Food makes Art good !

Hello and Happy New Year!

This winter seems requiring quite a bit of color to cheer us up! 

I have been experimenting recently with some illustrations on the food theme.

I found a great website that showcase this type of work, 

They draw and cook, 

where you can submit your illustration with no selection, 

and the hosts give you also the possibility to choose to get good royalties in case your displayed work is requested. 

Here is my Atlantic Eggplant Boats

I really enjoyed exploring recipes and looking at real food, often so perfect and beautiful!

Another thing I have done and I can't recommend it enough , 

is to become a member of the AOI, Association of Illustrators, which is an invaluable source of advice and professional guidance about all that concern an artist in his/her practice, including contracts, pricing based on real works, legal advice... 

They also have a great newsletter where they update with all awards, international events, connected to this job.

The membership fee starts from £160 for a year, with the option to add your portfolio on their platform for another £40. 

HERE is mine!

They are connected with the major industries and agencies, so it was for me a great discovery, worthy to share. And you don't have to live in the Uk, to be part of this friendly group.

I am also carrying on learning

pattern design, and I just has so much fun 

incorporating in photoshop

a sketch with a background

pattern I was creating

Favorite podcasts of the month:

Arrest all mimics, a weekly podcast about all the aspects of illustration,UK
All the wonders, a choice of 4 programs about book illustration for young age, USA
Sleeping at last, this music band made by one great person mainly, about the creation of his songs ( I know, this is not strictly about visual arts, but such an interesting door on creative process!

Favorite books of the month:

Children's picture books, by Martin Salisbury
The Artist's way , by Julia Cameron, the greatest book about creativity I've ever read!

New materials and art stuffs I recently discovered:

illustration board, a very thick support that gives the possibility to paint with water based colors on paper, you can choose the texture like for watercolor paper, between cold press or smooth finish, I used it for this illustration with acrylics (Liquitex) and colored pencils (Faber Castell Polycromos).
Matt medium, a transparent medium that dries very matt, so you don't loose the work done underneath and can draw or paint on top.You can also use it as a glue for collage!
I used it for the butterflies on my eggplant boats illustration..

I hope you find this blogpost interesting, 

and I can't wait to share more news with you soon!