Live Scribing and Event Illustration Services
We’re global!
Live drawing at Events Globally
2026 Live Illustration and virtual scribing special package
We're a female-led live event illustration business, specialising in eco-friendliness. Our clients come from a wide range of industries but tend to be in tech and cybersecurity (Facebook/Meta, Google, TikTok), social justice, environmental sectors (Zero Waste Scotland), and everything in between.
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Errr, what even is this graphic scribing thing?
If you’ve ever (like most humans) sat through a conference or workshop and felt your soul leave your body from sheer boredom, you're definitely not alone. But what if there was a better way to keep your audience engaged and capture those golden nuggets of info in a format that's both memorable and shareable?
It’s also known as visual note-taking or sketchnoting, and it’s the art of taking spoken content and transforming it into visual summaries in real time. A skilled live scribe artist listens to presentations, discussions, or workshops and creates illustrated notes on the spot, while you and your audience watch.
The magic bit = complex (sometimes dry) concepts become clear, engaging visuals that people actually want to look at and remember!
It’s very normal for event attendees to chase us down after a session, begging for a copy of the visual notes. 😎
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How Does Hiring a Live Scriber Work?
During Your Event:
The live scribe listens intently to speakers and discussions
They identify the core messages, themes, and connections
In real time, they translate these ideas into a visual language using illustrations, keywords, and creative layouts
The artwork can be projected on screens, drawn on large boards, or created digitally on iPads
After Your Event: You receive high-quality digital files of all the illustrations, complete with licensing to use them across your social media, website, reports, and marketing materials. Many live scribes, like Illustrated Live, also provide time-lapse videos showing the creative process—perfect for post-event engagement.
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Illustrated Live was founded by Katie Chappell in 2016, and since then we’ve grown a global network of illustrators.
If Katie isn’t available personally, then we’ll help you find the perfect illustrator for your event wherever you are in the world. Just get in touch and we’ll do the rest.
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Where Can You Use a Visual Scribe?
The versatility of hiring a meeting illustrator makes it perfect for pretty much any event where information needs to be captured and remembered:
Conferences and keynote speeches - Capture main stage presentations in a format that resonates
Workshops and training sessions - Help participants see connections and retain learning
Strategy sessions and planning meetings - Create a shared visual reference for team alignment
Panel discussions - Track multiple perspectives and weave them into a cohesive narrative
Virtual and hybrid events - Engage remote audiences with dynamic, evolving visuals
Team building events - Document shared experiences and celebrate collective achievements
Research and co-design sessions - Capture participant insights in an inclusive, visual format
We’re trusted by teams at…
The Benefits:
Why your next event needs a live scribe
Boost Engagement and Attention
Staying focused during long presentations is blimmin’ tough.
Scribing gives your audience something interesting to watch. As the illustration develops in real time, attendees stay engaged, curious to see how the visual story unfolds. It's like watching an artist at work, except the art is their own ideas coming to life.
Improve Information Retention
Research consistently shows that people remember visual information wayyy better than text alone.
When you combine words with images, you're activating multiple parts of the brain, making it easier for people to remember stuff later.
Create Shareable Content
Photos or it didn’t happen! The visuals we create are instantly shareable, giving you eye-catching content for your internal sharing platform thingie, or even LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and your website if you so desire. You deserve to showcase your thought leadership, creativity and event-badassery.
(Yes, that’s a word. Shh.)
Timelapse video included with every booking!
The Virtual Option: Bringing Visual Magic to Online Events
Since the rise of remote work, virtual, remote scribing has become essential for online events. Using digital tools like iPads and Procreate, we can join your Zoom, Teams, or virtual platform and share our screen as we create.
This approach offers several advantages:
No geographical limitations - Work with the best scribes globally
Easy screen sharing - Everyone sees the illustration develop in real time
Instant digital delivery - No need to photograph or scan physical boards
Enhanced engagement - Combat "Zoom fatigue" with dynamic visual elements
At Illustrated Live, we've been working virtually with clients around the world, providing UK-based expertise for global events. Our virtual illustration packages include online galleries where delegates can access and share images immediately.
Is live scribing right for ✨your✨ event?
If you…
✅ Want your event to be memorable and stand out.
✅ Are struggling to keep virtual attendees engaged.
✅ Need shareable content to extend your event's reach.
✅ Feel like visual documentation would help your team get on the same page around shared goals and/or strategy 5-year-plan type stuff.
✅ Are discussing complex topics that could benefit from visual clarity.
If you're asking any of those questions, the answer’s probably yes.
Live event scribing is a strategic tool for enhancing communication, boosting engagement, and creating lasting value from your events.
Explore Our Live Event Scribing Work
Want to see a meeting illustrator in action? Here are some of our resources you might find helpful:
See the variety and impact of visual note-taking
Get inspired for your next online gathering
Explore our full portfolio and service offerings
Hi, I’m Katie
I’m a live scribe and illustrator based in the UK, working with organisations all over the world to make complex conversations clearer and more human.
Since I started out, my motto has been DOWN WITH BORING STUFF.
I’ve been illustrating for over a decade, and I also run a large illustrator network, which means I know the field inside out and can help you find the right fit for your event.
FAQs
What is live scribing (and is it right for my event)?
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Live scribing is where what’s being said at your event is captured visually in real time. I listen carefully and turn conversations, talks, and discussions into clear illustrated summaries as they happen.
It works particularly well for conferences, panels, workshops, strategy days, research events, and meetings where ideas are being shared and shaped.
If your event involves people thinking together and you want those ideas to stick, hiring a visual scribe is usually a good fit.
Yes to both.
I deliver live illustration in person and remotely, and I work with events all over the world. Remote scribing works especially well for online and hybrid events, and can also be streamed into in-person venues.
If I’m not the right fit for a particular date, location, or format, I can often recommend another excellent scribe from my wider illustrator network.
Do you work in person or remotely?
2
Pricing depends on a few things: the length of your event, whether it’s in person or remote, and how the illustrations will be used afterwards. There’s a minimum booking, and I’ll always give you clear, upfront pricing before you commit.
If you’re working to a specific budget, it’s worth mentioning that. I’m happy to talk through options and help you decide what will work best.
How much does a live conference scribe cost?
3
How do I choose the right live scribe for my event?
4
Portfolio definitely matters, but it’s not the whole story.
A good live scribe should be an excellent listener, know what to prioritise, and understand how to turn messy conversations into something clear and useful. Experience with your type of event, good communication beforehand, and a calm presence on the day all make a big difference.
If you feel reassured and understood before the event even starts, you’re probably in good hands.
If you’re not sure what you need yet, that’s fine. I’ll help you work it out, even if that means pointing you towards one of the brilliant live scribes in my network.