As couples search for the perfect way to immortalise their special day, a new trend is taking off, thanks to social media. Live wedding paintings are quickly becoming more popular as the painter is tasked with the most important duty of the day —to capture the essence of the couple through their brush strokes.
This trend gained popularity on TikTok, where Natasha Nduku was first spotted. She explains what goes into creating a live wedding painting. The video, which now has more than 26,000 views was based on an Indian wedding.
“I am a self-taught painter. My main focus was on my projects. My friend, a wedding photographer, told me that there was a client interested in finding a painter to do a painting of an old portrait of them. I suggested that we do a live wedding painting instead as I showed them some of the work of other painters such as Ruth Oneya, who inspired me to start live wedding paintings,” she said.
Natasha’s work starts as early as 7.30 in the morning. As the bridal party is getting ready, she is already at the venue with the vendors as they set up the reception venue. She intends to arrive at the venue two hours early, before the guests arrive to have the beautiful wedding set up of the untouched venue all to herself to paint the background of the painting. It is the most daunting part of the process because wedding setups have several small details such as lighting, flowers and decor. It is her job to capture that perfectly before adding the newlywed couple to the art piece. Adding the couple is the second phase of her creative process.
“I discuss the poses before the wedding day with the couples. At the Indian wedding, the bride and groom wanted a painting of them exchanging the garlands. As the wedding continues, I take a photo of them at the moment to keep for reference while painting. I have to be fast but precise as I paint so that at the end of the wedding, they can catch a glimpse of the first draft. It normally looks like a complete painting but is very translucent because I use oil paint. You will need to layer it up to build up the colour and opaqueness of the painting,” she said.
Painting such a masterpiece takes seven hours, even though some wedding ceremonies only last five hours.
After the couple sees the first draft, Natasha will go home with the painting to add the second layer of paint and a few touch-ups by adding a few details to make it look almost exactly like the photo she captured.
“So far, I have done two live wedding paintings. After I posted a video on Instagram and TikTok about live wedding paintings, I received several inquiries. The post has led me to get two bookings in June and August. One is an Indian wedding, and the other is a white wedding,” she said.
The 22-year-old painter is an engineering student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and has always enjoyed drawing at the back of her books as a hobby. During the pandemic, she started painting and selling her artwork. She sold her first painting at Sh5,000. Live wedding painting was a game-changer for her and is slowly turning into a side hustle.
“There are three packages that I offer couples based on sizes -- 30 by 40 paintings take five hours and are priced at Sh35,000, 40 by 60 paintings take seven hours and are priced at Sh55,000 and 60 by 80 paintings take nine hours for Sh80,000,” Natasha explained.
The type of paint used and transport costs to the wedding venue also influence pricing.
Not only does the painting end up being a favourite wedding keepsake or heirloom, but having a live artist at your wedding ends up being a unique form of entertainment for your guests in attendance.
“Guests will keep passing by to look at what you are doing. The couples are usually really kind and excited to see it, but when they see the first draft, they are usually unsure about how it will turn out. I just remind them to trust the process because I have to sculpt the painting. I start with the basics and then build up the forms. At the wedding, what people see is the ugly phase of the painting. It is a lot of pressure, especially if you are not used to people looking at you while you are painting. You have to converse with them while painting and remember that the clock is ticking too,” she said.
Rejection rates
Natasha is one of the few painters coming into this art form for the first time but she admits that live wedding painting has become her muse as she waits for the art gallery to consider showcasing her other works.
“The rejection rates at the galleries are so high but as I wait, I have started to feel happier when I paint the couples than doing the other paintings,” she said.
Natasha Nduku paints on canva on March 26, 2024, at the Nation Centre building in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
Mostly female painters are taking up the challenge as Natasha believes it is because women are more emotional than men, which makes it easier for them to translate affection onto the canvas.
On TikTok, painters such as Kim-Vi Tran and Rebekka Lord-Johnson from Australia, show videos of couples making special requests, such as adding lost family members to the painting, which cameras or Photoshop cannot do.
Some painters charge about Sh500,000 ($4,000) to Sh1 million ($7,950), especially in countries such as Australia and the US. Some are booked out, such as Rebekka, who only takes bookings for 2025 because 2024 is fully booked. She suggests to make a booking six or twelve months before the wedding.
