Here is another sketchbook page from our day in the village of Broadway in the Cotswolds. After a chilly morning spent sketching quirky Broadway tower and the panoramic views from its hilltop location, we headed down the hill to the village for a few hours of free time. (See my previous post about Broadway tower here.)
We decided to have lunch at the Broadway Hotel, and I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw gluten-free fish and chips on the menu! This is the only time I’ve ever found celiac-friendly fish and chips during my travels in England. It was so nice to feel like a “regular person” for once and be able to order this classic British dish.
I was so excited about my lunch that I had to commemorate the meal in my travel journal.
I always enjoy sketching food, and this plate was extra-fun to paint because, in addition to the crispy batter-fried fish with its jaunty British flag, it also had a metal basket of chips (fries) and cute little cups filled with mushy peas, curry sauce, and chunky tartar sauce.
But what really makes this sketch pop is the newspaper print paper under the food, don’t you think? I painted the blue-grey shadows on the paper first, then used a small round brush to paint the headlines, text, and photos. A few warm yellow highlights made it all look sunlit.
The page’s title lettering was drawn first with a pencil than painted with the same round brush used on the newspaper.
The Brits love their bunting, as do I, and there was plenty of it fluttering overhead in Broadway the day we visited. It’s so festive and fun, just the feeling I wanted for my fish and chips page. So I painted a string of red, white, and blue flags swooping across the width of the two-page spread. It helped to connect the two pages and tie together the sketch, title, and journaling.
Here’s the scene that inspired the bunting on my sketch…
If you’ve always wanted to visit the Cotswolds, click the button below to check out my 2027 workshop which is now open for registrations. The 2027 itinerary will feature all the same places I visited and illustrated in this travel journal. Come along and sketch it for yourself!
To see more sketches from my England sketchbook, go to Categories in the sidebar and click on England. Cheerio!
2 Comments
Looking forward to sketching with you in the French Alos in August!!
Can’t wait! You’re going to love it. 😍