Live Painting Questions

Live wedding painting is combines entertainment and a lasting art piece. It has only more recently gained popularity with higher-end weddings in the last 10-15 years and has gained prevalence in the Indiana luxury market in the last 5 years. It can be purchased by the bride and groom or added to a registry.

A live wedding painter sets up at your event and creates a custom painting in real time during your wedding celebration. Guests can watch the artwork come to life and interact as the artist captures a special moment from your day.

It depends on timing of your ceremony, length of your reception, and how much you want to include of the surroundings during that moment. 

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Most couples choose:

• The first dance
   

• Ceremony kiss
   

• Walking down the aisle
   

• A romantic portrait scene
   

• Reception entrance
   

I'm happy to complete or portray any specific moment, I just need to factor in at least a few hours after that moment to complete the painting enough for the evening. I do touchups afterward in studio, but I do require at least 3 hours to make a fully completed art piece to show at the end of the night. If  you’re unsure, I can help you choose the moment that will translate best into a painting based on timing and budget.

I use the live scene as inspiration, along with reference photos, and artistic composition techniques to create a polished final painting. This allows me to include meaningful details while ensuring the artwork looks balanced and timeless. I can include as little or as much as we discuss, or even amp it up and add a few extra flowers to that flower arch.

That depends on your vision! I can paint more up-close portraits focusing on the couple and celebrating their love and connection with maximum face and expression detail, or take a more zoomed out approach and capture the surrounding atmosphere. It depends on size of the canvas and pricing. I believe that an up-close wedding portrait can have a better impact than trying to just scale down a full scene into a smaller canvas and sacrificing important emotional details.  

The painting is started on-site during your wedding and significantly developed live. Final studio refinements take 2–4 weeks to ensure every detail is perfect. First priority for finishing is given to larger pieces to allow consistency in pickup time, but expedited finishing is available for an additional fee. 

My sizes include:

• 18x24”

• 22”x28”

• 24" x 36"

• 30x40”

• 36x48”

Custom quotes available for specific dimensions 

I typically arrive 1 hour before the ceremony to set up, sketch the composition, and begin the discussed background.

I will need a cell phone photo of whatever scene you desire to be able to begin anything beyond the background if that is included in your painting. If you want the first kiss or a posed portrait, that will be started and finished sooner than the first dance or cake cutting, or other moments later in the celebration.

Yes! I love engaging with guests and highly encourage them to take photos, videos, check back in, and even ask any questions they might have! Watching the painting develop throughout the evening becomes a unique form of entertainment and a memorable experience for guests. 

I require:

• An 8-10 sq ft space
   

• Protection from extreme weather (for outdoor weddings) *I own a 10x10 exhibition tent which can help block the elements from all sides except the front, but it does not fit with all aesthetics.
   

• A nearby electrical outlet, I travel with my own lights that are imperative

Absolutely. I can incorporate meaningful details such as loved ones, pets, special décor elements, or sentimental items depending on the canvas size you have chosen. 

While shouldn't be any surprises since I do my best to list clearly what is included and possible in each size and pricing tier, I know specific requests do take additional time, effort, and materials including:  

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Pet inclusion: $75 – $125

Additional faces/figures: $100 each 
Rush completion: $100 
Hyper-real detail enhancements: $100 – $300
Travel beyond local 30 mile radius: $.75 per mile or flat fee depending upon location

Yes. I am available for day travel throughout Indiana and Midwest states for an .75 per mile outside of my travel radius.  I am also available for travel through the United States, with travel fees including lodging, plane ticket, and any baggage or uber/lyft cost to and from airport and venue. 

A signed contract and a non-refundable retainer secure your wedding date. While I encourage potential clients to send me an email with info and/or submit a form on my website, that is only a booking inquiry until we have spoken and I have received a payment via my website. The remaining 50% payment is due no later than 2 weeks before the event. 

Pricing starts as low as $800 and is based on canvas size, detail level, and travel. Please check out my pricing page to see what is included in each pricing tier or inquire for a custom quote.

I believe in transparency in pricing.

So here is the range and then my prices. 

Typical price range for traditional paintings is $1-$7 per square inch 

Typical price range for live event and wedding painting artists is $3-$10 per square inch. 

I charge $1.67 per square inch to arrive at a fair but profitable price. 

I adjust the price for each canvas above my smallest size to be a flat rate that saves more off of the per-inch price. So if you upgrade from the Core (20x24”) to the Essential (22x28”) you save $100 off of the per-inch price. This savings doubles with each size increase, because while I only paint the sizes I think will provide both event impact and display effect I still say the bigger the better with important paintings. I also offer upgrades and custom quotes so you can achieve the exact look you want for your art piece. Check out my price sheet here 

You can either book a 15-30 minute call here or contact me through the inquiry form and fill out all details, or send an email with:

• your first and last name

• phone number

• wedding date

• location of venue

• budget 

• desired canvas size

• vision for the painting 

I’ll respond with availability and next steps. If any custom quotes are required, I will provide final price.  Spots are limited to 50 per year and weekends dates often book 12-18 months in advance, so the sooner the better and dates are reserved only after deposit and contract are received.