In progress on the easel now!
I usually create process posts once I am finished with a painting, however since it has been awhile I thought I would share what I have been up to. I started this tropical fish painting over the summer as an ode to my weekly snorkeling excursions. To be honest, I have never accomplished an underwater fish and tropical reef scene before and it's taken me months to figure out this tricky subject matter.
I decided I wanted to have real actual fish that exist (not fantasy) and then have the rest of the painting be more whimsical. In the photo above you can see the pencil marks of grids I made to help me sketch the fish proportionately (fish are too symmetrical for me to skip this step). After pencil drawing I colored them in and sketched some swirly lines for the rest of the composition.
At first I didn't have much of a plan for what the rest of the painting would be comprised of. I thought I could do more abstract watery shapes only, but then I realized this is such a big canvas that I would have to start incorporating more design elements that "are a thing" so I began adding different corals, sea grass, sea urchins and a couple shells.
(adding detail)
Right now I am working on balancing more open areas with more objects and finding that fine line between being too busy and needing to add something. And just like every painting I do, I'm dancing the dance between making an object realistic vs not sacrificing the flow of the composition.
Painting is one of the only things in my life that I am incredibly detail oriented in. I really spend hours fussing over every single detail and how I could possibly make the painting better. This is the main reason why it takes me so long to finish an original. This and also that I have a four year old haha.
If you'd like to see the finished piece once I am done or are interested in purchasing the original, feel free to subscribe to my email list by scrolling to the bottom of my site and entering your email. I will definitely share when it is done! Talk to you soon.
Aloha,
Colleen