We came across
Alexandra Rolfe’s portfolio accidentally. What caught our eye was her
scrumptious food illustrations. On her website www.alexandrarolfe.com, Rolfe
displays an exquisite menu of desserts that jump out of the screen to entice
you.
Based in Essex,
Alexandra Rolfe has recently finished her Bachelors in Illustration from
Middlesex University. We met Rolfe in central London to discuss her work and
why she has decided to draw food.
Alexandra Rolfe
was born and raised in Essex. As an only child she grew up in a creative
household. Her parents run a carpentry business and her mother always had creative flair. Alexandra tells us
that her mother has always loved to paint: she once painted her room with Alice
in Wonderland as a backdrop.
Immersed in
fantasy, Alexandra took her A-levels in Art and Design. She admits that living
in a creative household and seeing her mother paint encouraged her to take this
route. She decided to study illustration at University, a choice both her parents
encouraged her to take.
Even though Alexandra
admits to not being much of a cook, her food drawings create a visual escapade
that not only tickles the eye, but also tickles your appetite. However, drawing
sweet things is not just a coincidence. Rolfe openly confesses to having a
sweet tooth - one of the main inspirations behind her sweet drawings.
Her food
portfolio began with her most popular illustration entitled ‘Winter Warmers’.
She started drawing these as she wanted to illustrate what she wanted to eat.
She then went on to draw macaroons and did so because of their popularity.
People’s reactions
to her food illustrations were that they were delicious stimulating their
appetite. For Alexandra this was encouraging and this was the intention - she
wants people to have a “bit of fun and a laugh” with her images.
Alexandra intends
to start focusing more on food because she enjoys drawing it as a subject but she
also finds it as an excuse to eat it. She uses life models to draw all her
illustrations, taking her three to four hours to finish. During that time, Alexandra
always finds it hard not to eat the item before finishing the illustration.
Apart from
finding it challenging to stop herself from eating her models, Rolfe admits that
drawing food does have technical challenges. She explains that it can be challenging to get the colours right. She
also explains that she takes a step-by-step approach to drawing in a way that
is similar to cooking - you start one way and take methodical steps whilst
instilling creativity in order to achieve a master piece.
Alexandra’s plans
for the future are to continue developing her food and pet portfolio and also
to expand her greeting card range. You can
purchase some of her work here: www.alexandrarolfe.com
Follow on Twitter: @Alexandarolfe
By Yancy Jensen
