How many pieces can one girl do as an ode to a Newfoundland and Cape Breton trip? As many as she likes apparently… That’s the perk of being your own boss!
I truly did come home from a trip across Cape Breton and Newfoundland absolutely dying to do this piece. Blue watercolours with archival ink over top make up this original blue whale design.
It began in pencil as I worked out the shape of the mother and baby whale, and decided on a few of the patterns that I wanted to incorporate in the watercolour portion of the work. You can see below that I penciled in a lot of the rounded shapes on the fins especially.
Next, I chose a few blue and teal tones of watercolour and began filling in the outlines.
Once the watercolour painting was complete and well dried, I began with ink patterns over top of the paint. This is really hard on micron pens, but I love the effect so much that it’s worth it! I love the contract of the light blues and blacks, and how quickly the piece began to take shape.
I used lots of small repetitive patterns within this piece. Small pieces of stippling and lots of simple line work. Check out the video below to see some of the making of those patterns and dots. You’ll see that the micron pen I’m using it ultra fine- And as you can imagine, the rough surface of the paint takes a toll on the end of the pen. I’m often asked how I’m able to use these pens over watercolour without issue- And there is no secret aside from being gentle, and making peace with the pen likely losing quality by the end of it.
I love how this piece turned out in the end. It’s one of my most popular pieces, and is often gifted to mother’s, whether they have newborns or full grown adults- This piece tends to go to all types of moms out there. Lots of whale lover’s homes and ocean themed spaced too.
I offer prints and cards of this piece on my Etsy, and even a little vinyl sticker of it.
I do hope you enjoyed learning about the process of this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it!
