5 Tips for Painting a Stunning Watercolor Mermaid

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 10 July 2023 5 min read

Embarking on a journey to paint a watercolor mermaid can be both exciting and overwhelming. Fear not, for you are in the right place! This guide will provide you with the necessary steps to create a stunning watercolor mermaid. By the end of this blog, you will have a detailed roadmap to create your very own masterpiece.

1. Selecting Your Tools

The first step to painting a watercolor mermaid is to select the right tools. Having high-quality brushes, watercolors, and paper can make a significant difference in your artwork. Let's explore each one in more detail.

Choosing the Right Brushes

Brushes are your magic wand in painting. The right brush can bring your watercolor mermaid to life. For detailed work, like the mermaid's face and hands, choose a fine-tipped brush. For larger areas, such as the mermaid's tail, a flat brush can fill colors quickly and evenly. Brands like Winsor & Newton and Da Vinci offer a variety of high-quality brushes to choose from.

Picking the Best Watercolors

The colors you choose can set the mood of your watercolor mermaid painting. Go for vibrant hues for a lively, youthful mermaid or choose muted tones for a more ethereal, mysterious mermaid. Brands such as Daniel Smith and Sennelier offer a wide range of pigmented watercolors that can bring your mermaid to life.

Finding the Perfect Paper

A sturdy, absorbent paper is your canvas for painting a watercolor mermaid. Look for cold-pressed watercolor paper, which has a slightly textured surface that's perfect for capturing the delicate scales of a mermaid's tail. Brands like Arches and Strathmore have a good selection of watercolor paper in different sizes and weights.

2. Sketching Your Mermaid

With your tools ready, it's now time to sketch your mermaid. This is where you shape your watercolor mermaid, detail her features, and add a sprinkle of personality to make her uniquely yours.

Getting the Shape Right

When drawing your mermaid, start with a basic outline. Remember, a mermaid is part human and part fish, so keep your lines fluid and graceful. Here's a quick tip: imagine your mermaid as a combination of basic shapes — a circle for the head, rectangles for the torso and tail, and triangles for the fins. Once you're happy with the shape, refine the lines to give your mermaid her final form.

Detailing the Features

Details bring your mermaid to life. Start by drawing her face. Keep her eyes expressive, as they're the window to her underwater world. Next, draw her hair flowing freely, as if floating in water. For the tail, imagine the scales like tiny half-circles overlapping each other. Remember, the more details you add, the more lifelike your watercolor mermaid will be.

Adding Personality

Last but not least, give your mermaid a personality. Is she a cheerful, playful spirit? Or is she a mysterious, serene creature? You decide! You can express her personality through her pose, expression, or even the colors you plan to use. With the sketch complete, you're ready to bring your watercolor mermaid to life!

3. Applying the First Layer of Color

With your mermaid sketch ready, it's time to dive into the exciting world of color. Painting your watercolor mermaid involves mixing colors, laying down the basics, and learning to keep your palette clean.

Mixing Your Colors

Watercolors are all about blending. Create a range of colors for your mermaid by mixing the primary colors—red, yellow, and blue. Remember, less is more. Start by adding a tiny bit of color and gradually build it up. For example, to create a stunning turquoise for your mermaid's tail, start with blue and add a small amount of yellow until you achieve the desired shade.

Laying Down the Basics

Start with a light wash of color for your mermaid. This first layer sets the tone for your painting. Use broad strokes for larger areas like the tail and finer strokes for smaller areas like the face and hair. Don't worry about the details just yet—that's for the next step. For now, concentrate on laying down the basic color scheme of your watercolor mermaid.

Keeping Your Palette Clean

As you paint, remember to keep your palette clean. Rinse your brush thoroughly before picking up a new color to avoid muddying your colors. A clean palette not only keeps your colors vibrant but also makes mixing colors easier. With a fresh palette and your first layer of color down, your watercolor mermaid is starting to come alive!

4. Adding Details and Shading

Now that you've laid down your base colors, it's time to add depth and personality to your watercolor mermaid. This stage involves creating depth with shading, highlighting for effect, and focusing on facial features.

Creating Depth with Shading

Shading is your best friend when it comes to creating a three-dimensional look. To make your mermaid pop off the page, use darker shades of your base colors in areas like under the hair, the underside of the tail, and anywhere else that shadows would naturally fall. Remember: where the light doesn't hit, the shadows do!

Highlighting for Effect

Just as shadows add depth, highlights can add sparkle to your mermaid. Think about where the light would naturally hit—on top of the head, the shoulders, and the upper part of the tail. Use lighter shades or even a bit of white to create these highlights. The contrast between light and dark will make your watercolor mermaid look more realistic and dynamic.

Focusing on Facial Features

Now, let's breathe life into your mermaid by focusing on the facial features. Keep the eyes expressive—maybe your mermaid is gazing at a distant ship or beaming at a friendly sea turtle. A soft smile or a playful smirk can also add charm. And don't forget the scales—they're a classic mermaid feature. A few well-placed strokes can create a beautiful, shimmering effect.

5. Finalizing Your Mermaid Painting

You're almost there! With your mermaid's features and personality shining through, it's time to add those final touches, evaluate your work, and learn how to preserve your painting.

Adding Final Touches

The final touches can truly make your watercolor mermaid come alive. Perhaps, add a few playful fish friends, some underwater plants, or a sunken pirate chest to the scene. Or, enhance your mermaid's allure by adding a hint of glitter to her tail. These little details can add a whole new layer of interest and make your painting unique.

Evaluating Your Work

Once you're done adding the final touches, take a step back and evaluate your work. Look at it from different angles, and even in different lights if you can. Are there any areas that need more shading or color? Does your mermaid capture the mood you intended? Don't be too hard on yourself—every piece of art is a learning experience.

Preserving Your Painting

Now that you've created a stunning watercolor mermaid, you'll want to preserve it. Use a fixative spray to protect the painting from dust and fading. Remember to spray lightly and evenly, and let it dry completely. This step will ensure your mermaid continues to enchant viewers for years to come.

If you enjoyed our blog post on "5 Tips for Painting a Stunning Watercolor Mermaid," don't miss the opportunity to dive deeper into the world of mermaid art with Hope Christofferson's workshop, 'Making a Mermaid.' In this workshop, Hope will guide you through her creative process and share valuable techniques to help you bring your own watercolor mermaid to life.