Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzie Bork.
Hi Lizzie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil, and art has always been a central part of my life. Before the pandemic, I was actually pursuing a career as an opera singer. I had trained for years and loved everything about the performing arts. It wasn’t until the lockdown that I realized it might not be the right fit for me after all. During that time, I began taking a variety of online art classes to stay creative, including courses in fashion illustration, character design, and animation. I’ve always been drawn to the expressive, loose style of fashion illustration, so those techniques quickly became a natural extension of how I love to draw.
Throughout high school, I continued exploring both visual and performing arts, always knowing I wanted to find a way to merge the two. In 2024, while working at a local bakery on the sales team, I took custom orders for wedding cakes and special events. One day, we received an unusual request. A couple wanted their portrait illustrated and printed on fondant for their cake. Since my team knew I could draw, I was given the opportunity to create the illustration. The couple loved it, and so did the mother of the bride, who later asked if I’d consider sketching live at their wedding.
Thanks to the speed and confidence I’d gained from my fashion and figure drawing classes during the pandemic, I decided to give it a try, and the rest is history. I’ve now been running my business for just over a year, and I love that I’ve found a way to combine my passion for art with my love of performance and connecting with others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced has been figuring out the logistics of starting and running my business. Since I’m still in college, it’s pretty much a one-woman show. I handle everything from live sketching to all the behind-the-scenes work like contracts, brand collaborations, website design, and bookkeeping. My background is in graphic design and art, so navigating the business side of things has definitely been a new experience. But I’ve got a lot of drive (and plenty of gumption) and I’m determined to learn the ins and outs as I go.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The main thing I’ve become known for is my Live Event Sketching work. I do a lot of weddings, brand collaborations, retail pop-ups, and corporate events where I’m hired to sketch guests on-site. At each event, my assistant and I take a quick photo of each guest, which I then use as a reference to create their sketch. Each one takes about five minutes, but becomes such a meaningful keepsake from the occasion.
It’s also incredibly fun for me to meet so many new people through this work, and I love that it allows me to perform in my own way, something that’s always been one of my biggest passions. I take pride in offering guests a unique kind of entertainment while giving them a little piece of that experience to take home.
In addition to live events, I also love working on commissions in my studio. Many of these pieces are created as gifts for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, and other special occasions, which makes it especially meaningful to see how my art becomes part of so many people’s milestones.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
When I first got started, a majority of my clients were for weddings or private events. However, in the past few months, I’ve been hired by a lot of retail stores and corporations to do in store pop-ups and brand collabs. This has been a great way for me to continue getting my name out there and I love meeting new people at all of these events. I’ve definitely seen a trend in bespoke and handmade gifts recently, so I think as this continues to grow there will be room for even more collaboration and opportunities with my business. In store activations have also been really big recently and I love getting to be a part of this with my sketches. I’m someone who truly values still having an in person shopping experience, so it means something to me when these stores express a desire to foster meaningful guest relations. In the next 5-10 years I’m hoping to continue growing in retail pop-ups and maybe even break into the luxury market.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lizzieborkdesigns.com/live-event-sketching
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzie_bork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizzie.bork/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzie-bork-150793270/
