Category Archives: sketchbook journal

Erin’s Sketch class and travel journaling Part Two

Today I returned to Manly to talk to Erin’s Sketching Class about my travel sketchbooks and my recent holiday to London and then Barcelona for the Urban Sketching Symposium.

It was a smaller class this week, so that just meant it was more informal and we talked more ! As a few of them are going on a Travel Sketching Holiday to Fiji with Erin in just a few weeks, it put them in the right frame of mind.

I showed them my two sketchbooks and talked about how I put my sketchbook pages together (mentally) and decide what to include in a page and where I put things on the page. The emphasis is always that is YOUR sketchbook and you decide what to include. It a record of your own holiday and moments that are important or unique.

We also talked about making and taking opportunities to sketch on holidays when you are with non-sketchers. Also thinking about when you can find a few minutes or some longer time to record a moment.

 
 
I sketched the basics of this page as I sat on the ferry going from Circular Quay to Manly. I knew I had eight minutes before the ferry sailed . I added the colour on the ferry ride out to Manly. Would I have done this if I was with non sketchers? probably .
 
I left a space on the left hand side as I know that I want to spend time at home drawing my old, folded bus timetable that I used. 
 
 
I also left space on the right hand side of the page as I knew that I wanted to draw a map of my journey. I drew it from Google maps when I got home. I drew it in ink, as the main feature of the page has enough colour.
 
 
updated version with bus timetable. drawn at home (while watching tv)
 

 The theme this week for Erin’s class was Barb’s birthday cake (I have never met Barb. She is a Friday sketcher- Happy Birthday !) I did not get a chance to finish the balloons as we had to leave to go to lunch.

But that does not matter – capture the moment on the page, as life around does not wait for you to draw it before it moves on.

and you don’t have to “finish” a page

Lunch at the Sugar Lounge in Manly . The sketching lessons continue through lunch from Erin as we sketched our food, table accessories, other people, or for me – the lights above. They look just like upsidedown birdsnests !

Erin’s sketch class and travel journalling Part One

Today I was invited to Erin Hill Sketch Class to share my experiences from the Barcelona Urban Sketchers Symposium  and my travel journal sketchbooks from London (still scanning and uploading these) and Barcelona. I basically got to talk about what I love and enjoy to a group of people were really interested. Perfect. And I get to continue my “holiday high” even though I have been home three weeks now.

AND I am going back next Saturday to do it all again ! Fabulous . If you are in Sydney and would like to book into her class have a look at Erin’s website.

 
 
Using my new Moleskine watercolour accordion fold book.


I talked for half an hour (so much to say, so little time!) while the class had a look at my two travel sketchbooks. They asked questions about how I choose the workshops I did and what I learnt (which I hope I answered in the short time we had). I have a lot of full blog posts yet to come about these.

Although we officially then started Erin’s class (theme: floral) the discussion continued all morning and though lunch. We talked about formatting pages, where to start drawing, and writing on the page. Erin guided the students on colour, tone and formatting.

Erin had chosen a “floral” theme and we sketched two cacti arrangements that were on the tables (in 25 minutes) and then walked down the road to Rambling Rose:floral atelier to draw the inside or outside of the gorgeous shop. I was attracted to the black and white striped awning and the building, but also included some of my fellow sketchers on the page.

This little cacti had marks on it which made it look like a little Japanese figure. I found it hard to remember that it was a spiky plant!


I had also started my page and my day as if I was on holiday – the ferry ride, a map ,  scenes.

 
 

I also like to write comments on the page during the day. They can either be my reactions to places, sights, sounds or smells or just what I am thinking at the time. I think that it makes the whole page more personal and individual.

At lunch I got to show some of the class how I use my watercolour pencils and of course we  drew lunch.

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travel sketchbook journalling

On Thursday, October 11, 2012 I wrote the following blogpost for KateJohnson’s wonderful Artist’s Journal Workshop blog. If you are not familiar with it and the book you should read it !

I am reposting this now as I have just returned from three weeks of travelling to London and Barcelona , where I have put all of my thoughts and ideas in practice. In the next few weeks I will let you (and Artist Journal Workshop) know what worked (most things ) and what didn’t (a few things) in reality.

I am also going to share my thoughts and travel journals with Erin Hill’s Sketching Class this Saturday, so they may be interested in reading it too

Travel sketchbook thoughts : Alissa Duke

Thoughts on creating myTravel Sketchbook

I have had these thoughts going through my head for a while and I wanted to put them in an organised version on paper. The catalyst has been the Sketchbook Project that I am working on this year (more about that later) and wanting to share my learning experience anyone else who is interested.

Looking back, I always enjoyed reading books that were illustrated travel journals and sketchbooks. I enjoyed them for their illustrations as well as reading about other people’s travels, They are always more interesting if they are about a city or country I want to or have visited, especially the United Kingdom ( I am in Australia) .

This interest began many years ago with books such as David Gentleman’s Britain (and many others in the series) and Fabrice Moireau sketchbooks, to more recently Taking a Line for a Walk by Christopher Lambert, An Eye on the Hebrides by Mairi Hedderwick and Lorette E Roberts Singapore. Secrets of the Lion City. (and many many more books) . (I am looking forward to Danny Gregory’s upcoming book “An Illustrated Journey”).This is all pre-internet/self publishing era. But these are usually edited, formatted, composed, cleaned up, lovely small font with commentary, they are quite lengthy and published after the journey. Now I have many online favourites, .

 
I realised that I wanted to create my own sketchbooks in my drawing style when I travel.. They would be a narrative, day to day, capturing my travels, whether local, interstate or overseas.. As the sketchbooks would be created as I travel, I won’t have the luxury of all of the above editing factors. But I do have the luxury of being able to have an approach in my mind, a concept of how to approach a page composition and what works for me. That is the stage I am at now.

For the past few years I have been drawing everyday in a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook, using watercolour pencils and/or ink. I draw at home, on buses, in queues, sitting on stairs, at cafes,. So I am comfortable with how and when where to draw.

I also know how I draw at the moment. I am at ease drawing objects, food, paper. I am not so good at buildings and vistas. But architecture is an important feature of a city or town and so I want to include it , the trees, roads, sky. I have been considering how it is best for me to capture a scene with these in it. And people – people are the life of the city, so I must include them too.

Sketchbook travel Journals

I currently draw my pre trip preparation – drawing my packed bag, or things in preparation – my sketch-kit, passport, currency. I also always draw at the airport, and on the airplane.( a good way to pass the time) So I am comfortable with the first few pages of my travel sketchbook.


I am entering the 2013 Sketchbook Project and have chosen the theme : Travelogue.Paris 2007. I am revisiting my 2007 holiday to Paris, as if I was there, drawing as much then as I do now ! ..My sketchbook is based on my diaries, photographs I took and where I thought I would have drawn at the time, as well as souvenirs I bought. Although this is created in retrospect, all the time I thought how would approach future travel sketchbooks. I still have a few pages to complete, as it is not due to be sent away until January 2013.

The journal can be viewed here Travelogue Paris 2007

My Travel Sketchbook :my thoughts
 
Over the 18 double pages of the Sketchbook Project I have experimented with composition, lettering, maps., It is different paper and size of my usual sketchbook and I have had to squeeze five days into a limited amount of pages. have come to the following conclusions 
 
  • it will be a combination of on the quick on the spot sketching and more detailed drawings

  • leave first page or two of each day blank – at end of day I could draw maps, streets walked that day, rail/metro routes caught.
 
  • draw objects such as tickets, souvenirs, food, headings also at the end of the day in my hotel room. There is time and space to draw. If there is a good view from the room, I can draw it everyday
 
  • MAPS. If I colour the roads or areas between the road on a map I can match them with other colours I have used on the page, bringing it all together. Below are examples of maps and date experiments
 
 
 
 

 

 


 
 
  • leave lots of white space – I can always fill it in later if it looks too sparse.
 
  •   write commentary about how I feel, think, react to things, smells, places but not too much. I will probably keep a separate diary. I have read a very good book by Dave Fox called “Globejotting : how to write extraordinary travel journals”. I am not a writer, but it had some great hints.

  • Re: buildings and vistas

-just try an draw a section

-leave the top, bottom or sides unfinished.- lines drifting off
  • only colour some parts  
  • don’t try and fill the page – only use part of the page
 
it is like a little vignette., with a little character and insight, but not too much
 
don’t try and get caught up in the detail and try and leave this to a ” close up ” drawing later if I get the chance
 
 
Reading over what I have written it seems a little pedantic in places but it has been a very valuable creative experiment.
 
 

Of course this is all very well in writing,