V&A Waterfront · Cape Town

Live portraits at the V&A Waterfront

Sit on the quayside for twenty minutes to an hour and walk away with an original hand-drawn portrait. No booking needed.

What a sitting is like

01
Find the easel
On the quayside walkway between the Clock Tower and the Amphitheatre, opposite the Two Oceans Aquarium side of the harbour. Walk up, say hello and pick a sitting from the price board.
02
Sit for twenty minutes to an hour
You sit on a stool facing the easel with your back to the harbour. Talking, laughing and short breaks are fine; the likeness is caught in the first few minutes.
03
Take the original with you
The finished drawing is fixed with spray, signed and packed flat in a rigid sleeve or rolled in a tube. Pay by cash, card (tap), snapscan, zapper.

Prices are in South African rand and include the drawing, fixative and packaging. Card and SnapScan work with foreign cards.

Quick portrait sketch
About 20 minutes · Graphite on A4
R 350
Head and shoulders, drawn while you sit. Loose but recognisable, and the most popular choice for visitors on a schedule.
Detailed portrait sitting
45 to 60 minutes · Graphite or charcoal on A3
R 750
A fully rendered likeness with shading and detail in the eyes, hair and skin. Worth the extra half hour.
Two people together
About 60 minutes · Graphite or charcoal on A3
R 1 200
Couples, friends or a parent and child on one sheet. Each additional person adds R450.

Most people who sit are visiting Cape Town for a few days. A few things that make the sitting easier.

Late afternoon has the best light and the shortest queue; weekend middays are busiest.
Take off sunglasses and hats for the sitting. Glasses are fine if you wear them every day.
Groups: sittings run one after the other, so allow 20 minutes per person for quick sketches.
Flying home? The rigid sleeve fits flat in carry-on luggage and the fixative stops smudging.
Want something more detailed than a live sitting allows? Have a photo taken at the easel and commission a finished portrait to be shipped home.

Send a photograph instead. Commissions are drawn between Waterfront days and shipped tracked and insured anywhere in the world.