Fish on Fridays

by Sandra Busby
(East Sussex)

For this drawing I chose to draw a rainbow trout, which was shining gloriously upon the fishmongers counter. I liked the colours of the fish and I could see that it would be an interesting fish to draw, so I took it home.

I put it on a pretty plate which I dressed with a lemon wedge and some parsley to add a little more interest, and I put the plate on a tray of ice to keep it fresh. I set the plate on a vey low box so I had full view of the plate. I also periodically sprayed the fish with a little water to emphasise the moist, sparkly skin.

I thoroughly enjoyed this drawing. I used a brush and water for the pattern on the plate which worked really well. I also used a similar method with the lemon and Parsley but using various tones and other marks to acheive the right textures.

The fish was the best bit. I used water colour pencils dry and then sprayed the fish with a little water so it was dry in places and wet in others. Then I spattered some pearlescent acrylic ink over the top with a toothbrush. This fine mist of acrylic ink was used quite loosely and I liked the fact that it also hit the plate in places too.

The final touch was with a white gel pen where I added a few tiny highlights here and there such as the eyes.

This was my first real mixed media drawing and it was great fun to do. I am very pleased with it!

***Note from Kerry:
Wow Sandra! It looks so good and so real. This one would have to be framed!

A true artist can see something extraordinary in the most ordinary things.