Moorish idol
Loosen up and enjoy painting this bright and breezy split-screen effect, with Elena Parashko
Loosen up and enjoy painting this split-screen effect ocean view using a variety of acrylic techniques, with Elena Parashko
With this painting, Moorish Idol, I wanted to create an unusual split-screen effect whereby the viewer has a glimpse above and below the waterline. I decided to depict the species of tropical fish, called the Moorish idol (zanclus cornutus), because of their interesting shape and dramatic patterns of colour.
The Moorish idol is a common inhabitant of tropical to subtropical reefs and lagoons throughout the Indo-Pacific and usually mates for life. It takes its name from the Moors of Africa, who believed it would bring happiness. In the 2003 Disney animated film, Finding Nemo, a Moorish idol, named Gill, was one of Nemo’s tank mates.
Step 1
1 I drew the basic composition with willow charcoal. It’s not necessary to draw the fish at this stage.
2 To begin painting the sky, I made the darkest blue with a mixture of cobalt blue and titanium white.
3 Using a large flat brush and horizontal strokes, I painted the entire sky area from the top of the canvas. As I worked down towards the horizon, I added more titanium white into the sky colour to lighten it. At the horizon, I added a touch of alizarin crimson to create a pink glow. 4 While the sky was still wet, I used a medium-sized filbert brush to shape the clouds with titanium white. 5 I blocked in the mountain range with a soft blue-purple made from some of the darkest sky colour with a little more cobalt blue to darken it and a touch of alizarin crimson to purple it.
Step 2
1 To indicate ridge highlights in the far distance, I lightened the underpainting colour with titanium white and dabbed details with a small filbert brush. For the highlights in the mountain range a little closer to the viewer, I added a touch of yellow into the highlight mix, which created a soft greenish colour.
2 For the surface of the ocean, I streaked various shades of ultramarine blue mixed with left-over sky colour using a medium-sized flat brush. I applied the darkest shades at the horizon and gradually lightened the sea blue towards the split screen. I used choppy brushstrokes to indicate ocean ripples.
Step 3
1 To paint the water just below the surface, I mixed phthalo green with titanium white and a touch of cadmium yellow light.
2 I then introduced phthalo blue and titanium white and darkened the blue as the water became deeper.
3 For the sea floor, I used raw umber and titanium white applied with rough and chunky horizontal brushstrokes to indicate an uneven sandy surface.
4 As the sea floor recedes into the distance, I layered on some of the blue underwater colour.
Step 4
1 When the background painting was dry, I added the fish into the scene. To avoid mistakes in drawing and positioning them, I first drew the fish to scale on paper then, with Blu-tack, played with the placement of each fish until I had a pleasing arrangement.
2 I slipped a small piece of black transfer paper face down underneath the drawings and traced the outline of each fish onto the painting using a ballpoint pen.
Step 5
1 The white areas of each fish were painted with a small flat brush and fine liner brush. This single coat would act as the white areas in shadow. A second coat of white will be applied later in areas that need to be highlighted.
3 To create a sense of volume in the fish body,
I painted a second coat of white along the body just below the top fin, the top part of the lower fin and on the face.
4 I lightened the grey from instruction 2 (above) and applied a crescent in the lower left portion of the eye.
5 This light grey was also used to create the transparent looking fin on the side of the body, and for the ridges in the tail.
6 Notice how I also blended light grey along the top part of the lower fin over the black to continue the three-dimensional effect.
7 Cadmium yellow light was used to paint the yellow sections.
8 To complete the fish, a sparkle of white was added to the upper right portion of the eye.
Step 6
No two fish are exactly alike so I varied the markings slightly to individualise each one. When drawing them, I also ensured that I included a range of sizes and body shapes, mainly by varying the angle of the long dorsal fin.
Step 7
I blocked in the underpainting for the reef with the following colours:
1 Brain coral (lower left) – raw umber
2 Branch coral (upper left and lower right) – dioxazine purple + raw umber
3 The anemone (upper right) – alizarin crimson + raw umber.
Step 8
1 To create the detail on the brain coral, I lightened the raw umber underpainting colour with titanium white to make a mid-tone, which I painted on with a small flat brush.
2 I lightened the mid-tone with more titanium white to make a highlight brown, which I layered in stops and starts over the mid-tone pattern.
3 For the branch coral, I lightened the purple underpainting colour with titanium white then dotted this mid-tone over the branches with the corner of a small flat brush to create a textured look.
4 I then lightened the mid-tone with more white to make a highlight to accentuate the tips of the sunlit branches.
3 For the anemone, I mixed a mid-tone red by adding a small amount of titanium white to the red underpainting colour. Using a medium-sized flat brush, I flicked curved brushstrokes of this from the tip to the base of each tentacle. This mid-tone was lightened with more white to make a highlight that was layered on the top part of the mid-tone.
Step 9
I added titanium white to the surface of the water right along the split screen to create a glistening effect.
2 To complete the painting, I scumbled angled rays of sunlight streaming from the surface towards the sea floor. To do this, I dabbed the tiniest amount of titanium white onto the tip of a mediumsized Round brush and gently rubbed the rays into place.