When The Newman hotel in Fitzrovia opened Brasserie Angelica, their beautiful new restaurant, they wanted their launch evening to feel like something really memorable for guests. Not just a delicious meal in an elegant new space (though it was certainly that too) but an experience they'd talk about and remember for some time.
That's where live illustration came in.
A surprise at the end of dinner
I'd already been working with The Newman ahead of their opening. I created an external pre-opening illustration and maps that were already on their website. I also created a series of line drawing illustrations based on neighbourhood photography by super talented photographer Rory Langdon-Down. Those illustrations became part of the hotel's visual identity, woven through their branding, website, guest experience and eventually the restaurant's exterior signage. So when it came to the launch evening, we had an opportunity to extend that same storytelling into a live experience.
The brief was to illustrate guests as they dined, using the same monochrome line drawing style as the existing brand illustrations, and so each person could be presented with their portrait as a surprise at the end of their meal. A personal and unexpected keepsake to take home.
On the night
Brasserie Angelica was full, with covers repeated across the evening. It had a busy, atmospheric launch with guests arriving and departing throughout. From my position at the end of the restaurant I worked through the room, capturing individual portraits and pairs, each taking two to five minutes in the quick, expressive monochrome style.
I started with a warmup illustration of the restaurant itself, a way to settle into the space before guests arrived. It also gave the client a lovely record of the room on opening night.
What made this event logistically unusual was the scanning. The Newman wanted digital copies of every illustration to use across their website and marketing materials — which meant I set up a small scanning station just outside the restaurant and processed each piece as I went. It's not a typical setup, but it meant the client had a complete digital archive of every portrait by the end of the evening, ready to use.
Nicole, Head of Marketing at The Newman, got in touch the following day:
"Just wanted to say a massive thank you again for coming on Monday — we had really lovely feedback from the guests. It's definitely something I would like to implement into some of our future events."
The power of illustration as storytelling
The detail I find most satisfying about this project is the continuity. The Newman as a whole is an incredible example of narrative and storytelling, details are so well considered and executed and it’s refreshing to see a brand that has really invested in this way.
The illustrations that appear in The Newman's branding, the neighbourhood characters drawn from Rory's photography, share the same visual language as the portraits created on the night. Guests didn't necessarily know that, but it meant every piece of illustration work, from the pre-opening brand identity to the live portraits, felt like it belonged to the same world.
One of those original illustrations even featured on the A-board outside Brasserie Angelica, visible from the street. That kind of longevity is a reminder that illustration work, even when created quickly and in the moment, can have a life well beyond the event itself.
This is what illustration does when it's woven into a brand rather than added on top of one or as an after thought. It carries a narrative through the identity, into the space, and on the night itself into the hands of the people who were there.
What live portrait illustration adds to an event
The Brasserie Angelica launch is a good example of what live illustration does at its best, it turns a passive guest experience into an active one. People are engaged directly and become part of the event rather than just attendees. The moment of receiving a portrait, in this case unexpectedly, creates a reaction that photographs rarely do. The process of seeing them coming together is also part of the experience. Having an artist capturing a space or portrait illustrations live is a brilliant performative way of engaging guests and giving them something else to talk about afterwards. Investing in live illustration from a real in-person artist, is telling people something about the event or the brand and what it values.
For the client, the benefits extend beyond the evening itself. In this case scanned portraits, a record of the space, content for social media and brand storytelling, its satisfying to know the work extends beyond the event itself.
Interested in live illustration for your event or launch?
Whether you're planning a restaurant opening, a corporate event, a brand activation, or a private celebration, live illustration adds something different and memorable. I work with ink and watercolour portraits as well as atmospheric event sketches and bespoke brand activations. Based in Kent with regular work in London and across the UK, it's an area of my work that lights me up, and that's when I do my best work — it would be a pleasure to share this energy with you.
Find out more about live illustration for events, or get in touch to discuss your brief.
