Meet Jules: A Live Illustrator’s Journey into Scribing and Making Events Accessible
5 Questions with… Jules!
Did you know there’s a small team of us here at Illustrated Live?!
Yep. We’re a very small but mighty group of remote live illustrators (plus a few other behind-the-scenes folks), and as of right now, we’re giving you a peep into the people behind the work!
This month, we spoke to Jules, our remote live illustrator who is based in Glasgow to get the scoop on all things virtual scribing from their perspective! Let’s get into it…
1. How did you discover live event illustration?
I discovered it entirely accidentally!
In 2013 I was still working a day job in retail, doing comics on the side. While I was looking for a full-time job in arts and design, I came across a place looking for live event illustrators. I decided to give it a go and it turned out to be something I really enjoy doing - luckily, it enabled me to go freelance and quit my retail job soon after I started!
I enjoy the rush of adrenaline just before you start making marks, and engaging my brain to think fast fast fast, even when I'm exhausted afterwards! It's also made me a much more competent illustrator over the years as there is no room for perfectionism and fussing.
2. Tell us something you have learned about the benefits of live illustration since you became a live scribe.
As someone who has always been a visual learner, it just made a lot of sense to me to use illustration as a way to make information and difficult concepts more accessible.
I find it also lends an air of excitement to what can sometimes be a quite dry event, and it pulls out themes that come up organically on the day in a way that you can't always prepare for.
It's been very fulfilling to see organisations tailor their next event on the outcomes I scribed, or share it around online and get amazing engagement on socials.
3. What do you believe sets visual learning apart from other learning styles?
The accessibility across all areas - live illustration can sum up and explain difficult academic concepts, or make blocks of information more digestible and engaging for people with ADHD or dyslexia. Pictures accompanying text often make this text more memorable, too.
4. Why do you think clients should choose live illustration for their next event?
All of the above reasons, and it's fun! It's fun to see someone creating a mural or a large illustration, especially if it's based on your group's feedback and contributions to a workshop, for example.
5. How would you describe live illustration in one word or one sentence?
A sometimes overwhelming but immensely satisfying rush of creativity and organising information!
Curious to see what remote live illustration could bring to your next event? We’d love to hear a bit more about what you’re planning and see whether we can help.
x Illustrated Live