I ordered a gourmet food basket to pick up from a local wine bar in Melbourne called Life’s Too Short. I found out about it on a Facebook Group for our local postcode. It has information about events and support offered for locals. as well as lovely photos of the local gardens. Our local community is about 5000 people, and this group has about 330 members. This meal was a special treat for me and I felt good to be supporting a local business. In Melbourne, our 6th lockdown has been extended for another two weeks and extended to all of the State of Victoria. We have had 200 days in lockdown since March last year. My life is good, but for many people, it is not. And my art keeps me so happy when I am not working at my work from home job.

The Feast theme was Italian and Spanish. My menu is below. The meal was for two, so I have enough to last for days. Of course, for me, it offers the opportunity of days of sketching with my watercolour pencils, exploring all their colours. As there are multiple offerings of each, I can eat one, sketch one. and have one for later.

2 x Roasted Pumpkin, Sundried Tomato, Basil and Tallegio Tartlets
Green salad with Sigrid’s signature Dijon dressing
The Italian Job – 3 x artisan salami, 1 x Italian cheese, House-marinated olives
The Spanish Inquisition – 2 x Spanish Cheese, Serrero Jamon, assorted Crackers and accompaniments
Fresh-baked mini olive loaf, cultured butter and house salt
2 x Boozy Lemoncello Cupcakes
1 x Bottle of back-vintage Italian Savagnin wine to match this feast

expect to see more…. there is still dessert …. and I will add notes about the food sketched

Enjoy ! I am

I am excited to be involved in a project with Melbourne City of Literature combining my illustrations and words from a writer/poet. I will let you read it first and later in the blog I will give you the background about how it came about,

This week was the first time that I saw the words that my drawing were combined with. Perfect ! If you read it out loud it is delightful .

“Pacific black duck”

words by Lisette Drew. illustration by Alissa Duke

“‘QUACK! QUACK!’
My brothers and sisters are wishing the world would wake. I wish I could find some peace and quiet.
‘QUACK! QUACK! BREAKFAST! BREAKFAST!’
But I am hungry. ‘What’s for breakfast, Mum?’
‘It’s time you learn the tricks to catch your own fish.’
‘Catch a fish? On my own?’
‘Yes, my dear, it’s time to grow.’
I waddle out from under the quilt of Mum’s wings and look on the brand new day. Yawning from dawn is the sun, making our lake sparkle with life. Towering buildings shine on the surface like fish scales. Mum says the big big city we live in is called Melbourne. My great great ancestors called it Naarm named by the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the first people of our home. Humankind live in the city with us, and nearby a family of humans are having their breakfast on the bank. They don’t have feathers or beaks or webbed feet, or wear black crowns such as we do, but they nestle close together like my family flock. And they are just as noisy, chomping on their crunchy rolls.
‘Can we ask them for food? I’m sure they’ll throw us a bite.’
‘Bread is not good for you, little one,’ says Mum, ‘and you can’t rely on humans all your life.’
SPLASH! SPLASH!
My family jump into the lake.
I wobble into the water, kicking the cold away as I paddle out.
Mum is upside down, her legs sticking straight up in the air. Her secret green feather flashes brightly on her side. I wonder what colour mine will be when I grow up?
Only one way to find out.
I dive head first. Legs up. Bum out. Time to grow.”

Description

“Pacific black duck” written by @lisettedrew, illustrated by @alissaduke1. In early 2020, the Melbourne City of Literature Office commissioned a series of postcards, the art and image of each centred around a different animal found in Victoria, to be presented when the Office has the opportunity to travel overseas.

Postcard 10 of 21 #WildlifePostcards. Do your part to support the wealth and diversity of Victorian Wildlife by donating to @wildlifevictoria https://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au/donate/donate-to-wildlife-victoria

The 20 chosen wildlife postcards are being released on Instagram initially. I look forward to them being available on a website to view all of them and share it with you. It will also be exciting to receive the print version in the mail.

Background

The initial Callout from Melbourne City of Literature* : Writers and illustrators wanted for a project all about Victorian wildlife!

“We are putting together a series of oversized illustrated postcards, each one centred around a specific animal that can be found in Victoria to be part of a future International initiative  – and we are looking for pitches.  Is there an animal you have an affinity for, or want to shout from the rooftops about”

My initial submission involved nominating my favorite Victorin Wildlife and sending a sample of my art style. My first choice was the magpie, the second Pacific Black Duck.

My Process

I started with a lot of sketches from photos I had taken and sketches I had done in the past. I sketch these ducks often in the nearby Fitzroy Gardens.

I photocopied, flipped, cut and pasted until I was happy with the images on the page. I then transferred these to my final paper and drew them in.

I am incredibly pleased with the final version. I love the way we both mention the “secret green feather”. I look forward to seeing it out in the world one day at other Cities of Literature around the world.

*In 2008, Melbourne joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network when it was designated the first and only City of Literature in Australia, and the second in the world.

Melbourne’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature is acknowledgment of the breadth, depth and vibrancy of the city’s literary culture. Melbourne supports a diverse range of writers, a prosperous publishing industry, a successful culture of independent bookselling, a wide variety of literary organisations and a healthy culture of reading and engagement in events and festivals.

I enjoy drawing objects, and usually want to find out more about them. If it is a building or in nature, out somewhere I am visiting. I am curious about context, history, and what it is. I also often draw objects at home. Some are part of a family history project and have come from my childhood. They are HERE in my Flickr album. I love to find the story about when the object was acquired and how and when it was used. I like to find out other family members’ memories of the object. It is amazing that the memories of one object are different for different people. Or they don’t remember it at all, and I thought it was important.

A recent small project made me approach this from a different angle. I had to think a bit more, imagine a lot and I now have more questions than answers. This time I was drawing from someone else’s memory.

It started with one-liner.   My mum mentioned that when she was little she had a bird catching box in the yard. It involved a box and a piece of string. NOTE: no birds were ever caught doing this.

I drew the idea on the next letter I sent. Mum was surprised by it and said I had the box just right – but she was lying down, not sitting down.

I tried again with version two then three

Her comments were that she definitely had bare feet – no shoes and socks. So I drew the one with pointy toes and was told it would not have been pointy toes, I looked a lot online to find a person lying down without pointy feet, and I tried to imagine myself in that position.

It then got me asking my mother lots of questions, and made her think. She also asked her brother and sisters about their recollections and brought back memories for them, and was a conversation starter.

I had hoped to build up a picture by mentioning the senses and hoping they might trigger something – Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch.

I asked how old was she and therefore what house and town were they in.

What would she have been wearing? how was her hair done?. Did a young girl wear shorts at that time? We only had a few posed photos of the family at that time, all dressed up.

Memory is a funny thing, it is hard to pin down, I tried it myself. Sometimes a photo is the only thing to base a memory.

Even if we did not get the details down on paper, it was a fascinating discussion and I learnt a lot about my mum’s childhood.

After postponing my zoo visit a few weeks ago, I finally got there yesterday. Our two-week lockdown ended in Melbourne. I woke up Saturday to beautiful blue skies and sunshine (at last). I made a very impromptu decision to make a Melbourne Zoo visit to sketch. I had recently purchased Zoo Membership and so visiting for a short time is now financially viable. I stayed for one and a half hours.

I have only been to the zoo a few times and always for a full day. I took this opportunity to think about how I would approach these short visits. You still need to book online before a visit.

My thoughts

Go on weekdays – It was very busy (within allowed COVID-19 numbers). I think I was the only person without a pram or 3 children under 10. It would be even more crowded on school holidays and public holidays. Avoid these.

Arrive when the zoo opens – go straight to the popular animals, it will soon get crowded.

I plan on going after work in summer, so will have to see what it is like then

A lot of my time was spent walking around between and around areas. If I am only there for a short time I will need to be focused on sketching, not walking.

It is always an unknown as to what animals will be around, how close they will be to viewing/sketching, how long they will stay in one place. Grab opportunities. Stay and sketch while you can. Sketching means observing. I saw so many little details. Even though the sketch was quick, the time spent looking at me animal is a wonderful opportunity to really look.

Some animals are much more popular than others. You know the ones ! In the lesser-known or less popular animals, people will either not spend much time there, or not go at all.

I try and prop myself up in a corner out of the way – Makes life easier for everyone.

Does anyone else have any suggestions?

I decided to sketch in different book than my usual Moleskine Watercolour Sketchbook (13cm x 19cm). I had been given some old ledgers, some written in, others blank. I choose the lightest one ( some are really heavy), which 34cm x 23cm. The paper is very different, and I realised I would not use my normal techniques. Yesterday I used my FaberCastell Watercolour Pencils, but did not add water. I know that the paper would not take the paper very well. I will probably do this in the future but also experiment with some of the other pencils, inks, charcoals etc that I have at home and don’t usually use.

I had planned to sketch at the zoo last week, however, an extended lockdown 5.0 in Melbourne has changed that. AND it was going to be 13 degrees and raining. Instead, I stayed cosy at home drawing the animals I have …. In old books that were about to be discarded. I have books with frogs, poodles, and porcupines….Already available for purchase on my ETSY online store are books with a lion, dogs, elephant, squirrel and fish!

In April 2020, our first lockdown had begun in Melbourne, and I purchased all of the Faber Castell watercolour pencils and wrote a blog about it.

Over the past year, I have been testing the color ranges. Today is all about the greys – and there are a lot of them!

In my daily sketch kit I use three:

• Payne’s Grey – I use the Payne’s Grey for shadows. My Moleskine 13 x 19 cm watercolour sketchbook is small, so I don’t mix colours to create a grey. For me, it is all about a quick sketch and capturing the moment. There is not really the space to play around too much with colours.

• Cold Grey V – I use the Cold Grey V for lighter greys.

• Warm Grey III – I have discovered that the Warm Grey III is a good colour for old buildings, especially the sandstone of Melbourne. I http://alissaduke.com/2014/10/new-city-new-pencil-colours.htmlwrote about this when I moved from Sydney to Melbourne.

I have written about other colour ranges previously. I hope this provides an insight into the colours. It is important to note how the colour can change when water is added. Being aware of this factor is key to knowing which colour to choose and take out of your sketchkit quickly.

my blue and brown watercolour pencils http://alissaduke.com/2020/08/my-blue-and-brown-watercolour-pencils.html

my pink and purple watercolour pencils http://alissaduke.com/2021/03/my-pink-and-purple-watercolour-pencils.html

my green watercolour pencils http://alissaduke.com/2020/08/my-green-watercolour-pencils.html

my yellow watercolour pencils http://alissaduke.com/2020/09/my-yellow-watercolour-pencils.html

Let me know if you have any questions and share your watercolour pencil experiences.

Happy sketching. Stay safe and creative.

I was wondering why I only had a few sketches in my sketchbook this past week. Then I realised that I had spent some evenings on the following project. I have started to draw again in those discarded books that I had been collecting.

I wrote about his project in a blog post earlier this year which explains why and how I draw in books and where you can purchase these new creations.

And below is the rest of my week. My topics are almost back to normal: on the tram, in the park and food and drink.

I attended a Real life Life drawing session on Saturday. It was at The Art Room in Footscray in Melbourne. I have been twice in person in previous years and a few of their Zoom sessions in lockdown. This session involved me catching a tram and train, so was another big adventure. It was so special to do something normal. I had such a wonderful time. It was also a great atmosphere to be a room full of creative people.

There were 20 people sketching. We all wore masks except the model (by general agreement) .

I was able to purchase A1 (big) paper on the spot – For the quick sketches, I used thinner newsprint and thicker cartridge paper for the two long sessions. This is a wonderful service as I don’t have this at home and don’t want to be storing it there. There was also a variety of art materials to use on the day – different thicknesses of charcoal and different colours. For the last two longer sketches I used my watercolour pencils.

5 x two minute poses

two x five minute poses

Two x ten minute poses

Two twenty minute poses

For the first time over two years I have met with Urban Sketchers Melbourne.

They did not meet up in our year of lockdown in Melbourne. In normal times I have my art classes on Saturdays and I rest on Sundays to refocus and revitalise for my working week. This means that I do not get to attend events.

There was the added bonus, in that the event was in my local suburb, so I did not have to catch public transport. I am still uncomfortable with the level of non-mask wearing on public transport even though it is compulsory. It was lovely not to have to wear a mask outside.

There was a sense of normality with a sketch group. It was 15 degrees, chilly but not nasty weather. We had been advised it was on a crossroad and could get cold. By the end of the morning, I was chilled to the core.

We met at 11.00 am . I set my phone timer for 30 minutes. We were at the corner of Gisborne and Albert streets East Melbourne. I spent 30 minutes at three corners, capturing what I could while chatting to Evelyn Yee. The 16 of us then had a ” throwdown” and photoshoot and chat catch up at 1.00pm.

As I said, It was wonderful to feel normal again !

1-7th June 2021 is International Nature Journaling Week!
“Nature journaling allows us to open ourselves to wonder and explore with joy.”

It has an amazing website with so much information – links to free podcasts, interviews, articles, for students, teachers, beginners, those who want to explore ideas and learn more. The depth, breadth, and quality of the whole website is something for all involved to be proud of. It is only the second year and word is spreading to the importance of nature journaling.

One of my “sketching hats” is nature sketching, along with urban sketching, food, objects and whatever else I see. This week it was a wonderful to read and hear other people from around the world share their knowledge and experiences. I have only watched and listened to a few of the podcasts. I will continue to dive into these and be inspired.

And there are daily themes. This blogpost includes my responses to those themes.
1ST JUNE – WORDS
2ND JUNE – PICTURES
3RD JUNE – NUMBER
4TH JUNE – I NOTICE…
5TH JUNE – I WONDER…
6TH JUNE – IT REMINDS ME OF…
7TH JUNE – MINDSET MATTERS

Words

I always write on my pages so that is not new. Today I had hoped to expand my use of words. it is a little more descriptive. I tried to find a poem about winter, but nothing matched the scene before me. I was trying to hard.

Pictures

After the news of continuing lockdown in Melbourne I walked out to the nearby Fitzroy Gardens for relaxing, focus and enjoyment in the natural world. I had hope to find something extra special to draw. At first, I was disheartened to come across a dead possum, but realised it was a treasure of nature. So I took a few photos and drew them at home. Yesterday’s prompt for International Nature Journaling Week was Pictures. i usually sketch on location, so this more studied drawing at home challenged me. I had to think about format and how long to spend on this.

Numbers

I learned today that numbers are another language for describing the natural world. adding new resources to the way to think and record. They focus you to be specific, think differently. This can be done through Counting, Measuring, adding Metadata (date, time, temperature, tides ) Estimate (flocks of birds) or Graph/chart to visualise. I chose COUNT to include as part of my daily walk-in lockdown. However, I could go out for this walk without sketching. The crow is below. He landed next to me on the ground when I was counting the birds around the pond. I grabbed a black pencil and got some lines quickly on the page.

I notice

By noticing we pay close attention to what we notice around us. I learnt that observation is one of the key elements of nature journaling and it is a skill that we can exercise and develop. One of the suggestions was Magnifying tools . This jumped out at me as an opportunity to use my new magnifying lamp that I purchased and wrote about recently, This is a tiny (about 6 cm) wrens nest that was attached to a geranium outside of a window. It was give to me a few years ago and today I was curious about how it was attached to the plant, so I focused in on that. The threads are like spiderweb, built up. There are some very fine threads. Incredible. I am going to spend more time on this.

I wonder

When I am nature journaling, I slow down enough to wonder, I always ask myself question “I wonder” but rarely follow them up with research online or answer questions in my journal. It is a rabbit hole that you can go down and go in all sorts of directions. I am not sure how far I want to go, my joy is always on the drawing.

I also realise I need to decide WHO I am adding the information for. MY sketches are always for ME but who I am writing that information to share? To international readers – ie do I need to write that possums are nocturnal or rainbow lorikeets fly in large noisy flocks. Or do I only add new things I observe or learn?

I am usually returning to the same places and sketch the same plants/ animals. I have been slowly, subconsciously building up my knowledge about them and asking myself more questions.

There are still some prompts to complete and more days to go. Learning new things is always challenging and takes time. I am going back to the website and the sessions and am going to watch and read more. I encourage anyone who has the slightest curiosity about any of this to look at the wonderful website. Nature Journaling Week