I have been live illustrating for fashion brands, and corporate events for a decade now. I have been fortunate to work with brands like Dior, Gucci, Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Saks, Van Cleef & Arpels, Target and Spanx.
Live fashion illustrations in Chicago for Brunello Cucinelli. I got to meet and illustrate one of the Cucinelli’s!
I still remember my first one back in 2013 or 14. It was for the brand Intermix and they used to have a boutique down the street from my apartment in Atlanta. Little did I know, that live illustration would become a huge part of my career and would allow me to get out of my home office & studio and out into the world meeting thousands of people over the last ten plus years.
Fashion illustrating live, is a huge challenge, and there are always so many questions about how they work and what I actually do. So I’m answering some Frequesntly Asked Questions about live illustration for you below.
What is live illustration?
It can be a number of things based on what the client has hired me for. In a nutshell I am hired to come and create artwork in real time. An illustrator often can bring a new exciting, energy to a space or event. Live illustration is usually what event planners call an “activation” or “experience” that adds to the buzz and overall success of an event. I often am asked to live sketch guests in a few minutes time. 5-10 mins is usually the time allotted for most events. It takes a lot of practice to create portrait gestures in a manner of minutes, but it is a thrilling way to create that always keeps me on my toes. Most people end up framing their artwork, which makes us artist’s feel respected for our skillset. Other requests can be to custom paint shopping bags, branded cards, paint the object the client has bought (think heels or a fab handbag) added hand painted Monograms or paint a scene based on event itself.
Do you travel for events?
Yes, I am happy to travel for live events and have many booked out of state. I am based in Atlanta, Georiga. Because Atlanta is the world’s busiest airport, I can usually get on a flight very easily to just about anywhere in the US. I mainly work in the Southeastern region and do make trips up to NY occasionally. I have worked live fashion illustration events in Las Vegas, Houston & San Antonio Texas, Charleston, South Carolina, New York, and Florida to name a few.
How much do you charge?
The easiest way to get a quote for my services is to fill out the contact form on my contact page here on my website. We will ask you a few questions about your event and usually can get you a quote within 24 hours.
I am an artist who wants to break into the live illustration market. What should I do?
I offer artist coaching services for creatives and can answer all your questions and give you insight into this line of work. Email me at jessillustration@gmail.com to find out more about my Artist Coaching Program or visit my shop to book a slot or package. I would love to help you.
How many people can you illustrate in an hour?
The most I can do-and this goes for my fellow artists who are experienced in this arena-the quickest we can do without comprising the artistry is 5 minutes per guest. So about 12 max per hour. The amount of guests per event varies greatly, but when there are bigger events I would encourage you to hire more than one illustrator. I work with another fashion illustrator in Atlanta that I am friends with-when this happens. And having more than one illustrator creates SUCH a buzz!! When I have to illustrate with a limited amount of time, I try to capture the essence of the client’s look and pull out any special unique part of their look and bring it to the page. What I love about live illustrating is I get to make each person I sit with, feel seen. And I have to be PRESENT when I create.
If you have any other questions about live events, just make sure to fill out the contact form on my contact page or email me at jessillustration@gmail.com
See below some photos from recent events I have live illustrated at ;)
Thank you!
