Hire a Live Illustrator for Your Event

If you've landed here by Googling something like "hire a meeting artist" or "live illustrator for events", congratulations, you found the right place! Here’s a bit about what I offer and how I can help you find exactly the right person for your event. (In case we haven’t met, I’m Katie, live illustrator and founder of Illustrated Live.)

A Bit of Background

I've been illustrating events in person and online since 2016. Over the years, Illustrated Live has grown (which I'm grateful for) but it’s created a problem: I get booked up months in advance, and turning event organisers away is something I do not like doing.

So a couple of years ago, I started figuring out how to to help.

Get a Quote
See live examples
Hire a live illustrator for your event - live illustration for a panel discussion in Birmingham

A Network of Live Illustrators, Ready to Work

I've spent the last few years putting together this brilliant network of fellow live event illustrators, graphic recorders, scribes, and conference artists from across the UK and around the world. Helping match event organisers with the right artist has become one of my favourite things to do.

Here's how it works:

You submit a brief. Tell me about your event: the format, the themes, the date, the budget, the location.

I share it with my network. I'll shortlist the illustrators who are most relevant based on their experience, style, availability, and proximity to you.

You receive a curated list. No obligation to hire anyone. You're free to take it from there.

The service is currently free to use (as of March 2026), and because I'm tapping into a wide network, I can often turn around recommendations quickly, even if your event is happening next week.

Whatever the Event, There's an Illustrator for It

The network covers the full range of live illustration contexts: corporate conferences, panel discussions, away days, product launches, online events - and yes, even weddings.

 Trusted by teams at…

A man with glasses and a beard taking a mirror selfie in a bathroom with tiles on the wall.
black and white line drawing of a mountain landscape with trees and a river
Black background with the acronym 'NHS' in large beige letters.
IKEA logo
Text logo reading 'Penguin Random House' with stylized lines on either side.
Black and white illustration of a woman gardening in a backyard, planting flowers and watering plants.
Amazon logo with black text and smile arrow underneath.
Netflix logo in black and white.
Simple black tick mark on white background.
Logo of Boston Consulting Group with the initials BCG and company name.
A black and white sketch of a face with a serious expression, short hair, and a mustache.
Black and gray logo with a stylized train leaving a trail of smoke and the large letters 'EY' below.
Black silhouette of a woman holding a bird on her hand against a white background.
A logo with the letters V, &, and A in black, stylized font.
Black silhouette of a person climbing a mountain with a pickaxe, against a yellow moon background.
Johnson & Johnson logo in black on a white background.
Silhouette of a man running on a treadmill in a gym.
Black and white illustration of a bird with a circular emblem that reads 'The University of Utah' and features a shield and a feather.
Buttons with the letters T, S, and B on a black background.
Logo for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity featuring a cartoon child's face with one tear and the charity name.
The image depicts a black silhouette of a person's face in profile view, with a connected circuit-like pattern around the ear, symbolizing technology integration or communication.
AVIVA logo with a gray and white abstract symbol next to the company name in black text.
Logo with a stylized coffee bean and the text 'The Coffee House' underneath.
Virgin Media logo with infinity symbol, including the text 'Virgin' and 'media' intertwined with the number 2.
Logo of Juno Women's Aid with the text in black on a white background.
Black T-shirt with white crossed keys and lion symbols, and the text '(Order of the Holy Sepulchre)'.
Aviva logo with a stylized gray and white flag icon and the company name 'AVIVA' in black text.
Black background with gray text that says 'Pret a Manger' flanked by two stars.
A black and white drawing of a skull and crossbones.
Logo of Open College of the Arts and Open University with their names.
The logo of the National Trust featuring a stylized oak leaf and the words 'National Trust'.
Black and white logo with a house icon and the text 'Sustrans' underneath.
A black and white pixelated image resembling a classic arcade game screen showing a blocky spaceship, a ball, and bricks.
The logo of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), featuring a stylized human figure with an outstretched arm and the acronym 'NSVRC' beneath it.
Oxfam logo with a circular icon of a person and the word 'OXFAM' next to it.
A person lying on a bed in a bedroom with an open doorway, visible wardrobe, and a clock on the wall.
MIT logo with the text 'Massachusetts Institute of Technology' next to it.
Logo for National Museums Scotland featuring a stylized knot or ribbon design next to the text.
Black and white Starbucks Coffee logo with the mermaid in the center.
Lululemon logo with stylized white 'L' on a black circle background and the brand name below
Instagram app icon, a gray background with a white outline of a camera and a small circle in the top right corner.
Close-up of a black cat with white eyes, looking directly at the camera, against a black background.
A black and white illustration of a man sitting on a stool, playing an electric guitar, with musical notes around him.
Logo of King's College London with the text in black and stylized font.
A person in a beige trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat carrying a bag walking outdoors.
A black silhouette of a cartoon character with a large head, round ears, and a small body, standing on a flat surface.
Gray logo with white text that says 'Mental Health UK' inside a rounded rectangle with a pointed arrow on the right side.
The logo of Historic England featuring a abstract design with three stylized waves or hills and the text 'Historic England'.
Silhouette of a person looking through binoculars against a background of pink and orange sky with clouds at sunset.

Over 650+ events illustrated since 2017 across 20+ countries and timezones

live illustration on stage big screen digital auditorium - hire a live illustrator for your event
Live illustration of a cybersecurity talk on digital risk.
See how live illustration works

What is Live Illustration?

Live illustration turns spoken ideas into pictures while your event is happening.

Your speaker talks. Your illustrator listens. Key points get distilled, simplified, and sketched into warm, human visuals that make sense at a glance.

The result? People pay attention! They stay with you. And your message sticks wayyyy after the event ends.

It works beautifully for:

  • Conferences & summits

  • Workshops & strategy days

  • Academic & research events

  • Hybrid & online events

  • Festivals & community gatherings

  • Product launches & innovation sessions

Why Hire a Live Illustrator?

People are overwhelmed with endless powerpoint slides. No wonder audiences switch off.

Live illustration cuts through the boring bits. It adds creative spark, surprise, and a reason for people to lean forward instead of doze off.

It gives your event emotion. The magic ingredient for great events.

You get:

  • An event that actually pulls people in.

  • Visuals you can reuse in reports, decks, and social without lifting a finger.

  • A polished, creative atmosphere running through the whole day.

  • Timelapse videos that stop the scroll and pull far more attention online than standard event posts ever manage.

Your audience gets:

  • Ideas that feel easy to grasp.

  • Something genuinely interesting to look at between talks.

  • A visual shortcut that helps them remember what was said.

  • Something they want to share - people often come up asking for the visual notes before the event’s even finished!

We can help you find the right illustrator for your event - anywhere in the world, any time you need one.

Here’s what past event organisers have said about our find-an-illustrator service.

  • Simple drawing of a pink circle with a smiley face and messy hair—hire a live illustrator for custom creations like this!

    "We loved that you could match us with a live illustrator in our timezone. The drawings were incredible."

    - Jo, Senior Customer Marketing Manager

  • A cartoon face with a round, grayish skin tone, black hair, and simple facial features including small eyes, a wavy nose, and a small mouth.

    "We've had some wonderful applications and I definitely think we'll be able to recruit someone for the job."

    Kate -PhD Student

  • Simple illustration of a person with light skin and blonde hair, with a straight hairstyle and a hairband, smiling.

    "Within an hour I could see there were already some interesting candidates. Thank you so much to you and the team.

    - Margherita, PR & Communication Manager

  • Simple illustration of a person's face with a round, orange face, black hair, minimal black facial features, and an expression suggesting speaking or singing.

    "We needed a list of potential illustrators to share with the client FAST, and Illustrated Live delivered!"

    - Atlanta, Senior Project Manager

hire a live illustrator - conference artist - live illustration - drawing on an iPad at a meeting for Johnson & Johnson

What’s Included

Every time you submit a brief, you will:

HIre a live illustrator to create visual notes for a CFO breakfast fintech event panel discussion live illustration

What does it cost to hire a live illustrator?

It’s completely free to advertise an illustration opportunity.

We do ask that you provide a rough idea of your budget to help our illustrators. Here’s a starting point to give you a ball park of how much live illustration costs:

Very short / online: £400 - £950

1/2 Day: £1500

Full day: £2000+

We’ll provide you with a list of live illustrators with the right skills, timezone and style, without overcomplicating anything.

Check availability

Transparent pricing • Worldwide network

How hiring a live illustrator works

A green speech bubble with a playful, smiling face—perfect to hire a live illustrator for fun and engaging conversations.

1. Tell us about your event

  • Share your date, location/timezone, audience and goals.

  • We’ll respond within 24 hours on working days.

Simple pink outline drawing of a pencil on a transparent background—perfect if you want to hire a live illustrator.

2. We gather your list of illustrators

  • Someone with the right style, availability and expertise.

  • Illustrators send a clear quote straight away, so you skip the endless “what’s your budget?” / “what’s your rate?” loop and get on with planning your event.

Simple yellow outline drawing of a star on a transparent background—perfect if you want to hire a live illustrator.

3. Your event springs to life!

  • Once you’ve got your list of illustrators, you’re all set.
    Off you go, choose your favourite, make some magic.

    All we ask is that you keep us up-to-date so we can mark your job as “closed” once you’ve found your illustrator.

  • And when you need an illustrator again, do pop back. We’ll be delighted to help. :)

HIRE AN ILLUSTRATOR

We’re a diverse, world-class team of live event illustrators spread all around the globe

You want maps?
You got maps.
Tadaaa.

  • Illustrated profile card of Katie, the founder of Illustrated Live, with a cartoon drawing of a smiling girl with shoulder-length hair in a striped shirt, waving and saying 'Hiya!'. The card mentions her location in Edinburgh, UK, and her focus on eco-friendliness, with a label indicating it's an illustrated live profile.
  • Illustrated profile card of a person named Vicky from Leeds, UK, showing her love for problem solving and turning ideas into pictures. The card includes her name, location, pronouns (she/her), and a description of her interests.
  • A comic-style illustration of a young woman with curly hair, holding a paintbrush, smiling and winking, with the word "Hi!" nearby. The background includes text about Doti and her interests, and icons indicating her location in Hungary and her affinity for tricky stuff.
  • Illustrated profile badge of a person named Elly, who specializes in heritage, culture, and working with young people, from Buckinghamshire. The badge includes a cartoon drawing of Elly with glasses holding a clipboard, with text describing her interests.
  • Digital illustration of a woman with dark hair and a smiling expression holding a cat, depicted in a simplified cartoon style with bold lines and minimal details, resembling a profile or ID card design for a cat lover from Germany.
  • Illustrated digital profile card of Rae, a woman with wavy hair and glasses, waving. The card highlights Rae's love for science events and capturing sensitive moments, based in London, UK.
  • Illustrated profile badge of a person named Addyson with glasses and earrings, titled 'Professor Profile.' It highlights that Addyson loves making information accessible through art and has a special interest in Nottingham and human connection.
  • Illustrated profile card of Jules, a cartoon drawing of a man with glasses and side-parted hair, holding a pencil. The card indicates Jules is an illustrator and comics artist in Glasgow, UK, specializing in graphic storytelling about social justice.
  • A cartoon illustration of Emma, a storyteller, holding a book and a pen, waving with one hand, wearing glasses and a sweater. The image contains her professional profile information, describing her as someone who loves food, feelings, creativity, children's literature, and storytelling, located in Northumberland.
  • Illustrated online profile card of Brittany from Charlotte, North Carolina, showing a woman with long dark hair and a beige shirt, holding a pen. The card mentions her passion for community initiatives and her location in NC, USA.
  • An illustrated profile badge of Bryony, a children's illustrator from Sussex, UK, featuring a woman with curly hair holding a pen, with information about her profession, location, and preferred pronouns.
  • A drawn portrait of a woman with dark hair, freckles, and a striped shirt, waving. The image resembles an illustrated ID badge with details like name Kathryn, she/her pronouns, and interests like drawing, portraiture, beach walks, and collections. The badge has a pink section with descriptive text, and labels indicating North East UK and neurodiversity.
  • A professional illustrated portrait card of a woman named Rose from Brighton, with a description mentioning her love for walking, reading, and sketching from real life.
  • Illustrated profile card of a comic artist named B, showing a person with glasses, striped shirt, holding a dog and drawing in a sketchbook, with location Nottingham, UK and community information.
  • Illustrated profile card of Anna, a she/her from Glasgow, a lively character developer who enjoys capturing lively expressions and developing characters in her work. The card features a cartoon drawing of Anna with curly hair, earrings, and a striped shirt, smiling with arms crossed.
  • Illustrated profile card of a person from Melbourne, Australia, holding pens, with text about transforming complex topics into engaging visuals, from Angharad.
  • A black and white illustrated profile card of a woman with glasses, earrings, and short hair, holding a pen and a notepad. The text says, 'Let me do it for you!' with a circular badge that reads 'Illustrated.' The card includes sections labeled 'PROFESSOR PROFILE,' 'shel/her,' and 'Zuzu love topics like nature, animals, and education. She's also really into reading about,' with location 'California' and topic 'Languages' icons.
  • A cartoon-style illustration of a person wearing glasses and a cap, smiling and waving, with a speech bubble saying "Hello!". The background has labels like "PROFILER," "ADAM," and "PROFESSOR PROFILE." The bottom section contains a brief biography mentioning Adam's witty and energetic illustrations, love for comics, and location in Malaysia.
  • Illustrated profile card of an artist named Tamsyn from Somerset, UK. The card features a black and white sketch of a woman with long hair, wearing a black top and a necklace, saying "hey!". The card is bordered in black with annotations for social media handles and a description of Tamsyn as an illustrator with over a decade of experience, who enjoys working with small businesses.
  • An illustrated profile card featuring a woman holding a drawing tablet, with text indicating Samie is an illustrator based in London who draws people and everything.
  • Illustrated profile card of a person with short gray hair and glasses waving hello, with a speech bubble saying "Hello!" The card includes the text "VERITY" and "shel/her", and mentions Gran Canaria and simplifying ideas.
  • Stylized illustration of a woman with glasses, long hair, and a pencil in her mouth, saying "hey there!" in a speech bubble, on a profile badge for Zovi in New York, USA, with tags "Public Policy" and a brief description about capturing jokes during a live event.
  • Illustrated digital profile card of a person named Zsofi, who is from Belgium and loves renewable energy. The illustration shows a person with glasses, holding a paintbrush, wearing a hoodie. The card includes a brief biography and icons for location and interests.
  • Illustrated profile card of Javier, a supporter from London who loves supporting others with visualization practice. The card features a cartoon image of Javier with glasses, a collared shirt, and holding a pen, along with labels like 'Prolific Supporter' and 'Hey him'.

CASE STUDY: How a UK Environmental company Found Their Ideal Live Illustrator

AgilityEco got in touch with us in the summer and found Ellie. They invited her on-site for a day that flowed beautifully, and walked away with a bespoke vector illustration they loved so much they had it printed as a large-scale mural in their HQ.

  • When AgilityEco shared their brief with us, Ellie stood out to them straight away - a London-based illustrator with a knack for climate events and a style that fit their tube-map theme perfectly.

  • She joined them on-site for their summer celebration, capturing the feel of the day with warmth and clarity, then created a custom vector version afterwards for a large-scale mural in their HQ.

  • The team loved having her there, loved the artwork even more, and ended up with a striking piece they can use long after the event.

Illustrated company roadmap with goals, team values, and pathways—hire a live illustrator to showcase eco-friendly and digital solutions.

Ready to hire a live illustrator for your event?

Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll match you with the perfect illustrator.

Or email us directly: hello@katiechappell.com