A little naiad

Tags

art classes, drawing, fairies, illustration, mermaids, Val Webb, watercolor

I’ve been having fun, creating examples for different watercolor techniques as I build up material for the Draw & Paint Fairies online course. This little naiad (water sprite) is balancing on a bubble that resulted from dripping alcohol into a layer of ultramarine blue gouache. Instant gratification — and a handy way to avoid trying to paint around all those round shapes! I photographed the process, step-by-step, and will weave it into a lesson on color wash backgrounds. I “borrowed” her spiny wing structure from an Asian flying fish.

On the drawing table: Mermaid and friend

Tags

illustration, mermaids, watercolor

I’m in a mermaid-painting mood today. This one is watercolor on heavy Arches rag paper, 9×11 inches.

The letter for today is ‘M’

Tags

art, illustration, Mardi Gras, mermaids, painting, watercolor

This Mardi Gras mermaid mixes a marvelous martini.

She’s only half finished, and her entire body wouldn’t fit on my scanner, so I’ll post a photo of the fully completed mermaid in a couple of days. Fun!

On the drawing table: Mermaids!

Tags

art. illustration, mermaids, painting, women

 

She’s acrylic on black illustration board — something fun to paint on a rainy night. The black background is interesting, because you simply leave it showing where you want to have dark outlines (the lettering, for example) and the result is a rich, velvety matte black underlying all the bright colors.