Mermaids have always been a favorite mythical/fantasy subject of mine, ever since I was a little girl. However, I long ago grew
tired of seeing the stereotypical type of mermaid (think The Little Mermaid). That style isn't a bad thing (in fact,
The Little Mermaid is my favorite animated movie), but with this drawing I wanted to make her look more aquatic.
That's why I gave her webbed hands, more scales on the body, the blue and green tones, and the more elaborate fins.
I also wanted her to look sort of like a cartoon character, semi-2D, as sort of a nod to my favorite animated mermaid.
I wasn't going for a totally realistic look, and I like the result of this approach. Overall I'm pretty happy with this picture.
I drew this on paper, inked it, and then colored it in Photoshop. It was completed in August of 2003.

Prints of this illustration are available here.

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