Pizza Slice Veggie Vegetable Watercolor Illustration
By Charlie

Simple Comforts

Written by Charlie O'Shields

For our prompt of “Pizza,” I made a quick little doodle of a slice of my favorite kind, which is a veggie pizza. As a kid, I didn’t want anything to do with this version, but my tastes have changed quite a bit as an adult. Philippe and I have pizza night every Friday, and during these troubled times I find myself looking forward to it all the more! Truly, pizza has always been one of my favorite foods since I was a kid. There’s just something so deliciously wonderful about it. I don’t care for the thick and doughy crusts, however, and like it best when the pizza has a cracker thin crust. It’s also a good way to dodge a few extra calories and carbs in the process. Luckily, we can still get pizza from one of our favorite local pizza places delivered. We’ve switched to the thin cauliflower crust and it tastes really great. It’s funny how just a little slice of comfort food can make a dismal day suddenly amazing!

During our time in social isolation, Philippe and I decided to get Pizza Hut once. This was my favorite pizza place when I was a kid and when I mentioned that to Philippe he told me he hadn’t ever tried it. Indeed, he was skeptical, and thought I was joking when I suggested that we order from there. But, when I was a kid, my mom and I always got this pizza and so it has such lovely memories attached to it. He acquiesced and we had it a few weeks ago. He loved it, which made me oddly happy to know. Best of all, it tasted just like my childhood. A whole host of memories came flooding back to me from happy moments with my mother to questionable moments while I was struggling through college. In all cases, I welcomed the memories and it was fun to think back to those times, even the less happy ones. After all, my life turned out pretty darn well in the end, so I’ve truly no complaints.

Well, the only complaint is that I’m now craving pizza and have to wait until Friday before I can indulge myself. It’s okay. When something is special, it’s always worth the wait. There was a time a few years ago when Philippe was making his own pizza. He was determined to master the perfect flavor of crust and get just the right toppings. This experiment resulted in the best pizza I’ve ever had in my entire life. Philippe seemed quite pleased with his efforts as well and apparently that was enough as he hasn’t made it since. I personally have no idea what that level of mastery must feel like, since I just keep stumbling along each day in the act of trying. But, perhaps mastery is perfectly overrated if getting to that point also marks some sort of conclusion. I’m rather happy that my sketchbook habit hasn’t felt remotely like mastery yet. I’ve still much more to try and to learn. And, visiting that blank page in my sketchbook each day has become one of my favorite simple comforts.

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About the Doodlewash

Da Vinci Paint Co.: Gold Ochre, Quinacridone Red, Opus (Vivid Pink), Leaf Green, Terra Cotta and Ultramarine (Green Shade). Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen (Broad Nib) with sepia ink  in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop!
 Pizza Slice Veggie Vegetable Watercolor Illustration Sketchbook Detail

 

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!

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27 thoughts on “Simple Comforts”

  2. Great pizza slice Charlie. When we lived in northern New Hampshire there was a family owned pizza place that had fabulous thin crust pizza and the best chicken wings. Here the pizza is thicker at the edges. My husband won’t eat veggie pizza so I don’t get to have that unless we go for slices. I don’t eat pepperoni so sausage is the compromise. It’s all about give and take and adapting. 😉

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  4. I’ve wanted to try a pizza with cauliflower crust, but hubby adamantly refuses. Even with the reduced calories, a whole pizza would be too much for me, so I haven’t had one yet. One of these days. For now, I’ll just admire your tasty looking version (does it have goat cheese? Another hubby won’t eat and something I do so love)!

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    1. Philippe gets a version with goat cheese that’s yummy! I love just tomato and cheese or there’s a pesto chicken option. And if you didn’t mention what the crust was made of in this version, your hubby wouldn’t even notice! It’s that good! 😉

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  7. It looks great! I grew up on Pizza Hut too. Not delivered because we lived to far out in the country for delivery, but we went to town and ate in the restaurant. They had a few games for kids tucked out of the way, so we had to beg for quarters, but then we would run back to the table and suck down huge quantities of Coke that came in big red plastic glasses. That really was good pizza. Every couple of years Joe and I will get some carry out and it is such torture smelling it all the way home in the car before we can tear into it.

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  9. Broccoli has become one of my favourite toppings on homemade pizza. Your slice looks scrumptious…even with my first cup of coffee this morning. (I remember eating pizza for breakfast when I was working…so quick and easy to just grab and eat it cold even!). Cheers from your northern neighbour. 😁🇨🇦

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