This week’s sketches and Clunes prep

A few sketches this week. A wonderful on location event to sketch at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library for Melbourne Rare Book Week. The inaugural Gary Morgan Oration by Andrew May on Mwelbourne Inc “Little laws and the shaping of a frontier town.”

some sketches from the week. Some quick sketches in ink only. Others are longer sketches with watercolour pencils.

Most of my spare time has been the final preparations for next Sat/Sun Clunes Book Town Festival. I have four very heavy suitcases full of my drawn-in books, book and library-themed greeting cards, signs etc.

This is a major event in my year.

Clunes Booktown Festival. outside of Melbourne. is a book lover’s paradise. For a whole weekend, the main street is taken over by second hand book seller stalls There is also. newly published authors, readings, panel discussions and entertainment.

If you are coming drop by and say hello to me. I am in the old Bluestone Building.

There won’t be a blog next week as I will be at Clunes.

Happy sketching everyone.

watermelon again

Yesterday I drew my watermelon, think it would be a great idea for a blog post. I wrote some notes on the pages, and then realised I had done this before, in 2023. I have reposted those step-by-step drawings.

The only difference is one change in colour. Yesterday I used Deep Red, previously it was Alizaron Crimson. This was not a specific decision. I just happened to have changed colours in my daily sketch kit. You can see the difference. It’s subtle, but there is one.

I also added Cream , as there was a yellowishness to some of the rind. The whole scan it a bit more yellow than the drawing. In the juicy part next to the rind is a light green, not yellow as seen here.

Step One

Waterbrush and the three watercolour pencil colours used . Alizaron Crimson, Pine Green and Grass Green

Draw the watermelon shape and outline directly with the watercolour pencil colour that is going to be used. The watermelon is red the skin is green.

Heavily and roughly add colour in the areas of of the watermelon that are darkest.

Step Three

Using the waterbrush, rest it in the coloured areas and pull the colour across the page. This adds a lighter colour to areas of the page.

Step Four

Wait to dry, then add more colour in some areas to give depth and texture, Dabbling the watercolour brush on areas of colour can give, texture, and remove any hard lines.
Add hard lines with a sharpened watercolour pencil along some of the skin and just some of the darkened areas of the watermelon.

Nature sketching class at RBGV

On Saturday I held a “Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencil” class at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Victoria. I had been invited by Friends of the Garden and held a class in February for Summer and this one was for their Autumn calendar.

We set the tables up in the courtyard next to Plant Cottage, where the Friends are based. After a light rain shower. the blue skies appeared and we were very fortunate to have two wonderful hours outside.

A lovely group of 12 attendees learnt about watercolour pencils, water brushes and sketchbooks before finding a place near the cottage to sketch. Some had not done any art since high school, there were a few botanical artists and one professional artist. Hopefully, they all took away something. For some people it is motivating and inspiration, for others it is techniques,

There is so much to sketch in the gardens and it is so relaxing to observe a piece of nature as you sketch it.

Below is a step-by-step process of using watercolour pencils to draw a red hot poker plant. Using the colours :

  • Light Chrome Yellow
  • Pale Geranium Lake
  • Grass Green
  • Chrome Green Oxide

The first is sketched quickly and quite heavily with watercolour pencils

The Second sketch is after I have added a little water to the pages, moving it slightly. You can see that the pigment becomes activated and you can move it around on the page.

The Third sketch is after I have waited for the page to dry and I have gone over the sketch with the colours. I add more detail with a sharpened pencil. I build up the density of the colour and add the impression of detail, with specific lines.

I probably could have done a fourth sketch to complete it, but I ran out of page and time.

This sketch shows how my sketches have the unfinished look. It is not a great scan. but you can see how some areas are finshed with water added and sme remain only in pasncil, and I have added the outlines of some cactus in the background,

I did another sketch just before class, experimenting with Pink Madder

The students did one 20-minute sketch before moving to another space and a different plan of scene and then one more move.

The Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne & I hope to run another session in Winter and Summer. And there goes the year!

I hope this inspires and motivates you. Let me know if you have any questions about watercolour pencils or how you use them.

food sketches and drawings

A day late posting due to numerous technical issues,

Food has been the theme of a few sketches and drawings this week.

I drew my groceries as they sat unpacked on the bench. A quick ink pen sketch (Lamy Safari Joy ink pen) and colour added

A few meals

and then some drawing in a book for Clunes Booktown Festival

and here are some I did earlier. These are all available for purchase on my Etsy website

On Mondays, for the next three weeks, I will be posting new books on Instagram

Chinese New Year

I was not able to make it to last weekend’s BIG Chinese New Year in Chinatown in Melbourne. Melbourne Urban Sketchers had a meetup there.

But I did get my own local CNY Lion Dance at East Melbourne Library.

I have sketched the Lion Dance a few times over the years and I know that it is busy, crazy, loud, and fun. The sketching is fast and furious, with the drums pounding to a fast beat.

This time I decided to arrive early and do some sketches in advance of the location and backgrounds. It did not quite work out as planned but I was able to create context.

I sketched the library doorway and the lanterns. It took a few attempts to get the scale right to show the lanterns and the full door.

When the Lions (there were three) arrived I sketched one before they entered the building,

I took some used firecracker paper home after the event, I also took a fortune cookie home but ate it before I could sketch it.

Inside the Library the lions moved all around the shelves, up the stairs. The little lion ( a little boy) interacted with smaller children, making their day.

I guessed the colour of the Lion Dancers and had my red, yellow, and black watercolour pencils out, sharpened, and ready.

In the time before the arrival of the Lion Dancers, the library was filled with the beautiful sounds of the Guzheng (Chinese Zither). I immediately sat down and started sketching her beautiful flowing gown. The Lion Dancer’s arrival was delayed, so Carissa kept playing.

2024 events



2024 is turning out to be a busy year,.with the calendar filling up already. 

Melbourne Athenaeum Library – Artist in Residence

 

I have been awarded an Artist in Residence at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library for 2024, An Artist in Residence can take on many forms. In this case, I am providing a drawing a month based on the library, its books, archived objects, and events in the library 2024. I have had a good exploration of the archives and taken many photos and an inspiration! I will post them on my Instagram and Facebook as soon as they are publically available.
I have been a member of the Melbourne Athenaeum Library since I moved to Melbourne in 2014..
It is one of the oldest Libraries in Melbourne and is a subscription Library. I love to borrow their books and attend their regular string quartet concerts. Read more about Melbourne Athenaeum Library here. 

Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria – classes

I have been teaching a few classes for the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne. This March will be my second class with them and it is part of their Autumn calendar. Anyone is welcome to book.here
 

Clunes Booktown Festival – stallholder



i am so excited to once again have a stall at Clunes Booktown Festival in March. This will be my third year. I am in my happy place of a whole town full of books for a weekend and I get to combine books and drawing. I draw in old books that are about to the discarded, drawing an object or scene that is described on a page. 
.“Running from dawn to dusk in the historic township of Clunes in Regional Victoria. A two day festival full of author and artist talks, workshops and live entertainment for the whole family.  Discover the outdoor book bazaar with over a hundred stall holders and immerse yourself in Clunes from cover to cover. It’s worth the visit.”
You can view and purchase them now on my ETSY online store. I will be adding to them all the time as I spend the next month creating more.

The Johnston Collection – class


The Johnston Collection is an exhibition house of exquisite British and European fine and decorative arts in a historic East Melbourne townhouse. They have guided tours, amazing lectures, and events. I have been invited to un some Watercolour Pencil sketching classes. I held one in January and there will be another in May,

This is a unique opportunity to learn to sketch ‘on location’ at The Johnston Collection. Become familiar with watercolour pencils and how to use them. Then test your new skills as you explore the ground floor rooms of The Johnston Collection’s exhibition house, Fairhall.  Have a look at their Special Events to book and see what else is on offer. Anyone can book for my event, you don’t have to be a Member.

Melbourne Rare Book Week – official sketcher

  Melbourne Rare Book Week is returning for its 10th Anniversary in July.. Once again I am honoured to be the official on-location sketcher documenting the free events.  They are in the planning stages at the moment. Keep checking their website for updates and a program release, 

Dromkeen – High Tea sketching class

The ever popular High tea sketching with Watercolour Pencils will return in the next few months at Dromkeen homestead, just outside of Melbourne. Keep a watch on the Dromkeen Facebook page for the announcement and booking details.

Greeting cards and drawn in books on my ETSY store

I have a range of greeting cards printed from my watercolour pencil drawings available for purchase on my ETSY website I. They feature feathers, nests, library shelves and ladders, books, and Christmas-themed cards. They are large-size cards and can also be framed individually or in themes.
It is going to be a fun and busy few months ahead.
I have a few other Projects in the planning as well.
Keep creative! and happy sketching.

Alissa

drawing Parsley

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to draw some parsley.

It fitted in very well with the Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencil class I held on Saturday with Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

We were based at Plant Craft Cottage (1850) which is the oldest building in a public space in Victoria. The heritage-listed building and two of the original rooms are used today to host craft workshops within the tranquil setting of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

We sat outside in the sunshine and after an introductory session the participants found a place in the shade and sketched. I gave them 15 minutes before moving to another part of the garden.

I mentioned to them the 126 Faber Castell Colours and the many options. There are 20 greens! My parsley project provided the opportunity to show these.

The FaberCastell watercolour pencils used were:

  • Leaf Green 112
  • Permanent Green 266
  • Chrome Oxide Green 278 – I have this in my daily sketch kit
  • Grass Green 166 – I have this in my daily sketch kit

Apologies for the sideways video. It took so long to get this far and I wanted to share this weekly blog, rather than spend another night or two trying to figure this out.

Happy sketching !

Sketching in The Johnston Collection

Today I had the pleasure of teaching a “Sketching with Watercolour Pencil” class at The Johnston Collection in Melbourne.

The Johnston Collection is a museum that re-interprets the Collection through a regular program of re-installation and interventions of the permanent collection by members of the artistic and creative community.  The current theme is ” A Home of One’s Own.”

“The museum has a superb collection of English Georgian, Regency, and Louis XV fine and decorative arts, and objet d’art which was a gift from William Robert Johnston (1911-1986) to the people of Victoria.  Johnston was a prominent Melbourne-born antique dealer, real estate investor and collector. The Collection is displayed in a constantly changing domestic setting, in his former residence, Fairhall, a historic East Melbourne townhouse”.

The museum also offers special exhibitions, study days, lectures and workshops throughout the year, sharing stories and inspiring communities.

This was a special event as you usually can book guided tours of this amazing collection, but you can’t stop and sketch along the way.

Today a small group arrived and were shown into the Kent Room, where after a cup of tea/coffee and biscuits, were given a short talk about the collection by Rebecca, one of the guides.

After introductions, I explained about watercolour pencils, the waterbrush (everyone loves these), and sketchbooks in their Sketchkit. After some experiments with the pencils on the page, we were guided into the Green Drawing Room. There were so many decorative objects for inspiration.

It was an opportunity to sit amongst this very visual collection and observe an object for 15 minutes while you drew it. How often do you spend 15 minutes observing one object? Rebecca was also able to tell us about the Rooms and objects in them.

Everyone quickly chose an object that attracted them and had 15 minutes to sketch. We then moved into the White and Blue Rooms and then the kitchen,

There are plans for another one or two of these in the future. They are open to Friends of The Johnston Collection and other members of the public. They also have a fascinating series of talks on art, fashion, design and history! There are so many that I would love to attend. See their website.

This event is supported by The Colin Holden Charitable Trust.

Sketching in Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

I am very excited to be invited by the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Friends group to lead two Nature Sketching sessions. The first one is Sat, 3 Feb 2024 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Book here

Below is the promotional material from the RBGV website.

If you have always wanted to sketch in nature, either to keep a nature journal or make sketches of trees and flowers you come across, join Alissa Duke in this inspirational class.  Learn to use watercolour pencils to record your experience as we sketch in the Gardens. Pick up some sketching tips and techniques along the way.A sketch kit with all you need can be purchased separately and added to your order when you book.

On Saturday I spent a few hours in the Gardens, sketching to get familiar with the area and sketch a few pages of what I found on the day. I did not realise how big the gardens are! Melbourne Gardens extends over 38 hectares and houses a collection of more than 8,500 species of plants from around the world. I wandered around one small area, exploring paths.

I had my watercolour pencils, Moleskine 13cm x 19cm watercolour sketchbook and waterbrush, There was so much to sketch, I chose objects that I was attracted to, Each person will choose a different object to sketch and will sketch it differently. There is no right or wrong.

This class is all about observation and quick sketching. When you sit and sketch, you stop and see more. I usually give students 15 -20 minutes to sketch an object or scene. This is a good amount of time as it stops you from overthinking,

Many of the plants in the Gardens have their plant names attached to them Just not the ones I chose to sketch!

There will be another class in their Autumn Calendar, Le them know if you are interested in more.

Happy sketching !