Howdy!
I had so much fun doing a recent seahorse piece for my own enjoyment and thought to share the photos of the work-in-progress as well as the inspiration behind this piece!
As much as I enjoy doing commissions, I try my best to set aside a portion of my time to grow my personal creativity space. With a full-time job to juggle with, among other social obligations, there are times when I have to turn down commissions to make time for what is essential.
My Muses, My Biggest Inspiration
Scroll below for work-in-progress!
Probably of no surprise to you, wildlife has been my biggest source of inspiration. In my previous (work)life, I had the privilege of working amongst colleagues whose vocabulary consisted scientific names of animal species -- aka people trained in biological science.
Disclaimer: I'm no expert and do not profess the same ability to rattle impressive latin names off the top of my head as much as I would love to. So can you imagine me being absolutely lost whenever I find myself amongst the biologists/ecologists! The love these folks had towards local wildlife (and beyond!) were infectious and I guess I caught the love bug towards Singapore's wildlife from them :)
p/s. Not to sound like I'm rattling off a WWF / conservation ad or anything, but you have got to admit that having an estimated 23,000–28,000 species of terrestrial organisms and 12,000–17,000 marine organism is pretty fantastic for a mere "red dot" (we are 707 sq km!)
Anyway...
About Seahorses
It's so sad that so many marine creatures are facing a huge threat to their survival. Including seahorses :(
Some facts about Seahorses:
Seahorses generally live in near-coastal waters and are especially vulnerable to human activities including pollution, fisheries, and traditional medicine (oh man, I drank some concocted seahorse soup before as a kiddo! ugh. I don't do it anymore now thankfully!!)
Seahorses form strong pair bonds in monogamous relationships.
The male and female seahorse come together every morning to dance together! How sweet <3
Work-in-Progress
Before any wildlife illustrations, I normally start off with reference photos. So this time, I got some seahorse photos from a friend and tried to work something original out of it!
I always enjoy the fluidity and natural beauty of watercolour. The pigments just seem to be able to find their rightful place and look well together.
Here's a short snippet of the watercolouring process.
Also for those wondering about my painting materials:
Brush: Escoda Reserva, Kolinsky Tajmyr, Size 6
Watercolour Paint: Daler Rowney Aquafine Travel set, Prussian Blue and Ivory Black
Paper: Arto, cold-pressed, 300gsm
Just when I thought I might be done for this piece, I decided to enhance the porcelain China look with additional details.
And here is the draft filled with pencil markings while I deliberate.
Also, to keep to the marine theme for this piece, what better way than to add corals. Right?
And Voila
So how do you like it? I call it the Curlicue Waltz. The piece encapsulates the fragile state of marine life and likens it to a precious piece of Chinese porcelain.
Alrighty, that's all from me now.
Hope you got to learn some fun facts about seahorses or at least enjoy observing the entire process from ideation to framing.
Not sure whether to put it up on sale yet. But will let you know if I do!
Comments