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?

Digital Collages and a poem

I have often being told that I should stick to one medium and one way of painting as that would be easy to define and create a signature style of one's own. But I can't seem to be do that, I have tried many times and failed, miserably to my amusement. One of the reasons could be because I am self-taught I find everything fascinating. I love working on multiple mediums; that holds my interest. Most of the techniques and mediums I come across and that I find appealing I wish to try it - just try it at least once. Also I have phases like for acrylic, watercolour, glass painting, pen and ink and so on. The current one is a mix of water colour and gouache. I have been in love with gouache since I found them. I also like to mix and use materials, maybe I can term them as mixed media though I don't use papers, fabric, found objects etc. on it (I intend to but just not now).

The ones in this post are digital collages of my different watercolours and gouache paintings with one or two images. It was actually a submission for a well-known exhibition that was held recently here in Dubai but, unfortunately for me, were rejected. 

The last one is a poem that I wrote recently. As many of you who follow my work may know that I like to paint as well as write.

Welcome to all the new faces who are visiting today. My first post this year, hoping the best for everyone.

Details of some digital collages and a poem:

Do you have such phase or do you stick on to one technique? Do you experiment? What are your thoughts on it?