Web-based crowdsourcing is old news. Popularly associated with Wikipedia and its spinoffs, it’s hard to imagine something fresh and original coming from it any time soon. But that is just what brother-and-sister duo and visual artists Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell have done with the creation of sister sites, They Draw & Cook and They Draw & Travel. Created under the banner of their Studio SSS, the sites crowdsource drawings from artists who capture elements of recipes they cook or the places they travel, respectively.

Check out some of the amazing work they’ve collected for They Draw & Cook:

Zippy Zucchini! by Caitlin B. Alexander from Austin, Texas (cbaillustration.com)

Classic Cupcakes by Adam James Turnbull from Sydney, Australia (adamjamesturnbull.com)

Fluffernutter by Monika Roe from Paso Robles, CA (monikaroe.com)

Insalata Caprese by Pedro Menezes from São Paulo, Brazil (quadernocriacao.blogspot.com)

Here are some images from They Draw & Travel:

Lido di Venezia, Italy by Nate Padavick from North Adams, MA (studiosss.com)

Brussels, Belgium by Philippe Debongnie from Brussels, Belgium (philippedebongnie.be)

Charleston, South Carolina by Jessica Pollak from Providence, RI (emuattacks.com)

Yellowstone National Park, USA by Kaitlyn McCane from Philadelphia, PA (kaitlynmccane.com)

If this strikes you as a fun new trend, you are not alone. The sites have been so successful that Swindell and Padavick have collected some of their best work for a new book called They Draw & Cook: 107 Recipes Illustrated by Artists Around the World, slated to hit the shelves in October. Just like the site, the book contains a wide range of approaches.

Contributors range from professional illustrators to ad-hoc doodlers to talented beginners. You’ll find recipes from specific, step-by-step cooking instructions to ones that are open to individual interpretation, encouraging at-home chefs to explore new cooking ways with their ingredients and push their artistic boundaries.

Recently, Swindell told Halogen about the origins of the idea. “My brother Nate and I have been studio partners for over 10 years under…Studio SSS,” she said. “We have spent many family vacations brainstorming new ways to keep our design business fun and relevant.  During one particular vacation, Nate was busy in the kitchen (we like to stay places where we can do the cooking and not eat out all the time), recreating a yummy fig pasta dish he recently had while in Berlin. Quite typically, I was at the counter chattering away while doodling the crate of fresh figs he had bought. It was a big “aha” moment. Figs are so lyrical and sexy to draw. I became mesmerized and thought ‘why have I not been illustrating food all the time?’”

Once the germ of an idea took root, it all came together quickly. “We ended up gathering some talented artist friends to illustrate a recipe of their choosing. Originally we intended to make a book on our Mac to give to clients and friends. It seemed a win-win. People would not only see our artwork but they would receive a yummy recipe too! While impatiently waiting for the last illustration to roll in Nate said, ‘Let’s make this a blog instead and call it They Draw & Cook.’ He had it up and running in 15 minutes! We launched in February of 2010 with eight recipes and the word spread and it keeps spreading to all parts of the world! We currently have over 1,500 awesome recipes. It’s like one big party on the site! Every artist tells the ‘story of a recipe’ so differently and creatively. Every single time a new recipe shows up in our inbox we smile. Sometimes we jump up and down and act completely silly.”

They started brainstorming for They Draw & Travel, Swindell said, “the minute They Draw & Cook went live. “Both sites are purposeful in the way that not only is the artwork wonderful and inspiring but the viewer also receives useful information told from a personal and creative point of view. We launched They Draw & Travel in April of 2011. There are currently over 300 maps! Both sites are creative playgrounds. The only boundary is the size. Both of us love illustrating maps and recipes and have discovered that other artists feel the same!”

Have you contributed to a crowdsourced project?