Getting the Itch to Draw Food
So, I was browsing online the other day, just killing time, you know? And bam, saw these amazing photos of dim sum. Like, really mouth-watering stuff. Har gow, siu mai, those little egg tarts… looked so good. It just kinda sparked something. I thought, hey, why not try drawing them? Haven’t sketched food in a while, and dim sum has all these interesting shapes and textures.
Gathering the Gear
Didn’t need anything fancy. Just went over to my desk and grabbed my usual stuff:
- My trusty sketchbook, the one with the slightly off-white paper.
- A couple of pencils, an HB for sketching and a 2B for some darker lines.
- An eraser, because let’s be real, mistakes were gonna happen.
I pulled up some reference pictures on my tablet. Tried to find clear shots, different angles. Focused mainly on har gow (shrimp dumplings) and siu mai (pork dumplings) to start, figured I’d keep it simple first.
Putting Pencil to Paper
Okay, so I started with the har gow. Man, those things look simple but getting the shape right? Tricky. That translucent wrapper and all the little pleats at the top… that took a few tries. I sketched the basic dome shape first, then tried to lightly draw in the folds. Erased. Redrew. Erased again. Eventually got something that kinda looked like it. Didn’t push too hard on the details, just wanted the overall form.
Next up was the siu mai. This one felt a bit easier. It’s more of a cylinder or cup shape, with the filling poking out the top. Sketched the basic shape, then added the little dots on top – usually peas or roe, right? Tried to give the wrapper around the base some texture, make it look a bit crinkled. Added some rough shading with the 2B pencil to give them a bit of volume, make ’em look less flat.
Finishing Up (For Now)
Didn’t go for colour this time, just stuck with pencil sketches. Spent maybe an hour on it? Just messing around, really. The final drawings aren’t gonna win any awards, haha. They look a bit rough, definitely homemade. But you can tell what they’re supposed to be, I think. The har gow still needs work on those pleats, but the siu mai turned out okay.
Overall, it was a pretty chill drawing session. Good practice with different shapes and trying to capture that specific ‘dim sum look’. Felt satisfying just to sit down and draw something tangible, something delicious-looking. Might try tackling some other types next time, maybe bao or those sesame balls. We’ll see.