Quirky stuff sells! Like these FAMOUS mermaids because my customer is a little sassy and whimsical. I used to be in a cool studio space in Astoria, Oregon and shared the space with 4 other artists, some who were dedicated oil painters. I got used to some of them rolling their eyes when they walked past my area. To tease them, I decorated a big poster board that said, “What part of whimsical don’t you understand.” Guess they were missing the whimsy gene? LOL
Start with a cool background and clip art curtains plus photos found on the internet and printed 2 x 3 inches. Cut out a scrapbooking paper mermaid tail. You will notice that Scarlett’s arms wouldn’t work so I printed two Marilyn photos and used her arms for Scarlett. I buy stacks of frames from Dollar Tree and use colorful alcohol ink to color the frames. The alcohol ink covers and dries almost instantly!
“Gentlemen prefer blondes” becomes “Pirates prefer blondes” in my world. Marilyn is glammed up with glitter. I love Ranger Stickles because the stream is perfectly consistent and glitter sticks to it perfectly. Accent the drapes, her outfit and make little swirls. If I don’t have the perfect color of Stickles, I use what I have and sprinkle some glitter on it to MAKE it the correct color.
Scarlett makes me smile! She had to wear green because her iconic dress was green. When I think of “Gone With the Wind” that is the scene I remember of course it comes with a twist, “SPLASH!”
The world is full of potential famous mermaids and I have just begun to dream them up!