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Have you ever seen food paintings that look so good that you could almost taste it? To satisfy everyone's hunger for a new art kit, we searched through the interweb and landed on some delicious sweets and treats!
Let's welcome Victoria Moey as the second artist to join our Art Kit Collaboration!
This time, we had the opportunity to work with the artist to curate a Watercolour Art Kit where she would teach you all the ins-and-outs of painting mouth watering illustrations.
Read on to discover how Victoria leaped into painting food, her thoughts behind the art kit’s conception, her painting process, and more—
Hi Vic, we’re ecstatic to have you here! How about a self-introduction to kickstart the interview?
Hello, I’m Victoria Moey, a creative from the tiny island of Singapore! I started Plate to Paper in late 2016, and I’ve been painting both professionally and for my own merriment ever since.
I’m currently based in Sweden employed as an Art Director, and my work involves graphic design, motion graphics and videography.
How was your journey leading up to the creation of the Watercolour Art Kit? Were there challenges you faced while curating the kit?
In hindsight, it actually took a lot more effort than I expected. (Both from my end and the team at Mossery.)
I really wanted to create as many new motifs as possible for this collaboration, so that took some time.
In my personal work I enjoy using a wide range of materials, so deciding on just one or two brands was a challenge in itself.
I ended up doing tests with a few different brands before the final curation.
What goes on in your mind while designing the Practice Workbook? How did your own painting process play a role in it?
It was important that the workbook could be enjoyed by beginners and those who already have experience with watercolour.
I’m the kind of person who finds fun in challenges, so I took the same approach to the workbook as well.
On the other hand, some motifs may look simple, but many times (especially with watercolour), the simple pieces are the ones which end up being the most difficult to pull off.
These three points were constantly on my mind when deciding the motis for the workbook.
What kind of experience do you hope users can get out of the Watercolour Art Kit?
The great thing about the medium is that a little goes a very long way, and the materials were planned so that everyone can expect to be doing many more paintings even when all the exercises are completed.
It was also curated with portability and flexibility in mind, so you can have fun with it whether you’re at home or out and about.
For the workbook, I’m hoping that users won’t feel pressured to paint in the same style, because there is actually a lot of room for experimentation.
What would you tell someone who’s starting from scratch in a completely new art medium?
Give yourself room to breathe and be a bit kinder to yourself. I know from experience it’s especially difficult if you’re a perfectionist, or if you’re like me and have some fear of failure.
It can be very tempting to manipulate a new medium to get similar results to old ones (or we might do it unconsciously), so it’s important to keep an open mind and be willing to make mistakes.
Your illustrations capture food texture and presentation so well, one could say it’s mouth watering to look at! What got you into food art in the first place and why Japanese delicacies in particular?
My first experience painting food was actually while I was working as a designer at a small agency.
The project was for food packaging, and I was the only one who had any major drawing experience at the time, so I was given the task of creating the artwork.
Before that I had never even used traditional mediums for artwork. I like to joke that it was the first time I was given a job that didn’t feel like work. I found it really therapeutic, and still feel that way about it now.
As for my preferences for Japanese foods in particular, it really comes from my childhood, having been surrounded by Japanese culture and media while growing up even in Singapore.
As a kid, I’d rush home after school to catch Iron Chef Japan, more than a decade before I ever even thought about painting food!
From illustrating food packaging to drawing murals, it seems that you’ve come a long way with your art. Are there any projects you would like to work on in the future?
I’d love to get the chance to do editorial work!
For my own personal projects, I may very well be going ahead with a series of 100 Toast paintings, just because I enjoy painting them so much.
Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring artists out there?
I made a lot of bad paintings before I started making decent ones. Even with the experience I have today, not every painting is a masterpiece, but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the process.
Also, don’t be afraid of going back to the basics. I had to do it during this project and ended up learning a ton!
Could you share with us your sources of inspiration that might surprise us?
I think my sources of inspiration may not be all that surprising, but I read design and fashion blogs (Japanese blog www.fashion-press.net covers a lot of new and trendy foods that I often take inspiration from).
I like looking into cafe windows and visiting gourmet halls too.
Trivia question! If you could make it rain one type of snack or dessert for the next few days, what would you like to rain in massive amounts and why?
This is a tough question for my pragmatic brain, as I imagine the sheer amount of chaos that could ensue from raining snacks. (I suppose if I said shaved ice, that would just be snow, oops.)
On an aesthetic level, Konpeito, maybe? It would make for very cute rain.
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Victoria Moey is an illustrator from Singapore based in Sweden and you can find her on Instagram here and other places here.
Our new Plate to Paper Watercolour Art Kit is now available and shipping worldwide. Shop yours today and kickstart your watercolour journey!
We hope you enjoy this curated art collection as much as we do and we look forward to seeing you all try your hands at painting all these delicious looking treats!
Remember to tag us with your unboxing clip @mosseryco on Instagram so we can share it!
