A place where art meets food.
There is a new “cake” book on the block. This book simply titled Cake has recipes of course, but what accompanies those recipes to give us a glimpse of our favourite celebratory food are illustrations by designer, author and illustrator Maria Kalman. In an interview about her book, Kalman said -“When I think about pound cake I think about people who play bridge, and they have a slice of cake.”
Food illustrations seem to have that effect. They make us look beyond the image and envision the experiences food could bring to the table. When it comes to recipes, they do guide us to the end product but along the way, they evoke the many shades of cooking- the smell of fresh herbs, the messiness, the burnt sides, the joy of getting a clean toothpick and what sometimes feels like the never-ending chopping/ stirring.
A few days after I wrote about Bhuli, I stumbled into the world of They Draw & Cook. A world created by Nate Padavick and Salli S Swindell, brother/sister team who are illustrators and designers themselves. They Draw & Cook is a wonderland for food lovers where artists from across the world share illustrated recipes. Even if you don’t love cooking, you can spend hours appreciating how people choose to portray their favourite foods Salli and Nate started this project in 2010, and today they have more than 7000 recipes from all over the world, not to mention their large following on Facebook and Instagram. You will find everything from a Creamy Ravioli (“This recipe was created on a busy night by my father who couldn’t figure out what to make for dinner for my brother and I“- says the artist) to an Indo-Chinese Chilli Paneer to a Lebanese Turmeric Cake. As one artist wrote along with her recipe– “It’s not what you cook but the memories you make cooking”.
I reached out to Salli, and over email, she answered my questions about this project which not only celebrates food and cooking but also gives artists a platform to showcase their talent.
TYT: In the TDAC website, you write about how the idea to illustrate recipes came from a cooking moment during a family vacation. Could you please tell me a little bit about the initial days of TDAC?
Salli: Yes! We were on a family vacation, and Nate was in charge of dinner. He was making Fettuccine and Figs in a Butter Balsamic Sauce. I was sitting at the counter drawing the crate of fresh figs. It was an AHA moment. I wanted to draw food and lots of it! We started brainstorming. Initially, it all started as an idea to self publish a small book of nine recipes created by Nate, myself and seven illustrator friends. We were going to use the book as a promotional piece to showcase our illustration styles through recipes. One artist was taking too much time finishing his illustration, so Nate decided to launch a blog and post our eight recipes. Wow! We had no idea how quickly it would take off. We immediately started receiving illustrated recipes from other artists. Within a year we had a book deal and had outgrown a blog format. It was all so crazy!
TYT: Did you ever expect the site to involve artists from across the globe and become the largest collection of illustrated recipes?
Salli: Honestly, it grew so organically and quickly that we only had time to react to what was happening in the moment! Our main platform from the start was to help freelancers get more exposure and meet new clients one illustrated recipe at a time. We also wanted the site to be very welcoming and community oriented. We like to think of They Draw & Cook and They Draw & Travel as big creative playgrounds where amateur and professional illustrators play together. It’s like one HUGE international party with new friends, food and adventure showing up everyday.
Salli Swindell on They Draw & Cook and the power of illustrations. Click To Tweet
TYT: TDAC is more than just a place for recipes. Through your Instagram feed, through the Illustrators for Hire feature and the cookbooks, artists find a unique platform to showcase their work. Was this always an important part of your TDAC journey?
Salli: Thank you for noticing all of these things! TDAC has evolved to be so much more than a collection of recipes. We really try to find fun ways to showcase artists all around the world and celebrate different cultures. Nate and I live on opposite ends of the country, so all of our ideas happen during vacation when we take long hikes or beach walks. That’s the very best way to brainstorm, right? At first we weren’t 100% positive the Illustrators for Hire Page was even a good idea. However, now we know it works. Artists share stories of projects they’ve received because an art director spotted them on our site. On the flip side, art directors thank us for a fun way to find new talent. We are incredibly happy about our Single Artist Cookbook Series. These artists are all so amazing!
TYT: What do you look for in the illustrations that are submitted to TDAC? Are illustrations rejected on any basis?
Salli: We try and post everything that is submitted. That alone sets us apart from many other illustration sites. There are three reasons why a recipe is not posted, and in most cases, I reach out to the artist and explain so they can correct if they wish. We have a standard size that isn’t negotiable. If the text is too small to read I won’t post because fans and followers do like to actually make the recipes, so we need to be able to read it. Along the same line, if an illustration is lacking on info to make the recipe, then I ask for more detail and instruction. When it comes to baking it’s pretty important to be specific!
TYT: Earlier recipes were about simple, straightforward instructions. With food blogs and the rising popularity of food writing, people began indulging in the narrative. Now we see a huge interest in food images. How important are illustrations when it comes to a form of food expression?
Salli: Food has become a HUGE illustration platform! We think illustrating food is another way to be creative, expressive and share emotions. Illustrations capture so many things that photographs can’t. Adding personality and bringing food to life is the heart and art of food illustration. They can be nostalgic, funny, sweet, luscious, silly and so much more. You can give an eggplant a face or show a chocolate chip cookie riding a rollercoaster or paint the most mouthwatering fig you’ve ever seen. It’s so easy to infuse emotion into an illustration and food is all about emotions. We are constantly amazed at the many ways that artists tell their food and recipe stories!
TYT: You founded They Draw & Travel a year after TDAC. Please tell me a little about that, and what are your goals with the travel site?
Salli: We had a list a mile long for what else “They Draw” could be. Nate has always been intrigued by maps and travel, even as a young kid. He was always spinning the globe! We wanted another site that was purposeful so the viewer not only got to see great art but also got something useful; a recipe/a map. I’d say the travel site is the same as cook; to help artists connect with art directors and give everyone a place to showcase their work. Because of They Draw & Travel, almost all of Nate’s commissions are map related. Map and food illustrations have become very popular so we are pretty happy! We both have tons of ideas for each site but we also each have our illustration practices to manage and there are just not enough hours in the day.
For more information visit They Draw & Cook. Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
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