Visiting Homes of Interesting People
My First Month Trading as Zoe Parker Illustration
Me with my watercolour portrait of Frida Kahlo, posing in front of my Fashion Door, which features a display of the fashion illustrations that I've created as part of the Fashion Illustration Masterclass daily prompt.
Welcome to my monthly newsletter.
I’ll be sending it our on the first of each month to keep things neat and tidy (fingers crossed behind my back) and to make sure that I make notes of interesting stuff during the month so that I have something to write about.
I’ve been trading for a whole month now, and it has been pure bliss!
It is so unbelievably great to wake up in the morning feeling excited about what’s to come; having an action-packed day, and then to going to sleep looking forward to the next day!
I have met such wonderful people too. The whole experience is quite transformational, I really feel like I make a worthwhile contribution to the world.
I aim to have a focus each month, so the month of October has been focused on Pitching. It’s very helpful to be in an accountability group, like the group I am in which is run by Jo Scott at The Travelling Artist. Keeping my targets aligned with those I’ve told Jo and the group helps me to stay on course- and I keep a note of it all in my Makers’ Yearbook.
I created this series of 4 promotional postcards to showcase each of my illustration services: Fashion Illustration, Wedding Illustration, Live Event Illustration and Graphic Recording.
On the reverse of each card are 2 QR codes with links to my website.
And I’ve designed new business cards too! That’s my printing budget blown for the entire year..
Another wonderful thing is the organisation, Start Up Croydon. I recommend them so, so much. It’s been a great way for me to build connections- and the support is ongoing.
It was whilst I was at my last meeting at Start Up Croydon, that other members mentioned how much they liked the name of my website, The Gleeful Dabbler. I explained that I was going to change it to simply Zoe Parker Illustration. There was almost an outcry (not really, but a couple of people said, Don’t, we like the name!). Ok, so I’ll keep it. People don’t even seem to mind if they don’t know who the original Gleeful Dabbler is!
I’m going to tell you anyway. It’s Frida Kahlo. An artist I had never heard of until I was like, 40 something. Why hadn’t I heard of Frida Kahlo until I was so old? I did Art at school; I taught Art at school! Why had I never heard of her?
Well. I’m going to say it. It’s because she’s a woman artist and she was married to a man artist who took all the glory. (Though, to be fair, I’d never heard of her husband either.)
Even though Frida was the genius in the relationship (not just my opinion!), it was her husband Diego Rivero who was revered. An article by Florence Davies in her 1933 article for the Detroit News was titled, “Wife of the Master Mural Painter Gleefully Dabbles in Works of Art”. The article was part of a series called Visting Homes of Interesting People. I don’t know who else was interviewed for this series because this article seems to be the only one that anyone remembers. Even though Frida Kahlo herself dismissed her husband in a self-deprecating way, saying “Of course, he does pretty well for a little boy, but I am the big artist!”
Diego himself acknowledged that Frida was a greater artist than he, and Florence Davies’ article showed Frida Kahlo in a very positive light.
But still even I, with all my exposure to art, hadn’t heard of her until a few years ago when there was a big push to dredge up female artists and drag them into the spotlight. And not a moment too soon, though many of them are long dead.
Even now, women are wont to refer to themselves as dabblers, doodlers, just playing, not to be taken seriously etc. I was worried that my using the word “dabbler” in my Website I would not be taken seriously. However, now I think I can use the Gleeful Dabbler as a force for good! I’m certainly Gleeful, that’s for sure. And all my Dabbling is done in a most professional manner.
A trailer for this newsletter, in which I explain why I’m holding a watercolour portrait of Frida Kahlo and how this relates to the name of my website, The Gleeful Dabbler. And why I’m keeping the name, The Gleeful Dabbler. Also note the tatty silver dressing table, awaiting renovation!
As I mentioned, this month is Pitching month, Pitching in Person, Pitching in Palace (Crystal Palace that is), and I’ve been sending out emails and trekking around meeting people. The trekking around is way more fun and productive, it’s the way forward.
Whilst trekking I did come across this tatty old dressing table discarded at the end of someone’s drive (it was right by the bins, they were definitely throwing it out), so I’m going to jazz it up with chalk paint and bedeck it Frida Kahlo style and it will be a great backdrop for some of my social media postings.
Hey presto, here it is!
I had some left over paint so I coated some cardboard boxes and added some of my stickers to make them look like part of my branding kit! I can take these boxes out with me to fairs and events and have a cohesive look for Zoe Parker Illustration. It cost £12 for the paint and everything else was free, or came with cat food.
I’ve been working on more portrait commissions this month- and have more coming in which is wonderful, I have space for a couple more commissions before Christmas, but I will have to close the Christmas portrait doors mid-November. I’ll share images when I can!
I had fun at the Vellum Mill Gallery on October 25th, stewarding for the Croydon Art Society. The exhibition is beautiful, and the styles of work are so varied. It is really worth coming to see, and Carshalton, where the gallery is located, is worth a visit in itself.
The exhibition runs until November 2nd, and then I’ll be preparing for my next event- the SoCro Art Fair on November 9th.
Here’s the flyer, the venue and me on the top row. On the bottom row are the paintings that I am exhibiting, you can find out more about them here and they will be available to purchase as giclee prints from my online shop, which is coming soon.
A flyer for So Cro Art Fair which I’ll be attending on November 9th, selling prints and original pieces of my work. I’ll also be creating on the spot portraits and fashion illustrations, so get your glad rags on!
So Cro Art Fair takes place at Coombe Wood school in South Croydon. I’ll be creating live portraits on the day so do come down and enjoy the thrill!
I have some possible collaborations coming up too, in South Norwood and Crystal Palace but I can’t say any more just yet.
It has certainly been a Gleeful- and busy- first month!
Next month I’ll be gleefully dabbling in SEO (what?) and opening my online shop in time for Christmas.
Do let me know if you would like me to draw at your next event, or if you would like to commission a portrait. Spaces are booking up fast this side of Christmas!
Prices for commissions A4 size start at £250. Prices for Live Events, and all the logistics are on my website which you can access here. Do get in touch if you would like to know more, price packages and logistics can be tweaked to suit different requirements!