Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Tuna Birthday!

You don't plan on spending your birthday doing hand-to-hand combat with a tuna sandwich. But life is full of little surprises. And when the challange is to paint a tuna sandwich. And you have a deadline, the tuna sandwich takes precedence over champagne et macarons. I'm always saying I never eat birthday cake...
 Last weekend I took myself off to Soho to do chocolate cake research for the same illustration project.
First I went to very 'Frenchie' Ceci Cela patisserie.
And got this layered affair to practice on.
I did manage to get a sketch out of it before I was compelled to eat it. It was melting under the table lamp. What else could I do? Next I headed to Francois Payard's new patisserie.
Tres mignon.
Payard's little Sacher cake didn't even make it to the sketch page.
But it did help immerse me in essence of chocolatie cake research. Just what a pastry artist needs...
The tuna sandwich will not be eaten. It has dried up under the lights. But there is nothing like having real props to work from. The new Ladybug kitchen timer is from the Soho Pylones by the way.
BONJOUR TUNA BIRTHDAY!

34 comments:

  1. Asuncion6:10 PM

    HAPPY BIRTHDAT!!

    I wish you an awesome birthday and more to come.
    Love from your friend ;D

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  2. This is wonderful but I still prefer cakes to sandwiches. Even if I should admit that the sandwiches you draw are the most beautiful I have ever seen!

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  3. I don't even like canned tuna sandwiches but your rendition looks like something LW would love.

    Well done, darling.

    xxx

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  4. I hope your birthday is every bit as lovely as that very scrumptious rendition of a sandwich you painted!

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  5. Happy happy birthday to you! Where was Bear on your birthday? Did he help you celebrate?

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  6. Happy Birthday!!
    I didn't know.......
    Great drawings and paintings. Glad that you had more than tuna :)

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  7. Congratulations! Happy birthday from a brazilian fan :)

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  8. Happy Tuna Birthday. You are great!

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  9. Joyeux anniversaire, Carol!

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  10. Hope it was a joyous birthday, how could it not be ? Oh and those dessert shots?
    culinary cruelty to look and not taste!
    xx
    julie

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  11. Anonymous7:58 PM

    Happy birthday my friend. It looks like it was filled with doing things you love - research is a wonderful thing and takes us to the best places. x
    Have a wonderful year ahead.

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  12. An entirely appropriate fate for a tuna sandwich! Happy birthday!

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  13. Happy Birthday! Those desserts look yummy! I would definitely skip the tuna sandwich.

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  14. Anonymous8:40 PM

    Happy Birthday!!! Hope you had a wonderful day :)

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  15. Bev in NC9:04 PM

    I want to wish you a very happy birthday, and a bright year ahead! You bring much joy and color to my days. I eagerly anticipate your daily blog posts.

    With all best wishes from your loyal PB follower from Chapel Hill, NC,

    Bev

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  16. Joyeux Anniversaire!
    I hope you have had a wonderful day!
    All the best,
    Gina in Houston

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  17. Bonne anniversaire, mon amie! Can I take you out for gateau sometime soon?

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  18. I love tuna sandwiches, and it appears you are doing your usual brilliant job painting it. However, I can definitely assure you that if at any point I can spare the money to purchase one of your watercolors, it will be of macarons and not some chopped up chicken of the sea!

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  19. Happy Birthday! ^_^

    Now where did those little ladybugs come out from? Too cute!

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  20. Happy Birthday again!!! Left a message on FB too! FUN to see your process!

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  21. Sorry I'm late in seeing this post, but I send you the happiest birthday wishes nonetheless! (You share the same birthday as my husband and his twin, so now I won't forget :)) Hope you have a fabulous year ahead, full of happy painting, exciting travel and brilliant blog posts!

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  22. Happy Birthday Carol.....I hope the champagne has now eventuated....xv

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  23. Kathy, the new Ladybug kitchen timer is from Pylones Soho.
    It's to remind me to get out of my chair every 20 minutes...
    HA!

    BIG MERCI for your kind birthday wishes PBers!!!

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  24. Happy Birthday

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  25. Happy Birthday Carol! You deserve a ton of Parisian cakes! I don't know why you'd even consider skipping out on them. Lovely sketches as usual too.

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  26. Carol, hi!! You are so great! Who could paint a tuna sandwich and make it a beautiful painting?? Only you, I guess!
    Happy birthday!
    Kisses

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  27. Carol, I would like to join in the chorus of Happy Birthday wishes! Hoping the celebrations will continue for many more days.

    xo

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  28. Happy Happy Birthday!!! Love these pieces and even more, omg hand was itching to draw them.. LOL...not to mention odd and strident craving for chocolate cake!! Sandwich is looking great. Hope you have a lovely day and many more Patisserie filled birthdays to come.
    xoxo
    Jan

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  29. Happy birthday Carol! What better way to spend the day than doing "chocolate cake research." Goodness.

    Your tuna sandwich looks much more appetizing than the one Harry the Cat tried to steal from my hands last week...

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  30. Anonymous11:43 AM

    happy happy, belated happy.

    I enjoy seeing your sketches and how they illustrate your process. Interesting to see how you marked the photograph of the sandwich.

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  31. I hate that i missed your big day. happy belated birthday dear Carol. When is your next jaunt to sweet Pah-ree? I dearly miss it...through your lens and brush...greedy little miss that I am. Also, I want that sandwich. Happy tuna birthday to you.

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  32. Carol - A belated Happy Birthday! I just saw this post. I'm so glad to have found your blog. As I just read in Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin, "The only thing worth grieving over...was that sometimes there was more beauty in this life than the world could bear." Thank you for bringing beauty into our lives!

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  33. Wish you happiness always.

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