Assignment 2 – Point of sale display

In this assignment, I will create an illustration of fruit or vegetables, which will be used within a campaign for a supermarket to package and promote a range of seasonal foods. I will illustrate one illustration for each of the ranges “Summer” and “Autumn”. The supermarket is respected for the food quality they supply, and the finished image will be a “point of sale” displayed near the fruit and vegetables.

1. Researching Upmarket Grocery Stores

I researched Woolworths, also known for their quality, to get an idea of the illustrations they use in their store and the illustrators’ work. (Figure 1)

Figure 1 Illustrations used in Woolworth

I also looked at other upmarket grocery stores. I have noticed a consistent farmers’ market mood with the blackboard-and-chalk, wooden crates, and grey floor. (See figure 2)

Figure 2 Upmarket grocery store’s fruit and vegetable sections

2. Researching food illustrators

I researched food illustrators to get an idea of the different styles of illustrating food and concluded that watercolour is a good medium to convey an organic feel. I also like the idea of adding ink outlines to blend into the blackboard setting.

2.1. Anastasiia Andreianova

Anastasiia Andreianova’s illustration of food looks fresh and appetising. She uses watercolour and leaves the background white but let watercolour bleed slightly into the background. She also uses a few watercolour splashes.

Figure 3 Anastasiia Andreianova’s fruit illustrations

2.2. Irene Laschi

Illustrator Irene Laschi uses coloured pencils and coloured Indian ink in her illustrations of food. Her style is very realistic and captures the freshness of the fruit very effectively.

Figure 4 Irene Laschi’s fruit and vegetable illustrations

2.3 Emma Dibben

Emma Dibben is well known for her food illustrations. She uses mixed media to achieve her vibrant and fresh-looking fruit and vegetables. I particularly noted the line drawings and translucent shapes in some of her paintings. That could be an alternative to a white background.

Figure 5 Emma Dibben fruit and vegetable illustration

3. My creative process.

3.1. Collecting references (Figure 6)

First, I collected some fruit and vegetables to draw. Then I took photographs of possible angles I would like to use. I also photographed fruit and vegetable in different compositions to fit the illustration format. The blueberries and peach photo’s I have sourced online.

Figure 6 Photographs taken to use as references

3.2. Drafts

I have made five drafts for the summer illustration and decided to use no. 5, the last one. (Figure 7, number 5), but once I sketched it onto a bigger format, I have decided to change the composition slightly. I used reference photos in Figure 7, no. 6 and 7.

I have sketched three drafts for the autumn illustration and was happy with no. 3 (figure 8, no. 3). I prefer a looser composition, almost like someone is throwing the fruit and vegetables into the air. I used reference photos in Figure 8, no. 4, 5 and 6.

3.3. Testing mediums

I want to make sure the fruit and vegetables look edible and delicious, so I have decided to test how I will illustrate the food. I will be using mixed media for this illustration consisting of watercolour paint, coloured pencils, a colourless blender and watercolour ink. I am testing cold-pressed paper with the pencils, but I will be using hot pressed for the final piece if it has too much tooth.

I am trying yellow underpainting. I have seen Emma Dibben using yellow watercolour underpainting when she paints a strawberry, so I have decided to try the same. Wet onto wet.
Building up the layers of paint and allowing proper drying in between layers.
I am working with oil-based coloured pencils on top and blending with a colourless blender.
Making notes of the colours, I am using for a strawberry.
Making notes of the layers of colours I use for an apple slice.
I want to add splashes to the illustration to illustrate a juicy and fresh feel, so I have tried it here.
I am trying coloured watermarks made with a glass for the background.
Leave like this to dry.
The result.
I have tried the cold-pressed paper and tested colours, techniques like wet on wet, wet on dry etc. And what works best for the effect I want.
I have tested how the different elements of mixed media interact. I will be using hot-pressed watercolour paper for the final illustration.

In conclusion, I have learned a lot from this assignment, particularly viewing my work from a distance as it will be a “point of display. The finished pieces are both 38 x 38cm on hot-pressed watercolour paper, with no digital finishes. The yellow underpainting worked well, and I feel it has given the food extra vibrancy. I left the white parts unpainted in most places but added some white acrylic dots for a glossy feel.