Feijoada (Recipe Illustration as of Oct. 15, 2016)

Here is the recipe illustration I have been working on. This is for a recipe that is going to be published on our food blog, seasoningforeverypalate.wordpress.com.  The recipe is for feijoada, a black bean stew that is a Brazilian national dish, and part of our family recipe collection. I organized the illustration like a mandala,  with the feijoada in the middle, surrounded by ingredients and garnishes (sausages, oranges, kale).  I was almost ready to start adding color, but decided to add the little floral element to the design. I had been trying to think of a way to include two additional foods served with feijoada: rice and farofa (a garnish made with manioc flour).  I had the idea of creating flowers with the rice grains arranged like petals around a yellow center (to represent the farofa, which is sprinkled over the beans).  I tried my idea out in pencil and then added the flowers to the design and inked them in.