Mermaids, 36x22 Pen and Ink Drawing on Nautical Map

This map is different from the nautical charts to which I've added sea creatures (see my posts on July 25th and August 27th), but I think it works. I especially like the colors. Click on it to see more detail.

Three of us Pieces of Eight painters will be taking the Elio Camacho workshop again on Amelia Island. That is always an adventure in colorful painting and also an adventure in shrimp. The area is known for the very best shrimp, and it is hard to resist eating it every day. It's just like the scene in Forest Gump where Bubba is describing all the different ways of cooking shrimp. So many shrimp...so little time.

Carmen

Mermaids and Sea Serpent, 14x11 Graphite and Watercolor on Nautical Chart

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This started as a graphite drawing on a nautical chart, like my last mermaid. My process is: I study the chart from a distance until I see something in it. In this case I saw the sea serpent first, and lo and behold, there was a stingray right in front of him. Then I noticed the possibility of mermaids toward the top. 

The sea creatures are actually made up of bodies of water, and I ignore that the chart is upside down; the aspect is determined by what the sea creatures dictate. After I did the drawing I thought I'd try some color, so I used watercolor. This is so different from my usual work, and I'm really enjoying creating these little fantasies.

Carmen