How weird (and difficult) is to draw food?! Unless you are canibals of course

[Iris-Grimoire]

Food REALLY needs heavy studies to work. You can make mistakes in regular anatomy, but when it's a meal that's been cooked, seasoned and/or baked, it's a very fine line from shiny plastic to actually looking like real texture.

Some examples I found on artstation of stylized food studies:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/dznyx

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/QEo9L

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4nAgk

[AdamBraveOfficial]

Not bad...hope this isn't the first of multiple posts that will put to work my salivary glands...

[AdamBraveOfficial]

I sure need to study that LOL

[C_o]

I've had trouble drawing food in the past. Everything ended up looking like weird Star Wars food.

For my new page I'm currently drawing garbage and having difficulty with that. Like, wadded up paper in a heap isn't as easy as I thought? Its always the small things that turn out to be a challenge.

[CarltonIsaac]

Food in art doesn't have to look photo-realistic if the rest of the art style isn't.
Food in Cartoons is Cartoony and Comic-Bookish in Comics (Obelix and Roast Boars) .

But sometimes it's fun and even a challenge to go overboard with drawing food, especially meat.

[Kelheor]

I will agree, food is... a bit strange to draw I believe I can draw some really nice looking things if I put enough time in it, like these beauties (basically the first time I draw nicely looking food, so I still like them!)

But when I need to draw it quick enough, it's not something comfortable, so in my last updates with family dinner I was like "ugh, how do roasted potatoes look like, gee, okay, something like that"

[DokiDokiTsuna]

I went through my files looking for examples for this thread, and made the terrifying realization that I (recently) have never drawn anything more complex than a gelatin dessert. O_O

I rarely draw characters eating, so I guess maybe I just don't need this skill, but it's a little scary to think that I might not have it...

[AdamBraveOfficial]

I expected no less...
Gordon Ramsay would eat that, compliment you and ask for more.

[Hexigate]

Gawd, now I'm hungry

[AdamBraveOfficial]

I guess the challenge is that the food is so uninteresting to draw and most of the times irrelevant to the story but it takes so much damn time to do it in conditions, that becomes hard and weird.

It is not like you were creating a backgroud that some times is painly and time consuming but it creates the atmosphere for your story.

But please, post one example of yours when you do it

[AdamBraveOfficial]

Food in art doesn't have to look photo-realistic if the rest of the art style isn't.Food in Cartoons is Cartoony and Comic-Bookish in Comics (Obelix and Roast Boars) .

I agree, but there is an olympic minimum for how unrealistic it may look xD Not sure if I meet that minimum LOL

[Kelheor]

Ah, I am flattered But a bunch of references x bunch of time time spent usually equals something nice ^^

[ben]

I’ve been using this one character in one of my projects as a vehicle to get me to draw more doodle-y food. I think at the very least it fits with the style of this project!! I think food is really important in all narratives tbh.

[JeanGuillet]

I did a thirteen course meal a few months ago. starting with oysters naturally. it was very fun to paint in all the food. the thing to remember is food is super shiny.

[Iris-Grimoire]

Shiny but not like a piece of metal, it's very scattered lighting. That does help give it a lot of texture, like seeing all the bumps in a meat that's still sizzling.

[lwflouisa]

I resolve that issue by not drawing those scenes to begin with. I just let the reader assume the people eat to stay alive, and not let that intrude into the narrative.

Now real life, that's very different. I love writing all sorts of recipes for treats.

In last comic, I show it as if they have already eaten and made a happy plate.

[skicoak]

One of my gigs awhile back was drawing chalkboards at a Bar Louie and it was definitely a challenge to recreate tasty looking food in the chalk medium. I usually tried to do a work around so I didn't actually draw the particular item they were pushing but for some reason I did SO MANY burgers.

[lwflouisa]

One thing I think I can do, draw the person drinking coffee. Mostly because I'm obsessed with a good cup of coffee, and want the world to know how much I love gourmet coffee.

Ever sense I lost some weight, I've mostly been drinking coffee. And it shows in my sleep schedule.

If you can't tell, I love food so much I feel like the plot can really drag out, because I like telling the world how much I like a good Penang or Tiki Masala.

So I avoid it.

[AdamBraveOfficial]

I resolve that issue by not drawing those scenes to begin with. I just let the reader assume the people eat to stay alive, and not let that intrude into the narrative.

One thousand likes on this!! The real solution for my problem!

[lwflouisa]

I wouldn't say its everyone's solution, just I hate drawing meal cut scenes.

Hope it helps.