meet Crystal...

April's mermaid based on the gemstone, diamond and...THE FINAL MERMAID in my series of 12!!!

i've actually had this done for over a week and meant to post earlier, but the time got away from me. for all of you who know me personally, you know i began this series back in January. wasn't anticipating 11 months to paint 12 mermaids, but life threw me a curve ball in April and i wound up having a third c-spine/neck surgery. (AND GOD WILLING, THE LAST ONE!). well, the c-spine affects the nerves in the hand and arm, so finishing up these beauties after April certainly hasn't been easy. and while i'm not pain free (and may never be), well, these were truly a labor of love. i made a promise to myself that all 12 of them would get done, pain or no pain. and, well here i am..12 mermaids and 3 c-spine surgeries later!

looking forward to a much better year in 2014 as well as some new art and a bit of a upgrade in style. certainly not going to lose that "anime" feel my art has, just going to switch it up a wee little bit...;)

Crystal is available here as an ORIGINAL PAINTING~

https://www.etsy.com/listing/171780697/crystal-mermaid-orignal-painting

and here as an optional personalized PRINT~

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164664474/birthstone-mermaid-print-with-optional

the rest of this month will be spent working on some new ideas/sketches for the upcoming new year!

CAN. NOT. WAIT.

putting the finishing touches....

on a bling-loving mermaid named crystal.

the FINAL mermaid in the series of 12!!!

just about done....:)

do you think pantone would be proud...? ;)

introducing Esmerelda, May's emerald haired mermaid. emerald being the Pantone color of the year!

she is FOR SALE AS AN ORIGINAL HERE:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/167512053/esmerelda-mermaid-original-painting

and as a PERSONALIZED PRINT HERE:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164664474/birthstone-mermaid-print-with-optional

only one more little beauty left...Crystal, April's diamond studded mermaid.

sketch coming soon...:)

from the easel....

to the scanning bed.

a peek at an emerald haired mermaid named esmerelda.

full painting to be posted SOON and will be available FOR SALE as the ORIGINAL as well PRINTS! 

illustration friday~entangled

entangled with love...

little viola mermaid and her octopus friend, ollie...BFFs for life! ;)

ORIGINAL PAINTING FOR SALE HERE:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/165076949/viola-mermaid-original-painting

PRINTS FOR SALER HERE:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164664474/birthstone-mermaid-print-with-optional

jewel toned tresses of....

EMERALD!

that's what's on the easel this week(end)...may's lush emerald haired mermaid, esmerelda.

GOD I LOVE PAINT!!! :)

on the easel this week...

the pantone color of the year, emerald.

this is may's mermaid, little esmerelda. 

10 mermaids down. 1 1/2 more to go. yay! :)

meet viola....

and her little octopus friend, ollie.

this amethyst haired beauty is the mermaid for the month of february. i'm so NOT a purple girl, but i think i have a new favorite...;)

april and may are the only two left to paint....yay!

viola can be found FOR SALE as an ORIGINAL PAINTING here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/165076949/viola-mermaid-original-painting

and FOR SALE as an optional PERSONALIZED PRINT here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/164664474/birthstone-mermaid-print-with-optional

love her.

a peek into the process....

i always start by *inking* or outlining the image in a watered down version of a gray acrylic, after i've transferred the sketch to the canvas, that is. by laying down the gray outline on top of the pencil transfer, the image doesn't get lost once i begin to lay down the background layers of color.

i choose my color palette for the background (in this case pastels and different shades of white to mimic the gemstone Opal) and then i go crazy just laying down the color in various strokes. i don't blend the paint on the palette at this point, just on the canvas with the large brush so that it's a it more random...the placement of color. i usually will do 2 coats of the background before moving on to the next step....

once the background is complete, i start to lay down the underpainting of the flesh in the mermaids face and then i address all the other parts of the painting the same way....always underpainting and building from background to foreground.

for October's mermaid, Opal, i am slowly building watercolor-like washes with my acrylics. let me give some MAJOR LOVE right now to acrylics. they are my FAVORITE medium for numerous reasons. they are extremely versatile and the color pay off is fabulous! i love how they can be watered down to an almost watercolor-like consistency or they can be applied thick with a brush, palette knife or whatever you can get your hands to lay down the paint. they are build able and there is no crazy drying time like there is with oils (not that i don't love oils too....). can't say enough about them!

ok, back to Opal here....

i'm laying down washes of color first in stages so that i can go back over them with a light mix of dove gray, unbleached and bleached titanium paints to give it that opal like milky look. the trick here, as opposed to the other mermaids in the series, is that because the hair and the background are so similar, i have to make sure that Opal doesn't fade away, hence the deeper colors in the strands of hair.

afterward, it's time to move on to the jellyfish and the rest of the painting and then VOILA...the finished little masterpiece! :) hoping to have her listed FOR SALE by the end of this coming week.

speaking of, can't believe it's almost September already! THANK GOD!!! BRING ON FALL!!! and FOOTBALL!!! and for those of you who truly know me, you know what that means....PEYTON MANNING BACK ON MY TV SCREEN!!! 

CAN. NOT. WAIT.