Bristlenose catfish drawing

After checking my emails first thing I then had a look at the drawing I did yesterday of the catfish.  I decided I would change the dorsal and one of the pelvic fins slightly but will do that as I transfer it across to the black background. I had put this on late yesterday afternoon so it was perfect for tracing onto now.

As I traced the outline I brought the dorsal fin front higher and dropped the bottom edge of the pelvic fin. Once it was transferred onto the black I started playing with colours and mixing. This process can take anything from half an hour to several hours depending on what I already have on my palette (I hardly ever wash the paint off - gouache is great at being econonmical as once dried you just add water and it can be used again.) and how many colours I need to work with.

I got several colours mixed and put on a base coat, just in time for lunch.

Only today I'm having a half day... I have this afternoon booked off as I have to deliver a painting to Marwell Hotel in Hampshire for the final judging of the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year. One of the paintings I do as a wildlife artist (when I'm not working at the zoo) has been selected as a finalist for judging in the World Mammals Category.