Becca Hillburn

The Saga Continues- Patreon Newsletter March 28th (Patreon)

Published:

2023-03-28 23:48:20

Edited:

2023-03-29 01:42:11

Imported:

2026-10

Tags:

Backer Newsletter Backer Update Patreon Newsletter Patreon Update blog post

Content

Luling Fete:

It was cold. It was blustery. And the bbq pop up truck kept blowing all their smoke in our faces all day, with no free samples. But despite the wind and the chill, people came out and we had a good time!

Every first year show has a learning curve, and hosting an event like this is a big challenge with all sorts of unexpected issues. I feel like the Paul Maillard Business & Arts Initiative did a great job anticipating issues they COULD control, and taking criticism on how to improve in the future.

And as an artist, I need to learn how to better set up a table that can withstand the wind and the chill- whether we bring a small heating unit, devise some tarps to go on the tents we don't own (our tent walls wouldn't fit), buy some paperweights, or build some heavy duty shelving- this was a learning opportunity for me as well. As I continue to move away from anime cons, I need to learn how to be flexible and adjust to the situations that these types of outdoor events can often present.

I have a recap of the show that I'm still working on, so keep an eye out for it!

A Contrast of Two Craft Events- St Gertrude's Eggs-stravaganza and Destrehan Plantation Spring Garden Festival:

Joseph and I like to scope out shows before we commit to tabling at them. Admission is always cheaper than a table ticket; a little investigative work can pay dividends. When doing anime cons, I spent so much money traveling to shows that turned out to be a bust for me, but since Louisiana has a plethora of festivals, shows, and events, it's easy for me to do a little recon. This past weekend, we checked out two shows, the Eggs-stravaganza at St Gertrude's Catholic Church and the Destrehan Plantation Spring Garden Festival.

The Eggs-stravaganza was disappointing in a lot of ways. It's a fundraiser, but they didn't charge admission for attendees nor did they have a donation box. It's an Easter event, but there was no Easter bunny in sight, and the photo op was privately run and a bit of a joke (and not in a funny way, just sad). Although they had PLENTY of outdoor space to work with, there were no yard games or activities to keep people hanging around. And strange for Louisiana, although they have a stage, there was no live music. We went Saturday afternoon, two hours before closing, and saw more vendors than customers at the event.

They did very little to advertise- I only knew about the event from a Louisiana vendor group. While there were a FEW (like two) signs on the road leading up to the church, they were small and sparse, and there was no signage at the church to direct people to the Egg-stravaganza.

Almost everyone was crammed under a covered area with food vendors (and I'm talking about people COOKING FOOD) mixed in with crafters. As a paper artist, I'm not sure being next to a bbq pit is really the best for me or my work (a fire hazard and all), so to me, this was a red flag as well.

I saw a lot of MLM stuff (like Color Street nails) as well as like, obviously from Dollar Tree crafts (with very little to craft them up), as well as products and crafts that took a lot of care and time to make (such as candied jalapenos).

I would like to see this event improve and grow, but if they missed such obvious things as Signage and Having the Easter Bunny at Your Easter Event, they may not be open to what I have to say.

On Sunday, we went to the Destrehan Plantation Spring Garden Festival. This is put on by the people who run the Fall Fest, and I found out about it from my mom, who read about it in the local paper. I didn't see anything about it online (including no mention of vendor opportunities), but we did start seeing small signage popping up in our area about a week before the show. This show is the weekend before the larger New Orleans Botanical Garden Spring Show, and has many of the same vendors.

At this show, there was a live jazz band, the food was mostly in one central area with picnic tables, and the tents were spread out around the property. Admission was $5, and there were talks going on all weekend- we enjoyed the Native Plants talk. Most of the vendors either sold handmade (with a couple exceptions) yard decor, plants, or garden accessories. While the show is still fairly small, and was a little sparsely attended, I feel like it has a lot more potential to grow than the Egg-stravaganza.

I'll have to keep an ear to the ground about applying for the Spring Garden show, because I feel like it could be a good one for me.

What I'm Working On:

I'm going to be coy, and show yall the project, but not talk about it JUST YET, but I'll tell yall about it soon!

Testing out Shin Han Pass- a flexible watercolor/gouache hybrid that might be great for us watercolor artists.

Here's the second half of the secret project!

Another Lilliputian Living illustration FINALLY off the gatorboard and painted! This will be a paint with me tutorial! You can find it in Curious Little things, if you'd like to paint/color along with me.

My desk has been covered in various watercolor projects for the past month, but I was able to reclaim it today and finally unbox some art supplies that have been hanging around. Keep an eye out for the haul video!

Backer Exclusive and Early Access:

Gentle Creatures- Printable Lineart: https://www.patreon.com/posts/gentle-creatures-80650528

Gentle Creatures Watercolor Tutorial: https://www.patreon.com/posts/early-access-80645603

Mushroom Girl Lineart: https://www.patreon.com/posts/backer-exclusive-80545413

Lofi Girl Process Blog: https://www.patreon.com/posts/backer-exclusive-80354480

Berry Rat Printable Lineart: https://www.patreon.com/posts/berry-rat-80311879

Berry Rat Watercolor Tutorial: https://www.patreon.com/posts/early-access-rat-80264941

New to the Public:

Tuesday, March 21st :Restocking Much Used Art Supplies- St Louis Art Supply Haul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UalrVM0r_1o&t=413s

Saturday, March 25th : Bigger is Better! Everything Went Wrong but It's Ok! Let's Build a Watercolor Palette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdJFbkR30pI&t=17s

Tuesday, March 28th: Drawing the Head & Face + Recommended Artbooks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFNMTqNcWE