Finally, I finished my Beta inspired mermaid! Added a little fantasy sea horse, some sea weed, mussels, a star fish, a sand dollar, a bit of coral and some odd colored water. The original size is 8.5" x 10.5" and was completed using colored pencils (primarily Prismacolor Verithins) and fine tip art pens. I didn't want a lot of paper texture showing through so I used a smooth art paper that is made for use with artist ink pens. For the air bubbles (by the sea horse and the mermaid) and the pearls (in her hair) and accents on the fins and tail, I used a white gel pen.
I haven't yet posted this in either my Etsy Shop or my eBay Store, thought it would be nice to first get some feedback on what people think of my first mermaid. I fell in love with the gorgeous fins and tails on the Beta fish and really wanted to incorporate some of that beauty into this piece. I hope you like it!
I think I'd like to do at least one more mermaid, but I think it will be awhile before I get to do more art work. Time has a way of catching up with one and it is time to get the paper work done for taxes AND to deep clean the house!
I mean MAJOR Goodwill and Salvation Army will be VERY happy type of cleaning! The type of DEEP cleaning that will empty a LOT of extra "stuff" and open up some rooms for use cleaning! We moved into this house 10/1/1970 and it was very, very empty. 43 years later, the 3 kids have moved on, 1 grandkid moved in, another grand has a lot of her stuff here while she is overseas (in the Navy). Heck, we still have Jim's old Boy Scout uniform upstairs! Boxes get moved, get piled, get saved and the "mass" accumulates! But the darned thing is ... I know as soon as I give or toss something away ... I'll find I need it! This is gonna be WAY hard! The good thing will be ... what is left will be "findable"!
So if you don't hear from me for quite awhile, its not that I am ignoring you ... its just something that we gotta do before we are too old to move anything and everything collapses in on top of us! The hardest part will be the two of us agreeing on things that should go.
And our kids will surely breath a sign of relief! They are terrified that we may die and leave everything for them to go through! Like I told my hubby, if we really miss something we can always go to Goodwill or Salvation Army and visit it! I'm sure this project will take a good month, if we don't wane in our attempts. Wish us luck!
Happy day all!
Karen Anne
Just exquisite! Really, I love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kyra! I have never seen a mermaid before with scales on her arms and up to her neck, so I was a bit concerned that maybe people wouldn't like it ... glad to hear that is not the case with you! 8)
DeleteHi Karen, your mermaid is beautiful! I went crazy over your geckos, boy what I've been missing, yikes, I gotta start hangin out more often,lol!Have fun cleaning. We have been doing that ever since we moved, its overwelming!Miss ya, love Deb
ReplyDeleteHey Deb! Nice to finally hear from you! I've missed you too! So happy you like my mermaid! I want to do more! That is my "prize" for cleaning up ... I get to do artwork!
DeleteUgh! Overwhelming is definitely the "word"! Don't look forward to it! 8(
Oh my stars she is magnificent. I love her. What a delicate feel to this lovely maiden of the sea.
ReplyDeleteI hear you preaching sista. I've been at the deep cleanse since Christmas and I can actually see the floor of the garage and closets actually have wiggle room. More to go but once in the heat of the battle, I really am enjoying not being owned by my stuff.
Happy hunting. I hope you find lost treasures and pay it forward with other things to someone who may need it more or.....need to bulk up their "stash".
I will look forward to hearing your adventures in cleaning. Oma Linda
LOL Linda! I'm not to sure about sharing my cleaning adventures on the internet ... might be toooo much dirty laundry I'd be exposing! I mean, it would really ruin the illusion that most have of me "having my act together"! (Not!) 8)
DeleteGlad to hear you have made some real progress! Sure hope it doesn't take me more than a month to get rid of stuff ... probably will but hope not! I'm getting the feeling I want to DEEP clean a lot more than hubby does! I start mentioning things I want to part with and he is balking at the mere mention ... I can foresee this being an uphill battle!
So beautiful. The colors are vivid and the details are stunning!!
ReplyDeleteWow Seth, thank you!
DeleteWell, it;s wonderful. I have taken 4 illustrators workshops, and while it is a very competitive market( I, know, I hate attaching the word market to art) your beautiful work is very consistent and charming and what they look for...you should think about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you ColorsMagika, I have been thinking about it ... I'll look into it further. 8)
Delete(Sharp intake of breath..) Awesome, awesome mermaid! I love her hair and all her frilly fins--the betta inspiration looks great!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your cleaning. I know it is so hard to part with things you have been saving for such a long time. My husband has that same mantra..."if I get rid of it, it will be the first thing I need!" He is usually right!
Ah, Thanks Debbie!
DeleteYour hubby's mantra is dead on right! Maybe that is why it has taken us soooooooo long to tackle this job! LOL!
Karen Anne, stunning! The colors, her hair, the details on her body, the background, everything is stunning!! A+++
ReplyDeleteI have been cleaning up since January! LOL! It's funny, more than any other years, I have been looking at things and saying, if I had to move tomorrow, would this be coming with me and if the answer is no, it is off to Goodwill! If, I am not sure of something, I remove it for a couple of weeks to see if I miss it. If I don't, it's gone! I think this is why it's been a slow process, but a good one! I wish you all the luck! You and your hubby will do great! I have faith in you!!!
In the next couple of weeks, I have to do the taxes! Wish me luck! LOL! Big Hugs and I will see you for the OZ party, right?
Oh, I am so glad you like it Stacy!
DeleteHey, thanks for the "if I had to move tomorrow...." strategy, I think I will employ that as I work my way through "packed" house!
Good luck on your taxes ... I'm gonna start on the house and then break for taxes and by the time I am done with the taxes I'll be looking forward to working on the house! LOL!
I may have to bow out of the Oz Party this year ... if I take out time to do something I will probably put the "Clean out the house back on the back burner ... ". There is always next year! Hardest part will be telling Oma Linda .... I so hate to disappoint her. 8(
Oma Linda will understand, but you will be missed!!!
DeleteThis is beautiful! I love the pearls and the shell in her hair and the hair, and all the sealife and the different colors on her scales at the wrists. I've never seen a mermaid either, and yours is lovely!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, best of luck, don't get lost in your boxes!!! I have quite a few in my future, not as much as you, but still it's difficult to part with them because of the , "I may need this later..." syndrome. lol
Thanks a bunch Gloria! I love pearls, to me they are just special ... and so quietly elegant. Ah, you noticed how I made the wrist scales in flesh color and evolve into the purple scales, nice! Did you notice the webbed fingers? I was thinking webbed fingers would give her strength when swimming fast .... 8)
DeleteI won't get lost "in" my boxes ... they are too small to fit this ol' body ... I worry more about getting lost "under" my boxes! LOL! I dearly fear the "I may need this later..." Syndrome!
Take care Gloria!
I wasn't sure about the webbing, thought it was a problem with my eyes, lol, now I realize, thanks for relieving my mind!
DeleteI absolutely, without any procrastination, must start on my boxes this month. It's going to feel good having a clear out! Good luck with yours ♥
LOL! I am an Oregonian ... home of the Oregon State Ducks! There is a reason we are called "Webbed Footed" ... all the rain! Guess it carried over into this illustration ... nothing wrong with your eyes Gloria! 8)
DeleteGirl.... your a fabulous artist! You should illustrate books!
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl! Thank you very much ... I have been hearing that I should illustrate books a lot lately! Might be a good idea for me to look into that after "the house" ! 8)
DeleteHi Karen Anne,
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that even though I was patiently waiting for you to post your mermaid I almost missed seeing her and that would have been a terrible loss. She is absolutely stunning! You've really created something special and I hope that once you've completed your gleaning you will consider doing a series of Betta inspired mermaids.
I think that 2013 might go down in history as the year of the gleaning or destashing. I started sorting and tossing right after the first of the year and am now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's hard to part with things but I think it's something that we all need to learn how to do. I found things hidden away that had been out of sight and out of mind for nearly 20 years so I guess they really weren't that important. One good thing about getting rid of the old, there's more room for the new. ;0)
Good luck getting hubby to part with some of his momentos.
HUgs
I am glad you didn't miss her! I have an idea for another Betta Mermaid floating around in my head but it will just have to wait until I have more time to work on it . 8)
DeleteWell, the gleaning is off to a slow start, I am a great procrastinator, 8( . But things are moving! I did have a big set back though .... I visited my Mom and ended up taking home a Kitchenaide meat grinder and food slicer, sparkly vase rocks, and a cut glass crystal water pitcher. LOL! Wish I could close my eyes and then wake up on April 1st and find everything was done! *sigh* That would sure simplify things!
Have a grand day Maddy Rose!
Good Luck Karen Anne!!! I am a hoarder by nature because I attach sentimental value to what a lot of people deem worthless & tend to give away the better things... I have T-shirts from 30 years ago, ripped & torn, paint splattered which I keep, but I pile up the nice unstained, very wearable things & give them to Vinnies LOL... so GOOD LUCK, it's hard to do that sorting!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your mermaid Karen Anne, she truly is devine & her hair is stunning... love LOVE!!!
OMG Shelle .. you are way too much like me! I hate to admit it ... I have paint stained shirts that look horrid but are soooooooo comfy! Worse yet? Night gowns that are pathetic but so soft after too many washes that I won't give them up until they literally become so thread bare that when I don them they disintegrate because the material is tooooooo weak! LOL!
DeleteOH ... forgive me! I mailed your pieces on Monday and forgot to email you with the customs form number ... I'll try to remember to do so tomorrow when I am at my other computer. Forty whips with a wet noodle to Karen Anne's back for being so lax!
Happy hugs!
Karen