DRAWING MADE EASY

six week art course, on
DRAWING MADE EASY.
July 16th.
(Tuesdays)
2.30 until 5.00pm.
go to
www.sharondouglas.weebly.com
for further information and to reserve your place.
I`m looking forward to starting these courses.

 



There will be a variety of different courses in different media, and different subjects to follow.........so please keep checking back to my website for further updates. There is a contact page for if you want to ask any questions, or wish to request a particular course for the future

Leanne`s on my mind.

I`ve just added more paintings to my website.

Please go to

 www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

To see what`s been on the easel this week.

 

 

 

Thinking of Leanne.

 

Memories of my darling daughter, Leanne, gone but never, ever forgotten.

............here comes the sun..

............and I can`t wait to do some pleine air painting.
I just need it to warm up a little bit yet though.

This week I have chop and changed subjects, and mediums all week. I`ve just had one of those weeks where I want to do something bright and cheerful..........and I don`t this you can get any more brighter than this little fella....



Funny talk,

Acrylics on canvas board,

6x8"

 

I think it`s the sun gone to my head.

 

If you go  to

www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

and look on my " On the easel this week", page, you will see the other paintings that I`ve done this week.

 

.......hopefully next weeks paintings will include some plein air paintings.

 

Playing with pastels.Demo`s and watercolours.

Pastel Bluebell wood.

Pastels.

Ingres cream paper.

 

It`s been a busy week this week. I did a demonstration on Tuesday at North Shields Art Society.

NSAS Demonstration Painting.

Cherries and crystal dish.

22x15"

Watercolours

on Arches rough.

140LB

 

Next week, we will be doing a step by step workshop on this painting. I`m looking forward to it.

 

Other than the above two paintings done this week, I`ve done a few watercolours.

If you go to

www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

and look at what`s on the easel this week, you can see the other pictures that have been painting.
Some of them are not the usual sizes, but I`ve done them to fit some frames that I bought from Factory Framing in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

 

Meerkats on the look out.

Meerkats on the look out.

16x20"

Oils on linen canvas.

 

Oh what fun these little animals are. Their faces are full of character, and they are quite comical to watch.

The other paintings that I did this week have been posted on the "What`s on the easel page" on mu website....

www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

 

so please pop over and have a look around the site at my other work.

I`ve just had my work accepted into Coquetdale arts gallery in Rothbury.

It was a lovely drive up to the gallery to drop the paintings off, and I`m hoping to spend a day or two up there in the summer to do some plien air painting.

In the meantime I took lots of reference photographs to work from. It was a dull misty day on the drive up there, but that just added atmosphere to the photographs. I can`t wait to make a start while it`s still all fresh in my mind.

If you ever plan on visiting Rothbury, don`t forget to pop in and see some outstanding works of art, and my paintings will be there too......lol. You won`t be disappointed. It`s a lovely gallery in a lovely part of Northumberland.
My paintings will be on permanent view, so pop in any time between April and December.

Other than that bit of news, I`ve been busy painting........and painting......and painting. I`m loving every minute!!!!!!

Night lights at Longsands Beach, Tynemouth.

Acrylics

7x5"

Series II

 

To see my other paintings done this week pop over to my website....

 

www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

 

There you will find more of my work, and details of upcoming exhibitions.

 

 

 

Leisure painter article.

...........has been published in the May 2013 issue.

Recently I was commissioned to write an article for Leisure Painter magazine, about how I have adapted my equipment to suit my needs.
It has now been published in the May 2013 edition.

As a disabled artist, in a wheelchair, I have found it quite difficult to find equipment that suits me, so over the years, my husband and I have made alterations to my brushes, and equipment, to make it easier for me to paint. It also gives details on how I am able to sketch in bed when I`m bed bound, you will also find out how I made a bag that sits over the side of my wheelchair for when I paint outdoors, and a little "table" that either stands in the ground, or it can be slotted into the footrest of my wheelchair, if the ground is too hard. Along with plenty more hints and tips for painting both ourdoors and indoors.


Paintings this week, are few. I know, I`ve been slacking.......

Daddy`s girl.

15x 11"

watercolours

Arches rough, 140 lb.

 

My husband Sean and our youngest daughter, Danielle having a cuddle. Danielle is 12 years old here, and already she is taller than me, and as you can see, not far off being as tall as her dad.

I loved the photograph, but the background wasn`t very nice, so I took out the good bits, and removed the bad. That is the good thing about painting, you can even take photographs of different people, and paint them together.

I can`t even begin to tell you how many photo`s I`ve got where one of my daughters looks lovely, but another is pulling a silly face, or looking in the wrong direction.
I can take the best bits and marry them together to make a pleasing family portrait.............so if your family is just like mine, please consider commissioning a painting from me.

 

www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

 

I did do one other painting, but that ended up in the bin. I`d gone to my friend`s house for a painting day, and forgot to take my paints. How very clever of me.

I did have some watercolour pencils, so I used them, but even though I started off with a quite acurate drawing, I ended up with a horrendous mess, so I put it down to experience, and dumped it. Never mind, I learned quite alot from the experience. Mainly what not to do.

 

 

Expect some sunset type paintings next week. We went to Wigan to visit family, and all the way home I was clicking away with the camera at a lovely sunset as we were driving along the motorway. The pictures are quite blurred, because we were driving, but I can take the sunset and add it to something else to create a more pleasing scene..........so watch this space.

...... and don`t forget to pop over to www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

where you will find lots more of my paintings.

Working my way through series II

Lord Collingwood`s memorial. Tynemouth

Acrylics.

7x5" Mini canvas.

Series II

I`m loving working on these mini canvases, they work up so quickly, and it`s surprising just how much detail you can fit on such a small area.

 

I love working in Acrylics to do these at this size, but I still don`t like working big in acrylics...............yet!

To see the other paintings that I`ve done this week. go to

www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

 

 

Next article to be published

In the May edition of Leisure Painter Magazine.

If you have problems painting due to disabilities or dexterity problems, please have a look. It shows pictures of how I`ve adapted my equipment, so that I am still able to paint.

www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

I touched up a tiger

Caught in the tigers eye.

Oils

Canvas Board

26x18"

 

I finished this last week, but I wasn`t happy with a couple of areas, so I touched those areas up this week. ( What were you thinking)? lol.

 

I`m alot happier with this now.

 

 I collected the other tiger painting that I did, ( Stephie`s Tiger) from the framers this week....and I have to say I`m over the moon with the result. I don`t know whether I`ll be able to let these Tigers go.

I will take a photograph when it`s daylight to show you the results.

To see more of the work I`ve been doing this week pop over to www.sharondouglas.weebly.com and have a look at what`s on the easel.

 

Alnwick castle.

Alnwick castle

Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films

15x11"

Watercolour on arches rough paper140lb.

Painted by Sharon Douglas.

 

To see more paintings that I have done this week, go to www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

There you will find lots of my paintings. If you go to the page On The Easel This Week, you will find all the paintings that I have done in the previous week.

 

New Website Page

If you go to my website, and look on the page titled "On The Easel this week". You will see the paintings that I`ve been working on in the previous week.

I will aim to update it every Sunday, when possible.
www.sharondouglas.weebly.com

 

This will make it easier for you to keep up to date with my artworks, without having to trawl through the whole site looking for new work.

 

So please visit often.!!!

Quinacridone gold.

Enlightenment at Tynemouth Priory.

 

15x11"

 

Watercolours.

 

I`ve painted the outside view of Tynemouth Priory many times over, but never the inside, so when I was looking through my reference photo`s for something to paint I came across the reference that I used for this painting, and I couldn`t resist giving it a go.
I loved the way the sunlight was streaming through the stained glass windows. It was so bright that you could hardly see any colour in the windows at all.

 

Nightlights at North Shields Fish Quay.

Watercolours

15x11"

 

I started by laying on an underwash of quinacridone gold, so that it would give the end painting a lovely warm golden glow, and a feeling of unity.

 

 

With extra special thanks to Stephie Butler

.........for kindly giving me permission to use her photograph as the starting point for the Tiger that I painted in oils.........

 Stephie`s tiger.

26x18"

Oils.

When I saw the reference photograph, I loved it instantly. I was constantly thinking about how I would paint this.....even when I woke up in the mornings, I was thinking about this reference. Normally I prefer to use my own reference photographs, but this one well and trully grabbed me, so in the end I asked Stephie Butler for permission, and I was so pleased that she said yes.

Stephie is a fabulous artist herself, so I can`t thank her enough for letting me use it, as I`m sure she will probably do it herslf one day too.

 

Orange Squash.

16x20"

Watercolours

 

I`ve painted similar pictures to this in the past, but this one I decided to paint as though the items had ben "squashed" onto the paper, so that I could call it "Orange squash".

 

Coniston

10x8"

Watercolours.

At the end of art group, I had a little time left over, so I played around and came up with this. A place that holds a special place in my families heart. I place that we have been on many wonderful holidays and day trips.........roll on summer, so we can go there again.

 

Well, we are getting organised for Alnmouth, we have booked our hotel accomodation, and we have been working away building up some stock for our exhibition stand........I checked yesterday and was shocked to realise that it is only 18 weeks away, so I really must get lot`s of painting done......it`s a hard life, and I love being the one to do it!!!

 

 

I worked on through

..........and this is what I ended up with........

Alnmouth

16x20"

Acrylics on canvas board.

 

As I said last week, I don`t get on with acrylics. Although I`ve been practicing on 7x5" canvases and grew to like acrylics, I tried working bigger, and decided that I` not keen again.....lol.

I`ll keep practicing, .............and maybe one day...........you never know..........I might grow to love them.

This was a very, very quick and simple demonstration that I did for Preston Grange art group to show them how to paint glass. It`s in watercolours. Using just three colours in the glass and shadow/ reflection, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson. I added a touch of lemon yellow for the straw. It probably took about 5 minutes to demo, with a bit of time adding a few darks, and final details at the end.



Acrylic practise

Posts at St. Marys

7x5"

Acrylics

Tynemouth Priory Sunset

7x5"

Acrylics

Alnmouth

7x5"

Acrylics

Seaton Sluice Buttercups

7x5"

Acrylics

Across the sands to Blyth

7x5"

Acrylics

Newcastle bridges and the Baltic art gallery

7x5"

Acrylics

 

As you can see, I`ve been beavering away, painting lots of little canvases in acrylics. I don`t "get on" with acrylics, I would say that they are my least favorite medium. I don`t normally like painting with them, but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed painting theses small canvases. I painted 20 in total, all local scenes. I was actually liking painting in acrylics, and thought I`d conquered my fears, but I went to Jean`s house to paint last night, and feeling brave, I decided to paint a 16x 20" canvas..................which was a biggggggg mistake! I felt like I was back at square one. I intend to finish the big painting, in the hopes that it will all come together in the end. I`m at the ugly stage at the minute......fingers crossed I can paint my way past this stage.

The year has got off to a wonderful start

First of all Jean Coldwell and I have both been accepted to exhibit in the ALNMOUTH ARTS FESTIVAL, I can`t wait. I imagine it will be a hectic few days, but the experience will be worth it.
It`s an annual festival, where the whole village becomes an huge art gallery.
.............so we`ll be busy painting away over the next few months, so that we`ve got enough work to fill our stands.

Rainbow Glass.

15x11"

Arches rough

M.Grahams watercolours.

 

I painted this today, without the use of any masking fluid, just pure watercolour.

I enjoyed every minute of it, it`s been ages since I painted glass.