Most people treat food as a source of energy and pleasure. But then there are those who use food as a source of inspiration. Meet New York-based illustrator and designer Dingding Hu. Known for her playful designs, she runs her own product line, Hu is Hungry which sells stationery and gifts that focus around food illustrations.
“I originally studied advertising back in Shanghai for college,” she told Freelance Wisdom. “Upon graduation, I took a giant leap into illustration and came to America to attend graduate school at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. After I finished my MFA degree I moved to New York, aiming to become a freelance illustrator.”
“I love food, which is obvious,” she added. “So when I first started out, I took some advice from my peers and started a Tumblr that was dedicated to practicing drawing food, called Hu is Hungry. Then one day I got a big number of reblogs, and gained more fans in 24 hours than my other Tumblr did in 2 years. After that, I made a pin based on one of my food drawings and surprisingly sold a lot when I was tabling at MOCCA, more than most of my other creations.”
“After finishing a big project back in 2016, I dedicated 2 months of my time fully to Hu is Hungry, and from there, everything started to build and grow.” Take a look at some of our favorite creations of hers in the gallery below.
