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Description
Deep Sea - Transitory

~The bioluminescent filaments across this merfolk's body serve as both lures for prey & decoys for larger predators. It travels freely between the surface and the depths, following the nightly migration of prey.~

Okay, that's more like it. I was far less grumpy today, and (as a direct result, no doubt) I'm far happier with this piece than yesterday's.

I've been wanting to do an oarfish mermaid since I started the Unconventional Mermaids series, but I felt it was a bit of a cheat, because it's a fish, and the point of the Unconventional Mermaids was...well, to use up paper, but ALSO to make merfolk from sea creatures that WEREN'T fish. So I've held off to save it for this month. I really wanted to draw them in their weird "straight as a board and pointing directly upwards" stance, but I knew there was no way I was fitting that on the paper. This is the closest I could get to it without it being a compositional nightmare. (I feel like a lot of oarfish merfolk get drawn in this pose because of that.)

There are going to be a fair few deep sea merfolk this month, but each will occupy a different niche (deep sea transitory, deep sea non-transitory, volcanic vents, etc.).

Background done with a wash of Marabu Aqua Inks, merfolk done with Faber Castell Polychromos. (I haven't used pencil crayons as a main medium in over a decade and I forgot how tedious it is to fill large areas. This seemed easier when it was my only option. )

Description
Deep Sea - Transitory

~The bioluminescent filaments across this merfolk's body serve as both lures for prey & decoys for larger predators. It travels freely between the surface and the depths, following the nightly migration of prey.~

Okay, that's more like it. I was far less grumpy today, and (as a direct result, no doubt) I'm far happier with this piece than yesterday's.

I've been wanting to do an oarfish mermaid since I started the Unconventional Mermaids series, but I felt it was a bit of a cheat, because it's a fish, and the point of the Unconventional Mermaids was...well, to use up paper, but ALSO to make merfolk from sea creatures that WEREN'T fish. So I've held off to save it for this month. I really wanted to draw them in their weird "straight as a board and pointing directly upwards" stance, but I knew there was no way I was fitting that on the paper. This is the closest I could get to it without it being a compositional nightmare. (I feel like a lot of oarfish merfolk get drawn in this pose because of that.)

There are going to be a fair few deep sea merfolk this month, but each will occupy a different niche (deep sea transitory, deep sea non-transitory, volcanic vents, etc.).

Background done with a wash of Marabu Aqua Inks, merfolk done with Faber Castell Polychromos. (I haven't used pencil crayons as a main medium in over a decade and I forgot how tedious it is to fill large areas. This seemed easier when it was my only option. )