Doodlewash and watercolor sketch of shrimp cocktail in dish with yellow lemon on greens
By Charlie

A Little Shrimp Cocktail

Written by Charlie O'Shields

I started out with something else entirely and suddenly changed my mind and brought shrimp cocktail to the #DoodlewashDinner tonight. I’ve been craving shrimp for days and I’m not entirely sure what that means. But there you have it. Equally strange in this little journey is that when a subject pops up like this that I didn’t anticipate, I have absolutely no idea what to say about it. It’s basically just shrimp in a little bowl which, unless you’re allergic, doesn’t have much story and drama to it.

Also, heading into a three day holiday weekend here, I’m feeling a bit lazy in that really fantastic and unapologetic way that holiday weekends make possible. I love these types of holidays because, though short, the Friday heading in makes me feel wonderful! Like I can just sort of quit and relax for a little while without worrying about anything. Each weekend should have a bit of this feeling, but the three days make today extra special. And extra lazy, which means even less time and attention to doodlewash and post.

As for shrimp, it appears there are over 2,000 different shrimp species in the world, so I’m not sure exactly which of those are shown here. Well, whichever kind, I find them all delicious. They’re really one of my favorite types of seafood. And bonus, shrimp contain selenium, an antioxidant mineral that activates enzymes to fight cancer. Hope that’s also true of wine, because that’s really what’s coming next. I hope everyone who’s celebrating a long holiday weekend has a fantastic one! Cheers!

You’re all invited to a Doodlewash Dinner Party during the month of May! Just tag your food or drink image #doodlewashdinner and I’ll feature you and your culinary creations in a delicious Doodlewash Gallery at the end of the month! 

About the Doodlewash

M. Graham watercolors: Azo Yellow, Gamboge, Azo Orange, Pyrrol Red, Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Pale Green, and Neutral Tint. Lamy Safari Al Star pen with Platinum Carbon black ink in a 5″ x 8″ 140 lb. (300 gsm) Pentalic Aqua Journal

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

See author's posts

Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in By Charlie

59 Comments

0 Shares

59 thoughts on “A Little Shrimp Cocktail”

  7. Nicely done Charlie, and the jumbo size! Shrimp cocktail was a staple at all family holiday gatherings. I could never get enough of it. I loved the tomoto sauce with the horseradish added.

    Reply

  8. Awesome doodlewash! I’m afraid the only shrimp I’ve sampled – at least to my recollection – is the foamy pick ‘n’ mix kind, but this makes me feel I’m missing out rather. Best indulge your cravings, I say – it’s the bank holiday. It was the Sunday evenings and being able to stay up late where the euphoria would strike me! Whatever you’re doing with all that extra time, have fun – have shrimp! (Makings of a slogan, there!)

    Reply

      1. They’re sweets that actually still exist (though I’ve not had one for years). There are also foam bananas, and strawberries – which makes for an interesting combination!

        Reply

  13. 3 Cheers to a relaxing 3-day weekend!! 😃 YAY! Charlie! 🍴🎨🍷 Love shrimp cocktail – your doodlewash looks divine, friend! I love shrimp too!!! 🍤❤️✨ Enjoy you time off! 😍

    Reply

  15. Yeah, I’m with Rebecca re the lemon slice, really fabulous colour, transparency and detail and twist to it! Your shrimp is our prawn; our shrimp is what the Italians call scampi, quite tiny. Love it any which way. BTW all seafood is brain food, so I would say your craving tells me your brain needs a refresh, which you’ll get this weekend; not too much wine now, Charlie! 😉

    Reply

      1. hahaha…it kinda is brain-food, if you call getting sozzled feeding the brain! LOL. Enjoy your break…I too love long weekends, but, then, all my weekends now are ‘long’, as a retiree! PS: I had a glass of lovely red with lunch yesterday; it was truly mellow, like I was later! 😉

        Reply

  17. Now this one I love because it makes me hungry AND I can actually eat it! Woot! You really have a gift for this, Charlie, seriously. If there is such a career as food illustration, you belong in it and no lie. If every menu had illustrations like this, no restaurant would go out of business ever. Beautiful work, my bro and pal. Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply

  23. Your shrimpy lunch looks so inviting, Charlie! Alas, shrimp is one food I just can’t enjoy. I don’t know why because I love so much other seafood, but I just can’t eat shrimp. The only shrimp I can say I ever enjoyed is deep fried coconut shrimp, but I couldn’t get past two pieces. I mostly tasted the coconut and deep fried flavors, negating any healthiness of eating seafood, so I simply opt out. Shrimp cocktail always sounded so fancy to me when I was a kid, but I just couldn’t get past the first bite. Then to make matters worse, a few years ago we watched the shrimp boats being in their daily catches, shovelling fresh, iced shrimp onto conveyor belts. To my horror there were people at the end quickly grabbing the little critters and popping off their heads. To extend my horror, our friends bought some of these headless creatures and brought them back to our rental, where they spread out newspapers, shelled (or deshelled?) and deveined the shrimp. It was all so foul that I had to take a long walk on the beach to escape the barbarics of preparing dinner, which of course I didn’t eat. And you didn’t think shrimp had much drama in their lives! 😉 However, there is one thing about shrimp that I like – before cooking they are a grayish color, but after cooking they have such a lovely coral color, just like in your doodlewash. Hope you are enjoying a nice, relaxing, lazy weekend, Charlie!

    Reply

Leave Me A Comment!

Discover more from Doodlewash®

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading