26 Events in May. Here's What That Actually Looked Like.
May was A LOT.
26 events in one month. Brand activations, weddings, charity galas, Mother's Day experiences, retail openings and everything in between.
I'm tired. I'm grateful. And I really want to document this one before another busy month - June takes over.
Here's everything that happened. 🖤
The Brand Activations
Burberry — Live VIP Portraits
The brief for Burberry asked for something painterly, colourful and bold. Which was such a fun challenge.
I created live portraits for VIPs and in-store customers, each one a bit more expressive than my usual style. When a brand gives you creative freedom like that... you have extra fun with it. 🖤
Tommy Hilfiger — Collins Arcade Store Opening
A store opening at Collins Arcade for Tommy Hilfiger. Drawing guests live as they walked into a brand new beautiful store.
This is the kind of booking that still makes me smile on the drive home.
Tory Burch — Mother's Day Activation
I've worked with Tory Burch before and it always feels like coming back to a brand I genuinely love.
Warm, joyful, beautiful. Exactly what Mother's Day should feel like.
Mother's Day Activation
Painting live moments for Mother's Day.
The Mother's Day High-tea setting was gorgeous. The guests were dressed impeccably. Every sketch felt elevated just by being in that space.
Dr. Vranjes Firenze at David Jones Melbourne CBD — Live Bottle Painting
Okay I need to talk about this fragrance. 😄
If you haven't tried Rosso Nobile by Dr. Vranjes Firenze, please go smell it immediately. It smells like red wine and I want to be surrounded by it at all times.
The bottle painting experience was beautiful. A luxury fragrance with a hand-painted design is a completely different level of keepsake.
Goldfield and Banks at Myer
Painting live at Myer for the Goldfield and Banks Queen of Fragrance event. Beautiful Australian fragrance, gorgeous guests, and the kind of energy that makes a everyday feel like a celebration. 🥰
Live Calligraphy at 171 Collins Street — Mother's Day
One of the most beautiful starts to a morning.
Writing love notes live to celebrate Mother's Day alongside another talented artist. Watching people carefully choose the words they wanted written for their mum... that part never gets old.
Thank you to Lifestyle Lab Agency for having us.
Live Engraving on coffee cups at Greensborough Plaza — Mother's Day
"When your barista never gets your name right, so you get your coffee cups engraved." 😄
So much fun. So much energy. A huge shopping centre full of people all wanting to do something special for the mums in their lives. Loved every minute of it.
Perfume Engraving — Amcal Pharmacy x Ultra Beauty via Bonbon Creative Co.
This was a big one.
Through my agency Bonbon Creative Co., we ran perfume engraving across two locations over four days. Managing a team of artists across multiple sites is a completely different challenge to showing up solo, and it's something I've been quietly building towards for a while.
This is exactly what Bonbon Creative Co. was created for.
Custom Fashion Illustration
To celebrate the launch of the Catwalk book in-store across 4 locations at Chadstone in Melbourne, Chatswood, Pitt Street in Sydney and Burnside in Adelaide. Archival looks with my illustration on the swing tags were feature in store alongside the book.
The Weddings
Two weddings in May. One private, and one for the beautiful Vicki and Tin. 🖤
There is nothing quite like a wedding. The emotion, the details, the guests gathering around with drinks in hand...
Congratulations again Vicki and Tin. So honoured to have been part of your day.
The Other Good Stuff
Hotel Windsor Wedding Open Day — Being part of a wedding open day at one of Melbourne's most iconic venues. Brides and couples wandering through that beautiful space, imagining their day. A perfect fit for my elegant live fashion illustration.
Photo by Lena Lim Photography
ANO Charity Gala — Supporting VincentCare Victoria's Marian Community Specialist Family Violence Services. Being in a room full of people who care deeply about something important really touches my heart.
East Meets Wed Networking Event — I love investing in industry connections every year, and this was a wonderful room to be in. (Yes I wore my new Bonbon Creative Co. twilly scarf. 😄)
Still to Come Before I Leave for Fukuoka, Japan...
Three more days of events before I head off to my artist residency at Studio Kura in Fukuoka, Japan in June.
Chaumet — Two Day Event
Birthday Party — Live Illustration for Kids
Completely different energy. Lots of kids and energy. It's going to be fun. Cannot wait. 😄
What I Want to Remember About May
26 events. Every single one different. Every single one asked something different of me.
Fashion houses. Fragrance brands. Jewellery boutique. Shopping centres. Iconic Melbourne venues. Weddings. Charity events.
Solo artist as well as team work through Bonbon Creative Co.
I showed up for every single one.
And I'm so proud of that. 🖤
If you're planning a brand activation, wedding or event and want live illustration, engraving or calligraphy that genuinely elevates the experience, I'd love to hear from you.
📩 hello@candyngart.com 📱 +61 481 783 811 🌐 candyngart.com 📸 @candyngart
Fine Artist | Live Event Illustrator, Engraver & Calligrapher | Melbourne, Australia | Available internationally