Dingding Hu describes herself as an illustrator and storyteller. Known for her cheerful digital illustrations, she mostly focuses on drawing food – illustrations she also applies to stationery and gifts. Her products are sold on Hu is Hungry – an Etsy store that caters to that cute and mouthwatering aesthetic we’ve come to enjoy.
Born and raised in mainland China, Hu came to the U.S. for graduate school around 2013 and is now based in New York City where she lives and works. “Growing up in Sichuan, I developed a deep love for spicy food, as well as an attitude toward life that cherishes little ‘happinesses,'” says Hu. “I also received my first art education there, which had a major influence on my later pursuits.”
But though her official education started in the U.S. she was interested in drawing much earlier. “My mom sent me to drawing classes at the age of four, and I was very fortunate to have one of the best teachers in town,” she says. “He specialized in telling stories, used experimental teaching techniques, and organized regular live drawing field trips. With his help, I developed an interest in art early on and have carried that passion throughout all my school time until college.”
With her multi-cultural background, her food illustrations articulate quite well the connection between culture and identity. “My hometown specializes in a full range of super delicious spicy food, which you can access downstairs from your apartment to a fine dining level restaurant,” she relays. “New York is amazing how it has cuisine from all over the world on a very authentic level, and some of the fine dining restaurants in New York are fantastic.”
Here are some of our favorite food illustrations by her.
