Live Illustration Online: Mastering Virtual Events Since 2020
If you've been searching for live illustration online for your next virtual event, you're in the right place. We've been doing this since before it was mainstream - and the story of how we got here is worth telling.
How Covid Changed Everything for Live Illustrators
When the world went into lockdown in 2020, the events industry didn't disappear. It migrated online FAST. For us as a live illustration company, that shift was a turning point. In that year alone, we illustrated at over 100 online events. What seemed like a crisis became an accelerator, pushing us to develop a craft that we now consider one of our specialisms: live illustration for online events.
Navigating the Wild West of Online Platforms
In the early days of virtual events, there was no single dominant platform. Organisers were experimenting with everything - Blue Jeans, Webex, even Skype - before Zoom became the clear front-runner. Each platform came with its own quirks, and our job was to figure out how to deliver great remote graphic recording regardless of the online event setup.
Higher-budget events often had custom AV configurations where, behind the scenes, it was still a Zoom link, but our iPad canvas was being patched directly into the production feed. This gave the event organiser full control over how much of the illustration was visible, and when. It was a genuinely exciting creative challenge.
The Human Touch in a Digital World
One thing we figured out early on was the importance of showing up as a human. We use virtual webcam software to switch seamlessly between our face (waving hello, acknowledging the audience) and the illustration canvas. That ability to flick quickly between "here's the person drawing this" and "here's the drawing unfolding live" has become an invaluable part of our process.
Drawing at an online event for IKEA (Katie was on Camera between illustrations to talk through the illustrations so far, before switching back to the sketchnotes on the iPad.)
Please excuse the weird facial expression 🤣
This matters more than ever now. In an age where AI-generated content is everywhere, proving there's a real person behind the artwork creates genuine connection with your audience.
Why Live Scribing Online Works so Well
Zoom fatigue is real, but live illustration is one of the most effective antidotes to it. Here's why virtual event organisers keep coming back to us:
It holds attention.
Watching an illustration develop in real time gives attendees something to focus on beyond a talking head or a slide deck.
It reflects the audience back at them.
During Q&A sessions and panel discussions, participants love seeing their contributions (their words, their ideas) appear in the illustration as it grows. It makes people feel genuinely heard.
What does it look like when a conference artist is drawing at an online meeting?
Behold! This short online event illustration video below shows a few examples of what it really looks like when we’re scribing at online events.
It creates shareable content.
At the end of every live illustration session, a timelapse animation is automatically generated. These videos perform brilliantly on LinkedIn, giving your event a second life on social media long after it's ended.
It's device-native.
We've always preferred working digitally on an iPad, and online events are the perfect setting for that. The canvas, the tools, the workflow - everything is built for this environment.
A Real Example: Live Illustration at an Online Awards Ceremony
One of our favourite projects was working with Bloom on their online awards ceremony. Rather than a static backdrop or a slideshow, the event was brought to life through live illustration — capturing the atmosphere, the winners, and the moments that made it memorable. The resulting timelapse became a highlight of their post-event content.
It's a great example of what online event illustration can do for a virtual event: it transforms something that could feel transactional into something people actually remember.
Ready to add live illustration to your next online event?
Whether you're planning a virtual conference, a webinar, an awards ceremony, or a team away day, hand-drawn visuals can transform the experience for your attendees - and give you beautiful, shareable content to show for it.