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Today, I’m walking you through one of my favorite creative projects: illustrating a recipe. I’ve included helpful printables and instructions so you can join me step by step or use the layout for your own dish!
Few things carry more nostalgia than family recipes. With the holidays approaching, consider turning one into a handmade gift. Pick a recipe that means something to you, and transform it into art with illustrations and handwritten instructions. You can start by working through this recipe alongside me, or use the tutorial to create your own right away.
Before you get started, it’s a good idea to download the Illustrated Recipe PDFs that were designed for this tutorial. On page 1, you’ll see a helpful layout blueprint. Page 2 is a black and white scan of the illustrated recipe featured today. The idea is that you can use both of these PDFs, printed or pulled up on a screen, as a reference as you work through illustrating your own recipe.
A strong pencil draft is at the heart of a project like this one! It’s a good idea to work from the top down, which means you’ll want to sketch out the recipe’s title first.
Now, shift your focus to just below the recipe. On the left side, draw an illustration that highlights one or more of the key ingredients. (Feel free to hunt for reference photos online!) Then, on the right side, draw the finished dish to show what your recipe looks like when it’s complete.
Next, write the ingredient list below the illustration on the left. Then, write out step 1 on the right. Include a drawing underneath that helps to bring step 1 to life.
Once you’ve drawn step 1, write and draw step 2. Be sure to include a supporting illustration below those instructions, too.
Then, move on to step 3 and its illustration.
Finish up the “meat” of your illustration by writing out step 4 (the last recipe step if you use this layout). Since this is the last step, you don’t need an illustration. You already drew it when you sketched out the final dish!
Now, add flourishes to tastefully fill in blank spaces. Hook those flourishes to ascenders or descenders in a couple of places for an organic, cohesive look.
Once you’re happy with your pencil draft, use waterproof black ink and a flexible nib to trace the recipe title. (Alternatively, use a regular waterproof black pen and the faux calligraphy technique.)
If you’re using a pointed pen to trace the pencil draft, consider switching between a flexible nib (for the larger, expressive calligraphy bits and flourishes) and a medium-flex nib (for the illustrations and instructions). A Nikko G nib is great for predictable stroke widths!
Continue to trace over the pencil draft until everything looks good to you. Feel free to add crosshatching to your illustrations for depth!
Once your ink has fully dried, go over your pencil lines with an eraser. Then, use the color medium of your choice to add depth to your illustrations. (I prefer watercolor because I find it easy to work with and blend. If you’re intimidated, check out The Ultimate Beginner’s Watercolor Online Course.)
After you’ve added color to your illustrations, go back through your work and add a pencil “reinforcement stroke” alongside each thick downstroke. The side you choose doesn’t matter; what matters is that every downstroke has that extra line.
Then, choose a color from your illustration that will work to tie everything together. In my case, that’s the turquoise that appears on my mixing bowl in step 2. Then, use that color and the watercolor calligraphy technique to draw over your reinforcements. (If your illustrations weren’t done in watercolor, simply draw the strokes with whichever medium you worked in.)
And voilà! A gift-worthy, framable illustrated recipe that makes a thoughtful gift and/or hygge-boosting home decor.
There are a few things I want to mention about this project before you begin:
If you end up illustrating a recipe, please post it to the Premium Discord! I am so excited to see what you do with these instructions — and, frankly, I’m always looking to add to my recipe collection. Also, a word of caution: watch out with this chocolate lava cake recipe. My husband and I gained at least 10 pounds one summer because we couldn’t stop making it (it’s incredibly delicious … and too easy to make)!
I hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial. Thanks so much for reading, and for your support of this joyful creative space!
Warmly,
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