What a night!
On Saturday, 6 June, I had the pleasure of creating live portraits during Museumnacht Leiden 2026.
Throughout the evening, visitors stopped by my table on Rapenburg to have their portraits drawn. Despite the changing weather, there was a steady queue from start to finish, and by the end of the night, 46 people had their portraits drawn.
One of the highlights for me was meeting so many different people and sharing a moment with each of them. Visitors didn’t just come for a portrait; they sat down, chatted with me, asked questions about my work, watched their portrait take shape, and then happily left with a unique keepsake from the evening. It was wonderful to see how curious and engaged people were, and how much they enjoyed being part of the experience.
From the first portraits in the evening light to the last sketches after dark, the atmosphere throughout the night was super friendly, lively, and full of creativity. Seeing people leave with a portrait in hand, and often stopping for a photo with it, made the evening especially rewarding.
A big thank you to everyone who stopped by, waited patiently, and shared the experience with me. And thank you to the Museumnacht Leiden team for including me in this year’s programme.
I look forward to bringing live illustration to many more events in the future.
Monic Colias 