Creating visuals to accompany text is at the heart of illustration. I love when multiple mediums come together to give an impression. When words of a quote are paired with a scene it can create even more resonance and impact.
This project was painted for my best friend, a soon-to-be counselor, for her future office. It was so fun to pick the colors for this piece that not only captured the scene but also fit with her style and office palette.
The granulation in the sky is my favorite. It’s a combination of Vivianite and Azurite, both Poems About You handmade mineral watercolors, with the addition of Maya blue by Ruby Mountain Paint Co.
The finished piece was matted which gives some weight to the white space.
Illustration on White, 5×7″ (paper size left at 8×10″) White mat add on Paper: Arches Cold Press Paint: Winsor & Newton professional, Poems About You mineral, Ruby Mountain Paint Co.
Here is a handful of 5×7″ recipes I’ve done over the years!
Nana pancakes (2016) This was a recipe I painted for myself of my Nana’s amazing pancakes. It’s still one of my favorite color palettes and layouts to date.
Puff Pancake (Commission 2018) – This was commissioned as a Valentine’s present from a wife to her husband of his signature breakfast special!
Sweet Potato Chili (2019) This sweet potato chili is actually a recipe I invented and painted as a party favor one time. It is my family’s go-to meal for cold autumn nights. Packed with tons of veggies and the perfect combinations of spices.
Mimi’s Red Velvet Cake (Commission 2019) I’m absolutely in love with the way the red and turquoise pops in this commission!
Set of four Nana’s Recipes (Commission 2020) These four were painted as a commissioned set. Click the image for the full post and in-progress shots!
Recipe Illustrations
Your cherished family recipe brought to life! Check out the details, including sizes and pricing.
What started out as a fun camper illustration project turned into an opportunity to explore my illustration styles! Shallie from Set the Bar Rentals reached out for a custom illustration set of her business’s two adorable event trailers.
To first illustrate Shirley, her retro mobile bar trailer, I started out with my typical detailed approach, clean and precise. Personality still comes through but it’s very controlled and I think it has a certain elegance about it.
Then I felt a spurring on of inspiration and decided to give it another go and keep things quicker and loose.
The bottom illustration was the result – something I decided to call ‘sketch’ in comparison to my more controlled style which I’ve dubbed ‘tidy’.
Both styles have their unique personality and use. My Retro Camper illustration pack definitely utilizes the sketch style!
I took the same approach for the other piece – a modern little restroom trailer (such a smart idea right?!). The top illustration features my tidy style and the bottom is my sketch style.
Full disclosure – I do not paint all my commission projects twice! (Besides the ones I mess up or spill paint water all over…another story for another time) But when inspiration strikes, I’ve discovered it’s best to not try to thwart it!
I shared both with Shallie and she chose the ‘tidy’ versions as her final logos! She also shared this kind testimonial about her experience.
Rachel was such a pleasure to work with! She responded quickly and answered all my questions. She sent me a simple b&w [black and white] draft that I was in love with and even painted our mobile bar trailer in both “sketch” and “tidy” versions and let me choose between the two. I was extremely happy with the final product and can’t wait to get my original prints in the mail! True talent.
Shallie at Set the Bar
Illustration on White 5×7″ Digitized Artwork Add On Paper: Canson Bristol Paint: Winsor & Newton Professional, Daniel Smith Artist, Poems About You
Lovely 5×7″ illustrations on white. Both places are filled with memories. My client’s Nana’s house as well as the Chi Omega house from Vanderbilt University.
The illustration of this sweet yellow house required a few adjustments to restore it to its former glory. With a solid reference photo and the right notes, it was smooth sailing; adding in the right flowers and removing a few other features.
Getting the colors and windows right for Chi Omega was especially fun! Using multiple reference photos I adjusted the season to ensure both trees and flowers were in full bloom.
Custom Illustrations
Home, Scene & Auto Check out the details, including sizes and pricing.
Both of these illustrations are 5×7″ and utilize my Illustration on White style. Illustrations at this size can fit directly into a 5×7″ frame or you can mat them for a more dramatic presentation style and frame them at 8×10″.
Illustration on White, 5×7″ Paper: Arches cold-press watercolor paper Paint: Winsor & Newton Professional
The one that started it all! My first venture into the world of illustrating recipes.
The beginning was quite practical. I rarely relate to recipes in list + steps format. To me, it’s a sequence of connected actions and I appreciate seeing it all laid out visually.
So I took our family’s most prized cookie recipe (at least in my opinion) and doodled it out so I could follow it better. And since I’m me…I doodled it rather precisely and used watercolor!
The rest is history. 🙂 I was proud of the final result and made prints for my aunts and cousins as Christmas gifts and they were well received!
Now I just can’t stop making family recipes into little infographic works of art! It’s one of my most popular Christmas commissions each year.
Recipe Illustrations
Your cherished family recipe brought to life! Check out the details, including sizes and pricing.
