Everyday in May 2015

Old library books

A few weeks ago I showed this drawing as a work in progress and asked for advice on its composition. I received some very useful feedback.

I have now completed the drawing. I decided to lean the books on each side and also have unfinished, disappearing edges. This is a style that I feel comfortable with.

Above is scan of the finished drawing, on A4 paper with watercolour pencils. Read about the colours used in my last blogpost

The books are Dowling and Ryland’s Magistrates‘ Cases (1822-1827) an English Law Reports series.

I am going to keep the drawing in this frame on the wall so that I look at it everyday and notice subtle differences that I can make. It may be making some colours darker, increasing some shadow, or adding a line underneath to indicate a book shelf.

At a later stage I plan to create another set of Greeting Cards to add to my current set of eight Library and book cards in my Brand New Etsy Site
Now that the Winter months are here in Melbourne, I will be spending my lunch hours in the library I work in, drawing more books…..

sketching with Erin Hill’s class

4 Replies

Today I was invited to join my Sydney friend Erin Hill at a Sketching Class she was holding in Melbourne. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with her after my first eight months in Melbourne, as well as meet a lovely group of Melbourne sketchers. It is always inspirational to chat with people in Erin’s classes as they are all so motivated to sketch and days like today are often the starting point of something fantastic for them.
PART ONE

I started the day with my usual journaling in my sketchbook. These were sketched in moments when I had the opportunity : while waiting for the train and then while waiting for the Sketch class to assemble.

PART TWO

Most of the day I drew in my own style, but later in the morning I joined in the class with their ink pen and watercolour pencil experiments.

PART THREE – BACK TO MY OWN STYLE

AND THE FINAL SKETCH OF THE DAY

Walking home in the rain from the train station. Local football fans were also walking home. They had been outside all day, while I was cosy and dry inside with my new sketching friends

books – work in progress

2 Replies

This is about a drawing I am currently creating. (I don’t like to use the term “working on” because it is not work at all).

This week I have been drawing in my lunch breaks. I usually draw for about half an hour. This is the result at the end of the third day.

I took my watercolour pencils and A4 size University paper (I believe it is produced by St Cuthberts Mill in the UK). I sat at a table next to these law reports and started drawing. These are at eye level and all the shelves are full of books. On the shelf there are books either side of these and they are neatly and tightly shelved.

DECISIONS TO MAKE

I did not really think before I started drawing and now I have some decisions to make. I thought I would share my options with you now and would love to hear any suggestions anyone has.

How many more books to draw?

Current drawing on A4 page

I only have a limited space on the paper to use. This is what is looks like on the A4 page. I have photocopied the drawing and experimented with HB pencil for potential composition. I realised one of my first ideas would not work as I did not have room on the page to draw a few books lying down on the right side, stacked up.

I have the options of adding more books of different heights and thicknesses and/or have some books leaning.

‘

I could try this

‘

Or this, or a combination

‘

How to finish the sides – I have the choice of fading the colour and lines at the edges to have an unfinished look OR finishing each book and having solid colour to the edge of each book.
How to finish top – The books are on shelves and the books disappear into darkness of the shelf. I don’t want this is dominate the page.
How to finish the bottom – The books are sitting on shelves. Do I finish at the base of the book or include the shelf line.

I am looking forward to any suggestions and will share the completed drawing when I have finished it!

ABOUT THE DRAWING

These are the colours I am using. There are 120 watercolour pencils in the Faber Castell range. I carry and use 26 colours in my pencil wrap and they suit me perfectly. I can usually create the colours I need by blending. This is done on the page or off the tip of the two pencils on the waterbrush.

The pigments can be completely dissolved, and will then behave similar to watercolour paints. The paint becomes permanent when dry, enabling other layers of colour to be built up without causing it to dissolve again. Or they can sharpened to a fine tip. Great for broad brushstrokes or finer detail.

However I have to keep remembering to sharpen my pencil. They get blunt very easily when using the waterbrush to take the colour off the tip of the pencil.

I build up the colour gradually. However, as you can see, I also draw in darker areas early as it gives me a sense of where I am going and what the drawing is going to look like when complete.

Here is a previous work in progress library drawing https://www.flickr.com/photos/alissaduke/15429144837/in/set-72157648983342201
and other book and library drawings
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alissaduke/sets/72157648983342201/, some of which you can purchase on my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/AlissaDuke

Urban Sketchers Melbourne

Easter greetings

1 Reply

Happy Easter everyone.

Each year I draw something for Easter. (see past years drawings ) In the last year I have been fortunate enough to move to Melbourne and into an apartment block where one of my neighbours owns a chocolate shop called The Chocolate Box (based in Melbourne, but wonderful online store too !) She kindly invited me to draw anything from her store. It was a visual treat to wander around and look through the array of eggs, bunnies, chocolates and treats, all beautifully packaged.

I decided on a little soft and fluffy toy bunny, some traditional chocolate eggs in foil and a chocolate nest of eggs. I find that foil is really difficult to draw, with all the shininess, so I did not choose too many of those.

I loved the Mini Half Egg with Hazelnut Praline Birds Eggs. Many of you will know how much I love drawing birds nests, feathers and eggs, so this seemed the perfect choice.

I really enjoyed drawing the texture of the soft bunny and the colour of the chocolate. The foil was as difficult as I remembered!
What have you been drawing this Easter?

My Etsy shop is Open !

1 Reply

I have opened my Etsy Fine Art Shop.

The product?
Blank Fine Art Note or Greeting Cards featuring eight of my drawings of books and libraries.
Today I’m here to share a little more about this.

Where did the idea come from?
I have been longing to get my drawings printed as cards and prints for quite a while (as my friends know). I have spent time looking for a printing company that would produce a product with a quality of colour and finish that I was happy to put my name to. When I arrived in Melbourne I found (through recommendations) the company Print Together who were just right !

Why did I create cards?
I love paper products and the enjoyment of the written word. I love stationery, books, hand written notes and receiving something in the mail, and I know that many other people do too, even in this digital age. I write a letter once a week and love to post cards and think about the enjoyment and surprise on the recipients face when they open it .
I have been drawing the books and shelves in my new workplace and realised they would make a perfect set of cards.

What to expect?
Each card features a single image on the front and a blank interior, and a description on the back. They are printed on 300gsm card with a smooth finish that has an easy to write on surface. Each individual card comes packaged in a protective plastic sleeve with an envelope.

So where can you find them?
You can find my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/alissaduke where you have a look at and order these cards.
*Keep an eye for new images on cards coming soon. Have a look at my website at the DRAWINGS tab to see just a few of my other type of drawings. Or ALL of my art everyday on flickr.

drawing feathers

4 Replies

Today I had a day free with no plans. I have not sat down to spend a large amount of time drawing for ages, so decided to indulge. I cleared the table, sharpened my watercolour pencils and cut some paper to A4 size.

Everyday I draw in a Moleskine watercolour Sketchbook 13 x 19 cm. But today was different.

I have been drawing feathers (and also recently books) on larger sheets of equivalent textured paper which I discovered through trial and error. See my blog from last year. I found the perfect paper. It is called University paper. I believe it is produced by St Cuthberts Mill in the UK . It is available in sheets of 210 gsm for me at Deans Art in Melbourne.

photo of a Rainbow Lorikeet

I have decided to draw my feathers, nests and books on larger sheets because I eventually may have an exhibition. I would also like to use them for print on cards. The larger size paper allows me to draw a few feathers on the page and think about composition. Today I wanted to break away from the black, greys, browns, creams of the magpie, ibis and duck feathers that I have been drawing. The feathers of the rainbow lorikeet seemed a good choice. All feathers were picked up in a local park in Melbourne or a Waterbird habitat in Queensland. I found these simple colourful feathers difficult to draw. They are not soft and fluffy (which I enjoy). I draw a lot of feathers – see more on my flickr site or my blogpost on drawing a feather step by step.

I am pleased with the result and have put the drawing aside for a while. I need to add a bit more colour intensity in some areas. I am also thinking of adding a fifth feather on the far end (the same size as the first one). What do you think ? It has also been suggested to arrange them horizontally on the page not vertically. Your thoughts?

I finished the day by started another feather….
(one is real and the other start of a drawing !)

Lost Trades Fair sketching part 2

2 Replies

This is part 2 of my sketches from the Lost Trades Fair, last Saturday 7 March 2015. If you missed it Read Part 1 here. There was so much to see and sketch on the day so I decided to do two blog posts

Just in case you missed out, the Lost Trades Fair is held at Kyneton, one hour train ride from Melbourne. (Their facebook page has lots of interviews and features). The Lost Trades Fair supports “rare, forgotten and traditional trades and crafts and those that practise them”. The fair had over 60 stall of traditional trades, rare crafts and forgotten arts. We got to meet these talented makers that practise these trades.

On this page are some of my quick sketches from the day. Even though they are quick sketches, I spent time looking at the object or person as they moved around an object they were crafting or worked with their hands. Often their movements were repetitive, so I could watch the angles of the body, arms and wrists. Other times they moved a lot and I could only get an impression of how they work. As I stood sketching, I also had the opportunity to listen to the conversations between the artisan/tradesperson and people passing by. These people have so much knowledge and passion for their area of interest.