Urban Farmstands

Urban Farmstands is based on an article in Pacific Horticulture Magazine winter 2018. Residents of Sacramento County are growing more produce in their backyards and bringing it out into the community.

     The above is another illustration in the series I am developing of rendered vegetables in a graphic context. This time I chose to outline the vegetables, integrating them with the environment. 

     Check out the new poll on the side bar and tell me what your favorite vegetable is!

Regaining Momentum, Reenergizing, Reinvigorating

These are a continuation of the spot illustrations I posted last week. 

     Ever since the Illustrators of the Future workshop I feel massively energized for creating art and pursuing freelancing. I'm juggling a lot of projects between homework and clients. As well as polishing old pieces to use for self-promotion.

     I'm also re-evaluating my art business as a whole, in the context of what I'm learning from professionals in the industry and learning about business. For example, I'm very deep into the philosophy of Michael Porter, author of business books Competitive Strategy and Competitive Advantage.

     As I continue learning however, I still believe in the need to push forward with conviction. That is why recently I made the commitment to register Adar Illustration as an LLC in New Jersey. A big step that I never undertook in the past. I also purchased tickets to attend GenCon in August, a major destination for tabletop gaming enthusiasts...and illustrators. Furthermore I purchased a subscription to Yodelist, a resource for promoting illustration to art buyers. All of these steps are driving up my enthusiasm for creating, knowing I'm working towards serving clients specifically, as opposed to ambling aimlessly creating art.

     That said, experimentation is an important part of refueling creative juices and it is one reason I enjoy this blog so much. I seek to maintain it as a place where I feel comfortable posting work that is fun to create, regardless of intent. Sometimes the work is more intentional, sometimes less. Also, at least for the time being, I plan to keep this blog specifically, food-centered.

     So that is some of what's happening in the world of Adar Illustration this week 😊✌✋

Organic Food, Mechanical Tech

     Here are two food spot illustrations I recently designed. The concept is making food the focal point with hand painting and reducing an appliance to stylized graphic lines. This expresses the organic nature of food versus the mechanical nature of technology.

     A piece of news I'm happy to share is moving my website to Squarespace. It also has a new url: Adar-illustration.com

     One of the writers from the Writers and Illustrators of the Future workshop I attended, Jonathan Ficke, is currently writing a series of posts about each piece of art from the contest this year. Check out his blog, jonficke.com 

Peppers and Passover!

     One of the best aspects of drawing food is the variety of shapes and colors. Peppers feature both. How many of these peppers can you name? How many have you tried? Healthy eating offers an ever-increasing range of options for trying new foods. Before I started to eat healthier I did not know there were so many kinds of peppers.

     Below I placed these peppers on some kitchen products. It's fun to imagine printing fabric and creating useable items!

     Last but not least, Passover is coming up next week! This is definitely a food holiday. In fact, the center piece of the holiday is a plate featuring some of the food items below (plus there are many cups of wine!) The graphics below from left to right are a shank bone, apple-raisin mix, matzo, parsley, egg, wine glass, horseradish, lettuce and wine bottle. The text is a Hebrew saying from the Seder which means "next year in Jerusalem".