I write a blog post at this time each year looking back at what I have done during the year with my art.  I have found this is a very useful way of realising how much I have accomplished in a year, as I usually forget about some events or do not realise how many classes I have run etc. It is a good reality check for me.
( I have done this in 2019 2018,  2017 as well as  2014  2015 & 2016 )

This year of course is different, as with everyone. My carefully planned year, and all its exciting events were cancelled. I have been working from home (in my daytime work) since March when Melbourne went into lockdown. Restrictions have only recently been eased, however, there is still a long way to go back to normal. This new way of life did not stop me from sketching and achieving other art-related goals. I have put links to separate blog posts if there is one.

• Daily sketching. This year again I filled eight Moleskine watercolour sketchbooks (13 x19 cm) of everyday sketching. I scan every page of my sketchbook and put them all on Flickr (an image sharing website) Some go onto Facebook at Alissa Duke Art , some on Instagram alissaduke1. I thought that I would have less than last year, as I had not attended as many events and this is when I often fill many pages. However, it is the same as last year. I did sketch a lot in the gardens this year in my allowed exercise and recreation time, sometimes over multiple pages.
• Two watercolour pencil sketching classes in February before everything closed down. Nature sketching and travel sketching,
• I have maintained my weekly art blog. Thank you to the 148 followers of this weekly art blog. I hope that you find it enjoyable and interesting to read and full of information. I hope that I am able to share a bit of my passion for drawing and watercolour pencils. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like me to explain anything I do. I still hope to be able to produce a video one day, (but that is in the too hard basket again. I say this every year). If you don’t already, you can subscribe to my blog to receive it via email.
• Etsy Sales – I have an Etsy online store selling my Greeting cards and ‘drawn in books’. This year was very quiet for card sales.
•  Newsletter. I sent two newsletters this year to the 127 people who subscribe to my newsletter, in April and October. The newsletter is for people who are interested in my art and would like to know when major events happen – new card designs, markets, exhibitions, and classes. They may not necessarily be interested in my Weekly Art Blog, but still want to be updated. Obviously a little quiet this year. This will be one of the places I announce any classes when they begin.
• Instagram. I now have 1548 followers on Instagram alissaduke1. I post an image daily on Instagram, They are examples of sketching every day, and hopefully, inspire some sketchers.

2020 – Here are my projects and commercial activities. (paying for my pencils) This year is a little different. I did have a few one-off art events

Blarney Books & Art Biblio Art Prize. This annual Port Fairy (Victoria, Australia) event was held. When you enter the competition you get given a book title to interpret artistically. This year the books were by recently published Australian Authors. I entered and was given The Silence by Susan Allott. I drew on the pages the mentioned cigarettes and alcohol, which seemed to feature in the lives of the characters. The creativity and skill of the other entries were amazing and it is worth spending time looking through them at the Finalists Exhibition online.

Athenauem Library Art Group. I had previously arranged to hold a Watercolour Pencil sketching class with the Athenaeum Library Art Group. I was contacted to do this as an Online session, I had decided very early on not to do online classes, so I turned the class into a Zoom presentation. I created a slide show that I presented with examples of watercolour sketching and the types of mark marking that can be achieved with those wonderful watercolour pencils. I am really looking forward to seeing them all and continuing this in person.

Two private commissions

Art Aviso

I entered a Melbourne art challenge by gallery Art Aviso. Artists were supplied with a page of Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge 1950’s Encyclopedia (Edited by Enid Blyton), which formed the basis of an artwork to be exhibited at some time on the other side of the Pandemic.Volume 6: What Master minds have done for the good of Man: How this book was built

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Robert Russell Hustle

a local food and wine mini market in December. a sense of normality

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Library Markets another recent small event for the community in December to say hello to each other.

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Other art related achievements

Purchasing ALL The Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils

Photobox. One of the BIG events of my year, the annual Clunes Booktown Festival was cancelled, I had been accepted to have a stall selling my ‘drawn in books amongst the second-hand booksellers and author talks. With this in mind, I had been going explorations of second-hand bookshops stocking up on those discarded books that I could draw in. I had an exciting selection that I had drawn in and had built up stock to take to the Festival. I made the decision to sell these on my ETSY website. To do this I needed to take photographs of them. I purchased a Photo Light Studio, and wrote about it here ) which allows photos to be taken without shadows. I could do this myself while in lockdown. It made a big difference so my sense of productivity and achievement, I have put 20 books on ETSY and sold 10 this year, mailing all over the world.

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Books to draw in. As part of this project I was also given and sought out books to draw in , They must be under $5. In a lockdown, I could not go out all year and nothing was open in Melbourne. I was sent a few boxes of books from friends from various sources. Thank you all. They knew exactly the type of book I was looking for (ready to be thrown out) . I have shelves of books to draw in!

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A3 Scanner/printer. I had an A4 scanner printer and decided to purchase one that would scan the double-page spread of my daily sketchbook, and also scan any commissions I draw, before handing them over.

Updated business cards. A graphic designer friend updated my MOO brand business cards: cards are the same design (in multiple colours), with updated information. They are now ready to hand out at events and attach to purchases from my ETSY online store that I post out.

Going forward into 2021. What will it bring?

More drawing in books. I will be continuing my daytime work from home. Watercolour pencil sketching classes will begin again at some stage. and of course, sketching everyday !!!

Stay happy and creative.