Story Of Your Wedding
Story Of Your Wedding is a unique and fun way of capturing your special day in sketches. These sketches are not posed and illustrate your day as it unfolds, in a natural way.
The sketches are displayed at your venue on my display trellis or a frame and tend to be very popular with guests, who love to watch new sketches being added as I finish them.
After the wedding the originals are bound into a personalised sketch album. You can also download a high resolution digital version of each sketch and order prints to give to your friends and family. You can share the digital version on social media or use on thank you cards – no limits!
I sketch live at your event
Your guests enjoy the sketch display
I do more sketches after the wedding
I bind the sketches for you
You can download and share your online gallery
You can order prints for friends and family
HOW IT WORKS
Arrival
Ideally I like to arrive at least an hour before the start, to familiarise myself with the venue and set up (if needed). I might do a few warm up sketches. I respect this is a special occasion and I always dress accordingly.
Sketching
I can sketch throughout the whole event (although I need a short break every now and then), the number of sketches done live will depend on the situation and how complicated the subject is. I don’t need a table and I can sketch sitting or standing, preferably in a bit of a distance. I will be moving around to find the best subjects but I will do my best not to be in the way. My sketching is not messy in any way.
I don’t mind at all when people come and look and ask me questions, it’s all part of it. It helps me to get more of a feel of who everyone is as well.
I enjoy creating this illustrated story of your special day and people enjoy watching me, so it’s a win/win!
Some sketches will also be done later from photos (I take a lot of photos during the day). I don’t like rushing the drawing too much as I like to give you the best result.
Binding Your Sketch Album
After the event I finish the sketches that need to be finished and bind them into a beautiful, professionally bound and personalised sketchbook. I now offer two different options, please have a look at my Sketchbook page for details
You may also choose to have all or some of the sketches separately, so you can frame them or give them to your loved ones. As part of the package you will get a high resolution scanned images which you may print or share with friends and family, or on social media.
ABOUT THE SKETCHBOOK
INCLUDED IN PRICE
You can have your sketches hand bound into a beautiful, personalised album.
I developed this album especially for this purpose, it’s easy to flip through it and your sketches are well protected, easy way of showing them to your friends and family! You won’t get empty pages, like you would with ready made albums and you can choose which sketches you want to go in there.
Hand bound on a professional level, your illustrated album is made to last.
A Display
I can display the sketches for your guests at the venue on an illuminated sketch display for no extra costs. Your sketches will be added to a fairy light string on my display trellis or a display frame, one by one as they are created, so your guests can admire them. The trellis or frame is usually decorated with flowers, leaves or any appropriate decorations, depending on the style and colours of your wedding.
What Subjects Do I Draw?
Unless we agree otherwise, I would tend to sketch a bit of everything, as well as the bride and groom, I draw some of the guests at different occasions, the cake, decorations, the venue… Drawing large groups of people in detail can be more time demanding so for most the time I will concentrate on smaller subjects to illustrate your wedding. There are some things I can only draw from photos later, as they happen too fast.
In order to draw a subject or a person I need them to be there for at least a few minutes, but I don’t ever ask people to stay still so I can draw them! In fact it’s better if people don’t pay any attention to me so I can really get the moment. The longer I can see my subject for, the more accurate I can make it.
My Technique
I do simple little sketches in ink and watercolour. My sketches are never meant to be photorealistic and replace your wedding photos but rather complement them. I aim to capture nice moments in a fun way, with lively outlines and a splash of colour. I only use quality materials that will last. For many practical reasons I don’t do larger format than 10″ x 10″.
Every sketch is individual and partly depends on conditions it was done in and the speed needed to achieve it. I review the sketches again afterwards and decide if they can be improved in any way. Some sketches will need colour and backgrounds if I didn’t have time to do that at the wedding. Some sketches will be drawn from photographs, specially for moments that happen too quickly. I always ask my clients if there is anything particular they would like adding and I am happy to add any moment or person from a photo sent by the couple.
Would you like to know more or have a chat about the options?
Guest Portraits
If you would like to have me draw your guests only, that’s an option too! Please bear in mind that if you have a large number of guests it’s very unlikely I will be able to do all of them. Even though sketches are typically quick, they do still take some time. Please talk to me if you would like to find out about what’s possible and see if this would be the best option for you. I do try to be flexible but there are limits to what is realistic. Find more information about guests portraits here.
TESTIMONIALS
Jana is fabulous! She quietly captured moments throughout our wedding day and our guests loved seeing her sketches as they were being done! Everyone commented on how beautiful they were and how unique. Huge thanks to Jana for joining us on our special day, I will be recommending her to anyone who’ll listen!