Bao Quyen
Illustrator & Storyteller
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CHANEL - Capturing Beauty Through Live Illustration
My role: Personalised live illustration
Live drawing for an eyeshadow collection launch
I was invited to create personalised live illustrations for the launch of a new eyeshadow collection at two CHANEL Fragrance & Beauty boutiques.
The idea was to connect the makeup experience with illustration: after having their makeup done, clients would have the opportunity to have their look captured on paper—a personal keepsake from their visit.
The Brief
The illustrations were to focus primarily on the eye, or a section of the face with the eye as the highlight. Rather than a conventional full portrait, the brief called for a closer look at the detail that connected each client to the collection: their freshly applied eye makeup.
The creative references included an illustration moodboard and the colours of the new eyeshadows. CHANEL-branded paper was to be supplied by the team, placing the individual drawings within a consistent presentation.
A Focus on the Eyes
The creative challenge was to balance individuality with a clear focus on the makeup. Each drawing needed to feel personal to the client while keeping the eye and its surrounding details at the centre of the composition.
This close-up approach offered a way to bring together beauty illustration and portraiture. The eyeshadow was the starting point, but the subject remained the person wearing it—turning a collection of colours into an individual expression.
Live Drawing in the Boutiques
The event brief covered eight hours of live drawing each day, beginning before the boutiques opened with a group of selected clients. Later in the day, the opportunity to receive a personalised illustration would extend to all boutique clients.
Drawing was positioned after the makeup experience, making it a continuation of the visit rather than a separate activity. The illustration would capture the finished look and translate it into something the client could take home.
A Personal Keepsake
At the heart of the project was a simple idea: preserving a temporary makeup look through an original drawing.
The intention was to give clients more than a record of the eyeshadow they had tried. Each illustration would be a small, personal artwork connecting their experience of the collection with a particular moment in the boutique.