Another 3-D Mermaid, Part 3

Painting the mermaid 

and Creating the Composition 

She's Painted and cut out, I love
her sweet expression 

I have the backdrop finished, almost.  I may create some more shadows in the water as I progress thru the painting.  This is when the painting really starts to get interesting.  It is all coming together, the colors are building...  Pretty soon, I will have a finished piece! 

Here (below) was where I finished up at the end of last week.  The frame is still not finished.  I will post some pictures of that, too, as I get to that step of the process.  For now, I have placed this lemon gold frame over the painting because it is almost the correct size, ironically. 

After I drew the mermaid (see the previous post), I carefully painted her and then cut her out.  I am now at the place where I must decide where to place her on the painting. 

Can you tell that she is ON TOP of the painting?  She is not securely fastened yet.  I want to be certain of the composition.  

The next thing I had to paint was the sailor.  He is fishing and is in the background.  He will be catching a MARLIN.  Here are some reference pictures that I took off the internet that I liked. 

I have not painted this yet.  

Here is my sailor.  I love his pinstriped pants! 

I will paint the fishing rod tomorrow as well as the Marlin.  There is going to be a ship in this piece, too.  It will be on the right side.  I may add a shell or two and a scripture about the loaves and fishes that the customer requested.  It will be really a neat and meaningful painting when I am finished.  Sorry this process has drug out a bit.  You know what they say, 

"You can't rush art!" 

Enjoy! 

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Another 3-D Mermaid, Part 2

The Pencil Sketch 

The Loaves and the fishes 

I have been busy painting the background on this custom piece and am ready to start painting the mermaid.  I need a good solid pencil drawing before I proceed.  I want to make sure it is just the way I imagine it.   

Antique Field Book, 1929 

I have always adored this book.  I thought the fish on it were so pretty.  I used this for my inspiration when drawing in the fish.  The mermaid is carrying a shell filled with fish and a few loaves of bread.  

I spent a lot of time on the shape of her tail, too.  When you look at her tail, you can sort of see the legs within the shape.  This was what I was aiming for for the final pencil draft. 

I hope you are not distracted by the color of the paper on this, I left it the way it was because I felt it added some interest.  It will have no impact whatsoever on the final painting.  

The inside of this book is full of mostly pencil illustrations, which I really enjoyed looking at.  

Recognize her?  

This is from my favorite pasta box.  I snapped a picture of it a long time ago.  I think this girl's posture is so beautiful.  I LOVE IT.  I used this for my inspiration for my mermaid, although, my lady is much older and mature.  You can sort of get the idea from this exactly what I was trying to accomplish.  

This mermaid is going to have (at its final destination) a back drop that is a light grey.  The customer lives at the beach and this will go to the left of her kitchen.  Although, I don't have the exact color, I do have one room in my home that is a light grey.  To get a feeling of what that might look like, I have included a picture.  

This shell tray was painted long ago by me.  I have always liked it and have kept it over the years moving it from
room to room.  What do you think of that light?  That was a goodwill purchase.  It was an ugly brown with an even uglier shade.  I replaced the shade and sprayed it white, selecting some of my favorite shells to go inside.  

I have a big frame that just happens to be the exact size of the frame that this will go into when finished.  The final frame will not be gold leafed.  It will be a walnut color (no sienna) and will be hand grained.  

The little guy in the back ground will be there in the big piece, too, but he will be catching a very specific type
of fish.  Check back to see what it is!!

Just to keep it fresh in your head, this is the reference piece that the customer seen and loved.  Can you tell that she is 3-D?  Can you see the shadow on her tail?  

The painting that I am custom doing is larger than this one (below) but you can get the feel.  

Check back soon for more images as I progress!  

Enjoy. 

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