Mermaids for sale.

Today I have completed a layout for a challenge over at ARTastic challenge blog.  Here is my layout:

The challenge was to be inspired by this artwork by Roger Kemp 'untitled' and criteria was to use pen in some way on your layout.

I was inspired by the pink colour and the seemingly unplanned nature of the penwork.  Now to be honest this was not my first attempt at doing this challenge.  My first attempt was to draw a grid (like the stand the mermaids are displayed on) and then go from there.  Well, I was not happy with how it was coming together and ditched it!  

My photo was taken on Catalina Island, off the coast of California and I took the photo initially for some friends I met on a cruise I took in April 2017 who were Mermaid Mad.  I love the colour of all those dolls together and the fact that they came in all sizes.

Now, I am not one those besotted by Mermaids - they are fictitious and I like to deal in reality - I have never watched any SyFy, Game of Thrones, ET, etc etc so I went and looked for quotes about Mermaids to include on my layout.

I first used Distress Oxides to colour my paper from Kaisercraft, then I highlighted with pen "Let the sea set you free" and handwrote the quote I found:

Always be yourself

Unless you can be a MERMAID

Then always be a Mermaid

I also like the sign - Mermaids available in Large (see inside store), Medium and Small!  This tickled me - Mermaids come in all sizes not just the skinny ones that seem to be image you see when you search 'mermaid' on the internet.  So I included reference to this in my journaling top left.

A little bit of fussy cutting, some wooden embellishments and even though you cannot see it in this photo I used glossy accents on the raised flower.

Not sure I fully accomplished the unplanned part of my inspiration however I suppose that I changed my plans from what I first attempted - well that was unplanned!!

Thank you for looking.

Margaret