Sketch of the Week: Digital Mermaid

Between the summers of my freshman and sophomore years in college, I did some freelance painting for a local gift shop in Kennebunkport, Maine. My job consisted of paintings shells, crabs, and other seacoast-related things on small pieces of furniture and other trinkets that might appeal to tourists. Since the store I worked for had an overarching mermaid theme, I painted plenty of those too, so many that I got sick of them and didn't touch the subject for years afterwards. While on a layover from Maine back to New Mexico a couple of years ago, however, I drew this on my phone to pass the time. The colors here are inspired by the iridescent hues of beta fish, particularly in the hair, if you want to call it that.