Hit-and-Run
On cocktail napkins or on small paper.
$200/hr
Speed: about 10 guests/hr, but heavily dependent on the environment.
Good for:
Cocktail hour
Mixers
Receptions
What is it? A hit-and-run artist will wander around your event, quietly finding observation points from which they can sketch your guests in secret. When the work is done, the artist will gift the drawing to the subject.
How fast is it? Compared to other types of quick-sketch art: not that fast. We have to find a stationary guest and a position from which to draw them. Several time during a single event, we find ourselves chasing guests around the venue like we’re all in a spy movie. Hit-and-run sketches are never about covering all the guests in the room. They’re about providing a subtle, fun, surprising experience.
How do you deliver the artwork? We’re all a little different. I like to explain the whole premise when I hand over the sketch, but other artists keep it mysterious. They’ll smile, say thank you, and disappear again. We’ll look for opportunities to sneak by, if the guests are absorbed in their conversation, and drop the artwork next to their drinks. They have the best expressions when they find a drawing of themselves suddenly appearing at their table.
Do people see you? At the very beginning of the party, one or two guests will spot us, because the room isn’t crowded yet. Once the event is in full swing and everyone has found their people, we become invisible. I’ll stand five feet away, sketching a group of co-workers, and they won’t notice me. But near the end of the party, we’ve handed out enough sketches that guests will come up to us and ask for one directly, or just glance over our shoulders to see what we’re up to.