I am a librarian and I love books . I spent the first week of July sketching book-ish events of Melbourne Rare Book Week. You can see some of my blogposts here. I have been privileged to be official sketcher on location for the past three years, The combination of sketching and books is my idea of bliss !

I also DRAW BOOKS and DRAW IN BOOKS.

I originally drew IN books as part of a Melbourne Rare Book Week exhibition “You Can’t Draw in Books”, where I drew in books that were about to be discarded, giving them a new life. See some of them here . Some of these are available for purchase on my ETSY online store

My current “Drawing in Books” projects is for the Blarney Biblio Art Prize. I entered this last year with my drawings in Field Study Guide to Nature. This year the entry has changed a little. Instead of creating an art work inspired by a title of your own choosing, you enter and are given a random title. Mine is Year of Wonder: a Year of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks. Of course , I will draw in the book with my watercolour pencils, however you can interpret your given title in any way artistically. Open to anyone around the world!

I have read the book twice, once to read the story, the second time to identify pages and paragraphs that have the potential for illustrating. The novel is about a village which quarantines itself in 1666 from the plague in order to prevent the disease from spreading further.  I will post updates here as I go. There will be at least one rat drawn n the pages….It is due in October.

And finally, I draw books, I love old books, with character and old worn pages, Some of these have been printed as greeting cards and are available for purchase on my ETSY website

2019 sees the eighth Melbourne Rare Book Week (MRBW) but the 47th Australian Antiquarian Book Fair, presented by the Australian Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB) and Rare Books Melbourne (RBM) . Thirty-five Australian and international antiquarian booksellers will offer a rich and diverse array of items catering for all who genuinely love print on paper and who share a passion for books. Millions of dollars worth of rare and collectible books, maps, photographs and manuscript material will be on offer at this major event in the Australian antiquarian book calendar, at prices to suit all levels of collecting .

Friday 12 July6:00pm-9:00pm
Saturday 13 July10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday 14 July10:00am-5:00pm
University of Melbourne

The Rare Book Fair opening Reception was held after the last event on Friday. It was a time for the booksellers and event partners to join together.

Friday night ! Let the Fair begin. It was my final day/night of sketching for Melbourne Rare Book Week. I strolled around the Fair, sketching people as they chatted and browsed. The Fair continues over the rest of the weekend. It has once again been a wonderful week of fascinating free talks by amazing people. The amount of specialist knowledge that has been shared is unbelievable and I was honoured to be a part of of it.

Melbourne Rare Book Week is coming to a close, but there are still a lot of events between now and Sunday.

My day started at Museums Victoria for Marketing and promotion of rare books and special collections. Three librarians Gemma Steele, Daniel Wee & Nicole Kearney outlined different aspects of communicating with the public about their collections. Gemma Steele discussed research she conducted in 2018 on marketing and promotion of special libraries and collections. Daniel Wee talked about personal branding in the age of social media, and his experiences in running his Instagram account with 40,000 followers. Nicole Kearney focused on the Biodiversity Heritage Library digitization project, and its possibilities for contributing organisations. It was a slightly different group of people in the audience today and I am assuming lots of librarians, including myself.

Legal Luminaries and their Books . Law Library of Victoria. Held in the iconic Supreme Court Library, this session celebrates the richness of the written word and the beauty of the book. Presentations by Justice Cameron on Emily Dickinson, Solicitor, Tim Finlay spoke on his personal book collection, from Biggles to Thomas More. Law Library of Victoria Director and Supreme Court Librarian, Laurie Atkinson highlighted some of the historic books in the collection. The audience was then invited into her office which is the the Classics Room, with its ceiling height shelves of of books, library ladders and classic books purchased in the nineteenth century..

Ten Enemies of Books  at Melbourne Museum presented by Alice Cannon. Flood waters, flames, ultraviolet light, and absent-mindedness: what do all of these things have in common? They are all enemies of books. Conservator Alice Cannon discussed how books can be lost, destroyed, damaged and saved. The talk was accompanied by a small display of damaged books from the Museum’s library. A fascinating presentation for people who have books on their shelves.

It was another day of fascinating talks on a wide variety of subjects. By now I am starting to see familiar faces attending events and having a quick chat to some people before the sessions starts. I usually don’t stay around after as I am off to the next event . The weather has been cool (14 degrees) but not much rain, so at least I arrive dry .

The John Emmerson Collection at State Library Victoria
Richard Overell and Des Cowley. In 2015, the John Emmerson collection, comprising over 5,000 early English books, with particular emphasis on the English Civil War, was donated to the State Library of Victoria. In this session, they looked at some of the highlights of the Emmerson Collection.

Sir Redmond Barry: The Bibliophile Melbourne Law School Library
Carole Hinchcliff and Wallace Kirsop spoke about Sir Redmond Barry, the bibliophile, his style of book collecting as reflected in his personal library, and the ongoing project to re-create Barry’s library. They examined Barry’s influence on developing the first library collection at The University of Melbourne. A selection of Barry’s writings and books associated with Barry was displayed.

The Birdman and the Museum
Museums Victoria
Belinda Borg, Nik McGrath, Gemma Steele
This show-and-tell offered a unique insight into the relationship between Museums Victoria and the renowned ornithologist and publisher, John Gould, through rarely seen items from the library and archives. Museums Victoria’s librarians and archivists explored historical letters, lists, accounts ledgers and rare books to better understand the relationship between these two scientists.
This show-and-tell offered a unique insight into the relationship between the museum’s first director, Sir Frederick McCoy, and the renowned ornithologist and publisher, John Gould, through rarely seen items from the library and archives.

Juvenile Books on War
Michael O’Brien at Tonic House
This talk explored and uncovered the surprising scope of books on war for children and juveniles. Presenting examples from the Royal United Services Institute of Victoria collection, this engaging discussion showcased family help material, picture books, tales of derring-do, and propaganda, and reflected on the realities and misrepresentations of growing up during conflict.

Today I started with an event with the oldest books and finished at a brand new book launch. !

Medieval and early modern marginalia State Library Victoria
Dr Anna Welch
A face peeping through golden foliage, an inscription to a loved one, an inky fingerprint: marginalia takes many forms. Marks made by individuals in their books are of increasing interest in our digital world; they represent material connections with the past. Anna Welch explained and explored examples of curious marginalia from the SLV’s rich collection of medieval and early modern books.

Parliament of Victoria
Sarah Edwards Heritage Collection Officer

Rakish Plundering or Scientific Enquiry Parliamentary Library
Explorer, naturalist and buccaneer William Dampier was the first Englishman to map parts of Australia. Overlapping the careers of Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook, Dampier’s exploits combined the rakish plundering of the former with the scientific enquiry of the latter. We looked at the rare books held in Parliament of Victoria’s Library that showcase cartography and descriptions from early exploration. The maps, instruments and issues of nautical explorers were explained

Australian Toys by Luke Jones 
The Melbourne book launch
Douglas Stewart Fine Books Australian Toys is an illustrated history of Australian manufactured toys from 1900-1965, drawing on the author’s authoritative collection. Luke Jones’ carefully structured collection has been assembled with passion and commitment over a period of more than thirty years, and is unrivalled for its breadth and quality. It provides an ideal platform to illustrate a history of twentieth century Australian manufactured toys, a history which has not previously been substantially documented. A lovely launch of a beautifully produced publication, and lots of interesting people to meet.

The Extraordinary and the Ephemeral: Rare books of the PMI Victorian History Library
PMI Victorian History Library
Ellen Coates
All stories are shaped by the documents that survive to tell them. Founded in 1854, the Prahran Mechanics’ Institute, has accumulated a collection that not only covers the history of Victoria and contains many hidden gems. We were introduced to the treasures of the PMI including letters, ephemera, invitations, dance cards, petitions, plans, and, of course, books.

The day began at State Library of Victoria in a fully booked small session on Library Magic: The W.E. Alma Collection presented by Dominique Dunstan and Nicholas Johnston . This is magic as entertainment, not as spells.

The art of conjuring was a lifelong obsession for Will Alma, and his collection reflects his engagement with all aspects of a magical life: performer, maker, publisher, collector and archivist. Dominique shared an unexpected delight from the collection she has worked with for 20 years. The focus was on the blow book. What are they ? – see this video of Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch Do Magic Tricks – The Graham Norton Show .

Then magician and curator Nicholas took us behind the curtain to glimpse the life and times of Alma and his circle in Melbourne. He explained learning tricks and then displayed his card skills !

Japanese Wonders:
Beautiful items from Rare Books at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne Library
Susan Millard Curator of Rare Books
Japanese culture is renowned for its distinct aesthetic sensibility. Susan showed us a diverse variety of materials and objects of exquisite design, quality, and visual beauty from textiles to woodblock prints, matchboxes, and Manga.

Collecting Useful Books 
Richard Overell at The Melbourne Athenaeum Library
talked about historic practical manuals on seemingly now obscure topics. These guides were amusing, practical and are now highly collectible. Richard examined books on applied science and technology, manuals and trade catalogues.

Looking forward to tomorrow….

Day four of Melbourne Rare Book Week. I attended four of the six events today – too many to choose from!

Gippsland Ephemera  Ephemera Society of Australia Inc.
Gippsland region of Eastern Victoria has a long history of diverse businesses, population and culture. Colin Silcock a Gippsland local, demonstrated how the area represented itself in brochures, business cards, posters, labels etc. Fascinating rare material which promoted tourism, businesses, community and sporting activities, schools and religions were on show. at The Mess Hall Royal Historical Society of Victoria

Innovations in Music 
The Grainger Museum
Heather Gaunt
The Grainger Museum preserves the legacy of renowned Australian composer Percy Grainger. Curator Heather Gaunt gave an engaging overview of the Museum, its fascinating history, thought-provoking collections and future aspirations. This informative talk also focused on the current major exhibition. How it plays: innovations in percussion

Second-hand or Rare? 
A tale of two private libraries
State Library Victoria

In 1923, the coveted private libraries of Robert Carl Sticht and Carlos Barron Lumsden were sold in Melbourne. One collection ended up on the shelves of the prestigious Hill of Content bookstore, the other at the second-hand stall of the Coles Book Arcade. Shane Carmody told the stories of the books and their previous owners and reflected on the twists of fate that turn second-hand books into something rare.

Melbourne Rare Book Week has officially started, with the first event on Friday 5 July . Professor Wallace Kirsop’s “Readers and Books in La Trobe’s Melbourne” set the scene for book retailing and collection in early Melbourne,

I will be sketching at many of the varied and fascinating events over the coming week and posting on facebook at Alissa Duke Art and instagram alissaduke1. I always sketch on location using my watercolour pencils and Lamy Sarafi Joy ink pen in 13 x 19 cm Moleskine watercolour sketchbook. I only add final touches at home and the wording.

Blue skies and sunshine on Saturday for the next Melbourne Rare Book Week event. “A Walk on the Mean Streets : An exploration of the 1880s Melbourne of Fergus Hume” This walk was led by Lucy Sussex,and Chris Browne, both in costume. We visited sites of Melbourne featured in the books of Fergus Hume, the author of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1886). The walk featured readings from the works of Fergus Hume at places that were mentioned in the book. When they stopped I sketched. I knew where some stops were and could drew the background in advance on the day. Thanks Melbourne Library Service for this event .

Melbourne Rare Book Week Bulls, Booze & Books: 
Reliving Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, a politically incorrect adventure.
Johnson Society
John Byrne a world-renowned collector of the works of Samuel Johnson, John also collects books on Hemingway and bullfighting. Inspired by a book examining the real-life events behind The Sun Also Rises, John travelled to Spain in 2018 to visit bullrings, bars, restaurants and bookshops. We heard about his adventures and saw rare books from his collection. watercolour pencil and ink pen

Browsing the shelves: Books in an exhibition
Old Treasury Building
Shane Carmody told the story behind the books from the exhibition The Invention of Melbourne: A Baroque Archbishop and a Neo-Gothic Architect to be launched on 31 July. Drawn from the library of James Goold, first Catholic Bishop of Melbourne, the books are just a sample of one of the finest libraries assembled in colonial Melbourne. Shane told the story of Goold and his fabulous library through the books, their authors and publishers.

I will be posting on instagram and facebook daily and every few days to my blog. Then I will return to my regular weekly art blog.

Yesterday was the final in my series of Watercolour Pencil sketching classes at Dromkeen homestead just outside of Melbourne. We had a visually decadent and delicious High Tea sketching class.

The students arrived at 2pm, entering from the chilly 5 degrees outside to be greeted by the warmth of the lit fireplace and a table beautifully set for a feast.

We spent the first 40 minutes getting to explore and learn about watercolour pencils, waterbrushes and watercolour sketchbooks. Then the coffees, teas, hot chocolates, sandwiches and savories arrived – and the Sketching began!!! There were decisions to be made on what to eat and what to sketch,

At 3.00pm the sweets arrived. A decadent choice to eat and sketch, (and some colourful fruits too). Below are some of the many wonderful sketches from the day. People chose different foods to draw and objects to sketch. The beautiful teacups with their delicate designs also featured in many sketches. I regularly reminded people to eat and drink as it is so easy to get carried away with sketching and forget to eat .

It was a wonderful way to spent a winters’ afternoon, Good company, delicious treats and drawing. What more could you ask for?!

Many thanks to Bernadette and Denise for organising the day and cooking up some amazingly delicious food. Dromkeen is a world famous historic homestead, featuring original Australian book illustration. Their tearoom serves delicious home made food and quality coffee and tea. They provide educational programs for visiting schools, gallery tours for other groups and also provide facilities for business functions, weddings, birthday parties & other special occasions.

I do not have any watercolour pencil sketching classes in the calendar at the moment, but am planning for Spring and Summer ! To find out when new classes are announced, sign up for my newsletter on this website. In the meantime some of my watercolour pencil drawings are available for purchase printed as greeting cards on my ETSY online store.