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 point for today’s cultural travel illustration.
Today’s travel story is about Tunisian handcrafts and pottery, which are probably some of the world’s most beautiful handmade creations, at least in my eyes.
There is something so refreshing about the blue-and-white colour combination that Tunisian ceramics and tea pots often sport. The hand-drawn motifs with all their imperfections, and the shapes of the pottery items, are just so beautiful. Imagine serving food on such lovely Tunisian plates, like the one illustrated below. Or, better still, enjoying your teatime with a set of beautifully made white tea cups that are sure to elevate the occasion.
A few years ago, I was on a music tour that took me to Tunisia’s Tabarka, where an international jazz festival takes place on an annual basis. The music project I was with at the time first landed in Tunis, the capital, before taking a 10-hour bus trip to the seaside town of Tabarka.
I could never forget the pristine beaches and the beautiful spectacle of the Mediterranean from the vintage-style hotel we were staying in. The hotel’s vintage vibe is probably the reason today’s two illustrations are drowsing in a muted mid-century colour palette and pattern.
I am very much interested in cultural travel illustration, which is why I started this
“Illustrated Travel Stories” blog series in the first place. In the future, I might come back to Tunisia and maybe create a few more illustrations inspired by my trip to Tabarka, and the beautiful scenery I had the chance to see on the way!
Travel & lifestyle illustration by illustrator and artist Yaansoon
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