Portrait in oil, stages of the process

‘Process’ is the path from the humble beginnings (possibly an idea or a thought) to a more finished end. If I had my way, art exhibitions would include not only a display of the ‘finished’ works but also much of the preparation work it took to get to there. I think this would not only enlighten people to the effort involved, but it would help them appreciate the steps required and stall the race-to-the-end which seems to be urgently demanded. There are well-trodden stages to finished artworks, and much joy to be had in lingering there. It’s not ALL about the end.

I am currently working on a small painting of my son. I love sharing the whole process involved in producing artwork, so here is the initial drawing in stages, and the colour study which I did before starting the more careful final painting.

I don’t absolutely always do a preliminary drawing - but I am always sorry if I haven’t. The drawing study is a valuable way to investigate shapes and tones and placement of the elements to be painted, as well as the place to make decisions about the atmosphere we want to achieve in the final work . Spending time preparing to paint repays tenfold, or more!

The next stage is the colour study. I LOVE this part! In fact, my study has more detail in than is necessary, but I was enjoying it and indulged myself. Working straight to paint, I blocked in a face-shape, without worrying at all about a likeness. The point here is working out what colours, and paying attention to tonal balance too. In this painting, there is a lot of striped light on the forehead from lighting directly above. That is the challenge.

The photo above is to show you the scale - it isn't large. It took an evening to complete. 

Now I’m ready to begin the final painting!

For info on upcoming workshops please email me on julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

Michael John Angel Masterclass 2017, Belfast

BOUGUEREAU'S METHOD OF PAINTING Friday 18th - Tuesday 22nd August 2017

Option 1, Bouguereau, 'Girl With Pot'

Following the success of his visit last summer, I am delighted to welcome Maestro back to Belfast in 2017. He will deliver a five day workshop guiding students through the full process of creating a successful painting in oils. An incredibly generous teacher, the workshop is a wonderful opportunity to benefit from the atelier system, with intensive tuition delivering knowledge gathered from a lifetime of experience. 

Course Description: 
William Bouguereau (1825–1905) is one of the leading lights in the 21st-century revival of Representational painting. To many people today, Bouguereau’s ability to draw and paint seems miraculous, but this ability can, in fact be learned.

In this one-week workshop, maestro Michael John Angel teaches the students how to begin attaining a firm grasp on the methods and techniques of Bouguereau and other 19th-century French Academy painters.

Option 2, Bouguereau, 'Gabrielle Cot'

The course begins with a few basic exercises and includes various illustrated lectures in proportion, gesture, under-drawing and oil-painting materials. During the five-day course, each student produces an oil painting in full colour, and throughout the workshop Mr Angel gives painting demonstrations that clarify each stage of the painting process.

Option 3, Bouguereau, 'Cupid'

Students will also receive various pdf handouts, with illustrations, that encapsulate the methods of painting and drawing in a realistic manner. Other pdf handouts will explain the different grounds, materials and mediums used in oil painting and describe the various layers used in a 19th-century underpainting-overpainting oil technique.

Further Workshop Details:
The workshop includes 30 hours tuition, from 10am - 5pm daily with a 1 hour lunch break. Students choose in advance one of the three artworks above to copy in the workshop. 
Individual and group critiques
Painting demonstrations by Mr Angel
Discussions on materials and techniques
COST: £750 to include 30 hours of instruction, and some materials. 
A list of materials (paint and brushes) will be sent upon booking a place.
 

Michael John Angel, giving a demonstration in Belfast 2016

Mr Angel is highly regarded as one of the foremost figurative painters, and his paintings and portraits hang in both public and private collections worldwide. For the last 20 years, he has been the Director of Studies and senior instructor at the Angel Academy of Art, Florence. 

Pippa painting in Florence.

Mr Angel has taught workshops in Florence, in Toronto and at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. He also lectures at the Florentine campuses of several American universities and at various private schools in Rome and in North America. From 1982 to 1988 he was the Director of the National Portrait Academy in Toronto, Canada, and from 1992 - 1995 the Assistant Director of the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy.  As an ARC living master, Mr Angel is considered one of the most inspiring and successful teachers in classical and traditional art today.

 A short biography can be found at www.angelartschool.com/mja.html. He is listed in the Art Renewal Center’s Living Masters gallery and is one of the ARC’s Board of Judges. As well as judging the ARC’s Annual International Salon, he is a judge on several other national and international painting juries, such as the Collection Beaux-Arts Réaliste, IlluxCon, and the Portrait Society of Canada.

Terms & Conditions:
A 50% non-refundable deposit is required to hold your place. Full payment must be received by 1st June 2017. 
Minimum number of students - 10.

Not included:
Accommodation and flights, transport and all other personal costs.  Fees are non refundable unless the course is cancelled for any reason. 
 If traveling, it is recommended that you take out insurance to cover costs in the unlikely event of cancellation etc. 

Details of accommodation near the studio will be provided upon booking. 

For booking information and all enquiries please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

Belfast is a vibrant city with a warm friendly atmosphere. If you are traveling for this course, you will find lots of things in the city to enjoy, in the days before or after the workshop. 

https://www.discovernorthernireland.com/belfast/

Luck of the Irish? Gerberas, Chrysanths and Daisies: Oil painting on linen.

When I looked back to find the photos of the initial stages of this painting, I was shocked to see that I began working on it 5 months ago. Now, this doesn't mean that I've taken 5 months to compete the painting! No. In fact, it's still not quite finished, but another few hours on the background will do it.  In between bouts at the easel, I have been very busy illustrating and photographing my book, as well as doing lots of teaching.  I am trying to finish the painting in time for the book launch - I love a deadline!

The first pass 

I took the reference photo several years ago, just before Christmas in a florist in Lisburn. It was snowing outside, but the light caught the flowers beautifully. I don't often paint flowers - but it was painting light and colour that I was interested in, and in spite of the complex nature of the subject, I was happy to tackle it. 

This photo shows you the scale of the painting.

I always enjoy the blocking-in stage - it's all to play for, and the true magnitude of the task in hand hasn't quite hit home yet... After toning the background, I did a rough layer of colour over the whole canvas. This should be as close as possible to the final colours and tones, but it acts as a good base for the final colour layer to sit upon.  I worked one flower at a time. 

Blocked in. 

I usually do my cropping at the photographing stage, but in this case I altered the composition slightly on the right hand side, removing a chrysanthemum from top right which I felt disrupted the strength of the patterns created by the tallest daisy. 

Putting in the first layer of colour, one flower at a time

First pass complete

At this point, I went through a phase of getting paint everywhere, including my computer keyboard, which is... not helpful! So I decided to try working with gloves. I wasn't sure if I'd like it - but I do! Just about everything we use for oil painting is toxic to some degree, so it's sensible to protect the hands. 

yuck!

I began the second layer by painting one flower at a time once more - when you know are going to have long gaps between visits to the easel, it's great to have small areas to 'complete' as you go along.  The second layer gives a richness to the painitng. Remember, oil paint is transparent, so the more layers, the more 'solid' and secure the painting will be. The background at the top is an ornamental cabbage, which currently looks like draped fabric!

Second layer on the first daisy

Daisies on the left show the second layer 

gloved up!

a little crysanthemum added at the back.

It was somewhere between the photo above and the photo below that my camera stopped functioning. It just couldn't focus - the flower on the right, below,  is blurred.  (In reality, the flower is soft but not as soft as the photo!)  Oh no!!

Frustratingly fuzzy photo!

Above - the second layer on the flowers is complete. As you can see, the flower at the top is blurred - this, again, is the camera. For the photo below, which is the whole painting complete apart from the top background, I had to use the 'selfie' camera, so the quality isn't good, but hopefully you get the gist. 

The camera I've been using is the one in my iPhone. I consider myself VERY lucky. I used it to take every photograph in my book (over 500 shots printed), and the quality is excellent. The repair shop replaced it with a new camera, hoorah! But sadly, it still doesn't focus, which means, apparently, that it's 'a phone problem'.  I suspect that I've used up my picture allowance.

I've had the phone just 18 months. I think the time has come to buy a little digital camera again, and not rely on the phone for photographs. Gone are the days of repairing our belongings, it seems. But an 18 month life-span isn't long enough for me! This consumer is looking elsewhere... 

Next up: oil painting workshop, Belfast. For info email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk

BOOK LAUNCH and display of student drawings and paintings, Sunday 2nd April, The Engine Room Gallery, Belfast. All welcome!