This painting was a happy accident. I considered doing the May Mermaid challenge and the first theme on the prompt list is Koi fish. I was looking for references on Pinterest when I came across a lovely photo. In tge end I decided to do another photo study. This was the reference: https://pin.it/nt3fk6b7ppbp4s
I still might try drawing some mermaids, but drawing human figure is really challengoing and slow for me. I guess that's even more reason to practice :)
This is one of the Mermay prompt lists, I've seen 2 others, but I like this one the best.
I started with some soft watercolor otlines, I didn't feel like doing the pencil this time. Also pencil is annoying to erase before painting with watercolors.
I prefer the original painting over the photos. The colors seem more blended and flowing in real life.
Also I like the strong contrasts of the fish against the dark water. The reference shows that much better.
Some Interesting Koi Info:
● Koi fish and Goldfish are distant cousins as they both decent from Carp, but goldfish came about long before koi fish did.
● There are 24 koi fish varieties and counting.
● Koi fish symbolize persistence, determination, wealth, success, and good fortune
Info source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/koistory.com/blog/15-fun-koi-fish-facts%3fformat=amp
Thank you for reading _