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In our First Edition of Plate to Paper Watercolour Art Kit with Victoria, we have a whole box of mouth-watering illustrations. Now we’re back with some sweet treats for everyone in the latest Second Edition Art Kit!
Meet Victoria Moey a food illustrator and multi-disciplinary artist from Singapore, working under the name @plate.to.paper. She’s currently based in Sweden where she worked with international and local brands to create delicious imagery for food packaging, menu design, product concepts, and various lifestyle goods.
Hey Vic, it’s been a while since you first collaborated with Mossery, how are you doing?
It’s been a hectic year, to say the least. Shuttling between Singapore and Sweden, adopting a lovely black cat, juggling a full-time job while finding time for my artistic pursuits has been challenging, but very fun.
We’re so excited about the release of your Second Edition Watercolour Art Kit! Tell us about your journey through creating the second kit and is there any difference in the process this time around?
It’s been great! It’s taken a while to reach the finish line, but that’s because we’ve been working to make it the best it could be. The base processes between the two kits aren’t too different, but I’ve worked with the feedback and lessons learnt from the first kit, and I think this one will be another really enjoyable one.
The theme this time is “A Year in Sweets”, can you elaborate on this?
Every place has its own food customs throughout the year. Seasons are especially important in Japan, and so much of its food culture revolves around them and around nature. I thought having this as the running theme would lend a good flow to the exercises, and it allows for a really great variety of motifs.
Since the theme is Japanese Desserts, what desserts do you love Vic?
I love anything with custard, so I can never say no to a good caramel pudding. I also love cheese-flavoured desserts, so I’m usually baking cheesecakes on a regular basis.
Recently, we noticed that you posted some mouth-watering watercolour studies of Singaporean food! Have you ever thought about making a Singaporean food series?
I’m currently in the middle of a Singaporean food series actually. The focus of this one is on featuring independent Singaporean cake and pastry chefs who are doing exceptional work in our culinary scene. It’s a very tasty project that involves finding a lot of cafes and eating a lot of cakes, haha!
We also have two new covers in addition to the Art Kits, can you talk about your inspiration for the two new covers?
The first cover is based on a dreamy summer outing by the sea. I love the Japanese melon soda as a motif, so it definitely had to be featured in it. It also has ramune, and a shirokuma ice dessert, which is a speciality of Kagoshima. The clouds, blue skies and seas, and the seagulls in the background are all part of a perfect summer day. The bubbles add to the surreal feel of the design.
It’s a cover design with many firsts for me. If you are familiar with my work you’d know I don’t usually do scene illustrations, so these are always a struggle, but it’s always rewarding when they come out well. There are a lot more elements to consider compared to isolated illustrations, so I needed to plan it extensively. Getting to the final sketch alone probably took over 10-15 hours before the actual painting work started. Phew. (I’ve also never used this blue before). It’s also meant to follow the Spring-themed cover from the first art kit release. It’s a piece I’m really proud of.
The second cover is based on Nerikiri sweets. These are handmade sweets created by skilled artisans, based on the changing seasons and their associated motifs. They come in all forms, shapes, and colours, and each is an individual edible art piece. The sweets made for a really lovely pattern, and I really enjoy the harmony of the colours together.
Are there any exciting projects or artistic endeavours you're eager to work on in the future?
I’ve probably collected enough pieces to do an exhibition at some point, so that’s something I’d love to do someday.
We have seen users quickly grasp watercolours from using your first art kit. Do you purposefully choose artworks based on what you think users might find interesting?
Watercolour is not the easiest medium to work with, as there are so many factors that contribute to the success of a painting. I usually find the simplest motifs hardest to pull off, actually. That’s why all of the exercises do have a base level of detail and complexity to them.
It took a really long time to decide on the final exercises because it was important to balance not just interesting and relevant motifs, but they also had to be challenging enough to motivate a user to complete them.
What advice would you give someone who’s just starting out with watercolours?
So much of watercolour is patience and planning. But it’s also important to give yourself room to fail. If you’re hesitating to start on an exercise, I’d try copying the motif on another piece of paper, then paint it without worrying too much about the end result.
Also, be aware of how you feel while painting. It should be a comfortable experience. If you find yourself struggling, take a step back and try to figure out why. There’s always a reason, and it’s usually easily fixable.
Do you have a message for people who love your art?
Thank you! Creating art has always been its own reward, but all the people I’ve met and talked to on my journey keep it fun and unpredictable. I hope we’ll always be learning together.
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Indulge in the sweet delicacies of Japanese sweets with Victoria in the new Mossery × Plate to Paper Watercolour Art Kit: Second Edition that’s guaranteed to give you a toothache and zero calories. It is now available and shipping worldwide! Grab yours today and try your hand at watercolour with Victoria, while stocks last!
We hope you’ll enjoy the illustrator’s curated art kit as much as we do. Don’t forget to tag us with your unboxing clip or your final artwork @mosseryco on Instagram so we can share it!
Curious about our first collaboration with Victoria? Head on to our first interview with Victoria here!
