My weekly art blog has been disrupted over the last few weeks while I was sketching for Melbourne Rare Book Week. During that time I posted my sketches every few days.

My blog schedule is about to be disrupted once again as I go on holidays. I am spending five weeks in England.

I will be sketching everyday and if you would like to see what i am doing, you can follow me on

• instagram alissaduke1
• Facebook Alissa Duke Art

I am taking my usual sketchkit, and a second set in case I lose it. I am taking three sketchbooks, I will probably fill two. There are art shops in the cities I am going to and I will be visiting a few. However I want to visit them to enjoy them, not in a panic, looking for an obscure item.

I take the same approach each BIG holiday. I start early when I am planning my hollday, sketching item I buy along the way.

Tonight I am sketching my pencils. I always do this before I go. This is a work in progress. Iiwll add the names of all the colours to the page. In general the pencil colours stay the same HOwever each year I make slight changes and also add a few new colours.

Below is a green I am addong just for England, and there a few others I still need to draw.

I will also sketch my clothes that I am taking. It is a good reference to look back and see what I packed last time. My sketchbooks are travel journals,and are a record of what I see amd do.

When you sketch you look c,oserly and observe. I creates a connection between you and the object or place.

I look forward to sharing these with you from next weekend,