Live Painting by Manzi
LIVE Event GUEST PORTRAIT illustrations
Live Portraits your guests can take home — created right at your event.
What is a Live Event Guest Portrait illustrations?
Live guest portrait illustration is both entertainment and a personalized keepsake. During your event, I create watercolor portraits of your guests in real time, each one a unique piece of art they can take home the same day. It’s more than just something to watch. It becomes part of the experience, something your guests interact with, remember, and keep.
Instead of a traditional party favor, your guests leave with something personal, artistic, and truly one of a kind.
Choose the style you love.
“A personalized illustration that truly looks like you — capturing each guest’s likeness with a refined, fashion-inspired style.”
Best for: Small to mid-size events such as weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties, and brand activations
Material: Watercolor & ink on watercolor paper
Size: 5 × 7 inches
Approx. 8–9 guests per hour
Style 1: Signature Portrait (Most Like You)
“Loose, stylish, and expressive — focused on capturing movement, outfit, and overall presence.”
Best for: Large weddings, corporate events, and high guest-count celebrations
Material: Watercolor & Ink on watercolor paper
Size: 5 x 7 inches
Approx. 13-14 guests per hour
Approx. 15-16 guests per hour if use markers and acrylic pens only
Style 2: Faceless Fashion Illustration (Fastest)
“A refined, fashion-forward style capturing movement, styling, and overall presence — closest to a classic fashion illustration.”
Best for: Small to mid-size weddings, brand activations, and upscale events
Material: Watercolor & Ink on watercolor paper
Size: 6 x 9 inches
Approx. 10–11 guests per hour (faceless)
Approx. 8–9 guests per hour (with facial features)
Style 3: Full Body Fashion Illustration (Most Detailed)
What is included?
A custom couple or host portrait created during the event
Personalized paper branding (names, event date, brand, or custom message)
Complimentary travel within 75 miles
A minimum booking of 3 hours
All Live Illustrations Comes with
Couple/Host Portrait Illustration at the Event (same style as the guest portraits style you choose)
looking for other styles?
Do you have a style in mind? I can create other styles just for you! (Custom styles may affect the approximate portrait count.
What is the Live Illustration Process?
My assistant and I arrive one hour before the event to set up.
Guests will pose for a photo, which I’ll use as a reference for their portrait.
Throughout the event, we work to illustrate as many guests as possible. Guests are welcome to watch the process or simply walk away and return later to pick up their portrait illustration.
Each finished portrait is placed in a protective clear bag and either mounted on a beautifully abstract floral painting or set out on my table for guests to pick up at their convenience.
Does your venue require liability insurance?
No problem, we’ve got it covered. Yes, Manzi Liu Art carries standard liability insurance with coverage up to $1M.
Gallery
Testimonial
Shoutout to Manzi for making our anniversary bash unforgettable.
Let me tell you about this incredible artist, Manzi, we stumbled upon at BACA Gallery. She had a show there that night, and we fell in love with her work. Wr also bought a print from her and have her business card.
My husband and I always love art. So, when our anniversary party was coming up, we wanted something unique and artsy for it. That’s when we reached out to Manzi. I thought maybe she could whip up an awesome invitation card or something cool for us. But then she mentioned this guest illustration thing, and we were like, “What’s that?”
Manzi sent us a link to her website, and boom, it hit us! Perfect fit for our party vibe. And let me tell you, she nailed it at the party. Everyone was buzzing about her skills and charm. Even my cousin, who’s an architect and knows a thing or two about art, was blown away. He was like, “She can seriously draw!” And I was like, “Yeah, she’s the real deal.”
Shoutout to Manzi for making our anniversary bash unforgettable. We adore you and your work, always.
- Rebecca & Kenny
Everyone is overjoyed. Manzi is talented, amazing and super nice.
After an amazing experience with Manzi last time, I booked her for my sister’s wedding. She is incredibly talented and just amazing. My sister and in-laws were thrilled to see her painting live for the guests. Everyone was overjoyed, and it was a delight to have our portraits painted on the spot. The guests were impressed and excited to take home their own portrait paintings.
We absolutely love her! Manzi is friendly, kind, down-to-earth, and very professional. She even arrived at the wedding an hour early to make sure everything was set up perfectly.
Here's a little side story: my sister’s pearl earrings suddenly broke, and none of the bridesmaids' earrings matched her dress. I looked around to see if anyone had pearl earrings, and Manzi did. When I explained the situation, she immediately offered her earrings as a gift to my sister. We were so touched by her kindness. She truly saved the day.
- Yali
We are so glad to have her at our wedding.
I saw live guest portrait illustrations trending on Instagram and just knew I had to have it at my wedding. After doing some research online, I found Manzi, and let me tell you—she’s AMAZING! I’m so glad I booked her. What sets her apart? First, she’s a professional artist with a real art degree, and she’s been doing this as a career for a while, not a hobby artist.
Second, we had a pretty big wedding, and I wanted most of my guests to get their portraits done. Other artists I looked at couldn’t handle that many in one night, but Manzi can. She’s so skilled and can paint super fast. We needed someone who could keep up, and she definitely delivered!
Third, she’s so friendly, and her assistant was awesome, too! They made our guests feel welcome, and everyone was thrilled with their portraits.
Fourth, she’s incredibly professional. I didn’t have a wedding planner, so I worked directly with her, and she was super easy to communicate with—responded to all my emails and was honestly one of the easiest vendors to deal with.
We’re just so happy we found her, and I’m still blown away by how talented and professional she is.
- Amanda & Kent
Everyone is overjoyed. Manzi is talented, amazing and super nice.
After an amazing experience with Manzi last time, I booked her for my sister’s wedding. She is incredibly talented and just amazing. My sister and in-laws were thrilled to see her painting live for the guests. Everyone was overjoyed, and it was a delight to have our portraits painted on the spot. The guests were impressed and excited to take home their own portrait paintings.
We absolutely love her! Manzi is friendly, kind, down-to-earth, and very professional. She even arrived at the wedding an hour early to make sure everything was set up perfectly.
Here's a little side story: my sister’s pearl earrings suddenly broke, and none of the bridesmaids' earrings matched her dress. I looked around to see if anyone had pearl earrings, and Manzi did. When I explained the situation, she immediately offered her earrings as a gift to my sister. We were so touched by her kindness. She truly saved the day.
-Lily
We hired Manzi Liu Art for our company's annual event as a live portrait illustrator, and the experience was nothing short of amazing.
At our event, Manzi was a huge hit with the guests. She was friendly, engaging, and incredibly skilled, creating stunning portraits on the spot that our guests absolutely loved. Her presence added a unique and memorable touch to our event, making it even more special.
We are so grateful to have had Manzi as part of our company event. Her art is not just visually beautiful but also deeply meaningful, just go to her wedsite and you can see her wok. Contact Manzi if you are looking for exceptional artwork and a wonderful experience.
- Angel
Manzi is amazing!! She is a fantastic artist who can really see the beautiful details and transform them into a work of art. Me and my SIL hired her to paint them for my daughter’s wedding as a surprise on the wedding day. She was so helpful throughout the entire process, in addition to painting a scene of the ceremony, she offered us an additional package to paint guests during the reception and we took the chance and it was SO worth it. It was a fun evening for the guests, the girls were getting portraits done, and it made my daughter’s special day that much memorable, something the guests can take home and they will never forget either.
Manzi painted a stunning recreation of the bride and groom exchanging vows. It was an indoor wedding and guests were literally blown away by such a unique experience! Seeing her transform the canvas was so exciting. We all fell in love with Manzi’s recreation of the very special moment we all had a part in. Having such a magical moment captured forever fills my heart I am so happy we hired Manzi for this special day I highly highly highly recommend her artistic services for your event.
- Kirsten
Inquiry
Planning a wedding or event? Tell me a little about your day — I’ll help you choose the perfect option.
Friendly Note: If you do not receive a response from me in 2 days, please email me directly at manziliuart@gmail.com. Occasionally, if an incorrect email address is entered on the inquiry form, I’m unable to reply.