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.

Happy sketching.

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.

The books can be purchased on my ETSY website. See the link in my Bio or www. https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlissaDuke

The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico 1950

A Tour by Car Through England Scotland & Wales by Jessie Sisson published by Bank of New South Wales 1953

The Fighting Fourth by E.M. de Foubert 1934

Parts of the talk were filmed and on the AAADA social media.

View this post on Instagram

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.