Painting of Sparky the Betta Fish
This is a portrait I painted for myself of one of my own pets, my beloved betta fish Sparky. Sparky lives in deluxe accommodations in a filtered, planted tank. Although it doesn't show up in this photo, when I take photos of him from slightly below, he makes a perfect reflection in the tank surface.
I wanted a square, semi-realistic portrait of Sparky looking fiesty and happy. This was my first ever fish portrait. Here's Sparky:
Here's my finished portrait:
Click below to see the steps from start to finish.
To make the reflection effect, I copied and reversed the image in Photoshop, then sketched it. I began with the pink and red hues on Sparky's body and ventral fins. I made a mixture of Titan Buff, Quinacridone Magenta and Quinacridone Burnt Orange.
I made a point of painting with my 1" angle shader brush so that I would not get caught up in details. If I use a small brush, I tend to get stuck in an area and ignore the overall colors. Next, I made a mix of blues and purples and painted in his spectacular fins.
I painted in a background in various greens and blues to set off his fin colors. I decided to make the reflection without a water "horizon" to make the visual effect more interesting. To keep the painting symmetrical, I painted sections of the top and bottom at the same time.
Once I had the canvas covered in paint, I used my smaller brushes to paint in the smaller details of his scales, fins and eyes. I used a little bit of pearl white intereference paint to give his scales a bit of shimmer.
I painted in his transparent pectoral fins last. I have many bettas and I am hoping to paint a few more. Although I love painting mammals, I enjoy the change of using vibrant colors and painting scales instead of fur.