I write a blog post at this time each year looking back at what I have done during the previous year with my art.  I have found this is a very useful way of realising how much I have accomplished in a year, as I usually forget about some events or do not realise how productive I have been. It is a good reality check for me.

Below are my art projects and commercial activities in 2025. This year once again was a little different.

Sketchbooks

Below is a photograph of my sketchbooks from this year. There are eight 13cm x 19 cm landscape format Moleskine watercolor pencil sketchbooks. I sketch everyday and carry my sketchkit which includes watercolour pencils, waterbrush, ink pen and sketchbook with me everywhere.

The numbers on the spine are the sketchbook numbers since I began my daily sketches in these Moleskine sketchbooks in December 2008. Can you tell that I am a librarian?

I put sketches daily on social media Instagram and on Facebook. Facebook at Alissa Duke Art. I post daily on Instagram alissaduke1

On Instagram I have 3566 posts and 2242 followers. It is interesting, but I am not really interested in numbers. I post to show everyone watercolour pencils, what they can do, and also that everything is sketchable and that an unfinished sketch is ok.

Weekly Art Blog

I have maintained this, my weekly art blog most weeks since 2018, published on a Sunday. Thank you to the 227 followers. I hope that you find it enjoyable and interesting to read and full of information. Some of you also follow me on social media and there are others, including friends and family who keep up to date with what I am doing by following these posts.

Sometimes I write about hints and tips when using watercolour pencils, other times the blog will be about art events I am involved in, and the rest are usually my sketches from the previous week. I hope that I share a bit of my passion for drawing and watercolour pencils.

I managed to film four videos of sketching – a technical miracle for me!

• video – sketching a tree
• video – sketching my dinner
• sketching olives video
• sketching vegetables video

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like me to explain anything I do. If you would like to receive this weekly email you can Subscribe here.

Newsletter

I had to give up my newsletter as I had technical issues with Mailchimp not talking to WordPress.

in 2025

Melbourne Rare Book Week

I sketched at Melbourne Rare Book Week (MRBW) when I first moved to Melbourne in 2015 and since 2016 I have been the official sketcher on location for the week of talks, culminating in the Melbourne Rare Book Fair on the final weekend. I have met so many interesting people and made lots of friends through this event. It is a honour to be involved in this very special event.

• Melbourne Rare Book Week Day 1
• Melbourne Rare Book Week day 2
• Melbourne Rare Book Week day 3
• Melbourne Rare Book Week day 4
• Melbourne Rare Book Week day 5
• Melbourne Rare Book Week day 6
• Melbourne Rare Book Week day 7
• Melbourne Rare Book Week day 8

Melbourne Rare Book Fair – sketches

This year, some of my sketches were used in promotional posters, bookmarks and bookbag tape for Melbourne Rare Book Fair.

You Can’t Draw in Books

I was invited by Melbourne Athenaeum Library to present my talk “You Can’t Draw in Books”. I have given this talk as part of Melbourne Rare Book Week and at Dromkeen homestead. In the talk, I provide an insight into the reason and process of drawing old books that were about to be discarded.

Watercolour pencil classes in 2025

I have run a number of classes in 2025. I did not run my own private classes as in previous years, but through relationships with other organisations. I have been a member of these organisations and was approached by them to hold classes.

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

I have been teaching one class for each Season. Read my blog posts about one of my four classes at :

Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencils at RBGV

The Johnston Collection

I held three classes at The Johnston Collection, which 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.  The Collection is displayed in a constantly changing domestic setting, in his former residence, Fairhall, 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.

This event is supported by The Colin Holden Charitable Trust”

Sketching at The Johnston Collection

In the sessions, the house was rearranged for the exhibition of Swagger: Gentlemen of Fashion and now Home Comforts: what makes a home a home.

Nature Sketching at Dromkeen

As part of Macedon Ranges Art Festival I held two Nature sketching class at Dromkeen hometead.

Sketch Your Cake and Eat It Too x 2

A Food sketching class with Melbourne Library Service at East Melbourne LIbrary as a Community Engagement Activity.

East Melbourne Community Seedbank

I continue to contribute to the establishment of a free seed library at East Melbourne Library by drawing images of the plant that will grow from the seeds in the packets. Read more about it here. https://alissaduke.com/2024/04/seed-bank-drawings.html

This year I was asked to draw Rainbow Silverbeet, Silverbeet, Cos Lettuce, Garlic Chives , Rocket, Capsicum, Chilli and Sage.

Sketching from the library garden

I was invited to display my sketchbooks in the East Melbourne Library display cabinets and hold a sketching class.

Clunes Booktown Festival

A highlight. I feel like this event was made for me. I have a stall with my “Drawn in Books” in Clunes for the Annual Booktown Festival. A whole weekend of books at Clunes Booktown Festival. Read about my time there https://alissaduke.com/2025/03/clunes-booktown-festival-4.html

Private commissions x 3

Greeting Cards

My printed greeting cards with my drawings of the Supreme Court and the Library books and shelves were on sale to the legal community in Melbourne. at Law Books at Law Institute of Victoria and Ludlows Legal Regalia.

ETSY online sales

I have a variety of greeting cards printed from my watercolour pencil drawings on my ETSY online store. I also have my “drawn-in books”  available for purchase there. 

Local Markets

I was happy to have a market stall with my cards and books at two local Christmas events. It was so lovely to catch up with local friends and meet some more!

• East Melbourne Library Community BBQ
• Bishopscourt East Melbourn Group Picnic
• and a Christmas sketching esession at the local East Melbourne Library after the BBQ

… and looking forward to 2026

I have plans… to be shared in next week’s post.