What it's like to draw at Adobe's brand activation — from the inside
I drew at an Adobe event last week held at The Symes in Toronto. Let me sit with that for a minute!!
I'll be honest — I've been processing it since.
Not because it was overwhelming, though the scale was significant. But because drawing at a brand activation at this level showed me something about live illustration that smaller events don't quite reveal in the same way.
The setup
Ira Balm put together a team of four illustrators for the event. I was one of them. We were briefed, positioned, working in sync without being in each other's way — showed a level of professionalism I genuinely learned from. We were working in our own rhythm.
What makes a brand activation different At a wedding or a corporate holiday party, there's a natural pace to the evening. People come to the portrait
table when they're ready. There are quiet periods and busy ones. At a large-scale brand activation — a room full of Adobe's creative community — the pace is different from the first minute. The crowd is engaged, curious, and present in a specific way. and when people see their illustrations, That's a particular kind of pressure and a particular kind of reward.
Quick turnaround at volume
Brand activations require a different pace than other live illustration contexts. The brief is essentially: draw well, draw fast, keep the queue moving. At the event of that scale, the pace needs to be tighter than that — the crowd is large, the energy is high, and people are there for the full event experience, not just the portrait table. What I've learned: speed and quality are not in conflict at this level. The constraint of pace forces better decisions. You make faster choices about what matters and what to leave out. In many ways the portraits I draw fastest are the most alive.
Holding prints of live illustrations 
Holding prints of live fashion illustrations done at a brand activation event for adobe. 
Holding prints of live fashion illustrations done at a brand activation event for adobe.
What I'm taking from it
Brand activations and large-scale corporate events are also where I want to take SuPr Doodles next along with inidvidual celebrations. The work at Brand Activations is different — faster, higher volume, in front of communities rather than Smaller celebrations. But the core thing doesn't change. people watching their face take shape in someone's hands. That moment is the same whether it happens at a weddings, bridal showers, milestone birthdays or a brand activation in downtown Toronto.
guests Holding prints of live fashion illustrations done at a brand activation event for adobe. Guests Holding prints of live fashion illustrations done at a brand activation event for adobe. Guests Holding prints of live fashion illustrations done at a brand activation event for adobe. Guests Holding prints of live fashion illustrations done at a brand activation event for adobe.
If you're a brand or agency I provide live illustration for brand activations, product launches, corporate events, and large-scale gatherings across Toronto and the GTA. I work as part of multi-artist teams for larger events and as a solo illustrator for more intimate activations. Both watercolour on paper and digital on iPad — the right medium for your brand's aesthetic and your event's pace.
Most recently: Adobe. Previous clients include Broccolini, Rempel Capital, and Seamless Health.
Ready to bring live illustration to your next event? Send me your date and event details at
📩 suprdoodles.com/contact · I respond within 24 hours.
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