Yesterday a friend and I spent the day at the Lost Trades Fair at Kyneton, just over an hour by train from Melbourne. The Lost Trades fair showcases traditional, rare and unusual arts and trades and actively promotes the people who practise these skills.
The weather was just perfect and I sketched all day completing 10 pages. I was experimenting with reportage sketching – telling a story. I still have to scan my sketches and write commentary. I need to reflect on how I managed the day and what I would do differently. These will be the topic of a later blog.
Today is all about my lunch at Lost Trades Fair.
After sketching and talking to some incredibly interesting stall holders, we stopped for a well earned lunch at Sidonnia Hills Natural Beef for their Drover’s Burger.
We sat on hay bales and I sketched my burger and finally ended up eating a slightly cool, but delicious burger. I chatted to people in the queue about sketching and my pencils.
I like to draw a detailed object in watercolour pencil and then use my Lamy ink pen to sketch the context. In this case it was the people at the markets.
Here are the watercolour pencils I used (with a waterbrush)
Left to right : Grass green, Chrome Oxide Green, ivory, Burnt Ochre, Cadmium Yellow, Light Yellow Ochre, Deep Scarlet Red, Walnut Brown, Burnt Umber, Magenta, Burnt Sienna, Madder Crimson.
All are Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils, except the last , which is a Derwent.
See my blog posts and sketches from last years Lost Trades Fair
http://www.alissaduke.com/2015/03/lost-trades-fair-sketching-part-1.html
http://www.alissaduke.com/2015/03/lost-trades-fair-sketching-part-2.html
Sounds fun. I liked seeing your materials and sketch process. Ten pages in a day is prolific! Good for you.
Thanks Jean ! I wish we has start to take photos earlier, so show it as a work in progress. I think my friend, the photographer was busy eating her hot burger while I was sketching (and ate mine cool)
I visited the Fair with the intent on sketching the makers. I draw people a bit (on the tram, crowd scenes) but would like to try and concentrate on specific people. This gave me that opportunity. It is something I will have to practice. I did do see all the stalls, but I did have interesting talks with some of the makers that I sketched and with the people looking on while the maker demonstrated their craft. Quality rather than quantity !
looking goods far alias, can’t wait to see your craftspeople sketches.
What a delicious painting and I really like the combination of colour and line drawing. Looking forward to the rest of the day’s sketches.
Hi Alissa! This post made me realize I would love to see the way you use the watercolor pencils in process, with a bit more detail. I find myself asking ‘does she draw/sketch on the paper with the wc pencil, or lift color from their tips with a wet brush?’ (or both!?) 😉 I hope you are willing to share the process in which you use your pencils in a future post. Perhaps you have posted something like that in the past. I can’t recall seeing it… but then I have menopause brain! 🙂 Love your work and am so inspired by your progress into marketing your lovely art. Much success to you!
Hi Kate – Thank you ! and apologies for the late reply. I am more than happy to show how I use my watercolour pencils
I’ve written my “techniques” ( that sounds very sophisticated !)
http://www.alissaduke.com/2013/03/me-and-my-watercolour-pencils.html
http://www.alissaduke.com/2014/03/five-watercolour-pencils-tips.html
I hope this explains and inspires !
Wonderful action shots to how you sketch your subject! When i see food, I drop the brush, or the pen…but I will practice some more. ? You inspire me to get the pencils out, and in my kit with me all the time. Very nice work!