Photo of illustrator Helen RIdley sitting on a bench next to a paint palette at Merriscourt, a wedding venue in the cotswolds. Photo by Nicola Benson

Hello, I'm Helen

A live illustrator for weddings and events.

I create joy and connection through my hand painted live portraits, and with mindfully creative workshops.

LETS WORK TOGETHER

Ways To Work With Me

Bring an element of magic to your wedding day, book me as a live artist to create hand painted portraits of your guests.

Live Wedding Illustration

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Helen ridley watercolour fashion illustration on easel

Live Event Illustration

Elevate your event with a live artist. Book me to paint portraits of people or pets for brand activations, corporate events, store openings and more.

BOOK ME FOR YOUR EVENT
Helen ridley watercolour floral illustrations with paint tubes and paint palette and flowers and calligraphy quote

I host bespoke watercolour workshops and art classes for corporate clients, as well as local venues in Berkshire.

Creative Workshops

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Client List

The Cotswold Company

John Lewis & Partners

1 Hotel Mayfair

Assouline

ALO

Westfield

Photo of black woman with long grey braids wearing a black and white jumpsuit holding a hand painted live fashion illustration by Helen Ridley.
Hand painted watercolour portrait of white couple. The woman is wearing a floral dress and a white jacket and the man is wearing a green three piece suit. The portrait is painted by Helen Ridley
Live Dog Portraits at Chic Dogs Book Launch at Maison Assouline in Piccadilly London
Fashion Illustration by Helen Ridley
Spring florals painting flat lay. Painting by Helen Ridley. Photo by Faye Hedges
Dog portrait of Dalmation at 1 Hotel Mayfair pop up event in London
Groom and Groom portrait by Helen Ridley
Wedding guests with their live portrait by Helen Ridley
Bridal Couple Portrait with floral days in flat lay. Painting by Helen Ridley. Photo by Faye Hedges
Live portrait of bridesmaid
Live Dog Portrait at Maison Assouline in London to celebrate the book launch of Chic Dogs
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Testimonials

  • "We invited Helen to capture customer dog portraits during one of our Housewarming events, and she created the most beautifully animated and characterful illustrations. Each portrait perfectly captured the dog’s personality and essence. Helen was incredibly professional and completely self-sufficient, proactively engaging with customers and contributing positively to the overall atmosphere of the event. "

    —Elena - The Cotswold Company

  • "Helen completed incredible portraits of our wedding guests. From start to finsih she was so easy to communicate with and all of our guests loved their portraits as wedding favours. We would recommend her to anyone."

    —Heenal & Carl

  • "Helen did live portraits at our Christmas Party and we were all blown away by her talent and skill! The illustrations were fantastic, and a fun memento for our guests. Helen's communication before the event was superb, and she was so friendly in person, making the whole experience a wonderful one"

    —Anne Marie - The Kind Vibe Co

  • "Helen illustrated for our wedding at Wasing Park. Helen's illustrations were an absolute hit with our guests and are the most gorgeous keepsakes. Our guests love them and regularly tell us how much they appreciated being able to take a part of the day away with them."

    —Lilly and Liam

  • “We booked Helen for our London wedding last weekend. We were blown away by how awesome she was, everyone loved the idea and said how unique it was. It really added an element of magic to our day. Our guests took the illustrations home as favours and we had so many beautiful comments”

    - Natalie and Robert

Latest Blog Posts

Featured
Live Pet Portraits at The Cotswold Company
Live Pet Portraits at The Cotswold Company

Capturing live pet portraits for an instore activation at The Cotswold Company store opening in Chichester, West Sussex

A Winter Wedding Photoshoot In The Cotswolds
A Winter Wedding Photoshoot In The Cotswolds

A winter wedding photo shoot at Merriscourt in the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire.

Flowers & Styling: @theluxedesigncompany

Photography: @nicolabelson_photography
HMUA: @oxfordshirebridalhairandmakeup
Model: @cloverskerry
Calligrapher: @kindlettering
Illustrator: @helenridleyillustration
Jewellery: @fableandfabledjewellery
Dress: @queen_bee_bridal
Venue: @merriscourt

My Year In Review 2025 - How I Made Money As An Illustrator
My Year In Review 2025 - How I Made Money As An Illustrator

An insight into my year and how I made money as illustrator. From live illustration, to dog portraits and creative workshops. Plus a look at my plans for 2026.

Live Fashion Illustration At A London Wedding At Brunswick House
Live Fashion Illustration At A London Wedding At Brunswick House

Creative Workshops for Teams and Company Away Days

From watercolour painting, to sip and paint workshops, I can create fun and interative workshops that aim to boost employee wellbeing, promote connectivity and communication, build leadership skills and keep your team engaged.

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Videography By Heart Shaped Films

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Live Illustration At Weddings


Bespoke hand painted watercolour live illustrations of you and your guests, and other special details, on the day as it happens.

I create stylish, flattering and joyful fashion portraits of you and your guests, in just 5-10 minutes

A wonderful way to entertain your guests and create a unique memento of your day.

All wedding guest portrait packages also include an A4 Bridal Couple portrait created in my studio.

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Sharing a sketch I did for my stylish friend @vintagebotanist for her birthday last month. I've been experimenting with different styles of portraits for events and I really like this one! #portraitartist #vintagestyle #dressincolour #liveillustrat
This week I was speaking to a client and they were looking for a way to entertain their guests at a networking event... They wanted something that would be a good icebreaker and give the delegates at their event a gift to take home. They had been l
6 Ways I Can Elevate Your Event This Spring! 🌸 Live Floral Illustrations for Valentines day, Product Launches, Store Openings and Mothers Day 🌸 Illustrated family portraits for Mothers Day events 🌸 Live Portraits to Celebrate International Wome
Hello! I've had quite a few new followers recently (welcome!), so I thought I would do a new intro post. I'm Helen, an illustrator and creative workshop host based in Reading, Berkshire. I capture people and pets at live events and weddings across

To book me for your wedding or event, or to discuss a commission,

get in touch or book a virtual coffee and chat!

Contact Me