Click the right arrow to reveal full version of this mermaid painting.
Initial thoughts
Mermaid is such a classic fantasy creature. It lives as early as 1000BC. As time goes by, mermaid becomes a default character in the ocean. The first time I painted a mermaid it was in a commission and the mermaid was small. I want to paint a larger one so that in the future I can paint more Mer-species such as Mer-horse (Hippocampus), Mer-pup and so on.
Digital sketch
In digital sketch it was straightforward because it was easy to change color and shade. My problem with digital drawing stage was should I give her a bra? In the beginning as shown below, yes she was wearing a metallic gold bra with pearls. However when I started the actual painting on canvas I was hesitated.
Why did a mythical creature need a man-made stuff? I know she has half human body but still she can be considered as “wildlife”. She would highly likely to be naked in the vast open ocean. Therefore in actual oil painting, I remove the bra. That is why I censor it in the cover picture to make it more friendly to all ages. 🤣
Summary
Generally speaking, mythical creatures are all hybrid species. Half human half horse, half human half snake, half human half fish, half human half bird, half goat half fish, half eagle half lion and on and on. The difficult part is how to paint these creatures as “one piece” with natural transition on their body. But it is the fun part when painting fantasy beasts. ❤