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What is Live Wedding Painting?

Live wedding painting is a unique technique artists use to capture someone’s special moments during their wedding ceremony.

This style of painting is a very personal and amazing way to capture a couple’s wedding day which few artists are aware of, and even fewer offer as a service. This is because live wedding painting is a relatively unknown art technique and many artists don’t know where to begin.

To help artists understand this process we have described the key features of live wedding painting, offering a breakdown of the typical process a live wedding painter takes from start to finish. 

Typical features

Live wedding paintings typically have 3 common features:

  • They are portraits of a couple’s special moments, such as their first kiss or first dance.
  • The portrait is captured on canvas, in a painting style unique to their chosen artist.
  • The portrait is completed live during the wedding ceremony, which is taken home by the couple at the end of the night.
 

Although these are the 3 common features of a live wedding painting, they aren’t a requirement. Therefore, it doesn’t mean every live wedding painting must be a portrait, or that you can’t add your own unique flair to them.

Painting focus

As an artist you may specialise in capturing a building’s decor and ambiance, which may appeal to couples whose wedding venue is very special to them. Similarly, if you specialise in creating illustrations from words you could immortalise a couple’s wedding vows for them to display in their home and forever cherish.

Although being able to paint portraits will increase your favorability amongst couples, it doesn’t mean this is the only style you have to offer.

Painting style

Whilst most couples may want their special moments captured in a painting, others may prefer you to use a different medium such as sketching using pencils/pens or ink. Utilising different art mediums will allow you to appeal to more couples, especially those who have very specific requirements.

Painting time limits

The style of the artists usually determines how many portraits are completed during the wedding ceremony. So, it’s fair to say that not all portraits will be completed in the short time of 8 hours. Couples wanting a realistic portrait should expect that the artist will have to finish the live wedding painting back at their studio to add all the small details which bring the painting to life. Whilst others may offer a faster style which allows them to paint quicker, and therefore complete paintings during the ceremony, it’s certainly not a requirement. 

Live wedding painting timeline

Now that we understand the main aspects of a live wedding painting it’s time to explore how they take place. We would like to start at the very beginning to help those at the very start of their journey.

  • The couple matches an artists style with their vision and commissions them to paint at their wedding.
  • The couple and artist identify important details of the live wedding painting such as; the painting setting, focus points, date/time of the wedding and last but not least its location. Checkout our in-depth guide ‘what to know before starting live wedding painting’
  • The couple books artists using theweddingpainters.com and the date is set.
  • Artists then prepare their equipment ready for the event. To help with this checkout our guide ‘what equipment do I need’ 
  • Occasionally artists will speak with the wedding venue to gather details on layout and where special moments will take place in order to plan where they will set up.
  • Travel arrangements are made such as booking hotels and arranging transport.
  • On the day the artist should be prepared and arrive a couple of hours early to set up. If you’re just getting started use our guide ‘steps to take when painting at a wedding’ to help.
  • Note – Position yourself in the best location to capture the moment but also not obstruct the view of the guests.
  • Tip – Some artists paint the background before the moment arrives to focus all their effort on the main focus point; the couple!
  • Paint during the moment and engage with guests throughout (take photographs to be able to complete more detailed features later on after the moment has passed).
  • If you offer guest portraits most offer these  on a first come, first served basis, unless you have already discussed with the couple who you are going to paint.
  • Take the painting to your studio to complete if finalising is required.
  • Note – The couple should be aware if they are receiving the finished pieced during their ceremony or not.
  • Lastly framing and produce prints from the artwork if this is an option you provide.

One thing we forgot to mention here is to have fun, trust your ability and talent as this will be the start of a very exciting and rewarding career.

Can anyone become a live wedding painter?

Yes! Anyone can become a live wedding painter however there are a few requirements you must meet ‘how to become a wedding painter’ guide. If you want to become a live wedding painter and join our amazing community of live wedding painters then please use this link:https://theweddingpainters.com/join-us/. It’s free to signup, and you will be part of a growing and committed community of live wedding painters, ranging in experience level from beginner all the way to professional.

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