Has The Ocean Lost Its Way

The current #KWPrompts is #MarineMammals. (Find more info about the KWPrompts art challenge here.) I want to share some tricks & tips I've picked up after a week of drawing & painting these lovely animals.

Watercolor grey whale swimming happily through the ocean. Gray whales have no dorsal fin

  1. Use a lot of reference photos! Marine animals are so different from terrestrial ones. This sounds obvious- a whale is different from a horse, of course! – but compare a polar bear to a black bear or a grizzly. The polar bear is more streamlined, since it is adapted to spending so much of its life in the water. If you try to draw a polar bear with a grizzly shape, it will look wrong.
  2. Watch a lot of nature documentaries! Animals in the water are always moving. Even when they sleep in the water, they drift about

Watercolor narwhal having a lovely swim. Narwhals change color as they age, from greyish to blackish to white.

This is as far as I had gotten a week ago. I've been a bit distracted since. On a lighter note-

Here are some of my favorite facts about marine mammals

  1. Gray whales hold the migration record at nearly 14,000 miles, round trip. Other whales, like the narwhal, do not migrate at all.
  2. Narwhals & beluga whales can breed. The hybrids are called “narlugas.”
  3. Blue whales are so big, their tongues weigh as much as an elephant!
  4. Dolphins have individual whistles that their friends & family recognize.

Watercolor porpoise swimming happily. Porpoises always look like half-made dolphins.

The art challenge lasts 1 more week from the day this post was made. You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for whole time, or post pics randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want.

Use #KWPrompts #MarineMammals & tag @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

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