By Denise Marsh
Dress Rehearsal
We have become so accustomed to A.I. and technology dictating everything that we do that the creative process has become compromised. All of the “original” things become obsolete and are “buried” in their designated time capsules. Let me share a comical vignette with you to highlight this experience. I was tutoring my seven-year-old client in reading, and he was looking at a black and white picture of some window washers in a Nonfiction book and yelled out, “It’s from 1985-look at the OLD pictures!” Of course, at the time it was very funny to hear that he thought the 80s were old (no comments from the peanut gallery here). But my take-away was that our perception of life has been marginalized by thinking that anything that doesn’t reflect the present is “old” or antiquated. Hence, I would like to introduce you to the work of Alexi Elias who has taken off with her live Wedding Portrait Business. Alexi’s background in Fashion enables her to capture fine details and “personality” in each image. Imagine being the bride and having your Bridal Party or your guests photographed, and then drawn in real time at your event? Let’s learn more about Alexi and her business.
Lights, Camera, Draw
AW: Who or what inspired you to become an artist?
AE: I was inspired to be an artist probably by the age of eleven. My stepdad was a Graffiti and Tattoo artist so I kind of learned to draw by watching him. In addition, my uncle was a really good illustrator, and I was also exposed to that.
I was really into drawing, doodling, models, fashion and all the “pretty things”. I started to draw my own version of fashion and my experiences in these areas.
My uncle’s influence was definitely strong. I was inspired by the models in Glamour Magazine. My cousin Emily had just graduated from F.I.T. and had become a jewelry designer; it was in my blood. I was also around a lot of art, living in Queens.
AW: How would you classify your genre of art?
AE: I basically am a Mixed Media Artist, which basically means that I am versed enough in a variety of mediums that I can pick up a lot of different things. For example: Acrylic, Watercolor, and Oil. But I also like to do portraits that you can find on my personal website. I would consider those to be more Mixed Media and Fantasy portraits. Typically, I tend to do paint women’s faces with Abstract and Realism combined. When I say “Abstract,” I am referring to where you can see lot of dreamy-type images on painted backgrounds. I like to use painted backgrounds with images of butterflies, flowers and other elements of nature. But, at the same time, I am “Realistic” because I depict faces that are based on natural characteristics.
AW: What modalities do you use for drawing?
AE: I typically use a variety of materials. My favorite medium to use is ink in bottles. I enjoy using Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay Inks. Also, Ink on Paper, Oil Pastels and Acrylic.
AW: Tell us all about your new business.
AE: It actually happened around the same time that I was getting sick and tired of creating my artwork that I loved for myself, and it wasn’t selling well (which is kind of the history for me in my own life). I don’t sell originals often. I have an Etsy store and have had one for several years; I like to call that my “non-personal art.” The stuff that I have on there is kitschy things like: clipart, digital downloads for stationery and things like Fashion Girls, Thank You cards, Bridal Invitations, etc. And then someone found me. It turns out they were having a wedding in Villa Toscana, and they loved my illustrations. They asked me if I would be able to come to their wedding and do guest portraits, and this was all new to me. This was the first time anyone ever asked me to do this. I started Googling it and I was shocked at how much people were charging. She booked me and I started practicing doing Live illustrations. It is important to note that Live illustrations are very different than doing regular illustrations. I researched further online, and I started timing myself so I would be prepared for this new “client’s” wedding. I am proud to say that I WAS able to accomplish my goal and the job at hand. There were trials and tribulations, of course.
I came home from that job and decided that I would create a whole new business name, and a whole new website. My husband helped me with marketing. I started the illustration business with the title and key words: “South Florida Wedding and Event Illustration.” Initially I would get “hits” once a week and then is progressed to twice a week. There were even times when I’d get multiple people contacting me on my website in one day. In fact, it got extremely busy due to the key words I was using. People were able to find me easily and it started to catapult me. I realized that this would be lucrative for me. It was different than going to expensive art shows, especially in the heat. I knew that 70 percent of the time they didn’t work out. A lot of people aren’t interested in original art, they like kitschy things.
Business picked up immediately with the Wedding industry and I started to do well. I have 30 events already planned for the summer for Live Event Illustration.
AW: What makes your art stand out from others?
AE: I use different modalities doing the Live Event drawing. I needed quick-drying materials. I bought a travelling Watercolor set in a small travel case with 1-inch of each color square. It was the first step to stay organized and efficient, so that when wedding guests came over to get their portraits, they were already dry. I use a blend of Copic Markers and Watercolors for Guest Portraits.
There are only a handful of people who could handle the high pressure and stress of time management and focus on this type of situation. I am able to draw ten people per hour, so it is about six minutes with each person. I provide sketches that represent the person. I also try to add minimal facial elements.
The wedding business has a whole procedure to it. At a wedding you have to do a photo reference. Therefore, I always bring an “assistant” with me, which is usually my mother or my husband because I cannot do all of that myself in the limited time frame that I am given. So, my Assistant ends up taking the pictures and airdrops them to me. At the wedding everyone is waiting for a specific amount of time because they are either in the Bridal Party or a Guest at the wedding and cannot miss anything. When guests are eating dinner at the reception, we have already taken all the photos. In this fashion, I am able to draw and paint while they are eating dinner. If I had guests for a long period of time standing and posing, there would be “dead” time.
My schedule is very precise and regimented. I basically come for half an hour before Cocktail Hour starts, and I stay normally until the end of the reception. Obviously if I was painting the Bride and the Groom, the timing would look different. I’ve only done this once or twice, live on site. In order to do this type of Live painting, you would have to get to the Wedding prior to the ceremony because you are painting on a larger canvas, like a background with acrylic. You’d have to do a reference photo and then do the painting AFTER the ceremony.
AW: What are some highlights of the Wedding Portrait business? What are some challenges?
AE: I will begin with highlights. I think it is fun getting people to witness live art in real time because we are so accustomed to seeing things on screens. Now, every time I go to a wedding or an event, people are genuinely excited to see someone doing something in front of them; something real, not images created by ChatGPT. People are so used to that fast kind of “on demand” with their “let me see it now” type of attitude. The demand took away from the people who actually have skill. I truly believe that people are now starting to go backwards in regard to art; they are hiring painters like they did in the 1800’s. One of the benefits of this business is that there is now a revival of art because people are tired of A.I.
Another benefit is seeing myself put my skills together in a different way without the competition from ChatGPT or A.I.
In terms of challenges, Live Event Art is very stressful; you have to be good at working under pressure. We are talking about the most important day of someone’s life, aside from the birth of their child. I have special regions where I work. I personally do not travel. There are people who are willing to do that, but I don’t have any interest; I am well over my travel phase. If someone needs me in another state, I send them information for other artists who I know do not mind travelling.
You have to have a good grip of time management because there are times when you’re drawing someone and you have to keep promises. For example, if you promised a Bride that you would draw ten guests in an hour and an hour has passed and you’re only on number seven, you have to make up that time or bring an assistant with you.
Lastly, I am not able to be social with the guests. In order for me to be hyper-focused, I have to be antisocial and focused and this is tricky. I don’t want to give off an unfriendly or unapproachable vibe at all. But you have to balance the time management element because you were hired to do a specific job. But typically, people “get the picture” (pun intended), so it has been okay. There was actually one time when I did have to set some firm boundaries with some people who wanted to “talk,” but my assistants have been helpful about explaining this prior to or during actual drawing.
AW: What are your future plans? Will you return to making your own art?
AE: I think about this a lot. It is a double-edged sword. I’m so grateful for all the business that I am getting, but sadly I have neglected all of my personal art. I haven’t finished or even touched up on my personal art in like three months, which is a bummer! But, on the bright side, I have over thirty events booked. Also, I have some amazing venues coming up like the Wellington National Golf Club in November as well as the Pelican Club. I mostly work in the Southeast Florida region. I believe I have some availability in July, but August is booked up.
I am working on growing the business and potentially outsourcing talent. For example, if someone contacts me and they have a wedding event with like 600 people, I am not going to be able to go through that many guests, no matter how fast I work. I’m looking to grow my business out and have subcontractors out and on call for these situations. I actually had a meeting with some other artists today and we talked about working together to outsource in the future.
AW: Do you find wedding portrait drawing competitive?
AE: So, I would say that if someone were to have a wedding painting commissioned, thousands of artists could do this in the comfort of their own home. But, as a Live Event Artist, there is only a handful of us doing it from here down to Miami and you can only have so many options.
There is also the element of style to consider. For example, if someone wants a Caricature Artist, I wouldn’t be able to do that style. I would have no place as a competitor in that market. For the time being, there are enough of us to meet the demand. But, as for the future, I do foresee more people will potentially start this type of endeavor. But I worry less, since I know that not everyone is built for the high-pressure environment.
AW: What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve done to date?
AE: One of my favorites would be from the Miami Open. The vibes were good; the artwork came out good and the people were on point.
Also, the illustrations at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.
I just posted Miami Swim Week illustrations. I had a blogger commission me to make five pictures. It was a small but very enjoyable gig.
AW: How can people contact you if they want to use your services?
AE: They can click my website: www.lexiesillustrations.com ; on this site they will be able to fill out a form to submit and also see more of my work.
Picture Perfect
Alexi Elias is definitely one artist to follow. She is an artist with passion, vision and heart. If you have a wedding coming up or a special event where you would like to have a keepsake to cherish, please consider using her services. Photography will always be the number one choice for a visual representation or memory of your event, but isn’t it fun to embrace the nostalgia of hand-made portraits? Follow Alexi’s sites, comment on her work and maybe one day you will find yourself in need of her services.
