Curated Gallery
We asked the community to create an illustration that celebrates Greece—its scenery and “cuisinery!”
An outpouring of love for all-things-Greek can be seen in the 95 food-focused and 52 travel-themed illustrations that were submitted to this PLAY ALONG illustration party. What a display of talent! Not only did we see many beautifully illustrated maps and recipes, but also street scenes, landscapes, infographics, table settings, and a few remarkable mash-ups that contained a little bit of everything.
It's never easy to pick "favorites," especially when the overall level of quality, brilliance, and talent is so high. The 24 illustrations featured below are just a sample of those that caught our eye for various reasons.
Thankfully, we have the opportunity to feature even more illustrations—100!—in our forthcoming book It's All Greek To Me: 100 Illustrations that Celebrate Greece. See below for a list of illustrators whose work will be published in this new book.
We thank all the members of this community for playing along!
12 Food-focused Favorites
➜ Click on each image to see a larger version.
Fried Anchovies in Santorini
by Mrudula Divekar
“The backdrop for this recipe is so dreamy, vibrant, and fresh! We love the tone-on-tone tile patterns in the background and the gorgeous view of Santorini at sunset.”
Yiaourti Me Meli
by ShaliniSoniMazumdar
“Not only is this a super delicious recipe but the presentation is so authentic. The menu leaning on the woven chair is exactly what you might see while strolling through a Greek neighborhood. The golden honey and walnuts are perfect!”
Sartheles Psites: Baked Sardines
by Mary Mastren-Williams
“Brava on a brilliant use of our horizontal format! This is such a fresh layout and playful illustration. We like the lemon nestled in the mouth of the fish—such a fun and smart little detail.”
A Salad and Goats. Mostly Goats
by Olga Akbarova
“This is anything but an ordinary salad! How clever to include these cute goats hanging out in the trees. This is a fabulous example of how an illustration can really add tons of fun to a recipe. The bite taken out of the “C” is a great touch. Olga told us that Greece is home to over 5 million goats! We're glad to see a few featured in this awesome illustration.”
Take a Dip into Greek Food
by Mellifera Paper
“This is the perfect title to showcase all of these delicious Greek dishes. This illustration feels like a little vacation to the Greek Isles. It’s playful and flavorful...and that color palette!! So great, right?”
What's Up With That Cup?
by Cynthia Jacquette
“We have always wondered how these cups came to be so iconic to New York City! Thanks to Cynthia for doing the research and sharing the backstory. Super fun lettering and illustration!”
Greece
by Patricia Lebedel
“This illustration truly captures Greek history and culture and—let's face it—it is just super cool! We love the layering of food, scenery, and iconography. The crisp blue and white palette is idyllic.”
Greek Roasted Potatoes
by Claire Le Moing
“We can’t get to the store quick enough to buy all of these ingredients and make this recipe! If only we could enjoy it while overlooking the Mediterranean. Such a scrumptious illustration! Wouldn't you love to have a cookbook completely illustrated in this technique? We sure would!”
Anchovies in Lemon Sauce
by Cornelia Duemling
“Fantastic job with the lettering! We love the butter curls and iridescent sardines. We’re feeling all the Greek vibes here with the meandering border and watery-blue background!”
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
by nataliaoro
“This is one very smartly-designed illustrated recipe! We love the decorative quality and the symmetry. We think this would make a great style for an illustrated Greek cookbook!”
Greek Festival Foods
by Alex Savakis
“We can’t wait for the next Greek festival in our neighborhood. We can almost hear the music and smell the delicious foods coming from all of the stalls. There are so many great borders, flourishes, and decorative elements in this illustration. Opa!”
It's Time to Mezze!
by CULTURE_CURRY
“What a great celebration of Greek foods! This creative illustration serves up the very best of Greece. We love the architectural bits, awesome lettering and step-by-step description. And...it’s vegetarian! We wish we had a seat at this mezze tasting table.”
12 Travel-themed Favorites
➜ Click on each image to see a larger version.
It's All Greek To Me
by Sandra Jessop
“We are very impressed by Sandra's ability to capture the lay of the land. Due to the thousands of islands that comprise this country, it's really a tricky place to visualize. This birds-eye view helps a lot! Sandra told us that the background was painted by hand with watercolors and the text was applied in Procreate. A beautiful mash-up of analog and digital!”
Crete: Villa Sarah
by Sarah Ward
“Sarah has all the bases covered! We know where to stay, what to see, what to eat, what to do. Sarah told us that her family has been visiting this area for years, so it's super nice to have an inside scoop on her time-tested traditions. Plus, that cute little goat!”
Athens, Greece: Walking Tour
by Tammy Chew
“We love that Tammy took a day away from the beach to discover the delights of Athens! Her itinerary has a little bit of everything: culture, history, food, and a bit of shopping. As long-time fans of Tammy, we love her style and choice of colors and iconography. Great design and lettering skills too!”
Coast of Mykonos
by Rebecca Santo
“Look at this scene—so peaceful and calm. It's hard to believe—while looking at this illustration—that Mykonos is also known for its after-dark party scene! We'll glady take a seat at this table in the early morning and watch the revelers dance home from all-night escapades!”
Harvest from the Tree of Life
by Evangelia Philippidis
“This illustration really is a work of art. Evangelia infused it with not only a sense of place, but also history, culture, and appreciation for Greek's iconic fruit: the almighty olive! Evangelia told us that this illustration is inspired by her own actual childhood memories of the olive harvest in Kalamata! (We did not know this was a city!)”
You Can't Beat Crete!
by Sophie Kittredge
“Sophie is a premier mapmaker and her map of Crete contains all the elements we love to see in her map illustrations: fun iconography, great colors, beautiful textures, a handful of facts, and geographic specificity. Plus, this map has a cameo appearance by Zeus himself!”
Assos, Greece
by Jessie Burch
“Ahhhhh, can we just be zapped into this pristine scene right now? That little isthmus of land looks like the perfect spot. We love the depth of this illustration—the flowers in the foreground, the village in the middleground, and the mountainous island in the background.”
Santorini, Greece: The Day Dream Vacay
by Sarah Dostie
“Fun iconography, check. Creative layout, check. Sweet color palette, check. Legible typography, check. Makes us want to visit, check, check, check!!”
Lion sculptures in Greece (My Favourites...)
by Sara Tassan Mazzocco
“Now this would be an amazing scavenger hunt, right? What a fun idea.”
Crete—My Eat & Travel Diary
by Sandra Neuditschko
“What more can we say...we simply love everything that Sandra illustrates. Her eye for color is on-the-mark! The way she plays with scale is super fun—look at that huge mountain of moussaka! And the subtle textures...perfecto.”
Santorini, Greece
by NooneyArt Designs
“The island of Santorini couldn't have paid for a better advertisement than this watercolor magic by Wendy Nooney. The bougainvillea border is the perfect finishing touch!”
Solo Travel to Greece
by Lisa Wee
“This illustration makes us smile from ear to ear. Lisa tells us that travelers who go on solo adventures often talk about how empowered they feel when they return from a trip. This fun characters look like they're having a great time!”
UP NEXT
Are you planning to show up to our next PLAY ALONG illustration party? Don't worry, this party won't rage 'til dawn, the theme is "CHILL OUT!" Read the Creative Brief.
