News from a messy desk

News from a messy desk

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News from a messy desk
News from a messy desk
Sketchbook Tour: Bologna Children's Book Fair

Sketchbook Tour: Bologna Children's Book Fair

Getting back into using my sketchbook on a trip to Bologna

Charlotte Durance's avatar
Charlotte Durance
Apr 29, 2025
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News from a messy desk
News from a messy desk
Sketchbook Tour: Bologna Children's Book Fair
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Riso print I made for my trip to Bologna.

Hello

I went to Bologna for five days to go to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair earlier this month. It had been a while since I’d had the time to draw so much.

Drawing in the main square on a page prepped with sticky notes.

I really like starting a new sketchbook for a trip. A themed sketchbook feels really motivating and it encourages me to be braver and less precious.

Prepping pages before I go helps me make a start and not delay sketching. I thought about the warm palettes of Bologna and the theme of books when I was prepping my sketchbook.


Some key things from the video tour:

Colour: Thinking about palettes and looking at images of Bologna helped me focus on which materials to take.

Typography: Making a title page for my sketchbook helped me feel freer and more excited about starting to use it. Going for a typography walk was a highlight.

Collage: Using envelopes and stickers that I’ve been collecting was a good starting point and helped me to be more playful with composition.

Drawing on stickers on the plane on the way to Bologna.

Videos

I’ve recorded two videos for these tours: a quick flick through and the usual tour with me talking about the sketches and materials as I go through. Let me know if you like these options.

Here are the videos…

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