Lindsay Bradshaw is a graphic designer of more than thirty years — a track record made all the more impressive when you learn that design is his second career. Or third, depending on how you count them.

The Lancashire, England–based creative studied to become a baker and confectioner after he’d graduated from high school, training as an apprentice before taking on a Saturday job at a local sweets shop. “At first it was a part-time job,” he says, “but the gentleman who owned the craft bakery asked me to work for him full-time. I really loved the work: It’s very creative, icing and decorating cakes.” After college, at age 25, he began a decade-long teaching career, lecturing in baking, confectionery, and cake decoration, and he went on to author more than fifteen books on the art of sugarcraft.  

In his three decades (and counting) as a graphic designer, Bradshaw hasn’t always worked on screen. As he went on to become the marketing manager of a multi-shop bakery and confectionery company, he delved into the world of window displays, brochures, leaflets, and packaging design. “Eventually, that’s what actually got me into the Adobe programs,” he says.

Bradshaw embraced the transition to digital as his career continued to evolve toward graphic design. “I sort of did my own training on all the Adobe apps,” he adds, from Adobe InDesign to Adobe Photoshop and his favorite, Adobe Illustrator. “I wasn’t an official graphic designer or such at first — I’ve just adapted to it over the years. I’m self-taught. Prior to that, I had worked physically, with typewriters, word processors, adhesives, and scalpels!” 

These days Bradshaw, 66, still holds down a day job as a graphic designer, but he draws and creates his own work in his free time, experimenting with Illustrator on the iPad and finding inspiration in the everyday. 

Baked goods are never far from his mind, and he is an enthusiastic home cook. “I tend to draw subjects in still life, from food to flowers and sweets,” he says, “because I can refer to my first career, really, and then adapt to the illustrations.” 

Here, Bradshaw shares a few of the works he’s created so far with Illustrator on the iPad.

Beets by Bradshaw, made with Illustrator on the iPad.

Beetroots

“Sometimes I’ll begin with a rough sketch or doodle on paper and scan it in, but very rarely,” says Bradshaw. “Normally, I just dive into the app straight away, create a shape, and then start building on that.” To create his illustrations of beets, he began building the forms using the Shape tool, making and filling in circles for the bulbs. Next, he created concentric circles for their cross-sections; then he created the greens using the Pen and Repeat tools. 

“These are all great tools for me, and particularly for food illustrations, because you can make fantastic Radial and Grid repeats, which in the future will make for nice products, like bags, textile patterns, and all sorts of things,” he says. “The best thing about the Repeat tool is that you can go in and change the original source drawing, and it’ll update those changes in the pattern automatically.”

Bradshaw explores a more abstract, geometric cut-out aesthetic in digital form in these two still lifes made with Illustrator on the iPad.

Lemons in a Stripy Bowl and Strawberries and Cream

“For these two works, I was really inspired by paper cut-out techniques, and I’ve tried to create that aesthetic here in a digital form,” says Bradshaw, of these mid-century modern–style illustrations that he created using the Shape Builder and Pathfinder tools. “I wanted to create a sort of chunky, graphic style and make use of some hollow shapes as well. Some fruits are fully colored; others are represented in negative shapes. In both, I’m trying to keep it to very simple color schemes that, hopefully, strike as a bit more contemporary.”

Bradshaw shares his love of Italian home cooking in this pair of still lifes made with Illustrator on the iPad.

Pesto with Pecorino Romano and Piccolino Vine Ripened

“With some of these other works, I'm trying to create a flat style with just minimal geometric shapes, very thin strokes, and perhaps just the least little bit of gradient work to try and create my own style,” says Bradshaw, who hopes to parlay this new side-hobby into new creative opportunities for his career. “I’m hoping that someday I might get picked up by a food writer or editor that likes my work and would want to feature it in one of their publications.” 

Bradshaw uses the Shape and Pen tools, along with evocative color contrasts, to create a minimal illustration of Piccolino tomatoes on a vine. For a larger still life of cooking ingredients for a favorite dish — pesto with pecorino romano — he explores similar techniques, adding subtle shading details with the Gradient tool.

 

Bradshaw embraces his sweet tooth — and his years spent as a baker and confectioner — in these two works made with Illustrator on the iPad.

Blueberry Muffins and Triple Chocolate Cake

For his illustrations of these baked goods, Bradshaw finds a sweet spot between his years as a baker and his years as a graphic designer. “In these, I’m trying to create a really stark contrast of flat solid colors and fine lines. Less is more,” he says. “For each style, I’ve restricted myself to certain rules, such as: Only use extra-fine strokes. Don’t over-detail. Don’t over-use forms. It’s still early work, and I’m still trying to develop my style. In the end, it’s mostly just geometric shapes and color, but it’s surprising what you can do with the iPad to build forms using flat vectors. Sometimes simple is better, isn’t it?” 

 

Check out more from Lindsay Bradshaw on Behance and Instagram.

See more inspiring articles about Illustrator on the iPad.

Header image made with Adobe Illustrator on the iPad.