Spotlight on Visual Artist Elijah Martel

Have you ever kept a diary or a journal to keep track of your thoughts and significant events that have happened throughout the day/weeks/months/years? Journaling is a great exercise. But sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words.

If you attended our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit back in November, you might've noticed someone frantically sketching the speakers, performances, and other events that took place throughout the day.

Elijah Martel drawing at Lawnya Vawnya, 2023.

That individual was multidisciplinary artist and storyteller Elijah Martel, whose lively illustrations captured the event in such a unique, fun and expressive way. Besides Business & Arts NL, Elijah has also done live illustrations (or been "cartoonist-in-residence") for Lawnya Vawnya, People and the Sea Film Festival, Quadrangle NL, the Nickel Independent Film Festival, and as part of the Gros Morne-based Spruce Budworm Project. They've also done comics drawings for Riddle Fence reviews and as part of the Artist Spotlight program at The Rooms.

We caught up with Elijah to learn more about their work, the power of storytelling through illustration, and how the art of live illustration can add a fresh perspective while connecting people to an experience. 

Elijah Martel’s illustration of Amy Henderson speaking at Business & Arts NL’s (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit.

Business & Arts NL: How did you get into the practice of illustrating live events and what is it about this medium that you enjoy the most?

Elijah Martel: In 2023, I applied to Lawnya Vawnya’s writer-in-residence program even though, historically, I’d never really been involved in the music scene. I pitched myself as an artist who wanted to document the festival through comics instead of prose. Illustrating the festival became a point of access for me to understand that world, and it completely changed my relationship to live music.

I’d been making observational drawings for over a decade, but this was the first time I got the chance to do it in an official capacity, with a press badge and everything. Since then, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have other festival and event invitations come mainly through word-of-mouth referrals.

Elijah’s illustration of John Devereaux of Perfect Day, a featured speaker at the summit.

Business & Arts NL: When you're working at an event, especially one that's moving along at a fairly quick pace, what's going through your mind and how do you determine what to sketch?  And how do you keep up with the pace?

EM: Having a background in visual arts isn’t strictly necessary, but it helps! I’d have a much harder time if I hadn’t already spent years learning to make 15-second gesture drawings. Drawing from life is all about observation, so it’s important to keep your eyes up and trust your hand to capture what you’re seeing.

When you put that work in the context of an event, you’re also thinking about storytelling: Am I capturing the little moments that really convey a presenter’s personality? Or the sensory details that communicate how it feels to be here? It’s also important to me to respect the implicit goals of whoever’s brought me in to do documentation. For example, if it’s a show, I’m trying to get at least one good sketch of every performer.

Elijah’s sketch of performer Ian Foster at Ballast Collective at the summit.

Business & Arts NL: Sometimes, it's not always the featured speaker, performer, etc. at an event that people remember the most, but those magical little moments that happen throughout the day. What, in your view, makes a great "sketchable" moment?

EM: Usually, I’m attending these events as something of an outsider. I don’t live full-time in the world of business, or music, or film; I’m just an enthusiastic short-term visitor. Each vignette I draw is a building block in a story about the sum total of that experience. The moments that jump out at me might be things that someone more immersed in that world would take for granted. Oftentimes they do end up being funny, or a little offbeat. My hope is that long after the event is over, someone can look back through my drawings and feel connected to the experience, like being let in on an inside joke.

Elijah’s sketch of JL González, one of the artists-in-residence at the summit.

Business & Arts NL: What's your favourite illustration from the (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit and why?

EM: I have two! The first is a drawing of Anhelina, one of BANL’s staff, ringing chimes to signal a transition between events. When I think back on the summit, the sound of those chimes is such a unique sensory memory from that day, so I’m glad to have captured it. The drawing is simple, but I like the character that comes through.

My second favourite is from the juggling workshop. Beni Malone was coaxing all these reluctant bystanders into participating, so naturally I drew him as an angelic figure with dozens of wings and eyes, surrounded by juggling clubs, with the caption “Be not afraid!” In retrospect, I don’t know what possessed me. But I love that BANL let me do that, even though it was clearly extremely weird. I will say, in all the conversations I’ve had afterwards, this is always the one drawing that people specifically reference, so if the goal is to be memorable it’s definitely achieved that.

Business & Arts NL: What would you say are some of the benefits of chronicling an event through live illustration vs. documenting the event via photography or film?

EM: When the Impressionist movement kicked off in the late 19th century, cameras were becoming more portable and easier to use. Rather than try to outdo the realism in photography, painting started getting looser, more colourful. Artists leaned into the qualities that made painting unique, making work that was less about precision than about mood, and passing time, and all the human feelings that go along with it.

Right now, we have technology that can record every second of a presentation, and spit out an automatic transcript and an AI summary in less time than it took me to write this sentence. I’m not trying to compete with that. I’m here to paint a very human, subjective little picture of how it feels to be present in the room with everybody. When the speaker uses a really colourful analogy, I’ll draw whatever imaginary thing they’re describing. There’s no pretense of objectivity. I’m inviting you along to see things as I’m seeing them, and hopefully we’ll have some fun along the way.

Elijah’s illustration of artistic director Jillian Keiley, a featured speaker at the summit.

Business & Arts NL: If someone is thinking about adding the element of live illustration to their own event, is there anything in particular they should consider?

EM: I always recommend chatting with the artist beforehand to clarify your hopes and expectations! Have a look at their past work, and the personality that comes through. Is it a good fit for your event? If you want straightforward, courtroom-style drawings of each presenter, let the artist know, and then make sure they have a seat with a good view of the podium. If you’re hoping for something colourful and impressionistic with a lot of personality and narrative voice, you can ask for that, too. Do you want fast, spontaneous sketches that you can share on social media the second they’re done, or would you prefer the artist take time afterwards to clean up finished drawings for publication? As in any good partnership, the more upfront and open the communication, the more likely everyone will be pleased with the end result.

I had a great time at (Un)Common Threads. Thank you again for having me!

Elijah’s illustrated self-portrait.

To see more of Elijah's work, or to get in touch with them about a potential project, check them out on Instagram @elijahjanka or email: elijahjanka@gmail.com