Seahorses–Finished Illustration

After adding the detail for the second horse, I filled in the kelp, and built a custom fish scale pattern for the background.  I am happy with how the seahorses turned out with only four vector layers.  I wanted enough detail to hold interest and enough quiet blue space to give the illustration a serene quality.

To pass the time at the doctor's office, I was working up the original sketch.  A nurse who saw the seahorses told me about her family's favorite vacation spot in the Florida Keys.  She said they take a row boat into the mangrove swamps and look for seahorses that would cling to the roots of the big trees.  It sounded wonderful.  I'll have to settle for the illustration until my next vacation.