Food & Menu Illustration

A dish, an ingredient, a small ritual—drawn with its own character.

Commission food artwork by Adelya for a menu, cookbook, brand or editorial story. From a single ingredient to a connected collection, the illustrations are shaped around the food and the place the images will appear.

Discuss food illustrationSee the food work

10+ years of illustration · 350+ clients worldwide · postcard series with Bluestone Doughnuts · What each package includes

Two-page pasta menu concept with hand-lettered Bon appétit and an orange fork-and-spaghetti illustration by Adelya
Bon appétit / a pasta menu
Hand-lettered menu concept with a fork-and-spaghetti illustration. A studio concept, not a restaurant commission.

A menu, an ingredient,
something sweet.

Lettering for a pasta menu, fruit painted close up, a breakfast worth a second look. Each one starts from the food itself.

Orange hand lettering reading Bon appétit above a fork twirling spaghetti, by AdelyaClose-up digital painting of glossy blueberries with water drops by AdelyaDigital illustration of two toasts with heart-shaped red caviar on a wooden board by AdelyaDigital illustration of a pancake stack with berries and syrup by AdelyaDigital illustration of two glossy cherries with leaves on a mauve background by AdelyaDigital illustration of a dripping kiwi slice on a pink background by Adelya

With Bluestone Doughnuts, 2023: a co-branded postcard series. Three of the six cards.

Illustrated pistachio doughnut on a sage-green postcard, co-branded Bluestone × aduk.artIllustrated cherry-filled doughnut on a purple postcard, co-branded Bluestone × aduk.artIllustrated moka pot on a grey postcard, co-branded Bluestone × aduk.art

Show the dish.
Tell the story around it.

Pumpkin soup, marker lettering
Pumpkin soup, marker lettering

Menus & seasonal specials

A set of dishes, drinks or ingredients can give a menu a distinct visual voice. The illustrations can sit beside descriptions, identify sections or lead a seasonal feature without competing with the information guests need to read.

Bagel recipe collage
Bagel recipe collage

Cookbooks & food stories

Illustration can show a finished dish, a useful ingredient or a moment around cooking and eating. A recipe page and a narrative feature need different amounts of explanation and atmosphere.

Caramel doughnut
Caramel doughnut

Food-brand artwork

A recognisable ingredient, playful character or repeated motif can connect packaging and promotional materials. For a full label or product range, the illustration is planned with the existing identity and production specifications.

Digital food illustration of three orange shrimp with pink and turquoise highlights arranged inside a reflective bowl on white.
Shrimp bowl
Original food artwork developed into a commercial-application study.
Finished marker illustration of bright red tomatoes on a blue striped background held in a sketchbook.
Tomatoes on stripes
An acrylic-marker food study from the studio journal.

Not every tomato
needs to look the same.

Oranges in a paper bag, digital
Oranges in a paper bag, digital

The tomato sketch uses bold color and stripes; the shrimp study concentrates attention on a dish; the doughnut postcards give each pastry a colour of its own. Each makes a different decision about what to emphasize.

Your brief can be just as specific. A bakery might want the form of a signature pastry. A cookbook may need a consistent family of ingredient drawings. A restaurant feature may need a scene that suggests the experience of eating there.

Share the actual food, not only a style reference. Photographs of dishes, ingredients and serving pieces help identify what is essential to the subject. The treatment can then be discussed without losing the qualities that make the food yours.

Read the tomato study · Explore the gouache lemons

Leave room
for the information.

Lemonade, marker lettering
Lemonade, marker lettering

A menu illustration must work with names, descriptions and prices. A recipe may need space for quantities and instructions. Provide the layout or intended dimensions early so the drawing can fit the page naturally.

Illustration, menu typesetting, copywriting and print production are separate tasks. The quote should identify which are included and who approves the final wording, ingredient descriptions and dietary information.

Packaging & label artwork
Restaurant & café projects
Book illustration

Start with what
makes the food distinctive.

The cake, photographed
The cake, photographed

1. Subject & use

Share reference photographs, the number of images, intended applications and visual guidelines. Include dimensions, deadlines and any seasonal launch date.

The cake, in coloured pencil
The cake, in coloured pencil

2. Direction & sketches

Agree the level of detail, palette and composition. For a set, establish how the images will relate to one another before every dish is developed.

The cake, in marker
The cake, in marker

3. Artwork & handoff

Review the illustrations at the agreed stages and prepare the approved exports for the specified use. Extra menu items, new formats or packaging adaptations can be quoted as additional scope.

Read the commissioning process · What affects the quote?

Priced by the dish,
or by the menu.

Print and online use for your business is included in every package.

Avocado halves
Avocado halves

One dish

€45

A single dish, ingredient or drink, on a clear background.

Illustrations
1
Layout
–
Licence
Menu, print + web
Ready in
3–5 days
Revisions
2
Choose this package
A page of food lettering
A page of food lettering

A set of ten

€380

Ten dishes or ingredients drawn as one set.

Illustrations
10
Layout
–
Licence
Menu, print + web
Ready in
2 weeks
Revisions
2
Choose this package
Blue Fish restaurant menu
Blue Fish restaurant menu

The full menu

€600

Illustrations and the menu layout, ready for the printer.

Illustrations
Up to 12
Layout
Included
Licence
Menu, print + web
Ready in
2–4 weeks
Revisions
2
Choose this package

Add to any package

Add them on your order page once you have chosen a package.

Macarons
Macarons
Another dish
+€40
Menu in a second language
+€60
Faster delivery
+40%

Half is paid to start and half when you approve the final. If the sketch still isn’t right after the included revisions, your deposit comes back. Not sure which package fits? Send the brief and Adelya will suggest one.

In their words.

Blueberry cheesecake, watercolour
Blueberry cheesecake, watercolour

Oh, great! I'm actually looking for a graphic designer, someone to bring my ideas to life.

Renata I. · “A woman is a home to a woman” postcard and print · Commission · Telegram

GORGEOUS! TOTALLY!!! PURE FIRE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH

Vasilisa · Pop-up event poster · Commission · Telegram

I am very pleased with Adelyaart's work, my illustrations turned out beautifully. Her English is excellent, which allowed for great communication. She is meticulous in her work. Whenever there are changes to be made to the illustrations, she does them quickly and nicely. In short, she is a delight to work with, and I highly recommend her.

rachou · Line illustrations · Fiverr

Read all testimonials

Before the first course.

Can you illustrate our actual dishes from photographs?

Share clear images and identify the details that should remain accurate: ingredients, presentation, serving pieces or a particular garnish. The references can then be reviewed for the intended treatment and size.

Can you create a whole illustrated menu?

A coordinated set of food illustrations can be scoped together. Complete menu layout, typesetting, printing and later price updates need to be included separately when required.

Can the artwork also be used on packaging or social media?

Include those uses in the brief. Different formats may need separate compositions or exports, and the commercial licence should cover the planned channels and products.

What determines the cost?

The number and complexity of images, visual development, required formats, usage and schedule. A few ingredient drawings and a detailed set of plated dishes are different commissions.

Can you work to a seasonal launch?

Send the launch date early, including time needed for reviews and printing. Availability and the final schedule must be agreed before an order is accepted; an inquiry does not reserve a production slot.

Who checks the recipe or menu information?

Your food or publishing team should provide and approve the factual content. Illustration does not replace review of ingredients, recipes or dietary statements. The current terms and written quote define the project responsibilities.

Breakfast plates, watercolour
Breakfast plates, watercolour

Put this direction into a useful brief.

Bring a relevant portfolio example and describe what you like about it: the handling of colour, the expression, the texture or the composition. Then describe your own subject and where the artwork will appear. The reference starts the discussion; the new work is developed for your particular purpose.

Build a short project brief · Ask about using an existing artwork

What is on your menu?

Send the food, the intended use and a sense of the atmosphere you want the artwork to have.

Start a food-illustration briefEmail Adelya
Book a project pre-callPrefer to talk it through? Choose a time with Adelya.