What is Live illustration all about?

Live illustration is the process of drawing in real time during an event, responding directly to what’s being said in the room.

As speakers talk or discussions unfold, I listen, synthesise key ideas and illustrate them live — either traditionally on paper with pen or digitally projected from an iPad so the audience can see the artwork developing in real-time.

Unlike traditional note-taking, live illustration:

  • distils complex ideas into clear visuals

  • highlights connections between themes

  • creates a shared point of focus for the room

  • results in artwork that can be reused and shared afterwards

It’s both a creative way to give a voice to your team or audience and a practical communication tool!

Jim Rogers illustrating Live at an event
Creating live illustration at a conference

Is live illustration right for your event?

Live illustration works perfectly in leadership settings, where clarity, engagement and shared understanding really matter.

I regularly provide live illustration for:

  • leadership and development events

  • conferences and summits

  • strategy days and planning sessions

  • panel discussions and facilitated workshops

For leadership audiences, live illustration helps slow conversations down, surface key insights and make abstract ideas more tangible. It also encourages reflection — people often see their own thinking differently once it’s drawn in front of them.

The Process

1. Get in touch

You have an event workshop or meeting and want you to capture everything visually – I’m the guy you need! Get in touch and let’s setup an…

2. Initial meeting

Let’s talk though what you’re looking for. Is it an annual meeting? A speaker event? Or perhaps you’re exhibiting and you’re looking for a way to engage your customers. Once I have all of your details I can pull together a…

3. Quote

I’ll sit down and work out a cost based on the length of your session, location and materials needed. I’ll also work out if we need to use boards and a cost for digitising the final illustrations. Once you’re happy I’ll lock in the date and we can organise a…

4. Pre-event catchup

Here we’ll go through all the details for the event, confirming the agenda and making sure we’ve decided on any logos you’ll need on the illustration. I’ll also confirm any colour choices so everything is on brand. We can also discuss any topics you’ll need me to concentrate on or if there’s any subjects you would rather leave off the illustration.

5. Let’s illustrate!

This is the fun part! I arrive at the venue around 45 minutes before the event starts (to make sure everything is set up in time) I’ll then set up the paper on an available wall or if one is not available illustration boards can be hired through trusted partners. As soon as the event starts I’ll be listening in and making sure everything is recorded.

6. Digitisation

After the event is finished you get to keep the final piece but I make sure to take photos of everything so I can make a digital copy of your illustration. You’ll receive png, jpeg and a vectorised PDF Version of the illustration. This means you’ll be able to print at any size, so can use your illustration for anything from social media to an office mural.

Take a look at some recent Live illustration events…

I’ve illustrated a wide range of events — from leadership conferences to intimate strategy sessions.

Each piece of artwork is created specifically for that moment, responding to the language, tone and ideas in the room. The aim is always the same: to make thinking visible and memorable.

Lloyds Banking Group

15 January 2026

Illustrator Jim Rogers Live scribing for the Walsall Hate Crime Conference

Walsall Hate Crime Conference

29 April 2025

Kaido

31 March 2022

Live illustration for the Birmingham Festival 2022

Birmingham Festival 2022

30 March 2022

Road to Addis

22 March 2022

Play out til’ tea

21 March 2022

Happy clients

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Money Super Market
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About Jim

Hey there! I’m Jim – I’m an illustrator and designer that’s been working in the creative industry for well over a decade. I’ve loved art and illustration since the day I could pick up a pencil and I haven’t stopped since!

Over the years I’ve worked on design, illustration and branding projects big and small and I’ve learned that one of the pillars of great creative is making the complex – uncomplicated! That’s why I decided to start Boo Yeah Illustration Services – it’s about taking complex ideas and making them memorable and accessible to everyone.

Get in touch for live illustration

Are you looking to use Live illustration for your next event or workshop?

Get in touch