I held a Travel Sketching with Watercolour pencils class on Saturday with two lovely people, Tanya and Darren. I can have up to eight people, but the smaller numbers meant they had a very customised class and I could spend lots of time chatting to the,
A bonus was blue skies in our chilly Autumn weather, which meant we could take a walk out of the Library to sketch on location on the streets of East Melbourne.
As it was a Travel Sketching class I talked about my approach to travel sketching. I start early, when I am doing my research. In the past I have sketched my electricity convertors, phones. luggage. I have sketched money. I still take money , but not as much as it is on a card or the phone.
Canon Inc
I mentioned to them that on my last six week holiday in 2024 I filled four sketchbooks. It suddenly struck me that it is only three months til I leave to go to England for four weeks. All of the main flights and accommodation are booked, but I will have to put aside four sketchbooks. I will start with a map and any purchases I make. I also must start sketching in preparation.
I did not get the opportunity to post to my Blog last week. I had great intentions, but ran out of time.That means that that this week I am posting a lot of sketches on location.
The first was at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library at one of their wonderful Friday night events. I always attend theitr string quartets and in this case the fantastic Ultrafox – French Gypsy Jazz , inspired by Django Reihnhart – you would know the tunes.
I took photos of my page as I sketched, standing in the shelves with my wine and cheese. The concerts go for one hour, just perfect for a sketch and total relaxation.
And then in the last 5 minites I did a very loose sketch , so full of energy!
The next week I went to Royal Exhibition Building for a session titles “Drawng Under the Dome” , organised my Melbourne. A group of about 100? sketched in the vast empty space of this grand historical building. Usually it is only open when there is an event on such as Finders Keepers or Big Design Markets, so to have the whole ground floor to ourselves was a treat. We also had excellent guidance guidance from Artist Richard Payne. He explained the concept of urban sketching, perspective and vanishing points, We were also informed about the history of the building and all its uses. I think it is good to know about the context of what I am sketching,
We then had a warmup two minutes and then turned around and two minutes in the other direction and then we were let loose !!
i sketched the sketchers while we were listening tot he introduction.
All of the above were in my usual 13cm x 19cm watercolour pencil sketchbook.
I then used the A3 paper provided. A bit outside my comfort zone!
The rest of the week was normal. Sketching on the chilly commute home in the evening.
and having a coffee
I have two more Travel Sketching with Watercolour Pencil classes in East Melbourne coming up on 28 May and 20 June. Book HERE. I probably won’t have these classes again until the end of the year. HOwever, I do have other classes through other organisations. See My classes tab on my blog.
A sketch a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more. If you follow me on Instagram alissaduke1 or Facebook Alissa Duke Art, you will have seen these sketches this week..
There are others that are not on social media, and so these will be new. It is interesting to see a week’s sketches next to each other. It is different again to see them in my sketchbook, as you turn the page and a narrative unfolds.
I have used a number of different styles and themes. Yesterday I went back and added the name of the day to the page, bringing them together with some consistency.
I will try and add some notes above each.
Thirty minutes in the park on a lovely Autumn day. Watercolour pencil.
a very quick sketch. I quickly grabbed my Light Purple Pink and Paynes Grey & Cold Grey V grey pencils. I sketched the shape quickly, as they kept moving. I then added heavy colour and then finally more pink to the one bird. I added water from the waterbrush, with a final few marks of pink.
A one hour zoom to listen to Jackie Morris and Delphina at Seven Fables bookshop. (at 5am) The Book of Birds : A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert Macfarlane Jackie Morris. I did not start sketching until the end.
Here is a description from the publisher: The Book of Birds is a compendium of forty-nine bird species, all of which are presently declining or endangered in Britain. With lyrical precision and playfulness, Robert Macfarlane evokes each bird’s habits and habitats –– their patterns of flight and of song, how they hunt and gather, how they nest and raise their young, the stories and myths which attend them, the threats which shadow them, and how their wild lives intersect with our own. And on every page we encounter Jackie Morris’s exhilarating artwork, painted in watercolour and gold and animated by an extraordinary attention to detail and sense of life.
Quick sketch. I started with the main figure and then added others as they came and went. As the main person stayed, I added colour and heavier lines. When I got home, I added water to the page and after it dried, added more of the same colour on top. My final lines were the hair.
Fifteen minutes in a waiting room at a doctors check up (all is ok). I know I had time between tests, sitting in a little cubicle, with old magazines to read, so I sketched.
Traditional Friday night bubbles.
Saturday lunch
More Saturday sketches. In the morning, I started a sketch before my Travel Sketching with Watercolour Pencil class. I then stopped when the class arrived. The blue was a test swatch on the page as we tested the colours.
The pen sketch was at the end of day, waiting for the tram. People came and went.
You can see how a story builds up as each page is added. I have one more page inthe sketchbook before I start Sketchbook 143 since 2008. They are Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook 13cm x 19 cm.
Happy sketching everyone. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you to AAADA Melbourne Antiques Fair for inviting me to present a talk on Saturday You Can’t Draw in Books, where I talked about why and how I draw in old books that are about to be discarded. Thanks also to the curious and interested who attended, asked questions and the lovely conversations afterwards.
At the Fair you can step into the world of decorative arts and design at Malvern Town Hall. Discover pieces for purchase, enjoy talks, guided tours, talks and expert appraisals.
Here are some introductory sentences from my 45 minute talk.
You may wonder why I am here and how I fit in. In this technical world, fast paced world, books are physical objects that you can pick up and hold touch and turn in your hands, like the antiques and art s in this hall. They can also have a collectable aesthesic value. Some have a story to tell as well as telling a story – they have a history and a narrative and some of these are unique and different. I am adding to that story. The first part of the talk is about my decision to draw in books and then I will talk about the actual process of drawing in the book.
I was also thrilled to see the first promotional material for the Melbourne Rare Book Fair in July – flyers on the tables – some of my colour sketches from last year’s Fair!
Life is busy and full in a very good way – Travel Sketching classes next Saturday if you are in Melbourne and curious.
My past few days were a wonderful days with lots of sketching and sketching based activities.
I had a few days of sketching in preparation for a Nature Sketching class on the weekend. A work colleague gave me a bunch of herbs from her garden.
My weekend started with a Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencils class at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. I teach a class each season. Spring is in the planning.
I then caught a taxi to the Prahan Mechanics Institute. I was going to the Biannual booksale and market day. I bought 17 books, 5 quinces, a pumpkin, 2 relishes and two cooking salt blends. Here are some of my purchases.
I really visited to see some of my sketches that had been printed as large decals in the stairway. Absolutely overwhelmed to see my sketches in real life in a full length mural at Prahran Mechanics’ Institute Victorian History library. I had seen them on a Reel by PMI, but it was surreal to see them as a permanent walk feature. I knew what they were planning, but did not realise what it would look like. AND the staff and library community love it !
These were from some of the sketches I did for them in 2023 at the Family History Showcase, an annual one day event featuring local history societies.
On Sunday, I did a few quick sketches on location at the Melbourne Regency Picnic, held at the historic Rippon Lea homestead. In hindsight, I would have sketched in pen and added watercolour pencil to highlight some areas.
yes, I was in costume and yes it was fantastic. Another surreal experience
Each year, I sketch my Easter hot cross buns with watercolour pencils. It is a tradition. I also have a very soft jellybelly rabbit and he sometimes gets sketched.
Last year they both got sketched and I also filmed my hot cross bun sketch, so I will include it here for anyone who would like to try it.
Ivory
Warm Grey II
Burnt Ochre
Paynes grey
Dark Sepia
Black (coloured pencil) – I use for the lines where I dont want the pigment to dissolve or blend. This is the only non watercolour (in coloured pencil) pencil that I have in my sketchkit.
I was a bit ambitious to sketch this real birds next ( I have a collection of about 20) and paper eggs that I purchased from Two in a Teacup in Tasmania
I also bought myself some lovely flowers. They are so detailed, so I did not even try to capture that
This weekend’s blog post is an example of the sort of things that can be sketched quickly with watercolour pencil. Each sketch took approximately 15 -20 minutes.(I didn’t time them).
They are everyday objects that were sitting out on the bench. I had just been shopping and chose a few items of different colours and sizes. You don’t need to recognise specifically what they are, and probably won’t unless they have a brand on them, or they are a giant slice of watermelon.
This quick sketch is just an impression of the moment, not a still life. I could have spent longer on it, but made a decision to stop.
You can see what happens when water is added to the watercolour pencil that I drew on the page. You can see the difference. Knowing this, you can decide where to add water on the page. It can really make an area of the page ‘pop’.
I then did a second sketch of the sardine tin that is on the bottom right of the page. It can barely be recognised in the first sketch (above). I have shown the colours used.
Then a third page sketch of some of the sardines that were in the tin.
Ideas from today:
Anything is sketchable !
You can make choices along the way of what to sketch, and what to focus on.
Is is a busy time in the lead up tp Clunes Booktown Festival in less than two weeks. I have over 80 ‘drawn in’ books for my stall. This weekend I finished drawing in the last books and started the next steps of organising for the stall. This inclused, creating spreadsheets, making, signs, getting out the four siotcases, and all of the boook themes greeting cards that will also be abailable for purchas.
This week I have a short video for you.
Sketching a passionfruit with watercolour pencils. I meant to sketch it last weekend, so now they are a bit sad looking. I ate them as soon as I did the sketch. They were from our local community garden out the back of the Library.
I then added the watercolour pencil colours for you. They are:
Black
Dark Naples Ochre (not in my everyday kit, but it was out on the table)
Light Cadmium Yellow
Magenta
Blue Violet
Chrome Oxide Green
Grass Green
I used small and medium paintbrushes, instead of the waterbrush that I use out and about.
I wiped the brush on a papertowels in between colours.
Any questions? Just ask !
Happy sketching.
I have new Travel Sketching with Watercolour Pencil dates available for books, ,as well as other classes. See them all on my website,
On Saturday, I held a Travel Sketching with Watercolour Pencil class in a room in my local Library. I have been fortunate to have some travel sketchbooks on display in the Library and met a few locals who attended the class.
We had blue skies and sunshine and went outside in the heat for our short walk to do some outside, on-location sketching. I always enjoy the class as the attendees are always so enthusiastic and curious.
On Sunday, I decided it was time to do another film of me sketching. I took my phone outside and found a place in the local park. It was a very humid day. They have a few tables, but I stood up and established my sketchkit and sketchbook at an empty (and clean) BBQ site for this short film. It is much easier than sketching and filming when sitting on the ground. I wanted to sketch an interesting tree. It is just a quick sketch, an impression of a large tree with a heavy canopy.
The FaberCastell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils I used were:
Pine Green
Chrome Oxide Green
Grass Green
Dark Sepia
Burnt Ochre
Below is the short video.
I then sat under another tree that was closer and focused on the trunk.
I am planning some more Travel Sketching with Watercolour pencils for the months of April, May and June. They will be on Saturday mornings 10.30am to 12.30pm.
