Greetings from the future! Well not really, but 2025 does sound like a futuristic date doesn’t it? I hope that your festive season was jolly, calm and filled with lots of love. Christmas day for me was delightful, a fruit breakfast with my family followed by a salad lunch with Kyle’s family. I’ve enjoyed a bit of a break, but I’m keen as a bean to get back into art making! I’ve decided to do a doodle a day every day this year in my diary, which I’m sure will spark many more creative ideas. Read on for more on what I’ve been up to and what I’m keen to do more of this year.
VLOG
Blog Posts
Every month, I’ve been putting out several blog posts filled with lovely art, classes and freebies. I’ve noticed however that not many people are receiving them. If you’re interested in receiving these blog posts as I post them, follow these instructions to change your preferences.
Log into Substack (click on this email).
Navigate to your Substack account Settings page: https://substack.com/settings.
Under Subscriptions, click on my logo (Zinia King - A Dose of Whimsy).
Scroll down to Notifications and toggle on ‘A Dose of Whimsy’ and/or ‘Teaching Resources’.
I will always post my blog posts in this once a month email anyway, so there is no need to do this unless you’re exceptionally keen! On that note, here are my blog posts from December:
How to Draw - Echidna
Echidnas probably one of my favourite animals, they are so sassy and unique. See my blog post about them here.
Your Mid-Monthly Dose of Whimsy #4
Greetings from a hot lady on the couch in front of a fan! I hope that all is well with you and you’re able to stay away from the stress that’s often associated with this festive time of year! In this post I’ll share some pictures from my recent residency at Glenunga International High School, some nature journal pages and a special ‘12 Days of Christmas’ Ebook freebie to my lovely paid subscribers.
Power in Naivety
I pulled this old sketchbook off the shelf today and I was struck by how intriguing many of my drawings were - despite their lack of technical prowess. In 2013 I was 19/20 years old and full of inspiration from my overseas travels the previous year. I was in my first year of University (studying Visual Communications) and relishing every chance I could to experiment in the world of art. This was such an exciting time in my life and I think this sketchbook captures that joy. Enjoy!
Art Classes
Wine and watercolours! Join me at Between the Vines on the 17th of January to welcome the New Year in style. With a glass of wine in hand, join me in some super fun creative play with watercolour. A great introduction to watercolours - Book here.
Homeschool art classes at Norton Summit will begin again in February. Book here if you’re interested and if you happen to be a part of the Adelaide/Adelaide Hills Homeschool community, It would mean the world to be if you could share it around.
2025 Shop Plans
After holding out for probably far too long, I’ve had to add shipping costs to my online shop. Australia Post have increased their prices significantly since I opened my store and I can’t absorb the costs any more. However, I’m happy to offer free shipping on all orders over $60, simply plug in the code FREESHIPPING at checkout.
I had a ‘paddock planning session’ the other day with lots of ideas on how I’d like to proceed with my shop. This year you can look out for more of these products:
How-To-Draw sheets/books (great for teachers).
Beautiful ‘To-Do’ lists to keep you motivated.
Original artworks (please keep me accountable on this one)!
Bunting in different styles.
Stickers in different designs.
T-Shirts.
Poster prints (cheaper digital prints to add some whimsy to your space).
Magnets and badges.
‘A Dose of Whimsy’ quarterly magazine.
Please let me know if there are any products you’ve been dying to see my art on and I’ll see what I can do. Sustainability is very important to me, so keep that in mind.
25% off Calendars
Enjoy 25% off my Australian Animal 2025 Calendar with the code CALENDAR25 or come and visit me at the upcoming Willunga Handmade Artisan Market / Stirling Market. You can also shop on my Etsy shop where the discount is automatic.
Gifts For You
The gift in the real mail to my wonderful ‘Letterbox Legends’ (and one general subscriber) this month features my ‘G’day from my Garden’ letter, a blank ‘Fredrick the Flamboyant Forest Dragon’ card and little Michael the Merman magnet. If you also want a monthly dose of whimsy in your letterbox, you can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.
With love and a dose of whimsy,
Zinia