 

Something for the weekend.. Hydrangeas, water colour.

Recently my classes have been painting flowers. I have a built-in resistance to giving flowers as subject matter as they are so much more difficult than other subjects, but this resistance is softened by a desire to use seasonal subjects if I can. Even though most things are available all year round, there's something that feels Right about using things in the right season. So the other day I 'liberated' a few fabulous hydrangea flowers that were overhanging the pavement to be gloriously immortalized in water colour by my students.

by Geraldine B, student

 They did a wonderful job, and had fun using sponges to mess about with the middle section, which is often compicated in a lacecap hydrangea flower. If the drawing is sound, and the painting careful on the petals, then the middle section is a lovely foil when it's dealt with in a loose, playful and experimental manner.

Jeannie, student, getting busy with the sponge... 

Some students have chosen to spend a second session completing their painting - after all, the idea of doing a finished painting in a couple of hours is rather ridiculous!

by Jayne McC, who wins the prize for getting the most done in the time! Here, you can see how the careful painting of the petals acts as a good foil to the loose application of the sponge. 

So, nothing better for a weekend than a bit of messing about with paint. This weekend I have a Drawing and Watercolour workshop in Belfast.

For programme info, email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Portfolio course...

I had a lovely group of students on my portfolio course, as always, made up of people from Belfast, France and all around Ireland. They worked very hard (see below how they sweat and suffer)...

....with some students working on their knees, whatever next? 

Bryan, gasping.. 

They perked up when I took them on a trip to the bakery for cake, and the sweet shop - purely for reference material, of course... But the thing they all loved most was playing with Play Dough! - duh! 

Ciara helping Emma with her.. specs. 

Five days of that, then on up to a local festival with my friend Kieran, to do some arty things with the children... 

Here's Kieran with his first customer - moments later he could hardly be seen for the swarm of kids wanting to make snails..

Boys working studiously at my table - spot the beautifully packed crayons boxes... 

Young Oscar drawing a fabulous peacock. 

AND, it stayed dry!! 

Shedding, some light.

When I first left college, many moons ago, I acquired a habit which at the time I couldn't explain. When I had a big commission to do, instead of getting started, I would spend half a day cleaning the house. I know, mad. People around me couldn't understand it, and I wasn't at all sure about it myself either, but it seemed to get me prepared, mentally, and focused me into the right head space, so I just got on with it (and hey, the bathroom was sparkling..). This evolved over the years and usually I'm content to completely clear my desk (often a gigantic task..) before starting a new work.

But this weekend I really surpassed myself, and had such fun doing it..  I am holding a portfolio course. There is much to prepare for this intensive course (not least my supply of  hula hoops) - props, materials and projects, all to be squeezed into the car and transported to the venue.

just about room for the dog

Luckily, I have A Plan... Firstly, tart up some of the props and throw away the unused ones... Some of the white-painted objects were looking a bit grubby so I gave them another coat, and hung them in the garden to dry, and decided they looked rather like...well, Art.

Then, on the morning I traveled, time to attack the props boxes themselves. These are all stored in The Shed. I have a room at the back of my garage which I call The Shed - I think rooms are defined by what we call them. This room houses an extra fridge and the washing machine, but Utility is the wrong name for it. It's a bit rough - old lino on the floor, half-painted walls, pipes everywhere, and lining one wall above the Belfast sink there are wonderfully makeshift shelves full of the previous occupants bits and bobs.. Truly, A Shed.

Can you tell that I love a hardware shop?

I love the Silvo tin. The sweet tins are filled with screws, obviously. 

The props boxes are filled with the broadest imaginable array of potential drawing fodder, from shoes to car parts, plus some 'stuff', and sorting through them provided me with the most delicious cleansing experience,  getting rid of so much extra clutter that I totally emptied two boxes.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that moments later I found myself getting stuck in to clearing the shed as well! FanTAStic! I struggled and heaved until I got the broken old Singer sewing machine out, (which was taken to the dump, in spite of its highly drawable iron legs.. but I couldn't bring myself to throw away the '50's instruction manual with its wonderful illustrations and strange sounding, provocative words and titles like Blinding Plackets, To Oil the Bobbin Winder, French Fold, Shirr, Zipper Foot, Oiling the Ruffler, and even, perish the thought, The Blind Stitcher..). In no time I'd also hauled a half-broken chest of drawers out too, which my son happily axed to shreds. And lo, such new space! A couple of trips to the dump, then I drive across Ireland to County Clare... 

The Girls... 

I reckon you can tell a lot about someone, by looking in their shed. And you know that thing of everyone being in the kitchen at parties? They have it so wrong... Best place is.. the SHED!

Upcoming courses - water colour, portrait drawing and art for teenagers.
email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk for info

Chopping and Lopping and Mellow Yellow Lemons in Oils.

Where have I BEEN? Well, in the garden mostly.. Or rather, garden-dump-garden-dump-garden-dump..  Some days I have a hard time choosing between painting and gardening, and if the weather is fine, recently the garden has won. I can't help myself. Anyway, its all creative. I had an overgrown rhododendron and a couple of dead shrubs which I chopped down (I'm tougher than I look) and two very big Leylandii trees, which were cut down by a man with a very big chain saw, and the job of removing it all was left to moi. Slowly and consistently I've been taking it all away in my trusty car - smells all woody-lovely in there! I love a good lop - better than a workout in the gym. And that gigantic shrub behind my head is next for the Big Trim.

 And now, as well as a good lot of logs for the fire,  I have a HUGE space to fill with new plants! And a greenhouse. And maybe some bee hives.. And a chicken coop and a shepherds hut...And a swing.

I brought some baby plants here from my last garden, and amongst my favourites is this one, just peeping out some new leaves, called Bear's Britches. I'll show you the flower when it gets growing. Every garden needs a bit of a Bear in it.


As well as all this outdoor activity I have been doing lots of teaching and oh yes, I've also painted some lemons (when its been raining). They're not quite finished, a few more highlights to do and the sticky labels. Yellow is meant to make us feel happy, and I certainly felt a warm glow, painting using these colours.

Next up - Portfolio Course Killaloe
Water colour workshops both in Killaloe and in Belfast
Oil painting workshop Belfast
and art for Teenagers

Email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk for info

Portrait workshops

I have done a couple of portrait workshops recently, and I do love them. Students are often amazed at how quickly they can draw the face, well, and in giving attention to the right things, they get a likeness too.  The top two drawings by students B. McKinley and P. McCormack, were self portraits, looking in the mirror.

Facial expressions are good fun to do too. (shock, horror!)

Next up: Illustration workshop, Belfast
Intensive Portfolio Course
for info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Creativity and Contribution, in many forms.. Fish and Chips..

Recently a student reached into her art-bag for some materials and brought out some... knitting. When I asked what she was knitting, she said it was an outfit for the Fish and Chip Babies - babies orphaned at birth in Africa who are wrapped in newspaper as they have nothing else to clothe them. From what I have found on the internet, I think the knitting began in New Zealand a couple of years ago and has spread around the world, people sharing the very simple pattern to knit a small all-in-one garment for the babies.

She sent me the pattern and I got to it - it knits up very quickly and you should get two out of one ball of wool.

My first little knit for quite a while. Delicious.  

If you would like to knit one, here is the pattern. It is very easy. You are asked not to use white or baby pastels as they will probably not be washed.

Jumper/Vest:

• 8 Ply Yarn (double knitting)
• 5mm needles (tight knitters) or 4.5mm needles (loose knitters)
• Cast on 44 stitches
• Work 18 Rows in K2, P2 rib
• Work 30 Rows stocking stitch (1 row plain, 1 row purl)
• Cast on 12 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows and at the same time change to K2, P2 (for sleeve)
• Rib 22 more rows.
• Next row: Rib 21, cast off 26 stitches, rib 21
• Next row: Rib 21, cast on 26 stitches, rib 21
• Work 22 rows in K2, P2 rib
• Cast off 12 stiches at beginning of next 2 rows
• Work 30 rows stocking stitch
• Work 18 rows, K2, P2 rib
• Cast off

I discovered that the local wool shops are happy to recieve these as missionaries call in to collect them at regular intervals. 

If your local shop doesn't do this, the address to send it to is: 

c/o Foto First,

180 Murchison Street,

Ladysmith 3370,

South Africa

or

Mowbray Maternity Hospital
12 Hornsey Road
Cape Town
South Africa

Black Cockerel, Colour Pencil on Bristol Board

I love drawing animals, and have done a few drawings of chickens. This is a very small drawing of Pat Mitchell, who owned the (VERY unfriendly) geese I drew running in snow (well, the geese were running in snow, with me following, but I wasn't drawing IN the snow. If you see what I mean...). He lives in a fabulous, crumbling demesne house in Woodford, County Galway, and just loves his chickens and geese. A student of mine lived near him so took me to meet him. He only lived in a small part of the house, with candle light only. I didn't see much of the house inside, but remember that when I looked up the curving, highly carved staircase, at the very top was a fantastic glass dome, flooding us with shafts of light.

Outside was a menagerie of every type of chicken imaginable (and some beyond imagination!) This splendid black cockerel was left in a plastic bag attached to Pat's railings - someone had rescued it and assumed Pat would look after it. And they were right!

Colour pencil on Bristol Board, approx 7 inches x 7 inches (17cm x 17 cm), by Julie Douglas 

Last week I got a lovely email from a mature student who did a portfolio course with me last year. He had no previous drawing or painting experience - the course was a bit of a shock to his system (on account of me taking no prisoners, so to speak), and he worked very hard. But it was all worth it. He wrote:


Wow! Those onions look amazing.
I should let you know that I have been offed places on the Architecture Degree Programs at UCD, DIT and UL.
Also a place at Limerick School of Art and Design.
The architecture courses required an interview process as well as a portfolio assessment. Portfolios were additionally examined during the interview process. Curiously, during all interviews, the show stoppers in my portfolio were the water colours that I completed at your portfolio course. That is despite serious endeavour with many artistic media since.
Who would have thought that architects would be so interested in a banana, some lemons, a chili pepper and some vague trees.
Please accept my thanks for your instruction, for opening my eyes (and ears) and for awakening my artistic potential.
I intend to accept a place at UL to study architecture. Their interview was rigourous and demanding which endears me to their tuition.
Continued success to you and I hope our paths cross again.
Yours,
Alan




Up coming courses - Portrait workshop, Illustration workshop - this is a new course and
Intensive Portfolio Course. Also summer classes for teenagers.
 Email for info: julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Onions, Oils on board 8in x 10 in.

I love onions.  I found this box of onions outside Coffee's butcher shop on Lisburn Road. He had great rhubarb too..

This took quite a while to do as I have been busy with other things. And it's really difficult to photograph - it's a bit darker on the bottom than this suggests. But you get the gist.