Tuesday, December 4, 2012

The God of Gelatin on the cover of the Weekly Alibi

gelatin god for the weekly alibi
Now that this illustration's been published, I suppose that means I ought to stop futzing with it :P. For some reason I get a real kick out of drawing food. This is a self-directed piece I did that showcases that wobbly wonder called gelatin, its origins, and its many uses. 

Here's some text I wrote to accompany the illustration: 

Gelatin is a translucent, colourless, flavour-
less solid substance created when collagen is
hydrolysed. Its most common forms are 
sheets, granules, or powder.

One of the oldest forms of gelatin is hartshorn jelly, 
derived from the antlers of stags. Another ancient
source of gelatin is isinglass, made from the swim 
bladders of sturgeon. Isinglass is used to this day 
in the clarification of beer and wine. Gelatin is 
derived from animal by-products although veg-
etarian alternatives do exist. In modern times the 
majority of the gelatin is extracted from pig skin.



Gelatin is a versatile substance with a multitude 
of uses. It is used most commonly as an addi-
tive to foodstuffs, where it can act as a thickener, 
texturizer, or stabilizer. Gelatin is essential in the 
manufacture of film stock and is used extensively 
as a substrate for cell cultivation, as ballistics 
gelatin, and in pill casings, glue, and confect-
ionery.
             

Here's some more of the process work for the piece. And the preliminary work!  


And here's my Umami: The Fifth Taste piece I did last year, in the same "I love drawing food" vein:

It seems like every year I get a hankering for doing a "food, glorious food!" illustration. Here was 2011's:


-- Julia

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Looks amazing :)

Alex said...

I suddenly feel the urge to run to the nearest corner store. Looks delicious!

Alex said...

I want candy! Looks delicious!

Julia Minamata said...

Thanks, Alex! I'm going to be in town soon. See you!