Engage Your Audience With Live Illustration

Tanya Hankinson creating a traditional graphic recording of a podcast using brush pen and watercolour


What is live event illustration, and how can it help you get your message out into the world in a way that stands out?

How Does Live Event Illustration Work?

Basically you invite me along to your event, gathering, coffee morning, briefing, webinar, information sharing shindig and I draw what you say! This can be virtual or in person, live or not live, digital or on paper, BIG or small!

Then I hand over a pleasing summary of the information that is neatly arranged and filled with drawings that you can share and use as you see fit.

Why Hire a Live Illustrator?

To ensure your message is heard!
It will be:

  1. More engaging

  2. More accessible

  3. More memorable

  4. More joyful

  5. More effective!

list of wants with happy stars checklist illustration

What Can I Do With the
Visual Notes After the Event?

  1. Share it with the attendees to help them to recall information;

  2. Share it with other stakeholders as visual minutes of the event;

  3. Share it on social media or in a newsletter to spread the word faaar and wide;

  4. Use it to create an interactive quiz or similar;

  5. Take sections of the illustration and incorporate them into reports.

An example of live digital illustration: ‘Investing in 2025’ Webinar

digital live illustration of the moneybox investing in 2025 webinar from May using branding colours and a combination of hand drawn icons and hand lettering.

This is a live graphic recording of the webinar, which incorporates branding colours throughout. Using a combination of hand lettering and visuals in this way leads the eye and provides a much more enjoyable learning experience than reams of writing on paper. Opting for a digital infographic such as this means that you can also have a timelapse recording of the illustration. There’s no mess, it’s almost immediately available after the event and can be easily edited and shared.

An example of traditional live illustration (ink and watercolour):

traditional live event illustration created using watercolour and brush pen

This is a traditional live graphic recording of a podcast called ‘Grief, Creativity and Refinding your Magic’ by Andy J. Pizza and Rebecca Green. Here I used watercolour paint and a brush pen. This outcome is A3 in size, but traditional graphic recordings can be created in a size that suits you. There is something quite magical about traditional graphic recording work and the final illustration can be displayed however you’d like!

Does it Always Have to be ‘Live’?

Live illustration can be a confusing concept! The skills which are needed for live event illustration lend themselves to the visual synthesis of information, in whichever form that may take. This absolutely does not have to be live!

Check out this example. It’s a resource to support and offer prompts to pupils when they peer assess each other’s work. It’s a summary of a wordy resource, which is now much easier on the eye and therefore much more accessible.

Synthesising information into a distilled combination of hand written text and image makes it STAND OUT.

AND we know that distilling key information into its essential essence helps you to absorb information more deeply. So in a world where 90% of the information transmitted to the human brain is visual, if we add the power of illustration to this summarised information, we’re on to a winner!

Before, During and After the Event

  • Before

    Invites

    Illustrations for presentation slides

    Itineraries

    Holding presentation slide

  • During

    In-person live illustration (digital or traditional)

    Online, virtual live illustration

  • After

    Illustration of a recording of the event

    Infographics/flyers for attendees to take home

    Illustrated reports

get in touch illustrated hand lettered icon witth letter motif