Artwork Spotlight: Under the Sea

A Few Thoughts #

This year, I’ve been creating based on the media that inspired my love of art. The last artwork, Falling, was created for my favorite video game franchise, one that brought me into the world of fantasy. This one makes homage to the movie that pulled me towards characters and animation.

It might go without saying, but this particular artwork was inspired by The Little Mermaid, my favorite Disney movie (past and present). I wanted to capture the magic of mermaids and the world beneath the waves. As a child, I was enamored with the fantasy of living under the sea, the colorful reefs, the spunkiness of Ariel and her obession with another world, and (of course) the romance between her and Eric. Every summer my love for the sea comes to the surface and this artwork is the result of that inspiration.

You have probably heard or seen me talk about #mermay; the mermaid drawing challenge that happens every year in May. The sketch for this piece started back then, which shows just how long it takes for an artwork to go from start to finished (in this case almost two and a half months). Most years I’ve been unable to produce a completed artwork for the challange, but I end up with so many ideas and this year I took one and ran with it.

Details #

This particular artwork had so much detail. Every piece of coral and every fish was painted individually. It was a bit of a challenge for my patience to do so much variety, but even now I feel that there could be more. Maybe more colors, or types of coral, or even a few more variety of fish…

That’s the critical part of my brain talking. I’ve been taught to immediatly look for imporvements instead of living in the success, so of course I see the flaws. Overall, however, I am extremely happy with this artwork. It does what I set out to do: it brings a smile and the reminder of the magic of undersea life. I was so happy to share this process with others during my live art session on Tiktok.

Colorshift SHINE #

I was sooooo excited to use this color changing watercolor paint! Shout out to EmberLilyCreations who made the paint. This blue-green gradient paint is called Celebration. It looks like it’s no longer available, but the paint is so fun to use. I recommend giving it a try.

The paint was a christmas gift that I didn’t find a reason to use until now. I’ve been wanting to make something amazing with it, and I think I accomplished that goal. There are six colors in the palatte, so I’ll definitely do something with the rest of them. The effect is just too magical not to!

Add to Your Collection #

Check my Etsy shop for available prints. The embellished version uses iridescent paints on the mermaid, and gold paint on the fish. It’s a gorgeous addition to any home. Visit my Etsy shop for all the details!

Find more of my work, sneak peeks, and updates on my socials:

• @emis.sketchbook
• Bluesky/Cara @emisketchbook