Have you ever wondered what illustrators eat while they draw or what kind of a food person they are? This month, talented illustrators will reveal their interesting eating habits and food choices. Let’s take a look!
Nao draws warm and toasty food that looks delicious, and it definitely makes you want to get a taste of it… which is the same for Nao too! What she draws are actually the food that she's craving for at the time, the desire of tasting gourmet has absolutely helped her to develop her talent in drawing food. Keep reading to know how the food lover turns everything into delicious drawings.
AWW: Most of the topic of your drawings are related to food, why would you choose it as your drawing topic?
Nao: Growing up surrounded by food in general has influenced me on this matter, more or less.
Ever since I was a kid, my mother loves to bake, and we run some sort of a catering and accept food orders. My whole family knows how to cook, so naturally I'm also drawn by the charm of food itself!
AWW: How would you describe your work? How did you come up with this style?
Nao: I think I would describe my style as 'warm and toasty'. I tend to use warm colors, and even when I'm not drawing food, people sometimes call my drawing 'looking delicious', so I will go with that description.
I can't exactly pinpoint when or how I came up with my current style, because it's quite a long process until I came up with it. My influence came from different sources, some of them are the artists I admire (including japanese mangaka), my own peers, and of course- lots of food photos and food magazines that I collected in my house!
AWW: Do you actually cook the food or dishes before you draw them? What is your favourite food or dishes among all your drawings?
Nao: It's actually quite the opposite- I draw them not because I cook them, I draw them because I am craving for them but have no time to cook them or just couldn't at the moment. Basically, they're the product of my glutton (lol)
I like many kinds of food, but I find bento box with many kinds of food in it to be my favourite, because you can taste a variety of foods within one single box.
AWW: Are you a “breakfast person”? What is your on-the-go breakfast for a busy day?
Nao: I couldn't call myself a breakfast person, because I wake up with an irregular schedule nowadays, but I do enjoy breakfast when I can.
On busy days, I would just grab a toast with lemon butter on it, and probably with a slice of banana. Do you know that banana is great for breakfast because not only it's easy to eat, it's easy to digest!
Sometimes when I'm really busy, I will buy breakfast outside the house instead. My favourite is the chicken porridge near my house and former university.
AWW: Can you share a meal that you’ve really enjoyed recently?
Nao: I made this omelette rice that I'm really proud of.
For me, it's special because I took the time to make the fried rice, omelette, and hashed beef sauce, and make sure they are all warm by the time I eat! (it was a success!)
AWW: Can you share your favourite motto or quote with us?
Nao: "If you're going to eat, don't just eat because you need to eat. Make sure your meal will be enjoyable!"
We spend a lot of time preparing food and eating, so I advise you to turn this routine into something enjoyable.
To find out more about Nao please visit the artist's IG account | @eggbuttertoast