Ribbon Seals Finished Illustration

As the poles melt, we are finding out more than we've ever known about ice seals.  Ribbon seals are only one variety of ice seal. They are usually so remote that studying them in the wild has proved difficult.  With global warming, they are swimming further inland and further south and have even been seen on the northwest coast of the US.  

I've drawn this little family on an iceberg, surrounded by sea and sky.  I like to imagine it's quiet and peaceful when the weather is fair.

The pup could be confused with a harp seal pup, but when as the little pediped gets bigger, distinctive ribbons of white wrap around his rich black brown coat.

Hairy Frog Fish Finished Illustration

I was so engulfed in the Zen of illustration, that I forgot to save an in progress of the the color on these two.  Hairy frog fish move by gulping in water and propelling it out their gills.  They steady themselves with their little fin "feet".  Mostly they remain motionless on the bottom and camouflage perfectly in with coral and sponges.   The wave their lure enticingly and snap up prey with an amazing strike speed.  They will even try to eat fish much larger than themselves.  They change color as they age, going through a wide range of hues in their lifetimes.

Personally, I think their striation brings to mind the lion fish.  I wonder if they are relatives.

Poison Dart Frog Illustration

In progress shot on the poison dart frogs I posted a week or so ago:

Some detail shots from the finished illustration:

I was really blown away be the wide array of color these come in.  I was also impressed that my nine year old friend Ana, was able to name most of the color combinations when she came to visit.  I can see why poison dart frogs are such a favorite in all age groups despite their deadly nature.  They've certainly earned my respect.

Peacock Mantis Shrimp Illustration Color Stages

After scanning in my drawing and uploading it to Photoshop, I built a vector layer  following the silhouette of the peacock mantis shrimp.  This made it relatively easy to add color.  I used this vector layer to build masks for my color layers.  I also chose a gradient similar to the blue sea slugs illustration, hoping for the same shallow water feel.

After the initial color was in, I started adding texture and shading layers.  I also used the lighten mode of my paintbrush to add color to the line art itself.  A drop shadow and an orange glow around the fringes finished the piece nicely.  

Cuttlefish Baby Illustration Finished

While I'd love to stipple every delicate dot on this baby cuttlefish, I'm going to have to call this done.  I'm content with the hypnotic eye and delicate flounce.  Float off little fishling.

Deep Sea Angler Fish Illustration

All done!  You are looking at  20 layers of photoshop "paint". If I ever switched to oil paint it'd take months for these to dry. I have to say that after finishing this one, I'm not as frightened of rays or eels.  At the zoo today I stopped in to compliment the green moray on his nice thick coating of slime.  The white spotted river rays wanted to bite me, but I just tapped the other side of the glass that thwarted their attempts.  Is this progress?  Maybe. Just don't expect me to swim with the angler fish!

Nautilus In Progress

As A.K. pointed out in the last post's comments, Nautili are most active at twilight.  So I've surrounded this one with an inky sea.  I still have to layer in the color on the shell and tentacles, but so far I am pleased by this little beastie. In particular I like the nautilus' eye.  It looks so bizzare because it is actually open to the sea around it.  Like a pinhole camera, there is no lens only a hole for the light to flow in and photoreceptors inside the hole to catch the light.  The two small tentacles on either side of the eye are uses for smell, which the nautilus uses to make up for poor eyesight during the hunt for food.

Let's Not Go Swimming.

Just a bit of polishing up, I didn't want to overdo this one.  He looks almost friendly.  

However, I think I'll watch from here.  Thankyouverymuch.

Octopus Illustration–Finished

I decided on natural coloring for the finished illustration. I did try the dark purple/bright orange combo and liked it. However, I will keep it for another style of illustration. It's decidedly more sinister.  This version makes a nice mate to the sea horses.  I am also keen to illustrate the blue ringed octopus.  I still don't want to be submerged with octopi, but I might visit the aquarium soon to see them in person.

Edit: The ad currently displayed below this is for the Intous tablet I use.  How do they know?