Water Babies

I had a great opportunity for a custom drawing this month. Heather's sister Hilary and her husband Jesse have a sweet little girl named Cori. Her first birthday was this week. Hilary and Jesse have been living in South Korea for 2 years, as Jesse was stationed there with the U.S. Army. They got a new assignment and are now living in Louisiana... and luckily, we got to see them as they passed through town.

Hilary contacted us about 2 weeks before they flew back to the States with an awesome idea for Cori's birthday present. She wanted an 11x14" drawing of the four cousins in the family: Lakin (9 years old), Addah (7½ years old), Cori (1 year old) and little Abby (3 months old), as mermaids in the deep blue sea. I loved it... and had a blast working on it!

I used the older girls' favorite colors: purple and blue for Lakin and pink and orange for Addah. For the little ones, I has noticed that Abby's hair and features really stood out in the pink coral romper she had on, and likewise, Cori was beautiful in her little green dress. I was really able to capture the four girls' personalities in this drawing and I am very happy with it. Hilary and Jesse were ecstatic and couldn't wait to frame the piece for Cori's new bedroom!

By the lake...

I took a break from the business of drawing pretty pictures yesterday to go with Heather's family to Lake Jocassee. This is the same lake that inspired "The One That Got Away" mermaid drawing... so we kept our eyes peeled for mermaids, but they are very good at staying hidden.

We went with Heather's brothers, Colin & Zeb, Colin's wife Stephanie, their baby Abby, and Heather's father, Tom. The girls had a blast swimming and playing on the sandy beach... and since it was a Wednesday afternoon, we had the whole place to ourselves. Neither Heather or I had been swimming in a long time and we had so much fun, splashing and playing and floating way out into the lake while the uncles watched the girls.

The water was perfect, not too hot or too chilly, and very clear. By the time we left, it was past dinner time, so there was a bit of a rush to get home, eat, help with homework and get the girls to bed on time, but it was well worth it for such a great afternoon.

Heather & I at Lake Jocassee

Nixie Dreams - Fantasy Mermaid Girl

This original mermaid art drawing was inspired by the Germanic legend of "nixies", or shape shifting water spirits that can appear in human form. My "Nixie Dreams" portrays a mermaid, or nixie, that looks up through the water's surface at her reflection, which is that of a human girl.

This mermaid's skin is a fantastic color of pink, with purple fins on her feet, arms and legs that help her when swimming through the depths of the ocean. Her long flowing purple and pink hair is striking against the lime green and turquoise of the ocean's shallows. Two companion seahorses watch her intently.

Pencil, watercolor pencil and oil pastels were used to create this artwork. This original drawing is 8.5 x 11 inches (21.5 x 27.9 cm).

*** Limited Edition Prints are available of this artwork ***

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54696286/mermaid-art-print-drawing-water-spirit

"The One That Got Away" Fantasy Mermaid

This original mermaid art drawing was inspired by a trip to Lake Jocassee, SC with family. Lake Jocassee was once a town, flooded in 1973 by the state of South Carolina to create a hydroelectric dam. Divers have found a hotel, as well as a graveyard, below the water's surface. It doesn't take much to imagine that mermaids might also lay beneath the still surface of this beautiful lake.

"The One That Got Away" features a young boy who has fallen asleep while fishing in his rowboat, far out on the lake. A little mermaid, curiosity getting the best of her, ventures closer to get a better look at the boy. She takes a moment to free the wiggling worm from his hook and feeds it to her companion fish.

This mermaid has long strawberry red hair and glistening copper scales, which contrast beautifully with the deep blue and turquoise of the clear lake water. In the depths of the lake, you can just see an old car which must have been left behind when the town was evacuated so long ago.

*** Limited Edition Prints are available of this artwork! ***