Artists & Illustrators - UK (2020-06)

PAINT AT HOME

illustrating

Food

I

t’sanunusualtimeaswecome

totermswitha globalcrisisand

unprecedentedmeasuresthat

restrictourmovement.Beingconfined

toourhomeshasbecomethenorm

butthisneednothinderourcreativity.

Manyofusareconcernedabout

possibleshortagesasweself-isolate

andfoodmayhavebecomea

preoccupation.However,it’spossible

toreframethesenseofgloomabout

fillingourkitchencupboardsandturn

it intosomethingcreative.

I amanillustratoranddesigner,

andI’mknown,amongotherthings,

forpaintinganddrawingfooditems.

WhenI startedmysketchbook

practice,I wasa stay-at-homemum

witha toddler,soI’dtrytosnatch

pocketsofcreativetimewhileshe

hada nap.Becauseofthelimited

timeavailable,I’dpaintitemsaround

myhousetobuildupbothmyfluency

withwatercolourandmygeneral

technicalability.

I’doftenselectkitchenitemsfor

thisasthat’swhereI spentmostof

mytime.Mysketchbookpageswere

dedicatedtotinnedfish,condiments

andbottlesofvariousdescriptions.

Householditemsmayseem

mundaneasa subjectmatter

butpaintingthemhelpsyouto

understandmanybasicartistic

conceptssuchasproportion,

perspectiveandvolume.

Startbytakinga lookinyour

kitchencupboards,yourpantry

andanywhereelseyoustorenon-

perishablefoods.Checkinsidethe

fridgeandseewhatitemsarelurking

attheback.Takeoutandreviewthe

variousjars,tinsandpacketsyou

find.Lookatthevaryingtexturesand

sizesofitems,suchasredlentils,

tagliatellenestsormaltedmilk

biscuits.Stackupitemstocreate

differentheightsandaddinterest.

Perhapsgatherpackagingofa single

colour– forexample,a redRitz

crackerboxwithsomeredOXOcubes

andKitKats– andpaintordrawthem

usingonlythatcolourandblack.

Forfurtherinspiration,followmy

challengesintheboxontheright.

http://www.ohnmarwin.com

Stocked uponfoodforself-

isolation?OHNMARWIN

hassometastychallenges

#PaintAtHome

CHALLENGE 4

RAID YOUR CUPBOARDS

Here are some different ways to

approach drawing or painting

different stockpiled essentials...

1

GLASS BOTTLES

AND JARS

Draw the outline of each jar or

bottle using a single black line.

Fill in the contents of the jar

using another medium – with a

jar of olives, for example, use

coloured pencil or gouache to

create the olives you see inside.

To capture the reflections on

the bottles, half-close your eyes

so that you can see more clearly

the contrast between light and

dark. Then use either white

gouache or gel pen to indicate

the highlights or outline them

with pen or pencil.

2

TINS AND TUBES

For things like cans of soup

or tinned fish, concentrate on the

shape of the labels and lettering.

You don’t need to include every

detail, just enough to make it

recognisable.

Consider drawing a page full of

just labels, either as outlines or

solid areas using just one colour.

3

PACKETS

AND BOXES

As these are flat, choose 5-7

items with the most distinctive

lettering or labels and arrange

them on a large, flat surface or

floor with a view to drawing them

from overhead.

Begin by drawing the outline

of each item in pencil, noting the

position of the most prominent

lettering on each pack and taking

into account the curve or angle

of the lettering. Start with the

letters at the centre of each

word and work outwards.

When you’ve completed your

pencil sketch, define the shapes

with black gouache or ink,

applied with a fine brush.

LEFT Ohn Mar Win,

English Packaging,

digital illustration

BELOW Ohn Mar

Win, A Very English

Store Cupboard,

digital illustration