Exciting Announcement !

Today I took a trip to my framers to collect some paintings. My portrait of daughter number 2 is now all ready to hang in the lounge. It looks a little lonely in the alcove but I hope it will be joined by another couple of portraits fairly soon.

The originals were given as Christmas gifts and I miss them, so prints will have to do. I hope to fill this alcove with a selection of portraits over the year. They do look great hung in a group.

Plus...........while we are on the subject of portraits, here's some exciting news for you all. Valerie Stewart and I have just finalised the dates of her next UK Portrait Seminar. We'll be enjoying her company in May 2012 for another 4 days of Portrait Painting in oils. You can find details of the event HERE.

Not all of the T's have been crossed just yet but I will update the page (and Sue's News) with more details as and when they come through.

But, for now, you have the dates AND plenty of notice.

Excited ?? I am :)

If you would like to spend a few minutes enjoying some brilliant portraits you can CLICK HERE to be taken direct to Valerie's website.

Day 3 and we're painting with friends

Day 3 of our portraiture lessons was so fulfilling to each and every student. These faces are coming alive before our eyes as some finer details are being added. It's been an amazing process. From the end of day one all the paintings looked finished - in a sepia/monochromatic way. From the end of day 2, once the basic skin tones and the eyes were completed - again we seemed to have finished paintings. Today we have been 'pushing and pulling'. That's Valerie's way of describing the enhancement of highlights and shadows. Eyelashes are going in, freckles are being added, the second stage to the background areas are being adjusted, stripes to shirts (well done Marion). All beautiful - really beautiful. If I had a pound (that's a quid to you, Valerie) every time I heard the words 'she's amazing', I'd be taking a sackfull to the bank. It's been an absolute privilege watching this very talented lady at work with her endless supply of positive energy. Many of us have learned plenty already from Valerie's DVD's but we have learned volumes from the extensive visual and verbal demos that are continually being illustrated throughout the last 3 days. With one more day to go we prepare once again to paint with our new friends. For more class photos CLICK HERE.

Day 1 of the Portrait Classes

During the first part of Valerie's demo I went for my camera to get a group shot of the class and Valerie in action. Flat battery. Darn it. Once re-charged I will be able to get some snaps of everyone's portraits at the end of stage one first thing in the morning. We have the most amazing selection of portraits going on and they are all absolutely brilliant (and it's only stage 1). We're enjoying the process and we're enjoying everyone's progress. The class is such fun, very light hearted and the whole group have become mates. For now I'm going to have to leave you, very reluctantly, with one of mine. Believe me, I would much rather show you some of the student's work that's been going on today. Never mind, tomorrow I can share more. Do you know, I don't think there is a single student who has not left the classroom buzzin' today. All I can say is, Mrs Valerie Stewart is one of the most awesome instructors I think I have ever met. What she can do with just a couple of strokes of a brush has to be seen to be believed - AND, she's very good at multi-tasking.

Learn to paint Portraits in Oils - With Valerie Stewart

Last week I received some very exciting news from the States. Our guest Portrait tutor, Valerie Stewart, has booked her flights. Valerie will be accompanied by her husband and they'll be enjoying a break in Europe. This now means the Apollo Studio will be available - so if there are any students who have not yet booked accommodation who would like to stay here, it's available for the duration of the Portrait Seminar. I still have availability on this class - it's not too late to book a seat for Valerie's first time teaching in England. Over the 4 days you will paint 2 portraits of your choice. All details can be found HERE

Learn to paint Portraits in Oils - With Valerie Stewart

I've just uploaded a larger version of my recent Jimmy Carr portrait to my gallery page - which can be seen HERE. I emailed the finished piece to Portrait expert Valerie Stewart, along with the photo I was working from.

I'm thrilled to have received this message back: I am VERY IMPRESSED with your painting. I'm going to look it over with a magnifying glass and see if I find anything but at first glance I see no problems!!!

After close scrutiny, Valerie writes: I honestly don't see anything .... (sorry) :) It is VERY GOOD. Maybe a small shadow on the top of his fingernail???? Maybe a pinch of pink in the lips??? I LOVE it. YOU'RE AWESOME!!!!

So, that's pretty much made my day :)

If you'd like to come along to Valerie's 4 day Portrait workshop here in June, (full details can be found HERE) do drop me a line or give me a call to register your interest. For those of you who haven't yet sent your deposits, please be aware time is getting on if you want to be 100% certain of your booking. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy one of Valerie's more recent celebrity portraits.

Even more portrait painting - and lovin' it

Firstly, a very happy Valentine's Day to all you romantics out there. I hope you are getting suitably spoiled with flowers and chocolates. My Valentine's treat was a Peter Gabriel concert on DVD. I have the gig on video - but haven't had a video player in the house for ages now. We enjoyed watching the show last night (with chocolate) and I'm very much looking forward to seeing him in the flesh next month. As long as he plays 'In Your Eyes' and 'Biko' I'll be a happy bunny. Alan and Tris have been busy in the garden, with Tris cutting my trees back to a more manageable height and Alan burning the cuttings and other garden rubbish. I've been working some more on our comedian friend in the warm. It's getting pretty near completion now with just a few tickles here and there. Finally, his teeth and tongue are in.

More portrait painting

We've suffered 3 days of snow and ice but this morning the last traces of it have gone. It's been very hairy walking across my patio to the studio and storage areas at times. But, if nothing else, I've been enjoying picking away at my portrait project in the warm whenever I can. I've been getting a lot of feedback on the work as Alan, both daughters and their boyfriends' have seen this take shape from blank canvas stage. I've had Valerie Stewart to keep me company as I paint, to remind me of a few things. But.......I do find I'm watching less and less of her DVD now. I hope that means I've followed it enough to just get on with it. Later today I will be working the mouth, tongue and teeth area and I will have to pull out Valerie's DVD that specifically covers that area. If you'd like to paint along with a virtual Valerie, you'll find her DVD's HERE, starting at just £16 delivered to your door. She shows how to mix the various paint colours and how to create portraits using just 5 brushes. These products can be found HERE, starting at just £17.50 for a complete brush set. And of course, if you'd like to paint along with Valerie in person, she'll be teaching a seminar in Capel St Mary in June. Details of the workshops can be found HERE

Portrait Painting

I'm pleased I don't have to drive down the narrow lanes of Ufford tonight - if they've had the same weather as Capel they'd be pretty much snowbound. We've had an absolute blizzard here today with 2 inches covering my patio in under an hour. At times it was coming down so thick you could barely see out the window. With weather like this it's ideal to set up in the cosy warm and get painting. My recent portrait project was next on the list and late this afternoon I decided to get cracking on some more details. There's still loads to do but the 3 base skin tone colours are in and I've started to work on some detailed areas. The eyes are in and I feel it makes the painting start to come to life.

Work in Progress

Here's an update of my portrait. I spent a little more time adding the skin tone, a few highlights and some shadow colour. I'm eager to get those eyes detailed. The solid dark irises make the painting look a little harsh at the moment.

Another portrait project

It's been lovely, to get back into a bit of portraiture again and I'm glad I thought ahead and prepped a canvas in advance. Yesterday afternoon I worked on a close up shot, a little frustrating at first but I soon got in the swing of it. Considering this underpainting stage is made using just one colour, I managed to cover my whole palette with varying tones. This first stage was made using just 3 brushes and of course, I had the lovely Valerie Stewart right beside me. Well..........on screen anyway. I used Valerie's Demo DVD to guide the order of things and to remind me of the different strokes used. One thing that amazes me, Valerie is painting a classic portrait of a girl in her DVD tuition, yet from her tuition we are able to adapt the technique to any subject we choose. You'll be forgiven if you do not recognise the subject at this stage......but if you nail it straight away I know I'm onto a winner. There are still some slots left on the Valerie Stewart 4 day Portrait Seminar in June if anyone is interested in learning this technique with the lady herself....... details can be found HERE.

Pop Art Classes coming soon

As promised, I've added a few more classes to the Class Timetable page (CLICK HERE). As the groups will be smaller, I'll be able to manage to hold a Pop Art Portrait Class. These have really been popular and students have been painting both celebrities and family members alike. The choice of painting subject is entirely up to you. The feedback from students on their portraits has been incredible and I know many of my students are keeping busy making commissions for family and friends. It's addictive and because it's done in acylics it drys quickly - plus, when you paint for yourself at home, you can choose to either set aside a day to complete one or spend just 15 minutes a day working on your pop art until it's finished. Either way, it's a very rewarding painting project to do and you'll never be lost for gift ideas once you know how to do this properly. I'll leave you with this snap of one of my students having fun with their Pop Art Portrait - LOL

Valerie Stewart Seminar in the UK

We've some Valerie Stewart news........ Today I collected the Valerie Stewart portrait paints and brush sets. You'll now find them available on my supplies page and they are ready for immediate despatch from the UK with no additional taxes or duty to pay. I can highly recommend the brushes, I have both sets in my own private brush collection and both types are great work-horses. On another matter, we've had to change the dates of the Valerie Stewart 2010 UK seminar. Valerie was originally scheduled to come here at the end of April, beginning of May. She very recently had some exciting news, delivered in quite an unusual way. Valerie's daughter sent her a photo of little Haydn, her grand-daughter. Nothing unusual about that, except Haydn was wearing a t-shirt which said 'Big Sister......' on the front. It was the back view of the t-shirt that caused uproar as it said '...........coming May 2010' Fortunately Valerie and I have managed to reschedule the classes and they will be going ahead in June 2010 instead. Everyone who has paid their deposits have been contacted already on this matter and full refunds will be given to anyone who cannot make the new dates. The new dates are 3rd June to 6th June 2010 inclusive. If you're interested in learning to oil paint portraits with Valerie, do have a look at the details HERE

FREE DVD OFFER !!!!

Just to get the month started and to whet your appetite, why not take advantage of the FREE DVD OFFER? Details can be found HERE. Thanks to Valerie Stewart and our 5am virtual chat whilst both of us were in our pyjamas! Simply place your order and you pay only shipping and handling. GET YOURS TODAY!!!

More Valerie Stewart tuitional DVD's now available direct from the UK

A greater selection of DVD's has been added to the website. You can now purchase all of the Valerie Stewart Pet Portrait DVD's direct from the UK with immediate availability. You can choose your own packages as these exciting and comprehensive pet portraits are available as a 10 DVD starter set OR they can be purchased individually. There are a total of 15 DVDs to choose from. The 10 DVD set alone covers 12 different portraits. You can find the shopping baskets, more information and the relevant images HERE

Portrait Painting - with Valerie Stewart

Well, it's a long time to wait between now and next May for Valerie Stewart's portrait workshops..........so, with some time on my hands today I decided to have a little go, following her DVD instruction. Firstly, I selected a couple of photos - a celebrity and a family member. Next I prepped 2 canvas, mixing the base colour and giving a good coat on both canvas. As I settled at the table with my brushes, medium, palette, base colour, easel and kitchen towel, I was ready for stage one. I guess, the thing with portraits is........they are supposed to look like someone specific. With landscapes, we can be a lot more forgiving and add extra bushes, trees, fences - anything really..... The first few strokes were applied, following Valerie's guidance. I was a bit wary about making a mistake as I haven't ever made a detailed 'person' portrait in oils before. I'm happy to work with graphite and build up the shading, knowing an eraser will always take out bits I'm not happy with. Not quite sure how that will work with oils though. So, I'm almost at the end of stage one on the celebrity portrait and taking a break before switching to smaller brushes. All that you see so far has been created with a 1 inch brush. If you can guess who it is from this very basic layer, considering there's no eyes yet, I'd be really suprised.

Valerie Stewart Portrait Seminar

The final details of the Valerie Stewart Portrait Workshop have been organised. There's been much interest in Valerie's unique 4 day seminar, due to take place here in the UK next Spring. The details and timetable will show you exactly what's involved. You can see what is and what isn't included in the classes. A friend of mine, Kim, kindly took some photos during a recent seminar she took with Valerie in March 2009. You'll be able to see a portrait Kim made of her daughter and a double portrait of her son and grandson too. You'll also see Valerie working with a student on another double portrait. The places are limited. I'm really looking forward to this workshop and I'll be taking part along with you all. Now.......I need to select who I'm going to paint. Is it going to be a couple of members from Pink Floyd - or will it be some people a little closer to home. Decisions, decision. Still, I have ample time to decide and I'm sure my mind will change several times. Meanwhile, I'd really like to leave you with this portrait made by Valerie. I think you'll agree she's done the most fantastic job in catching Bob Ross is this friendly pose.

Valerie Stewart Workshop in the UK - May 2010

The Valerie Stewart demo DVD at just £16 (including p&p) is proving to be a very popular item and a great introduction into oil painting portraits. Valerie and I are currently discussing a portrait workshop here in the UK - a first for both of us. We had hoped to organise a seminar for this year, but alas, our schedules are just too busy to slot this in with ample time for promotion and proper organisation. So, dates have been confirmed for 2010. The 4 day seminar will take place on 30th April, 1st, 2nd and 3rd May. We will complete 2 oil painting portraits of your choice. Further details will be released as soon as they are available and long distance students will have more than enough time to organise accommodation and travel/flights. This opportunity to paint along with Valerie will be extremely exciting and places will be limited to just 26 students. The workshops will take place in Capel St Mary and students will need to commit to the full 4 days. I'm thrilled this extremely popular and talented instructor is willing to teach here in the UK - this will be one memorable class, guaranteed.

Learn to paint Portraits in Oils - Step by Step

AyoubArt is proud to become a distributor for Valerie Stewart Studios. Both Valerie's 'Portrait Painting Technique DVD' and 6 DVD Portrait series are now available to buy direct from the UK. I've just added a new DVD to the Valerie Stewart collection: The one hour demo DVD, 'Painting The Face' (Revised Second Edition) is designed to teach you how the Valerie Stewart Portrait Painting Technique works. It will take you through each step of painting a portrait, from beginning to end. You will learn everything - from one colour under painting to the final touches necessary to paint a quality portrait. For your viewing convenience, you may skip this DVD to various sections of information. There are 8 chapters: 1) Colour mixing 2) One colour underpainting 3) Colour application 4) Painting the lips 5) Painting eyes 6) Painting Hair 7) Clothing. At just £16, which includes postage and packing to any European address - I have immediate availability on this item. The shopping cart can be found HERE - or, if you prefer, payment can be made by cheque - payable to Sue Warne and sent to Apollo House, 10 Windmill Hill, Capel St Mary, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 2JF.

Smokey

Some exciting new tuitional DVD's have just been released in the UK. Portrait Artist Valerie Stewart, from the USA, had recorded several pet portrait projects. A 10 disc DVD set is available which gives you 4 DVD's on preparing your canvas, under painting your project, expanding your portrait and finishing touches. A further 6 painting projects are included with step by step guides showing you a variety of cats, dogs and a pony. They are on promotional offer for just £67.50 including postage and packing HERE: http://www.ayoubart.co.uk/121.html On May 10th the offer ends and the price will go up to £83. Alternatively you can purchase single DVD projects at just £13.50.

One of the DVD projects is a lovely cat 'Smokey'. The composition is an extreme close up, which really appeals to me. I have a kitten very similar to the one in the project and thought I'd give it a go. Above you can see step 1, step 2 and my finished result. As it's painted in 3 stages it is an ideal project to do if you only have an hour or so to paint.