A cafe by the water

[helenjp]

Today I plan to start drawing the art for a smallish (under 100 pages) textbook. There are a LOT of illustrations, and they feature a group of students in a coffee-shop. Please help me visualize that coffeeshop! (And later, a cheapish pub-restaurant). The characters are not a problem, but I only have a weak visual image of the exterior, interior, counter area, and tables. It needs to look comfortable, affordable, and desirable in an accessible sort of way!

In particular, I can't get my head around the "right" sort of chairs and tables. Tables big enough to spread out a laptop and/or documents, chairs that look comfortable enough to spend time in, visually interesting yet not a pain to draw!

Now's your chance to unleash your fantasy coffee-shop on the world...

Here's a start - there might be a huge engraved Turkish silver coffee-pot for counter pours.

[Mjx]

Helen, I spend a lot of time in a city with a canal going through it (Åboulevarden), along which are heaps of coffee shops and restaurants. I did an online search for Århus + Åboulevarden (or, Aarhus + Aaboulevarden, if your keyboard won't do an 'Å'), which yields lots of images of the coffee-shop-and-restaurant-side of the canal, including some decent close-up shots of the furniture. If you have a specific national feel in mind, you could just plug in the city + body-of-water-of-your-choice, and get nicely pinpointed results.

[helenjp]

Thank you Michaela - the plan is to create a look that definitely can NOT be labeled as any specific nationality.

I like the fold-out doors on the Cafe Jorden...The Clemens Bridge area is a really nice mix of old and modern too.

I wonder what the people want their first glimpse to be when they step towards a cafe door. I have to admit, I don't want it to be the cash register!

[Mjx]

. . . .

I wonder what the people want their first glimpse to be when they step towards a cafe door. I have to admit, I don't want it to be the cash register!

Well, my favourite coffee shop is in Florence, and the first thing you see when you go in is the pastry and sweets display. In my opinion, that would be hard to top.

[HungryC]

I see big windows, lots of light, a sidewalk shaded by overhanging trees...and no disposable cups.

[MelissaH]

Most of my experience with coffeeshops is in Europe: France, Belgium, and (ahem) Amsterdam and other parts of the Netherlands. I tend to think of outdoor tables, for some reason. And tables where you can sit forever, and nobody will hassle you to hurry up and clear out. I certainly don't tend to think of cash registers.

MelissaH

[Kerry Beal]

But if I do picture a cash register it's one of those big old decorative things with the little number tags that can be seen behind the window.

[helenjp]

Yes, I'm thinking of one communal table, as mentioned in another topic, specifically to provide for those who like to sit around. The characters, both customers and staff, have to "work" on the topic of the textbook while in the cafe, so they (and I) will be spending long hours there.

I remember a long-gone cafe near my university that had an open fire with large floor cushions - people would set their orders on a tray on the floor and chat in front of the fire...that functioned pretty much like a communal table!

Outdoors vs indoors...it's a hard one. There's the garden furniture approach and the rustic picnic table approach, but if I could, I think I'd like something like an old wooden settle up against the wall, so that customers can observe passersby in security and comfort! I think the perfect cafe should always have a place to park bicycles, and a bicycle-friendly decor.

Cash registers - Antique wooden cash registersare my favorite...I really like the drawer type, with smooth wooden bowls for coins, but they are not so photogenic.