How to price and run live illustration at events

Live illustration at an event is sold as time on site, not as a number of drawings. Agree the format with the host — quick portraits for guests, one large scene drawn during the day, or live notes of talks at a conference — then price the hours you draw, plus setup, travel and any prints. Ask for a table, good light and a power socket, bring everything you need to work without help, and confirm the schedule a few days before. The clearer the brief, the calmer the day.

Price by the hour of drawing, with a minimum booking that makes the trip worth it. Add the time to set up and pack away, travel beyond your area, and extras such as printing on site, frames or a cleaned-up digital version of a large scene delivered afterwards. Your pace depends on your style: a loose portrait in a few lines is quicker than a detailed colour piece, so don't promise a number of drawings you can't keep if the queue grows.

Drawing for hours in front of people is tiring. Agree a short break every hour or two and say so in your quote, so the host can plan around it. For a full-day event, decide whether you charge a day rate and what time you stop.

Arrive early to set up before guests come in: table, paper or tablet, spare pens, a small sign explaining what you do. When a queue forms, keep it moving with a simple system — a list of names, or a time limit per portrait announced on your sign. Talk with your sitters; at events, the moment counts as much as the drawing. At the end, hand the host any large piece and confirm what you'll send afterwards.

At a wedding, plan around the key moments: the cocktail hour suits guest portraits, the meal is a quiet time for a scene. Ask the couple which moments must not be missed and who the main family members are.

For a company, the drawings may be shared on social media or in internal newsletters. Make the agreed use clear in your quote, and ask who approves a visual summary before it is published.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a service per format — guest portraits, live scene, live notes — with your hourly rate or minimum package in the description. When a host agrees a date by phone or email, open a slot for that service at the event's hours and book them in yourself from your calendar; add their email if you want them to receive the confirmation. Write the address and the contact on site in the booking note: it shows in your new-booking email and in the calendar file attached to the host's confirmation. That date then no longer shows to others on your page. If you prefer hosts to request a date online, a short paid or free "event enquiry call" service works well.

Prices and durations are examples: set your own. If the host moves the event, reschedule the booking from your bookings list and tell them yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract. It doesn't take deposits or payments.