A mermaid // Mixed media step by step 🌿🐠

Hi guys!!

I hope you're having a fantastic weekend! ✨

Yesterday I finished a new illustration, I wanted to paint something entirely with the Himi gouache at first but then I was a bit coward lol so decided to do my usual watercolor-alcohol markers-gouache technique, and I'm actually glad I did because otherwise not sure if it'd have been successful, I still have a lot to learn from gouache!

It started as a study of the well-known painting "A mermaid" by Waterhouse but in the end it doesn't really look like it, except for the pose.  Here's the sketch done with the Prismacolor Col-Erase scarlet red pencil

Lineart done with a Unipin fineliner 0.1 and I used the Tombow Fudenosuke and the Pentel pocket brush to add a bit of weight and line variation.

Then I started adding the first layers of color using only watercolors, for that I used my favorite set, the Gansai Tambi from Kuretake and also the Pastel dreams little palette I bought some weeks ago

Once the base colors are done and the palette is somewhat clear, I move on to alcohol markers to accentuate and define the areas, I used a mix of Copic and Ohuhu

Notice how saturated the drawing looks now and all the little nuances in the color, I really love this step because markers are so much easier to control than watercolors or gouache, so it's all about selecting the color you need and having fun without worrying too much

Lil details in the BG:

Next is highlights and details with gouache. I always tend to overdo this step, ruining or covering too much of the watercolor base -which I don't like to do- so it's always a risk. I was kinda wishing to leave it like this, but no way I was going to be a coward two times while doing the same piece 😂 

See what I mean? I completely covered the tail for no reason and I hated myself for that. It's really really easy to overdo this step and I think with the Jelly gouache is even worse, because you have so many colors all there in front of you ready to be used. 

Anyways, I tried to fix it and bring back some of the shadows and color variations even though it didn't look the same.

For the final details, I used prismacolor pencils as well (the yellow lighting in her skin is all pencil!)

and done!

I think I liked the final result but it's a piece that's very in my comfort zone so I know I took minimal risks, which is meh. One think I liked though is that for once, I didn't rush the process and I took ALL the time I needed to add details and stuff which means in the end, I was happy with how it looked and I didn't have to retouch anything digitally. That's actually a huge achievement for me! :') 

Will post this one in my IG feed later today 

That's it for today, have a lovely Sunday and thank you so so so much for your support!! 💖💖

Love,

Gret