A CHAT WITH LIAM BALL, YOUR MAGICAL WEDDING HOST

A Chat with Your Magical Wedding Host, Liam Ball

Liam: Now, today’s guest is a live illustrator, somebody whose job it is to capture your wedding guests in moments of real time, creating personal keepsakes that people will take away with them on the day. It’s a blend of wonderful artistic entertainment, pure artistry, and a fantastic guest experience that adds something truly unique to every wedding day. She has a very distinct style and real focus on interaction and personality. So it’s an absolute pleasure to bring on to the Supplier Spotlight Podcast from Drawn by Chloe Hill, the very one and only Chloe Hill.

How did live illustration become your thing?

Chloe: Well, it goes right back. I’ve just always drawn since I could pick up a pencil. I’ve got sketchbooks from when I was about three years old, which are filled with drawings of people. They don’t have necks yet, but there’s lots of people. That seemed to be my main focus at that age, drawing people. So I was basically already doing the job back then. Although I don’t think the guest reaction might have been the same! So I did art throughout school. And then at university, I studied a degree in animation, specialising in 2D hand-drawn animation. It did involve a lot of drawing - good preparation for this job! For context, to animate a second of animation by hand you usually draw 12 frames a second. And so that’s 720 drawings for a minute of animation. So I got my practice in and it definitely made me faster at drawing.

Liam: So how did you go from that to realizing this is actually a fantastic thing that I can do at a wedding day?

Chloe: Oh, there was a big gap between that and finding the wedding industry. So in the meantime, on the side I had a business selling posters and I made designs for ski and travel posters. I got into like a local shop selling those. So that sort of shone a light on that I was enjoying the business side of it. I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot from it. And then I worked in-house as a graphic designer and illustrator for a children’s craft company. I did that for over four years until sadly the company went under. So then I ended up being made redundant and applying for loads of graphic design jobs. And then I started getting some freelance work and landed my biggest illustration client to date. It was literally a dream project, but it was at the time (this was 2024) when so many people in the industry who were established were saying it was the worst time for illustration. And so, as I was just starting out, I thought I needed something else or a different angle. I had AI at the back of my mind. Like, is this worth pursuing if it’s going to come along and just destroy everything?

As a hobby, I’m not doing this at weddings, but I play guitar in a band. And I remember thinking why isn’t there an equivalent for art, because they’re protected in the sense that people always want to see humans performing live music.

And then it was about a month after I remember thinking this, I started seeing live event illustration on social media and that I saw some live illustrators at weddings. And I thought, oh, I could do that. That’s cool. It looked really exciting.

From illustrating toucans at children's craft company, toucanBox to illustrating wedding guests...

Liam: So for the person out there, for the bride or the groom or the person going to get married here, who is listening to this and thinking, what’s a live illustrator? What’s that? What exactly are people getting? What happens when somebody books you for a wedding?

Chloe: So it’s a whole experience. It’s entertainment on the day, but also provides a favour and keepsake for your guests and for you. All my packages include an illustration for the couple as well, which I do it afterwards because I want to put more effort into that one and not give them a quick one on the day, so that you treasure it. Yeah, I’m happy if as many of my illustrations end up in frames as possible. So yeah, it ends up creating a really unique, exciting experience for guests on the day. So you get a mix. Some people have never heard of it and are really intrigued by it. And a lot of younger people have seen it on social media. Just the other day someone was like, “Oh, I’ve seen this on TikTok. I never thought I’d see it at a real wedding!” So there’s that excitement of seeing it in the real world.

They come in to the reception and, we go around and get photos. I either work alone or with an assistant, depending on the package. And so I try to make that as much of an experience as possible. So trying to get them to interact naturally, so I’m capturing their personality. But quite often, they’ll have a bit of fun with it. I’m all for that if they want to throw a different pose at me. I’ve had people picking up their partners before. And then I’ll go away and sit there illustrating as many of the guests as I can. And they can come over and interact, come and watch me, come chat to me. And then I start filling up the little pop-up gallery. And then they come over and that’s when you get, if you’ve seen it on social media, the excited reaction of people coming over and seeing everyone and spotting other guests in the gallery.

Liam: I mean, obviously, I’ve seen this, you know, a bunch of times. In fact, I had a live illustrator at my own wedding. We had a live illustrator on the day, and that moment when the guests come in, and somebody says, “Hey, I’m just going to take a quick photo, and then in a minute, I’m going to draw you”, people are like, “What? What do you mean?” And then you sketch out this thing and you fill it all in, and you put the colour in, and there it is. So people are just like, “Oh my God. That’s amazing. How did you do that so quickly?” And of course, you know, by the time they’ve had that reaction, you’re well on to your next one. But it is, it really is just such a wonderful, wonderful thing that people get to take away.

What’s the usual guest reaction?

Chloe: The most common I’d say is confusion of how have you done this? Or some people go, “Oh, I thought you were doing something on your iPad. You’re drawing!” I’d say the most common comment is, “you’re so talented, you’re so clever.” And I think I would get paid more if I got paid a pound for every time someone said, “I couldn’t even draw a stick, man. How do you do this?” So, yeah, it’s often disbelief.

Liam: I mean, the way that I think I’ve described it in the past, when I’ve had that sort of very first experience of seeing a live illustrator and watching them do what they do. And for me, it was like a non-magician watching magic, and it’s like, oh my goodness. But of course, you’re watching this person create right in front of you, and you can see every stroke and every pixel of color going in. And then, of course, you get that kind of ta-da moment, and people are like, oh, wow, that’s amazing. And it really is. It’s such, and you hit it earlier on, it’s such a fantastic part of the entertainment of the day that people kind of walk away with.

And every single person gets a unique experience, right?

Chloe: Yeah. I mean, lots of couples book it because it’s a lovely keepsake and they want to do it as a favour that will actually be kept and is meaningful. And I think it also carries the memory of the whole experience and that they met you on the day.

Liam: What would you say is your is your style? What’s your illustrative and artistic personality and style?

Chloe: So I focus a lot on the characters, and trying to get their personalities across. So a lot of my focus is the face. Some illustrators focus more on the fashion side of it. And I love creating the outfits, but the thing that differentiates mine is capturing a feeling and mood. And I love vibrant colour which adds to how uplifting they look. I focus on keeping it, I guess the opposite of a caricature, where you’re insulting them with making their features large and everything. I’m trying to keep it flattering so that they feel good when they see it. Often if you look at a photo, and I find this particularly with the older guests, you have it in your mind, this idea of how you wanted to look at the wedding, and then you look at a photo, and particularly, I think, with candid ones, they can be lovely photos, but you’re there critiquing yourself. No one else would see it. But you’re fixated on your frown lines, or that you're squinting etc. I like to remove those - the older guests are buzzing seeing themselves look 20 years younger!

Liam: It must be a fine line, right? That comes from years of knowledge and know-how and experience, being able to apply all of those. Let’s use the phrase filters because I think more people would understand that. You know, you’re essentially running that photograph through a series of filters in your brain and then it comes out at your fingertips. But you are, regardless of all of those things, you’re capturing the image and the personality and the presence of that person on the day at that wedding, right?

Chloe: Yeah, literally! It is a very fine balance. And I mean you do your best, but sometimes you are trying to mind read because you’ve got to make it recognisable, but sometimes, running it through that sort of filter in my brain, you might actually change something that distinguished them. And so, yeah, it’s a hard thing sometimes. Some people actually tell you exactly what they want.

Liam: Well, I was just about to say, what’s been like the strangest request that you’ve ever had?

Chloe: Oh, that’s a good question. I have had some weird ones. I have had a couple, they were they were good fun, he was like, “I want a six-pack. No double chin. Can I be in swimming trunks as well?!”

Liam: How do you draw a six-pack under a shirt?

Chloe: Well, I did think of just drawing him with some beers, and I think they would have loved it. But I also thought it’s something you want to keep and is nice.

Liam: So I guess it’s moments like that where you almost think, have I got time to do two?

Chloe: Yeah, it’s so tempting, but I just drew them like normally and then, he was wearing a white shirt and a bow tie, so I just did shadows to show a six back. And when he came by, I was like, “Here’s your six pack.” And he was like, “Oh my god, you did it!”

Liam: That's amazing. So, you know, live illustrations, the sort that you do, is one of the many, many things that you could you could arrange at a wedding day, and obviously, you know, most people have photos and videos. Formal photos look wonderful, but of course, they fulfill the purpose they’re there for, having formal photos of the wedding day. Whereas I guess, you know, if we consider other things like, for instance, a photo booth, people come along and put stupid costumes on and have photos taken, which of course can be a whole lot of fun. What would you say really makes live Illustration stand out? In a way that nothing else can.

Chloe: I think it’s that you get something physical. And I think particularly with how things are now, we’re living in such a digital world, it’s really nice that people get a physical keepsake from the special occasion. And I know you can get photos from a photo booth, but it’s something that has had a chunk of time spent on it. Yeah, so it’s very unusual. It’s not something they can quickly get. Most people I draw say they’ve never been drawn before. So they’re really intrigued to see themselves through someone else’s eyes. So that makes it a really unique takeaway, as a photo is one of many.

Liam: Well, I mean, I guess another thing as well, and I’m just kind of thinking about this now, you could take that picture as many times as you want to. And still think, oh, yeah, I still don’t like this or I don’t like that. Whereas when you’ve got, as you say, an artist, a professional artist. Somebody who has drawn for years, knows what they’re doing, who says, Hey, I’m going to make you look your best you right now in this moment. And I’m going to draw it by hand. I mean, that’s something, right?

Chloe: Yeah, for sure. And it’s got that distance. I’m not capturing all the detail. My faces and everything are very simple, like I’m only using a few lines. So you are removing needing it to be completely perfect because it’s a representation of them. And then you don’t have to worry that one person didn’t look great in the picture and the other one did, or something like that, because I’m actively making them both look good together.

Liam: Yeah, I get you, yeah, that’s phenomenal. So let’s think about the business process quickly. There’s somebody out there now thinks, gosh, this sounds amazing. Chloe sounds fabulous. I’m going to get in contact and I’m going to talk about my wedding.

What should people expect from that kind of journey from when they first contact you to what happens on the wedding day and beyond?

Chloe: So, as soon as possible, I try and actually talk on a call or face to face to people. You know, I’m going to be there on your wedding. And I think the first thing is that we see if we actually, you know, that they like my vibe, that we get on together. And then it just becomes so much easier, rather than going backwards and forwards, emailing.

I try to get to know the couple as much as I can and have that interaction, so I don’t feel like I’m a stranger on their wedding day. I always organize everything on a call six weeks before the wedding. And then we go through all the setup, how it’s going to work on the day.

Liam: Yeah. Fantastic. I think that something like having a live artist at a wedding, that’s always going to go down a storm, isn’t it? I’ve never ever seen a live artist at a wedding and it not just be joyous for all of the guests you get to go and experience.

Chloe: Absolutely. There’s a mix. There’s some people who know that I’ll be there and are really excited about it beforehand. And then, some people who’ve seen it on social media so they’re excited for it then. And then some guests had no idea you even existed before. And then they start flocking over and think it’s like the best thing ever. So yeah, it always creates a buzz.

Liam: Yeah, I think so. Fantastic. Right. Last question. What would you say is one of the biggest misconceptions people have when they’re thinking about live artists at weddings?

Chloe: So the most common one I get is at most weddings I will be called the caricaturist. I think when I go round and ask for photos, people are worried that I am a caricaturist and they’re like, please don’t draw my nose too big!

So, yeah, I get it a lot, and no offense to a caricaturist. That’s a really cool thing, too. But it’s not what I’m doing. So yeah, it’s having to explain to people that I’m actually the opposite.

Liam: Okay, fantastic. Well, listen, Chloe, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. It really has been a great discussion. And yeah, let’s catch up again soon.

Chloe: Yeah, thank you for having me.

Liam: You’re very welcome. And again, thank you for listening. If you have enjoyed it, please like, subscribe, share, and follow. And pass this on to somebody who’s planning a wedding. It really will help them to make some great great choices for their wedding day. Until next time, folks, do remember to choose your suppliers wisely. And I’ll see you on the next episode of the Supplier Spotlight Podcast. Take care.

Liam Ball, Your Magical Wedding Host
www.yourmagicalweddinghost.com

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