EXHIBITION TEXT:
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PLANNING:Based on my inspiration, I wanted to create something similar, but not exact. I knew that I didn't want to include anything between the tail and the body like the picture I was basing this off of, but the way the mermaid was placed, I wanted it just like that. The colors, as well, were to be different than the picture I'm basing this off of.
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DEVELOPING IDEAS:I wanted to outline this before beginning to paint it because I wanted there to be a more significant form to the mermaid's body. As the ideas developed and the process moved ahead, I accidentally painting over a slight part of the mermaids face. That is when I decided it was more than alright to paint over the entire face and leave the mermaid faceless and with no distinct characteristics.
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PROCESS:To begin, I sketched out the mermaid that I wanted to paint eventually. I perfected it as much as I wanted until I was ready to paint. Then, I went ahead and outlined, in black, every single line that was currently in pencil. After outlining it, I made some minor tweaks because the sizes weren't to my liking. It was fine to extend the lines and have random black lines across it because the black lines were going to be painted over for the most part. I've learned from past pieces that it's easier to depict dark, thick lines, over pencil.
After that step was entirely finished, I had to decide what colors to paint this mermaid. I wanted to make sure the colors would look good against the background color, so on the background is exactly where I tested the colors. I tested different shades of purples and silver for potential tail colors. |
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I also tested different shades of golds and lighter browns for hair colors and after choosing the perfect hair and tail colors, I painted them into the coordinating areas. After doing so and adding enough coats to make the tail and hair look complete, I began to mix a skin tone. Since the hair color was so golden, I wanted to go with a lighter skin tone, so that's just what I did. By mixing white, brown, red, and yellow, I mixed the perfect shade.
ARTIST INSPIRATION:After browsing through different sailor inspired photos and paintings, I came across this gem. It completely inspired me to create a mermaid of my own, but again, in my own style. This is when I came across Susana Alonso's mermaid design and completely fell in love with the ideas behind it. By subtracting some major details from the inspirational piece and adding minor details of my own, I was able to create my own version of this piece.
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