A Dose of Whimsy #9
The unparalleled joy of new art materials and exploring pregnancy through art.
Hello again lovely people and welcome to another ‘Dose of Whimsy’ instalment. In this monthly post I share all of my whimsical arty play and creative thoughts. 😊
This month has been one of wonderful creative play. I find it incredible that I’ve worked as an illustrator for the last 10 years and barely even touched oil pastels or gouache. A very expensive trip to the art shop left me very excited to play with my new supplies. I love my new caran d’ache neocolor IIs and neopastels and I’ll definitely be investing in more colours.
Collage Party!
I hosted another collage party the other day, what a treat! Sitting around the table, drinking tea and getting in the creative zone with friends has got to be one of the loveliest winter activities ever! So many hysterical giggles. I was a bit more thoughtful with my placing of pieces before committing to gluing this time, and I’m very pleased with my journal page and zine.
I’ve made a little PDF zine of my creation which you can download and look at here.
Nature and Life Journal
I’ve really been getting more into my journal recently. It’s a wonderful place to get my thoughts in order and foster calm.
Clay Play
I had the pleasure of attending some marbled clay classes with my lovely friend
recently and had an absolute ball! Of course, my favourite thing was making little creatures with the clay offcuts. Watch this space to see how they come out once fired.
A Nostalgic Commission
In my second year of uni I created a series of artworks which set me on my illustration career journey. The artworks were of Australian animals wearing victorian style clothing as a comment on the impacts of colonialism on our landscape and animals. I had my first ever exhibition at the Hahndorf Academy with the series and prints sold well ever since. I’m currently in the process of retiring the series and offering 75% off A3 prints on Etsy.
This month I’ve been working on a lovely commission in this style to represent a families new baby. Such a delight to once again get lost in the patterns and details.
A Drawing a Day 2025
Limericks by Edward Lear
I’ve been steadily working on a fun project over the past year or so. If you’ve been reading my Dose of Whimsy posts, you will have seen some of the fun artworks paired with limericks by Edward Lear. I intend to publish a book compiling all of these works to pair my Quangle Wangles Hat book nicely. If you’d like to be notified when the book is released, be sure to have subscribed to my Monthy Newsletter.
There was an old man in a tree,
Whose whiskers were lovely to see;
But the birds of the air,
Pluck'd them perfectly bare,
To make themselves nests on that tree.
- Edward Lear
Pregnancy Art
As I sit here writing this post on the couch, my almost 38 week old foetus visibly moves around my belly. In light of the imminent birth, I’ve been creating lots of pregnancy related artworks which have helped be come to grips with the massive life change I’m about to experience.
Subscribers will receive a PDF containing these artworks to print and pop on their walls. Thanks for reading my Monthly Dose of Whimsy publication. If it gave you a little smile or pop of inspiration, why not consider subscribing?
Also, it would be lovely if you would share my post to someone who you think might need a little dose of whimsy in their mailbox.
You can also always peruse my website which contains my online shop and portfolio. I’m also able to be found on Instagram and Facebook.
With love and a dose of whimsy,
Zinia King
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