In the Moment, on paper
Drawnalism has created a model of working In the Moment on large sheets of sticky paper. Although we can (and do) create ‘big wall’ or ‘big board’ artwork, we find the lack of mobility and flexibility in this set-up restrictive.
It can be difficult to capture the detail and nuance of a session that is being conducted at some distance from our Drawnalists, and we have found that ‘big wall’ and ‘big board’ presentations of large events can be confusing or even overwhelming for participants.
Working on single sheets of paper enables us to capture speeches, presentations and debates in a variety of formats that have been academically proven to assist the comprehension and retention of information. We can also give proper focus to individual sessions, while rapidly creating a large volume of sheets that build into a coherent and memorable record of an event over time.
Materials
When our Drawnalists are working In the Moment, they travel as lightly as possible. They will arrive at a venue with their own sticky paper pads and metal drawing easels. Or they will have arranged for the delivery of pads and flip charts in advance.
Drawnalists will always bring their own pencils, pens and drawing materials, the cost of which is included in our contract price. If they are going to be working digitally, they will bring their own laptops or graphic recording devices.
Workstation requirements
We have created a light, mobile set-up that means we can be flexible about where we work. However, we need a good line of sight to speakers and presentations. This means, in practice, that we tend to be stationed towards the front of a conference hall or venue, but to one side of any lecterns or panel tables.
We also find our work attracts considerable interest, so it is useful to have room behind us that people can use to look over our shoulders or film what we are doing.
In addition, our Drawnalists are doing a physical job against considerable time pressure. They need to sit down occasionally! They also need somewhere to put their drawing materials and the electronic devices they use to look up reference material, take photographs, and post to social media.
Checklist
- For any In the Moment graphic capture session, each booked Drawnalist will need:
- A chair and a table large enough to hold a pack of pens, a laptop and a smartphone
- A power source and wi-fi codes
- Space to erect and work at an easel or flipchart
- A clear line of sight to speakers and presentations
- Good lighting (or a pin-source of light if lights are dimmed during plenary sessions)
- Access to a translation service (if appropriate)
- Space for event participants to view and film the Drawnalist at work (if possible).
Display requirements
Each of the sticky paper sheets that we use is 60 centimetres high and 50 centimetres wide. Typically, we will generate one sheet of Drawnalism for each 30 minutes of a speech or presentation that we are commissioned to record, and at least ten sheets of Drawnalism in the course of day.
This means that we will generate a large volume of paper, quickly. Also, that we will need a considerable amount of space to display our work and support interaction with it. Ten sheets of Drawnalism will require a display space at least 5 metres long.
We have conducted extensive research into the best materials to use to deliver our In the Moment service, and invested in high-quality drawing pen and ink solutions. The paper that we use is bleed-proof – meaning that it will not let our water-based inks pass through it.
It is also lightly self-adhesive along its top-edge – but will not mark paint or leave any glue residue. This means it can be fixed safely to plain painted walls, wood, glass and metal; and then grouped into galleries and timelines that capture the entirety of an event.
Our work attracts a lot of interest from participants so, if the venue layout permits, we recommend displaying our Drawnalism near a lunch or coffee station, as long as this is well-lit and leaves enough space for people to point out favourite moments and take a record.
At the end of an event, our Drawnalists will collect up the display sheets, photograph them, and put them into a pack to present to the organiser. We like to take a photograph of this moment, because our commissioners always look so happy!
