I did a back-to-back market weekend, starting July 4th at Canewdon dog show.
Dogs and art, the perfect combination
As you can probably tell by how many dogs I draw, both for myself and clients, this kind of event is my happy place.
It wasn’t planned, but the spot I chose just so happened to be next to a lovely coffee stall, so I got to admire all the gorgeous pups waiting patiently in line. It was the first time I had fully set up my stall using the new layout I had planned, fortunately I had no issues and actually love how it turned out. You may have spotted a blackboard in front of my table, this was a last minute addition as I spotted it in a charity shop (where I try to get most of my stuff, as I like to give preloved items a new life and support a good cause whenever possible) a few days before the event and quickly added a fun message for my four-legged visitors.
Speaking of, my own dogs came to hang out for a while, such a nice surprise. Even though they arrived too late to take part in the show itself, they still loved all the attention and treats they received as they wandered around.
Everyone in the hall was lovely and I found time to chat to some of the wonderful stallholders outside too, especially the rottweiler rescue stand where I picked up more books to add to my shelf. Slight tangent, but I love to collect old, second-hand animal related books to practice my quick sketches, as I trust that they contain real photos – with the rise in AI generated images, most of the time I simply can’t trust that what I’m looking at is even real.
I was so happy to be asked to sketch so many cats and dogs throughout the day, it definitely kept me busy!
Experienced pet portrait artist in Essex
The next day I was back in Hullbridge and I was in a new spot this time, one which challenged me to slightly reconfigure my layout due to limited space behind part of my table. After doing events for so many years, you learn to adapt your display to suit each event and this wasn’t too difficult to overcome, especially when the table next to mine was empty so my neighbour and I shared it for extra storage.
Had a couple of collections arranged for commissions during the day, both were thrilled with their portraits, and I sketched some adorable dogs for neighbouring stallholders who were kind enough to commission me.
Looking forward to the next event over at Chalkwell Park in a few days time, hope to see you there!
