Breathless - An Underwater Coral Reef Illustration

A submission for the art call hosted by Out of Step Books, this illustration was created using mixed media on Bockingford hot pressed watercolour paper.

I wanted a female to be part of the composition without going down the mermaid route, so found myself inspired by coral reefs and little underwater crevices or caves. There are elements of subtext within the work; the beauty of the ocean can leave me breathless, and by having a reef in place of where lungs should be (she has no gills either), creates a small visual of that feeling.