I'm your man?

Yet April ends with the basics of another portrait completed. I wanted to get this prep work done so it can dry in time for the weekend. I can work on this at any quiet times I might get during my demonstration day at Stowupland Village Hall. With my car all loaded and ready for an early morning start I hope someone wakes me up before I go-go. I can remember seeing this chap live on stage at Wembley Stadium several years ago with both my daughters in tow. The day's events featured a wide range of superstars from Eurythmics, Bowie, Stereophonics, Robbie Williams to mention just a few. There was someone there for each of us. This chap appeared about three quarters of the way through the chairty concert and his entrance on stage was one of the best I've seen. As he spun round to face the audience, sat in a huge red leather and chrome chair in centre stage his black hair, white, white teeth and gradient sunglasses were sheer class. If you're a fan, I'll leave you with one of my favourite tracks (and a rather clever video) HERE

Done......

This recent portrait commission has been getting some lovely comments from visitors to the house and from viewers on Facebook. I've had the thumbs up from my customer and it will be winging it's way to it's new home next week. I'm already wondering who to do next, shall I go for someone popular? someone I particularly like? family member? I dunno just yet. I've emailed the finished piece to my virtual portrait tutor, Valerie Stewart. Her comments were 'AWESOME - CONGRATS'. Her style of portraiture is really incredible and I've enjoyed painting along with her in a virtual fashion by following her DVD's. You will find all the info you need on her basic portrait demo DVD at just £16 delivered to your door (CLICK HERE for details) For a wider range of tuition, her 6 DVD set is available at just £145. This covers all skin types, all ages, a wide range of features and lots lots more. Alternatively - you can paint along with the master herself when she flys to the UK for a 4 day portrait seminar. If you'd like to see my finished portrait just CLICK HERE This painting is only my 7th ever oil portrait project and it's my 2nd commission. I had no need to refer to the DVD's for this painting - Valerie's style is easy to follow and very, very easy to remember too. I am using her portrait brushes - (you only need 5) - and her portrait paints all of which are available direct from the UK.

So good - we just have to do it again

Just incase anyone else would like to have a go at the 'Venetia' painting of Venice - I've added another couple of dates on the Class Timetable. Both dates fall on a Saturday and the cost of each lesson is just £35. If you prefer to chose your own 2 dates, you can opt to paint this as a private lesson - in which case, the cost will be £45 for each lesson. This can easily be painted over 2 consecutive days, there's no need to wait a week to complete stage 2. It just so happens my student earlier this week has a daughter living in Venice, whom she visits quite regularly. She fully intends to return to paint this scene sometime soon. She was telling me about how lovely Venice is and I really am longing for a trip there - maybe a Spring mini break. So while the website has been updating, I've been having a little look to see what's on offer. I'd love to make it over there sometime this year.

2 day workshop

Today saw the first stage of 'Venetia' completed. It's the first time I've taught a single painting subject over 2 seperate classes. There's just too much of 'Venetia' to be done in a single session. Instead of a normal 5 hour class, this is broken down to 2 x 3 hour classes. That way, energy levels stay high. We've re-scheduled the second date for 22nd January by mutual agreement. As this class finished earlier than normal I was able to take advantage of the set up and get to work on a new portrait. I'd already prepped the canvas the previous night, so it was ready for the first shading stage. It's nice to work on a portrait from scratch again.......

Ice Sculpture???

Artistic expression seems to be running in the family today. I've got a lovely ice sculpture of 'Jezza' in my back garden. Jezza was the name of my daughter's marine crab, named after Jeremy Beadle. (You had to see the size of his pincers for this to make sense!). Her and her boyfriend, Tristan, have spent some time in the garden, wrapped up in many layers, building this unique little snow creature. He's about 6 foot wide. Bless.

DVD Number 2 - Bamburgh Castle

I'm pleased to have been in some of your Christmas stockings this year. The Bamburgh Castle DVD, despite being a very British landmark, has proven to be as popular overseas as it is here in the UK. I haven't received any photos of finished paintings just yet, but I'm sure they will start to filter through quite soon. One customer, Irene, writes: I have just sat and watched the dvd and found it excellent, you explain everything in a way that is easy to grasp and found all your tips and method of working very informative.I have learnt loads in the 100 min. it took to view the dvd.
I am new to oil painting and have just started using water mixable oils and I am sure I will be able to follow your instructions using this other type of oils........ If you'd like to add Bamburgh Castle to your tuitional DVD collection you can find the shopping basket for it here. At just £11.75 delivered to your door you can paint this in your own time in the comfort of your own home.

Not like yours.......

'Oh Bu**er! My tree is wrong, it's got a bend in it. My hand shook, I've ruined it! What to do? It's not like yours..........' That's the comments from Cynthia, a recent private student. My tree was pole straight, hers had a nifty little kink to it and I actually much preferred hers to mine. See what you think?

A popular subject

Bamburgh Castle really has been a popular little painting these last 3 months. It's the most demanded 'private' painting subject too. My equipment has been set up for 4 consecutive private lessons - all of them are for Bamburgh Castle. I'm really getting quite a collection of these paintings, creating a new one each time I teach it. I'll have to put them on sale I think. I was delighted to hear that one of my students recently entered her version of Bamburgh Castle in a competition. She came 3rd in the contest with a professional artist taking both 1st and 2nd place. She's thrilled to bits with the result and I am very proud of her. Well done to Maxine, here's her painting.

Same composition, different method

Sometimes in a class, depending on the type of painting we are doing, I can offer students a variety of colour schemes. Unfortunately, this is not one of those times. I just thought I'd show you 'Serengeti Solitude'. I'm sure you're thinking it's exactly the same as the painting below, only a different colour and a different sized canvas. In part you'd be correct in your assumption, but the two paintings are made in entirely different ways. Which one do you prefer? I think my preference would be the blue.... Aren't those acacia trees just something? They remind me of the Cedar, the emblem on the Lebanese National Flag.

One for the kids (and the grown ups) this summer holiday

Swimming Free - that lovely whale scene which was designed by Jack Kolber, a fellow ACI in the States, is a painting that is absolutely ideal for children. Its always nice to have children along in a class and us adults learn a lot from their sheer bravado. I think it's time to make this a painting subject for the school summer holidays so any children who are budding artists can come along. For those of you with children, it's the ideal painting subject for mum/dad and son/daughter to paint along together (plus you'll receive a £5 discount each on your class fee too.) I'll be having 2 'Swimming Free' workshops in August. One in Capel (in Suffolk near Ipswich) at a weekend and another one in East Bergholt (in Essex near Colchester) on a week day. This link will take you to the CLASS TIMETABLE so you can check on the dates and other painting subjects currently available. If you're interested in these classes, just give me a call on 01473 311938 or drop me a line on info@ayoubart.co.uk to book your seat. Everything is supplied for you - all you need to do is turn up with a smile and a desire to learn something new.

All stocked up.......

I've just updated some of my online shopping baskets. I had a few brushes that were temporarily out of stock but am pleased to say we're firing on all cylinders again. The soft floral brushes, in particular, are hugely popular tools at such an affordable price, enabling students to buy in 2's or 3's. I'm pleased to say the grey graphite paper, (which I'm lead to believe just can't be found in art stores at the moment), is back in stock also at just £2.25 a sheet (includes delivery). We've stocked up on the wipe out tools, which are being used more and more for putting in signatures with precision and also for scratching in delicate little details to the foliage areas. And of course, there's the infamous 'Grandma's Spot Remover', a brilliant little bottle of heaven-knows-what that's guaranteed to remove all manner of stains from your clothes - so if you have some oil paint spots on your favourite pair of jeans - this little beauty at just £5.50 will rescue them for you.

The Yin and The Yan

My weekend students had the will-power to paint facing each other and resisting the temptation to peek at each other's work. As I was trotting from one to the other I could see the 2 very different versions of 'Fat Old Sun'. I guess you could describe them as the Yin and the Yan as they were completely opposite. Sam's version was powerful and strong in colour. Stacey's version was gentle and softly blended, a very pastel version indeed. It just goes to show, you can have the same brushes, the same paints and be shown the same technique, but your personality and mood will expose itself in your painting style

Temptation

I chose to lay in this morning and didn't manage to get my walk in before today's workshop, nor did I have time to do it before it got dark after the class. So, out of interest, I decided to wear my pedometer for today's class. As we stopped for lunch I took a raeding and was amazed to see my steps converted to 1.4 miles! At the end of the class I had notched up another 1.4 miles. Considering I didn't leave the house, that's quite a lot of mileage. But, I may well have undone any good. Sally & Josie always bring goodies with them and today was no exception. They broke the seal on a rather sumptious box of Thornton's chocolates which I managed to resist all day long. But.......they left some remaining chocolates behind and the temptation was too much. Coffee, my favourite flavour, sat there staring at me so I popped it in my mouth without a second thought. Naughty - but nice.

At the end of today's private class, I used the left over paint to make this little abstract. It's actually a brilliant way to unwind after a class and it's nice to make something from paint that would have ended up in the bin. I'm calling this one Espresso........