A day late posting due to numerous technical issues,
Food has been the theme of a few sketches and drawings this week.
I drew my groceries as they sat unpacked on the bench. A quick ink pen sketch (Lamy Safari Joy ink pen) and colour added
A few meals
and then some drawing in a book for Clunes Booktown Festival
and here are some I did earlier. These are all available for purchase on my Etsy website
On Mondays, for the next three weeks, I will be posting new books on Instagram
I was not able to make it to last weekend’s BIG Chinese New Year in Chinatown in Melbourne. Melbourne Urban Sketchers had a meetup there.
But I did get my own local CNY Lion Dance at East Melbourne Library.
I have sketched the Lion Dance a few times over the years and I know that it is busy, crazy, loud, and fun. The sketching is fast and furious, with the drums pounding to a fast beat.
This time I decided to arrive early and do some sketches in advance of the location and backgrounds. It did not quite work out as planned but I was able to create context.
I sketched the library doorway and the lanterns. It took a few attempts to get the scale right to show the lanterns and the full door.
When the Lions (there were three) arrived I sketched one before they entered the building,
I took some used firecracker paper home after the event, I also took a fortune cookie home but ate it before I could sketch it.
Inside the Library the lions moved all around the shelves, up the stairs. The little lion ( a little boy) interacted with smaller children, making their day.
I guessed the colour of the Lion Dancers and had my red, yellow, and black watercolour pencils out, sharpened, and ready.
In the time before the arrival of the Lion Dancers, the library was filled with the beautiful sounds of the Guzheng (Chinese Zither). I immediately sat down and started sketching her beautiful flowing gown. The Lion Dancer’s arrival was delayed, so Carissa kept playing.
2024 is turning out to be a busy year,.with the calendar filling up already. |
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I have been awarded an Artist in Residence at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library for 2024, An Artist in Residence can take on many forms. In this case, I am providing a drawing a month based on the library, its books, archived objects, and events in the library 2024. I have had a good exploration of the archives and taken many photos and an inspiration! I will post them on my Instagram and Facebook as soon as they are publically available.
I have been a member of the Melbourne Athenaeum Library since I moved to Melbourne in 2014..
It is one of the oldest Libraries in Melbourne and is a subscription Library. I love to borrow their books and attend their regular string quartet concerts. Read more about Melbourne Athenaeum Library here.
 I have been teaching a few classes for the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne. This March will be my second class with them and it is part of their Autumn calendar. Anyone is welcome to book.here. |
 i am so excited to once again have a stall at Clunes Booktown Festival in March. This will be my third year. I am in my happy place of a whole town full of books for a weekend and I get to combine books and drawing. I draw in old books that are about to the discarded, drawing an object or scene that is described on a page. .“Running from dawn to dusk in the historic township of Clunes in Regional Victoria. A two day festival full of author and artist talks, workshops and live entertainment for the whole family. Discover the outdoor book bazaar with over a hundred stall holders and immerse yourself in Clunes from cover to cover. It’s worth the visit.” You can view and purchase them now on my ETSY online store. I will be adding to them all the time as I spend the next month creating more. |
 The Johnston Collection is an exhibition house of exquisite British and European fine and decorative arts in a historic East Melbourne townhouse. They have guided tours, amazing lectures, and events. I have been invited to un some Watercolour Pencil sketching classes. I held one in January and there will be another in May, This is a unique opportunity to learn to sketch ‘on location’ at The Johnston Collection. Become familiar with watercolour pencils and how to use them. Then test your new skills as you explore the ground floor rooms of The Johnston Collection’s exhibition house, Fairhall. Have a look at their Special Events to book and see what else is on offer. Anyone can book for my event, you don’t have to be a Member. |
 Melbourne Rare Book Week is returning for its 10th Anniversary in July.. Once again I am honoured to be the official on-location sketcher documenting the free events. They are in the planning stages at the moment. Keep checking their website for updates and a program release, |
| The ever popular High tea sketching with Watercolour Pencils will return in the next few months at Dromkeen homestead, just outside of Melbourne. Keep a watch on the Dromkeen Facebook page for the announcement and booking details. |
| I have a range of greeting cards printed from my watercolour pencil drawings available for purchase on my ETSY website I. They feature feathers, nests, library shelves and ladders, books, and Christmas-themed cards. They are large-size cards and can also be framed individually or in themes. |
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| It is going to be a fun and busy few months ahead. I have a few other Projects in the planning as well. Keep creative! and happy sketching. Alissa |
Yesterday I was given the opportunity to draw some parsley.
It fitted in very well with the Nature Sketching with Watercolour Pencil class I held on Saturday with Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
We were based at Plant Craft Cottage (1850) which is the oldest building in a public space in Victoria. The heritage-listed building and two of the original rooms are used today to host craft workshops within the tranquil setting of Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
We sat outside in the sunshine and after an introductory session the participants found a place in the shade and sketched. I gave them 15 minutes before moving to another part of the garden.
I mentioned to them the 126 Faber Castell Colours and the many options. There are 20 greens! My parsley project provided the opportunity to show these.
The FaberCastell watercolour pencils used were:
Apologies for the sideways video. It took so long to get this far and I wanted to share this weekly blog, rather than spend another night or two trying to figure this out.
Happy sketching !