Fish Bowl

 by Chloe Arvin

I have been more intentional about creating with traditional mediums recently, partly because of this bowl! I free-handed each fish, loosely referencing a chart of native TN fish. As recommended, I painted on three layers for each body; each new layer deviated slightly from the last. The fish didn't turn out perfect, despite my efforts to be precise, but strangely, I didn't mind. I was really happy with the simplicity of each fish, and the character added by the hand-painted quality of it. 

Beloved longnose gar <3

This catfish's whiskers were thicker than
I would've liked -- Oh well! Still cute!

Had I been designing these fish digitally, I would've been deep in the weeds ensuring each outline was perfect. Trapped in the endless cycle of draw, undo, draw, undo, draw for every brush stroke. When working traditionally with a less forgiving medium, I was forced to be more thoughtful with my brushstrokes and accepting of the imperfections. Not only was it faster, it was a lot more enjoyable! Undo had become a bit of a crutch, along with the ability to zoom into my work and fixate on every pixel. Relieving myself of that precise control was exactly what I needed!

More fish!