Food illustration

Food illustration.

What comes to your mind immediately? Art or food? Are you a foodie? Do you draw food? Have you ever tried food art? Arranging the table, taking pictures and then drawing elaborate servings?

I started food illustration fairly recently when I came across 'Still here still life' (they host a weekly challenge) though I had been collecting some food pictures for some time now. And no, I wouldn’t call myself a great foodie. Drawing/painting food is actually fun – the volumes, the textures, the arrangement of varied pots and pans and wares, the patterns, the play of light. A delicious still life!

My eating habits are not one to follow. I eat to live that’s how it is as of now though none would think so looking at me. There’s a common-tease back at my family home that no one needs to worry over not having enough food if I drop by unexpectedly during lunch-time. "You could just scrape the pan and that’s enough for her!" I don’t enjoy the joke though (J). I eat part meals and I can’t have a proper quantity at a time. I have problem with my digestion since I have undergone cholecystectomy (it’s nothing serious but refer dictionary, in case J). Considering all that, I find food illustration fun. I can’t seem to keep up the weekly challenge though. I just intervene now and then when possible.

Are you into watching culinary shows? My daughter and I used to enjoy it particularly a TV channel called Fatafeat (which is perhaps obsolete now) that telecasted food roller-coaster rides of Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Giada de Laurentiis, Ina Garten (very own Barefoot Contessa) and many more. Later, closer home Madhur Jaffery (our very own ‘Godmother’ of Indian cooking), Tarla Dalal, Sanjeev Kapoor, Vikas Khanna, Aditya Bal and so on. Recently it’s my neighbour (from Bangladesh) Nadiya Hussain (on Netflix).

For one who isn’t a foodie, you may think this is far too much of a list! I used to enjoy cooking and feeding, it has dampened these days. Like experimenting in art, I used to experiment with new recipes too after watching my favourite shows of the said celebrity chefs.

All that said, in case you wish to check it out for the pleasure of seeing all the wonderful food arrangements, the food itself, variations in the submissions etc. do check out - Stillherestilllife

Here’s a couple of illustrations from the weeks I had joined:

(images 1, 2, 4 and 5 - gouache and 3 - sharpies)

my first food illustration with Still here still life

Any favourites here?