Yaansoon Illustration + Art | The Illustration Blog of a Nomadic Mediterranean Foodie | Illustrator & Artist | Food Illustration, Travel Illustration, Illustrated Maps, Editorial Illustration, People Illustration, Illustrated Recipes

Welcome to My Food and Travel Illustration Blog

Hello and welcome to my food illustration blog and illustrated travel journal! Before telling you more about me, I would like to start the first post on my blog by dedicating the artwork, portfolio, and illustrations created here to my eternal mentor and spiritual guardian, my late Grandmother, my lovely Teta. I am so grateful that in so many ways I turned out to be like her, a well-travelled foodie, who appreciates the cultural differences that make us, and who also happens to enjoy exploring folk traditions and making things with her hands! In the spirit of Teta’s generosity and Mediterranean hospitality, let ... continue reading...

Mediterranean Food Illustrations: Italian, Moroccan and Turkish Culinary Tour

I’ve been wanting to create these Mediterranean food illustrations for a while now, and I’m so happy I finally got around to making this happen! I love how food culture in the Mediterranean region is so diverse, yet sometimes so comparable. You might think food in Italy is totally different from food in Lebanon or Syria, but the fact is, in some areas of Italy there are foods that are very similar ... continue reading...

Jordanian Galayet Bandora: An Easy Middle Eastern Fried Tomatoes Dish

Middle Eastern fried tomatoes come in all forms and flavours; some are made with meat, while others are sautéed with eggs (like Shakshuka). But this Jordanian Galayet Bandora is a main course/starter that I consider to be one of the yummiest olive-oil based offerings in the Middle Eastern cuisine. What I love about this dish is that it only works with olive oil; trying to make it with any other ... continue reading...

Lebanese Mutabbal: An Often Misunderstood Eggplant Dip

I sometimes feel Lebanese Mutabbal, also referred to as "Eggplant Dip," is somewhat misunderstood by foodies less familiar with the Middle Eastern culture. I watched a video the other day on the YouTube channel of one of America's famous chefs, and I felt a strong urge to start my "Illustrated Middle Eastern Recipes" blog series with Mutabbal. From a cultural point of view, it was weird seeing her ... continue reading...

Italy Culinary Tour: Southern Italy Illustrated Map

This Southern Italy illustrated map highlights some of the rich culinary dishes and traditions my husband I had the pleasure of enjoying during our February 2017 visit to Milan (Milano) and Southern Italy. As mentioned earlier, our Italy Culinary Tour started out in the north, followed by an intense ... continue reading...

Hand-Lettering Travel Quote: Kiss the Earth

#EarthDay is upon us and it’s time for a new illustration and hand-lettering travel quote to highlight my personal feelings as an illustrator regarding this very special day! A couple of months ago, I found the perfect quote by love poet and Sufi grand mentor, Rumi, to highlight this year’s April ... continue reading...

Cultural Travel Illustration: Tunisian Ceramics

I come from a family of travellers, whose homes are filled with all sorts of tea cups, dining sets, and souvenirs from different parts of the world. My husband and I, although very much connected to Italy, have a large collection of handmade Tunisian ceramics, which I thought would be a nice focal ... continue reading...

Hand-Lettered Travel Quote: On Power & Love

“Travel brings power and love back into your life” – Rumi. This hand-lettered travel quote is an illustration I created to try and capture a glimpse of the wisdom behind Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi’s words. Spoken by a true mystic and universal love poet, this quote applies to so much more than ... continue reading...

Italy Culinary Tour: Milan Illustrated Food Map

When I launched my Illustrated Travel Stories blog series early this month, I had a dream, and that was to create maps of all the places I’ve been to. This is the second illustrated food map I ever create, the first one being the map I posted about a week ago with highlights from our recent Italy ... continue reading...

Italy Culinary Tour: A Foodie’s Illustrated Map

A few days ago, my husband and I came back from an intense foodie tour to Italy, documented in a series of sketches in my trusty sketchbooks. While we’re still recuperating from what felt like a crash course in the topic of Italian cuisine, we’re so happy our Italy Culinary Tour covered so many of ... continue reading...

Um Fouad’s Coffee Ritual: A Female Syrian Refugee’s Recipe for Hope amid Adversity

The first episode in my Illustrated Women Who Can blog series is about the female Syrian refugee who inspired this series, Um Fouad. Frankly speaking, there’s no one like Um Fouad. She is a bubbly, strong-willed, optimistic lady who doesn’t let anything drag her down, not even a civil war in her home country or […]

New Women Empowerment Blog Series: Illustrated Women Who Can

When I first thought about introducing this women empowerment series to my blog, I had one nagging idea in my head, and that is: Women are capable of such amazing things. I have seen it with my own eyes, and I have experienced it time and time again in ways that have opened up my […]

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Mouneh: An Illustration of the Delectable Middle Eastern Pantry

In today’s illustration, we are taking a closer look at the Middle Eastern pantry behind some of the recipes scheduled for my Illustrated Middle Eastern Recipes blog series. Mouneh is the word used in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine to indicate the tradition of preserving organic seasonal produce consisting of vegetables, yoghurts, herbs and fruits, […]

Illustrated Middle Eastern Recipes: Food Stories by a Multi-Cultural Couple

The first blog series I’m launching today is called “Illustrated Middle Eastern Recipes,” and it comes with the tagline “Food stories by a Multi-Cultural Couple.” Food stories have played a major role in developing my imagination as a kid. My grandmother used to send me off to the land of imagination and beauty with her […]

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Illustrated Italian Recipes: Pizza Margherita con Pasta Sfoglia

I’m very excited to share with you the first recipe in my Illustrated Italian Recipes blog series, featuring a simple Pizza Margherita made with ready-made filo pastry. My husband and I started making this delicious summer favourite following our recent Italy Culinary Tour that took us to Milano (Milan) and Southern Italy. Before taking the […]

Illustrated Italian Recipes: Scrumptious Food Illustrations from Italy

The recent Italy Culinary Tour my husband and I had to Italy’s food scene had me thinking about starting this new blog series, Illustrated Italian Recipes, featuring food illustrations from Italy. In addition to creating a personal space for me to develop my signature food illustrations style around the authentic Italian cuisine and rich food […]

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Gouache Experiments: Week 1 | Botanical Illustration & Turkish Coffee Painting

I’m starting 2017 with a weekly gouache paintings challenge that I hope will help me experiment with this wonderful medium. Before deciding to buy my first gouache set a few days ago, I did try my hand at watercolour, and I actually did manage to create a few really nice pieces, but I know in […]

Gouache Experiments: Week 2 | Italian Food & Botanical Illustration

Last week, I started a gouache experiments weekly challenge with the purpose of developing my understating of gouache. So, far I’ve been really enjoying this challenge as I think it is helping me stay focused on developing my food illustration style. These gouache experiments are also helping me expand my portfolio beyond ink drawings that […]

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