This weeks blog is all about drawing to capture personal memories. I do a lot of quick on location sketch to capture the moment. The other part of my sketching is a little slower, with more thought behind the choosing the object or scene, and more time spent putting watercolour pencil to paper.

On a recent visit home I continued my drawings of everyday objects from around the house I grew up in. These are things that only mean something to me and some members of my family. I am sharing this to open your mind to the concept of capturing special memories on paper. These objects are not always big and exciting, but sometimes the small and everyday. In fact, the everyday can resonate more than bigger things. Objects that were meaningful to me , did not have the same connection for my brother.

I do not want to actually own or take away any of these, so drawing them is away of keeping them. I also would like to find out the history of the object – where did we get it, when was it used. I want to write down my memories and other family members’ memories .

Other family history and memory drawings can be seen at :

drawing my dad’s shed – This is one of my favourite posts and I get very nostalgic reading it

all in a flickr album. I have drawn family history items as well as everyday objects. Looking back over these I start to feel all nostalgic. Here are are few previous drawings

I draw these with the object on the table in front of me.

I finished the weekend by drawing the front gate. I started by sitting out on the footpath and realised that I wanted more time to get more detail (and it was cold). I took several photographs and am still working on this. I return home again a few weeks and have a few more things I want to draw!

In essence, it is all about drawing objects that I have have a connection with, no matter how obscure or ‘everyday’ it is. I hope this inspires you !

I had a flying visit interstate on the weekend. These are the sketches on the way there and back again on Airnorth airline.

at Melbourne airport

on the plane

coming into land in Toowoomba

… and flying back Toowoomba to Melbourne

A quick sketch for this weeks blog. Before , during and after my frozen pizza meal.

It was a disappointing meal as the taste did not live up to the photo on the box. It had lots of toppings but was very doughy. My drawing is a lot more tasty looking than reality . I did not even eat this piece, but thought that the final photo of the empty plate looked good and completed the set.

Here are a few of my previous blog post that have step by step food drawings in watercolour pencil.

. http://alissaduke.com/2017/08/drawing-lunch-step-by-step.html Lunch sketch

http://alissaduke.com/2017/07/drawing-a-coffee-step-by-step.html Coffee sketch

Enjoy and please ask any questions.

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.