Project Spotlight: Chinese Dumpling Recipe Card
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Art is much more than hanging something pretty on your wall. It influences our lives in the books we choose to buy that will shape us, the branding that causes us to choose a coffee to caffeinate guests in our home, and the weaving of the textiles we'll spend many Sunday afternoons wrapped in on the couch with our family.
When I got this commission request, I was reminded of the ways art can show up intentionally in our lives- in an everyday task like cooking.
The couple that commissioned the project used to live in China, and wanted to share an illustrated recipe of their favorite East Asian dish with family and friends:
Sichuan Dumplings ("Chao Sho" - 饺子)
The Privilege of Bringing the World Home With You
Having had the privilege of wandering the cloudy, lantern-laden streets of Chengdu, China sampling chao sho, I was especially excited about this project. Chao sho also happens to be my husband's favorite dish and something we've made in our home many times for people- folding dumpling wrappers for hours to the smell of simmering spicy broth.
A beautiful thing about travel is the chance to share pieces of it people who will never experience the same things. And a beautiful thing about art is giving wings to that feeling.
This couple's family and friends haven't wound through the streets of the Sichuam province using their Chinese to order dumplings exactly how they'd like it. They may not ever experience the numbing sensation of the hoa jao spice mixed with green onions in a chili oil sauce handmade by Chinese nai nais.
But now, with a personally commissioned, hand-illustrated recipe card, people who this couple loves can experience the city that shaped them. A meal that was a rhythm in their life for years can also be a rhythm in the lives of people who will never step off a plane to the cold and humid air at the foothills of the Himalayas.
That's just one of the ways intentional art pays it forward. You allow others to experience the world that's shaped you.
I believe that if we all allowed ourselves to be shaped by the unfamiliar, and lean into trying different things, then we will become more empathetic humans. People who are humbled by the feeling of what it's like to be new at something. People who are curious about other cultures.
My favorite thing about this commission is that it's relational. It says to others, "come and see", bringing them along in the journey. And in our world where it's easier to look up a recipe on Pinterest instead of asking a friend, we need creative ideas for ways we can be connected. By our community, by shared meals, by something as simple as a recipe card.
The Making of the Illustrated Dumpling Cards
I was given complete creative freedom in illustrating the recipe cards. So, I started by pulling inspiration photos of the pork dumplings and each of their ingredients. I wanted each ingredient to be highlighted for people who may not know what each is.
As I researched typography, a font caught my eye that exuded a Chinese-feel in its texture. I knew right away that, typed in a bright red quintessential to Chinese culture, it was the best one to bring Sichuan to people's kitchens.
I stuck with mainly earth tones for the color palette to keep true to the ingredients colors and give an unpretentious, "family kitchen" feel to the cards. Oxford blue, another color that came to the forefront in my research of Chinese dishware, wove its way through the illustration.
The final sketches & color testing:
Bringing the Recipe and Illustrations Together
A challenge of designing illustrations around text is that they depend on each other, and will probably need some tweaking to make sure the spacing complements each other.
I started by pairing down recipe to basics, then pulling all the text and individual illustrations together in a software to play around with placement. This is a fun part!
The Final Product
& that's a wrap! From concept to creation, this project was a joy to work on. I imagine it now living in kitchens- being propped up against cookbooks to reference while the dumplings are being folded with friends before dinner.
Where to next?
I love hearing your creative ideas and partnering together to give them life! From travel prints, to guesthouse guidebooks, to recipe cards and everything in between, if you have an idea for a project, let's explore together! ⇸