One of the reasons I became interested in pursuing a career in illustration in the first place was because I was so inspired by the illustrative style of Emma Dibben who regularly contributes to Waitrose Food Magazine and whose work also features on their packaging.
What I love about her style is its colourful and “loose” interpretation which to me conveys an image of farmers market wholesomeness and the high standards which Waitrose is known for.
Another of my favorite food illustrators is Tom Hovey who draws the beautiful illustrations for “The Great British Bake Off”. Whilst Tom’s illustrations are completely different in style, I think both he and Emma Dibben’s work really stimulate the senses and get one to think about what both the individual ingredients and the finished result smell and taste like.
Whilst I can’t say I’m “passionate” about food and currently don’t have much time to cook, I certainly love food whether eating in or out. My diet as a child was very boring and unadventurous apart from the occasional trip to the local Chinese. I don’t think I had eaten authentic French soft cheese until my early twenties.
My gastronomic inspiration came from those vintage TV series by Rick Stein and Keith Floyd which were filmed in situ in interesting locations both at home and abroad, not just in a studio a la Fanny Craddock. In the show’s one met the people who produced the food, the home cooks and the restaurateurs. I could imagine myself in a mediterranean street market or a North Sea Trawler in a force nine gale.
However, before most of us had the ability to enjoy this from the comfort of our living rooms there was an alternative opportunity to indulge our senses in the food writings of Elizabeth David, for which John Minton produced some exceptional covers and illustrations.
David’s book was published in 1950 when the UK was still in the grip of postwar austerity and rationing, so for it’s probably mainly middle-class readership it must of provided some much needed escapism, picturing as it does an idyllic mediterranean coastal scene with a sunny terrace and tables groaning under the weight of locally sourced produce.
In addition to creating my own self-directed work on a myriad of themes my intention is to pursue editorial illustration as a means of earning income to supplement my occupational pension. This is because it offers me the ability to work on projects that are based anywhere in the world, which are relatively quick to undertake allowing me to move onto other assignments with ease.
The reason for being particularly interested in food illustration is there is so much potential opportunity out there and it is something I can’t ever see myself getting bored of doing. When undertaking my art foundation year we had a talk from a widely respected illustrator and printmaker who told us his first job on leaving art school was illustrating an article on the pros and cons of different kinds of mortgage packages- Yawwwwwwwnnn! I certainly wouldn’t have passed the job up if I needed it but that sort of assignment doesn’t generate any enthusiasm in me whatsoever!
With the subject of food illustration however there are so many angles to explore – variety of produce, location, sustainability, events, markets, healthy eating, culture – the list is endless.
To be continued…..
Mel Gale's Illustration BA Blog 