When I started working as a live illustrator, I read a lot of blog posts on how to get started in the industry, so I thought I would write a blog about my own experiences to date.

There are many ways to work as a live illustrator from live scribing / graphic recording, to window painting, mural painting and beyond. The kind of live illustration I’m talking about is live portrait illustration.

Live illustration is becoming increasingly popular in the wedding industry, and many brands are also seeing the benefit in having a live illustrator at their press events, brand launches, in store events and event at award ceremonies.

At the moment I predominantly create live portraits at weddings in the UK, but I have also worked with a range of brands at their events and I would love to do more work like this in 2024.

Here I’m sharing my tips on how to get started as a live illustrator, particularly in the wedding industry.

1. Build A Portfolio.

   You can’t start promoting yourself as a live illustrator until you know that you can create live portraits quickly. Before I started working at weddings and live events, I spent plenty of time in my studio practicing drawing people and portraits, partly to time how quickly I could create them, but also to trying out a range of materials to see which I preferred working with.

   My favourite materials to create portraits are watercolours (I have a Winsor and Newton palette, including ready mixed skin tones) and a Tombow Fudensuke brush tip fineliner. Many other illustrators also enjoy using Brushmarker pens like these, along with different thicknesses of fineliner pens. Some live illustrators also work on ipads, but hand painted or drawn portraits tend to be more popular.

2. Book Some Trial Events

Once you have refined your illustration style and you know you can create portraits in around 10 - 15 minutes or quicker, start researching some local events that you can practice illustrating at. I started out creating portraits at local art fairs and craft markets. Better yet, if you have friends or family that are hosting a wedding or birthday party, offer to create live portraits as a gift to the host and guests. Make sure you capture plenty of photos and videos of you in action, and of happy guests with their portraits!

I also recommend asking a photographer to come and take professional photos of you at work, as these will be fantastic to use on your website and social media. This is a very worthwhile investment, and I always take the time to work with branding photographers each year to update my portfolio and website.

3. Create An Online Presence

Once you’ve got some fantastic examples of your work under your belt, make sure to start shouting about it online. This can be on social media, but also make sure you have a website which has examples of your work, as well as information about you and how to book you as a live illustrator.

If you’re looking to work in the wedding industry, a great idea is to create profiles on wedding supplier websites such as Hitched, Bridebook and Add To Event.

You can also choose to invest in paid online wedding supplier directories, but these are not always necessary if you are just getting started.

4. Take Part In Events

One of the best ways for clients and couples to find you, is at real life events, not just online. One place to start is booking some wedding fairs. However, make sure you have researced the venue / wedding fair company to make sure they will be a good fit for you and your brand. Live illustration is an unusual option for weddings particularly, so you will be looking for somewhere that more creative couples can find you. Events like the Un Wedding Show are a great investment if you are aiming for the alternative wedding market.

Taking part in local networking events, as well as working with local businesses as an illustrator, are other great ways to spread the word about your live illustration business. For example, last year I created live portraits at a retail event for Midrib Plants in Reading, where I also hosted watercolour workshops.

5. Define Your Pricing

Finally, you need to be confident on how to price your services as a live illustrator. The best way to do this is to research other live illustrators that you admire, and you can also speak to the AOI for advice.

Spend some time deciding on what illustration packages you are looking to offer, ie. how many hours, how many portraits etc. I currently mainly offer guest portraits as well as bridal couple portraits. However, many other live illustrators offer ceremony portraits, speech illustrations, cake and flower illustrations, as well as informal illustrations of other aspects of a wedding day.

Think about the type of illustration you enjoy the most i.e. quick sketches of people, or more detailed paintings. Also take into account how long each portrait takes, and what you would charge for individual portraits.

Your fee should also take into account your travel and material costs, as well as your level of expertise and experience.

Are you looking to book a live illustrator? You can find out more about my live illustration services here, or get in touch via my contact form below: