Bringing Natural Science Illustration into My Oceanic Series
Drawing inspiration from Shelley Wall and David M. Mazierski’s exploration of early natural history illustration (1450–1900), when artists like Hans Weiditz sketched plants and animals directly from life, I created four “sea-spirits” in a digital watercolor style.
Mood-Driven Color Palette
Reflecting the 16th-century shift toward mood as well as accuracy, I chose soft corals and pinks for the starfish and coral spirits, evoking sunlit, shallow reefs, and mint greens and pale lavenders for the oyster and jellyfish spirits to suggest the cool serenity of deeper waters. Background gradients pick up these hues to create an immersive, harmonious environment.
Humanized Expression
Inspired by illustrators who “brought life” to their subjects by anthropomorphizing them, each sea-spirit features subtle human traits, soft, expressive eyes and gentle smiles. Marine motifs flow into their hair and attire: branching coral locks for the Coral Spirit and a hood shaped like a jellyfish bell for the Jellyfish Spirit, inviting viewers to forge an emotional connection.
