Vegetable Sandwich Tomato Lettuce Cucumber Watercolor Illustration
By Charlie

Sketching Food

Written by Charlie O'Shields

For our prompt of “Lettuce” today, I decided to sketch some on a sandwich. This is some sort of veggie sandwich I concocted, because I wanted a bit more color. I had to create it from memory as we can’t currently get bread or the proper flour to make bread so sandwiches are a rare delicacy these days. But, I still just love sketching food of all kinds! Also, I just published a second book in my Sketching Stuff Activity Book series and this one is all about drawing and coloring food! So, if you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll check it out! There are tips inside for sketching and painting metal and glass as well since glasses and spoons often accompany edible stuff. When I first started doodling things, I was drawn to making sketches of food. It’s such a familiar subject matter, and it’s fun to make various foods appear in my sketchbook. Though yes, it’s often not quite this healthy since I have quite a penchant for sketching desserts!

I would have never guessed that instead of my usual fantasy desserts, I’d end up sketching fantasy sandwiches. These are very odd times indeed. We do actually have a bit of flour left, but that’s being saved for my birthday cake next month. Or, perhaps a peach cobbler since that’s one of my favorite desserts. This, because my mother used to make peach cobbler for me on special occasions. So, it’s one of those foods that has a sentimental value. That’s another reason why I love sketching yummy things. Even the simplest of foods can bring back wonderful memories. My favorite savory dish was my grandmother’s green beans, and nobody in the family has ever been able to replicate the exact flavor. My aunt made the most wonderful strawberry bundt cake for family gatherings when I was growing up, but I haven’t had a slice in years. As much as the food was memorable on its own, it was of course made more incredible because it was filled with family fun and laughter. My family always laughed their way through life. And, I still find that the happiest way to live today.

As many of you know, I don’t actually cook and Philippe does all of the cooking in our house. I did try to cook for him early in the relationship and he told me “I really don’t mind doing all of the cooking.” This is a much sweeter way to say, “please don’t make me eat your cooking again.” And truly, he’s quite the chef, so I can’t blame him for wanting to eat something more elevated and fantastic. Even though I got something close to edible with a couple of soups and one baked good years ago, it just paled in comparison to his cooking. So, now I only do the cleaning of the kitchen each day instead. The thing that makes us a bit sad about being stuck at home these days is that we both actually loved grocery shopping. It was a fun weekly outing and we’d sometimes go to different stores just to see what they had available. This will all return one day, of course, but until then, I’m just fine dreaming of a fantasy sandwich while happily sketching food!

Want To Sketch Stuff With Me? Check Out My NEW Activity Book!

About the Doodlewash

Da Vinci Paint Co.: Gold Ochre, Quinacridone Red, Leaf Green, Cobalt Turquoise, Terra Cotta and Indigo. 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!
 Vegetable Sandwich Tomato Lettuce Cucumber 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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53 thoughts on “Sketching Food”

  2. Great sandwich Charlie! I used the last of our bread yesterday which means I will have to brave the trip to the grocery store tomorrow. We shall see if I can get eggs, milk or bread. 😔 It was such a sad place last week.

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  3. I can’t believe you can’t get bread or flour. Especially flour. I may be jaded, but I can’t imagine most of America making their own bread. Or maybe they’ll dig that old breadmaker out of the closet. 😂 Of my closest friends, none of them would have a clue how to make bread, even with a recipe and YouTube. 😂

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  4. It helps that I’m in the ‘elderly’ group and can get into the stores early. There’s still quite a crowd, but the goods aren’t as picked over. I’m hoping I can find some flour and cornstarch. At Last! The silver lining in getting older!

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  6. I spy squiggly lines to create the ruffles in the lettuce. Smart! Oh dear friend I wish we lived closer. I had a friend pick up some flour for me last week. I normally buy a 5lb bag because I don’t do a lot of baking. Well she came over with a 10 lb bag! Now I am trying to figure out what the heck I’m going to do with it. Careful what you wish for!

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  11. Great sandwich, Charlie, and your book is out!! Ordering today – you have inspired me to include a food doodle in my daily sketch book.

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  12. Great idea, I never thought of putting the lettuce in a sandwich. We’ve been fortunate in that we’ve managed to get bread so far but I’ve still not managed to get any pasta or bottles of sanitizer.

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  15. Hello Charlie,

    I’ve always wanted to try my hand at watercolor painting but have been scared of messing up. But subscribing to Doodlewash and getting to see a new illustration everyday has begun to make me feel a teeny bit braver. Thanks so much for inspiring me. 🙂

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