Including venue illustrations in wedding invitations adds a personal touch that reflects your unique style. Hand-drawn illustrations bring a dynamic quality, complementing various design aesthetics and can be a beautiful addition to your wedding invitations.

Gabbinbar Homestead is a stunning wedding venue located in Toowoomba, Australia. Nestled on 25 acres of manicured gardens and lawns, this historic homestead provides a beautiful backdrop for weddings with its elegant architecture, exquisite interiors, and picturesque surroundings. The venue's distinctive architecture and surroundings make it an ideal subject for an illustration, offering an opportunity to create a truly unique drawing.

The drawing is shown here used in the Hannah design, mid-text. Printed in Slate letterpress ink on Soft white paper. Paired with Almond envelopes.

Creating the illustration

The Gabbinbar Homestead illustration was created by hand using traditional pen techniques on paper. First the sketch was outlined in pencil and then this was worked over in pen. The goal was to create depth and form in the building and surroundings and capture both the building and setting.

In order to achieve this, I used a variety of line techniques to accentuate the key features of the building and the landscape. I’ve included the foreground driveway, fountain and gardens, along with the outlines of the background trees to capture the setting. I find that incorporating elements of greenery and surroundings into my illustrations adds a sense of context and depth, which enhances the overall image.

Creating the original illustration.

Once completed, the drawing was scanned and converted to be suitable to use in the design.

Using the illustration

This illustration can be added to any of our Collection designs. For example it can easily be used on the Naomi and Hannah design styles which already feature an illustration. But it can also be added to any of our Collection designs or used on an information card, custom map or program cover.

The drawing is shown here used in the Naomi design, at the top of the invitation. Printed in Black letterpress ink on White paper. Paired with Almond envelopes.

Drawing edits or changes

The drawing can be edited, for example the drawing can be cropped tighter or Anything goes really! Just get in touch if you’d like to discuss the options in more detail prior to ordering.

Detail showing the illustration used in the Hannah design, mid-text. Printed in Slate letterpress ink on Soft white paper. Paired with Almond envelopes.

Other illustrations

Illustrations can be of your ceremony or reception venue, the view or surrounding landscape, a significant landmark or perhaps even a place of meaning to you as a couple. Anything goes really! I've created drawings of old churches, hillsides, islands, boats and vistas, and all work equally well. Feel free to contact me with your venue details and ideas before requesting a quote to see what might be possible.

Commission a Custom Illustration

A custom illustration can be a beautiful way to personalise your wedding invitations, save the dates, information cards or programs. Custom illustrations can be added to any of our suites, not just those that feature a sample venue illustration. To begin, we recommend getting in touch to discuss your illustration ideas and options for your suite as well as to receive a quote. If your subject is suitable, there may be some discussion about the important elements to include or angle you'd like to see in the design. Note that I normally like to capture buildings from oblique angle as this adds depth and form.

We offer a number of invitation suites which feature venue illustrations as an integral part of the design style. However, you can also add a venue illustration to any of our suites. You can also use the illustration on different pieces - Information cards, Save the dates, Custom Maps, Menus, Program Covers - the options are endless. See our Illustrations page for more information and examples.