Capturing lasting memories
Kate Chapman meets illustrator Claire Harrison, who specialises in creating unique live artwork at weddings and celebrations.
She has a lifelong love of illustration and now artist Claire Harrison is using her special talents to help create cherished mementos for wedding guests and people attending other celebrations.
Claire, who works under the name WTF Cards and Illustrations, specialises in live and wedding guest illustration and bespoke watercolour wedding artwork.
She takes photos of guests as they arrive for a wedding and paints stylised watercolour portraits live at the event, which the couple’s loved ones can take home as personal, hand-painted keepsakes.
“Live painting at weddings or other events is quite popular in London, while big corporate companies like Jo Malone and Charlotte Tilbury have had people doing it at their events too,” explains Claire, who grew up in Lincoln and now lives in Newark.
“People are always looking for something a bit unique for their big day while many are scaling back their celebrations in favour of things that are more personal. Live illustration works out as entertainment and also a favour for guests.
“I thought it would be quite stressful, with the expectation and the pressure. It’s a big thing to be asked to do, to be involved in someone’s wedding day, but I absolutely love every second of it.”
Creative talent
Claire has always enjoyed drawing and painting, following in the footsteps of her dad, whom she describes as “very arty”. After school she studied graphic design at Lincoln College of Art and Design (now De Montfort) and then worked in a variety of design-based roles while continuing to paint and draw as a hobby, making cards for friends and family.
Eight years ago, she began selling her greetings cards through social media platforms Facebook and Instagram after encouragement from friends to sell her work. The name WTF Cards and Illustrations is a nod to the rude nature of some of the cards she was asked to create, and she’s kept it because she likes it and because it makes for a unique talking point with clients.
Claire also works with a couple of estate agents, painting cards featuring houses they’ve sold, to be gifted to the vendor and purchaser and has some of her other paintings on display in a Newark gallery.
“My mum always said that as a small child, if you gave me scissors, Sellotape and paper, I’d be happy for hours! At school I was pretty mediocre at everything except art, so it became an obvious choice for me to pursue,” she adds.
“I originally wanted to be a window dresser, and although he loved art, my dad was also very sensible and suggested that unless I worked in one of the big London shops, I’d struggle to get a job, so that’s where the graphic design course came in. From there I’ve worked for a number of companies, including newspapers.”
Live art
Last year when she was made redundant from her job as a designer for a waste broker, Claire decided to turn her passion for painting into a full-time career.
She knew she would need to do something bigger than greetings cards to pay her bills and began offering her services as a live wedding and event illustrator.
“I get myself set up before the wedding and then snap a quick photo of the guests as they arrive on my phone,” Claire explains.
“Then they all go about enjoying their day while I sit and paint them.
“The pictures are then put in little cellophane bags and are clipped to a wire frame where I’m sat, and the guests come back later and find themselves and can take the pictures home. My aim is to be gone before the evening guests arrive, as it’s a little harder once it’s started getting darker and alcohol becomes involved!
“I do get a lot of people asking how much the portraits are, and trying to pay me, but I explain they’re a gift from the bride and groom for them. People really love it. They love coming up to me and talking while I’m working, so that’s a skill I’ve had to develop – concentrating so I can talk and paint!”
Claire’s service also includes a painting of the happy couple. In some instances, these are left with a large border around them, so guests can write their own little messages, creating another special keepsake of their day.
Mum of two Claire paints individuals, couples and families during events and has recently started offering a more budget-friendly option of head and shoulders portraits alongside full body versions.
She admits there is a limit as to how many pictures she can produce in a set time, but she continues to hone her skills and has even used a timer at home to get her average down to around 12 minutes per two people.
She experiments with different illustration styles, with some portraits a little looser or more detailed than others. It’s all down to personal choice, while her portraits can also be created with or without facial features, again depending on the couple’s preferred style.
Building a business
Claire’s preferred medium is watercolour. She loves using metallic, shimmery colours and says this type of paint is easy to use, creates great effects and although it can be a little messy, it’s easy to rub things out with water if she does need to change anything.
She’s been advertising her live wedding painting services through social media and digital wedding platform Hitched and will travel to events across Lincolnshire, up to 90 minutes away, and further afield if her travel costs are covered.
As well as painting people, Claire has also been commissioned to create a few pet portraits and particularly likes painting buildings too.
“If I’m sitting, painting quietly on my own, buildings are my favourite thing to paint,” she adds. “I love old, character buildings – something that’s a little bit quirky or wonky. It’s very different to the live painting, which is quite an immersive experience – they are definitely two very separate things!”
As well as weddings, Claire has provided her painting services at a Moulin Rouge themed ball and a 40th birthday party and is looking forward to helping many more couples capture their special memories this summer.
“Sometimes you can have a hobby, or a passion and when you turn it into a business it can become less enjoyable, but I’m finding the opposite has happened,” she smiles. “It’s lovely that someone is paying their hard-earned money to put something on their wall that I’ve painted, and honestly you can’t replicate that. I really am living my best life!”
Follow Claire on instagram.com/wtfcards_ to find out more about her work
Photographs: Claire Harrison / WTF Cards and Illustrations, Little Posy Photography & Northern Muse Creative
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