For 31 Days I Illustrated Portraits Of Inventors, Influencers and Innovators In The Food Industry
In 2024, I participated in the Theydrawtober online event from the creators of the website They-Draw.com. Salli and Nate, the sibling creators of the website, posted lists of prompts under their subgroups They Draw And Cook, They Draw And Travel and They Draw And Garden. Instead of illustrated translations of subjects I choose to render inventors, influencers and innovators based on the list from They Draw And Cook. I posted these portraits on Instagram. For example, “cookies” was the prompt on the first day so I illustrated the cookie baker and maker Famous Amos. The philanthropist Charles Pack who created the War Garden movement during World War I (WWI) came from the prompt “veggie garden.”
List of prompts from the creators of They Draw And Cook
History is complex or ambiguous or both. Conducting research and looking for reference photos was the easier part of this personal project. My greatest challenge was showing up every day to complete an illustration. Once I settled on a subject and confirmed the information was accurate as best as I could I began a portrait. In October 2024 I finished 31 portraits of inventors, influencers and innovators. I uncovered more information than I expected about every subject on the list. So, thank you HB Reese, Willoughby McCormick, George Speck, Liza Minnelli and so many more people for your inventions, innovations and influential ideas that impacted our American lives in tangible and intangible ways.
