Author Archives: alissa

My different styles of sketching

Today, Saturday, I did four drawings, each in a different style. I thought that this would be an opportunity to write about it.

I draw with watercolour pencil and also use a Lamy Safari Joy ink pen. Depending on the day, how I feel, I use them in  different ways. Sometimes in combination and sometimes on their own. Some are quick sketches in minutes capturing a moment, others are completed over a few nights, as a study. 


A quick unplanned sketch of some  buskers Winterbourne in the Pitt Street Mall. I found a place out of the crowd, leaning up against a wall, and decided what to include. I started with the main guitarist, then the second one really got into it and so I quickly sketched him.  I then added the onlookers.



Lunch –  sushi at David Jones . Sushi is such a sketchable subject, so I chose my lunch subjects for their aesthetic value. And sushi doesn’t get cold as you sketch , and you can have multiple plates to choose from . This was drawn and coloured on the page in watercolour pencil and then I used waterbrush to spread the colour, then added some more pencil lines. I ate the avocado sushi and then drew the second  sushi and then ate it !


The next sketch was when I arrived very early for my hairdressers appointment. I found a place in the sun, leant up against a wall and spend about half an hour on this.  I drew in the lines of the buildings, either in their colour (such as Burnt Yellow Ochre for the cliff) , or Paynes grey . I then took colour off the tip of the pencil with the waterbrush and adding it to the page. Then I added the final lines of street lights and poles.


and finally a more studied drawing of some watercolour paper that I bought . I spent half an hour with the helpful (and patient) staff at Parkers Art Supplies in Sydney looking at a number of papers. I bought five.  I am going to use them to test as I am looking for a comparative paper block or sheets of my wonderful Moleskine watercolour sketchbook. I am still going to continue using my journals but am drawing some more “finished” subjects on loose sheets. I will be writing a separate blog post on this.

Sydney city people and places

Sydney city, like all others, is made up of both people and places. I have been out sketching both this week, with my watercolour pencils
 
Martin Place is a pedestrian area that extends over several blocks. There are large areas for the public, including a stage and steps. There is also space where skateboarders congregate. It is school holidays, so there was a younger crowd there this week. The are so quick and hard to draw. I needed to watch them do the same trick over and over again before I could get it on paper. If I watched them often enough I would have a better understanding of where all the limbs go !

 
The Big Issue seller in Martin Place. The Big Issue magazine is a fortnightly, independent magazine that is sold on the streets by homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people

a coffee shop in Hunter Connection, Wynard . I went there because someone recommended the coffee and because of the coffee cups. I did the sketch in Payne Grey watercolour pencil while I waited for my coffee. There was a bit of a queue , but they were quick, so I did not get very long to sketch. Coffee cup sketched later .

Sydney sketches today

Sydney is enjoying the warmest winter in years. The day time temperature has not dropped below 20 degrees and this week there have been blue skies and sunshine everyday. I made the most of this opportunity and sketched . Today I was inspired (and had the time) to do two sketches, one before work and one at lunch. These are both sketched in Martin Place at the GPO end near the Westin.

As it was such lovely weather, lots of other people were out and about in their lunch hours too. That is why it is nice to come into work early and sketch at 8am.  I can sit in doorways of stores that are usually open through the daytime.





I am very pleased with what I can capture on a page in around 30 minutes. I like the vignette style and the little scene. I think that this style has only come to me recently. It is one of the styles that I would like to use when travelling. I also like to use pen and ink as well to do this style of sketch. I also like to do a very quick sketch of people and crowds. I have a variety of styles and it depends on the scenes (or most usually) what I feel like on the day to which one I use.

 

I start with a very few lines in pencil. Just some basic horizontal and vertical lines and for these, the arches, just so that I don’t miss out on a level of the building. Then my lovely watercolour pencils come out. I draw in the lines and areas in their colour, Then I apply the waterbrush, then more watercolour pencil and so on until it is time to go !

Drawing Sydney in my lunchhour

 Drawing Sydney in my lunchhour
 
I have been working  at an office near Macquarie Street, Sydney for the past three weeks. I took the opportunity to go out in my lunchhour and sketch some of the historic sandstone buildings.  Macquarie Street is one of Sydney’s oldest government districts with a number of heritage buildings built during the city’s early colonial years.
 
The weather has been the warmist May in many years, so it has been lovely to sit in the sunshine and sketch with my watercolour pencils.It is little capture of the buildings. I made a conscious decision to draw the buildings and not include the busy street life and am pleased with the result.
 
 I usually spent about half an hour on each sketch .
I sketch with watercolour pencils in a Moleskine watercolour sketchbook
 
 
Sydney Eye Hospital and Sydney Hospital
 
Sydney Eye Hospital and Sydney Hospital

St James

Hyde Park Barracks

 



St Stephens Uniting Church
 
 
State Library of NSW
 

drawing biscuits step by step

Today  I drew two biscuits for the Everyday in May challenge of Draw a Cookie.
I thought that I would share my drawing process with you. I use watercolour pencil in a Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook.
 
Everyday in May is an art challenge I have participated four times in previous years.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alissaduke/sets/  A list of daily challenges is provided at the beginning of May and everyone draws/paints their interpretation. See everyone else’s at https://www.flickr.com/groups/edmeverydayinmay2011/pool/
These are based on the list of Danny Gregory Everyday Matters challenges.
 
Here is my drawing of a “Cookie.
” In Australia we call them biscuits and these are two Arnott’s classics. A Monte Carlo and a Shortbread Cream. These two are not my absolute favourites, but definitely part of growing up in Australia. The Delta Cream biscuit was added later……
 
Monte Carlo: a raspberry and cream fondant sandwiched between two golden syrup, honey and coconut biscuits.
Shortbread creams: two vanilla shortbreads with vanilla cream in the centre
 
 

 
 
 
 
The finished drawing. It took about two hours
 
 

 
 

Easter food drawing

Happy Easter

Each Easter I draw a hot cross bun and any other Easter eggs I have been given



a chocolate I was given
 

a card I made
 


Here is this years hot cross bun.
 
 
Hot Cross Buns are part of Easter for me and my childhood in Australia and they come from a English tradition.   They are spicey sweet buns with a cross on the top (made of flour and water usually) and are eaten on Good Friday.

I searched around a few local bakeries and bought three buns as I wanted to see their various interpretations. Usually they are sold in half dozen, but I bought single ones. I did not realize how traditional and picky I was, until I came to buy and draw them. It cannot have any strange additions (chocolate ? custard ? )  and HAS to have currants and if possible, peel.   I chose to draw the one that was home baked by a friend Judy. It has a lovely glaze (secret recipe).

Last year on my blog I showed step by step of my hot cross bun as I drew it.   http://www.alissaduke.com/2013/03/hot-cross-buns.html

and also a  collection of my other Easter drawings of chocolates and rabbits and more hot cross buns http://www.alissaduke.com/2013/03/happy-easter.html

Happy Easter break everyone

sketching a ferry quickly

 
Today I sketched this Sydney Ferry “Charlotte” at King Street Wharf terminal, while I was waiting for my ferry.
 
I made a quick set of notes as to each step so that I could explain how I used watercolour pencils to capture this part of my day on paper. The ferry is about 6cm x 6cm on the page
 
 
 
 
Sketched the basic structure of the ferry in Faber Castell Chrome Yellow as it pulled up to the wharf, unloaded and then reloaded passengers. I did not know how long it would be there but knew this would take a few minutes as it was just after 9am and full of commuters.
 
Quickly added the shapes of the windows in HB  pencil (to get the numbers and shapes correct)  and marked the height of the passengers against the front windows
 
Quickly and roughly shaded (scribbled) with Faber Castell Chrome Oxide Green and Yellow  in the correct areas
 
The ferry started to pull out backwards so I decided to draw the front of it  (in green) now that I could see it all
 
Added light loose background shapes of buildings across the other side of the water.
 
 
on the 8 minute ferry ride to Cockatoo Island
 
 
I added a little Faber Castell Ivory pencil direct to the page on the yellow area. This is to tone down the yellow, which is a little brash for the Sydney Ferry colour. These two colours mix as the water is added and they are spread over the small area on the page .
 
Use the waterbrush on the page to spread the colour
 
Added a few finer lines and the red and blue colour with the pencil direct on the paper
 
 
Then I was off the ferry and ready to enjoy my day !
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 

Sketching on Cockatoo Island

I spent the last two days  on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. A place full of Sydney history from convict to industrial era and through to the present day, where you wander and explore. While Liz Steel and Paul Wang ran their Expressive Urban Sketching Workshop on the island, I spent the days drawing and taking the opportunity to catch up with my old and new sketching friends before and after the Workshop each day. I could feel the sense of enthusiasm and excitement in the group each time I talked to them. There will be many blog, flickr and facebook posts from the 25 participants from around Australia and the world . Have a look at the Australian Urban Sketchers blogsite

I had put aside these two days take my watercolour pencils to the island to explore and draw on Cockatoo Island. I generally ignored the Sydney Biennale Art installations that were on the island. There is already so much to see and sketch ! The Biennale was launched on the Friday and crowds were expected. But it did not cause any issues.

The weather was spectacular – blue skies and sunshine.
All my drawings from the two days are on my flickr site . I filled 16 pages with drawings

Begin the day with a coffee !!


First drawing was on my coffee cup with Lamy Safari Joy ink pen.

Then a focus on one of the rusty cranes


 

 


and my drawing position – on a bin ! One person stopped to say it was a great drawing. Two people stopped and asked to use the bin !

 
 
 ok – a visit to one Biennale Art installation. I listened to the Artists talk and then watched the video made a lot more sense ! 

my morning drawing – looking up to the cliffs
  
 
and my afternoon drawing. I was sitting in the area I drew in the morning Looking down to where I sat in the morning. Does that make sense?
 
(Note to self: During the drawing, look at page without sunglasses on ! My long distance prescription sunglasses are great on a sunny day to shield the sun and focus on the distance to sketch BUT when I took them off and looked at the page at the end of the drawing the colour and linework looked completely different. )
 
 My quick sketches of the Expressive Urban Sketching Workshop
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 

Five watercolour pencil tips

As many of you may know, I draw with watercolour pencils. I enrolled in Cathy Johnson’s watercolour pencil course online in 2009.(It is now available as a CD).That triggered my love of watercolour pencils and I am still enjoying and excited by their possibilities.

Here is a list of MY top 5 tips for using watercolour pencils.

    1. Be aware of the colours that your pencils make on paper when dry AND wet

2. sharpen your pencils often- especially for those finer details

3. draw the outline of the subject with the pencil that you are going to use as its colour (when you blend it with water the outline becomes part of subject instead of an outline)

4. build up layers to create depth and texture

5. experiment with the many ways of using watercolour pencils.

These are tips that I have discovered work for me as my style has developed over the past few years. I hope that this provides insight to gets people experimenting with this wonderful medium. Let me know if you have any questions !

Have a look at the following links to see more indepth information about how I use watercolour pencils

http://www.alissaduke.com/2014/03/drawing-feather-step-by-step.html

http://www.alissaduke.com/2013/03/me-and-my-watercolour-pencils.html

drawing a feather step by step

This post is about drawing the feather of a tawny frogmouth. I have quite a few of these feathers in my collection. I am not sure why I have so many, as you don’t see that very many tawny frogmouth birds about. This is probably because they blend in so well with the tree branches they are on and they are nocturnal. However I still think that there appears to be a disproportionate amount of feathers compared to birds you see everyday, such as magpies. Tawny frogmouths are one of my favourite birds (I seem to have a few)
Tawny frogmouths. Photo: Keith Smith Photography

The Tawny Frogmouth is found throughout Australia. They are about 35–50 cm and can be seen in almost any habitat type except the denser rainforests and treeless deserts. Frogmouths are often confused with owls, but are actually more closely related to the nightjars. This feather was collected off the ground in Toowoomba, Queensland.

I often draw feathers, but they are usually simple and one or two colours. And I complete them over an evening or two. See them here . In this post I wanted to share my love of watercolour pencils and what can be achieved using this medium

The tawny frogmouth feather was more of a challenge as their feathers are highly patterned. This is the second time I have attempted to draw one and I am still figuring out how to do it. I was halfway through this one when I discovered that Derwent Inktense Bark watercolour pencil is the perfect colour for the tawny frogmouth feather. The pencils I was using were too brown or too grey and I was trying to blend them.
 
This time I remembered to take these photographs along the way to try to show my work in progress. It shows the real feather at the top and my drawing next to it. I started it in February this year and then put the drawing aside for about two weeks between the last two images.
STEP 1
 
STEP 2

STEP 3

 
 
 
 
in detail
 
 
 
 
 
 
STTEP 4 – FINISHED !
 
 
 
Drawn on Arches 300gsm Smooth Watercolour paper.
main Colours
Bark – Derwent Inktense
Walnut Brown – Faber Castell Albrecht Durer
Burnt Umber- Faber Castell Albrecht Durer
Ivory – Faber Castell Albrecht Durer
Raw Umber – Derwent
I have found that the Derwent pencils are too soft for the finer “feathery” details of the feather (the “afterfeather”) as you can see the texture of the pencil on the paper. Faber Castells are harder and give a finer line, which can also be dissolved beautifully to give the fluffy look. This is the area I love to draw.  This particular feather was a bit of an experiment. I am very pleased with the final result, and have learnt a lot along the way. NEXT TIME I need to figure out a way to achieve the dark colour patterns and the fine lines of the feather (I think these are called the barbs). I feel that it is a little heavy handed and muddy in this one. However, I am not looking for a photorealistic drawing of feathers. My drawings are more about the impression of detail, rather then actual detail.

  
 
Tawny frogmouth and chick drawn from photo, 2010