Three Mermaids

For some time, a mermaid was wandering through my mind, with long beautiful hair and a bit of a melancholic expression on her face. I wanted to paint her, but as usual I felt a bit intimidated, thinking I can't do it.

So in order to get things started I thought I just do a sketch first, for my eyes only. I got the idea while reading "Daring Adventures in Paint" by Mati Rose McDonough (highly recommended). Mati Rose writes about making a sketch first and then transferring it to whatever you want to paint on. I was hoping that this would take away some of the fears I had - and it did.

So I first made a rough sketch of a mermaid - just drew it on regular computer paper (this is how I use up paper that is printed only on one side).

Then I transferred it into my art journal. I didn't transfer the face features, I wanted to create a new face because I didn't really like the sketched face. The background in my art journal is painted with acrylic paint, and the mermaid is mainly made by using watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons and pastels.

Finally the mermaid turned into a "real" mixed media painting on a wood panel. As you can see I used the same sketch, but attempted a different face, this one being my favorite. I think she has the slightly melancholic expression I wanted to achieve. Her mermaid tail is at a different angle and looks much more natural. Again, the background is painted with acrylic paints over torn book pages and the mermaid is created with watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons and pastels. All in all I am quite happy how this painting turned out.  It made its way into my Etsy store.

If you want to see more great paintings please check out Paint Party Friday for a gathering of wonderfully talented artists.