
I was lucky enough to get a dream job Illustrating for the Melbourne cup at the Benson Hotel in Cairns. First and most important was to get there early to set up and find a parking spot where I didn't have to leave the event to pay for parking. It takes 30 minutes to set up and about 5 minutes to pack up.
I was greeted with a great response; quite a few people attending the event had never seen a fashion illustrator draw live. It didn't take long before I got a crowd and a lineup. It was nice to attract people who wouldn't usually have access to someone like me. They loved their little drawings and often kept them in their possession rather than have me hold on to them while they partied.
Surprisingly I did four illustrations of men, which were received with many positive comments. One is getting framed and going straight into the pool room. Another is also being prepared for framing for a living room.
It's a bit weird drawing men as they tend to look at you very directly, straight into your eyes, while women pose, and they don't look at you; it's more of a soft look when they do.
Meanwhile, my job is to do more looking than drawing as my time is limited in capturing a person in a minimal amount of time. My job is also a lot of talking, as you can't capture someone without finding out who they are.
I have a few collectors that make it one of their proprieties to seek me out at an event. I often think of these little illustrations as family heirlooms and how cool it would be for future family members to find them and imagine how stylish grandma used to be.
One fantastic outcome of these events was that I got to talk to many interesting people; one was a young lady who was an undertaker who loved her job because she could comfort people when they needed a kind soul to be there for them; she was radiating positive vibes on the day, but looking back at her photos I took on the day they didn't capture what I could in an illustration of her essence, which on reflection sums up what I do as unique and collectable.

The Benson was incredible. They looked after me and had a table set up and ready to go, and there were so many good comments about the event, from food to entertainment and my being there.
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