I'm an artist person who loves food in all forms, so it makes sense that I also love art about food, yes? Food illustration fascinates me. Good food illustration has this uncanny ability to transport you, delight, and tantalise you. A *great* food illustration? Well, that should have you salivating immediately and figuring out where exactly to get the dish in question.
In my daily quest to find as much art inspiration as possible, I came upon @theydrawandcook on Instagram. Way back in 2010, illustrator siblings Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell started a little blog called They Draw And Cook, which quickly became a hub for people to submit their food illustrations and illustrated recipes.
The website was a revelation and an education - so many different ways and styles to illustrate food deliciously. Scrolling through, I learned a few new recipes and broke through my perceptions of what food illustration and recipe layouts could look like.
Nate and Salli later started a sister blog called They Draw And Travel, mostly comprising illustrated maps, and now both of these have been consolidated into They Draw. But I'm here mostly to talk about the food (art).
There are so many ways to use this site! If you're looking for an illustrator for your next food-based project, this is a great database to work from. If you're looking for a recipe or art of a particular dish or ingredient, you can search for it. You can also search the site by illustration style!
Or, you could just do what I do and scroll through the site endlessly, looking for ideas for new ways to draw and new things to eat.Â
Bon appetit!