How to Paint a Mermaid

We love sharing easy acrylic painting art ideas and today we’ll show you how to paint a mermaid!

Mermaids are a fun theme for both children and adults and have become more popular over the past few years.

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Oh, and we’ve got even more fun for all you mermaid lovers – print the Mermaid Coloring Pages or learn How to Draw a Mermaid with our guided tutorial !

You can easily draw a mermaid to express your personality by adding your favorite colors or using hair color.

Additionally, changing the watercolor background to different shades of blue and her tail to the color of your choice will make each painting stand out differently.

This painting is great for adults or older children, younger children may need a little help, but most can handle it.

How to draw a mermaid

What you need:

16″ x 20″ canvas (or any size you like)
pencil
eraser
acrylic paint (definitely blue and green, along with hair color and accent color, as well as tail color, body color, and white)
Brushes (from very small for drawing details to about 1 inch wide)
paper plate or palette
cup of water
tissue
tablecloth – disposable so you can throw it away when you’re done using it
tracing and transfer paper (optional – if you want to make copies for multiple canvases)

Step-by-step instructions

Sketch

First you will need to sketch a gentle outline of the mermaid.

Use light pressure on the pencil and erase gently if necessary.

Draw her tail in a large “U” shape, add the body on the bottom half and then add the top part of the head shape.

The hair and shoulders don’t have to be outlined, and this version doesn’t show the hands, so don’t worry about that unless you want to add some arms and hands.

Optional: Once you have the outline, if you need multiple canvases, we recommend using tracing paper and transfer paper to make copies on other canvases to save time and make them scale consistent.

Draw the outline on a sheet of tracing paper, then take the transfer paper and place it on the blank canvas, then place the drawn mermaid on top and position it where you want it.

Underwater Background

Now you can start the drawing process.

Start by pouring the color you want into the background and applying a few coats.

When painting, wet the brush a little each time you pull out a new, stiff brush and then blot off excess water. This loosens the brush and helps the paint flow easily.

You won’t need water except to rinse and clean your brushes between colors.

Using a thinner and longer round brush, draw an outline around the mermaid shape using your chosen background color.

This is how your water color should be green or blue. Circle her tail and head thoroughly, then work your way down her body.

Now you can switch to a larger brush and paint the rest of the background.

The outline helps you know where to keep that color and is a guide.

Depending on the shade you choose, you may need more than one coat, but let the first coat soak in for a few minutes before judging.

Meanwhile, repeat the process but this time with her tail.

Outline the tail to create a clean shape, then come back with a medium to large brush and paint it in.

Background details

Now add some accent lines to the water in your background.

Choose a similar color; For example, if your water is dark blue, choose teal or light blue for a pop of color.

This is intended to create streaks of light through the water.

Using a small to medium sized brush, create some light streaks, randomly here and there, at an angle and all at the same angle.

They can be short streaks or several mixed streaks, short and long.

Then, take some background color and blend it into the edges of the stripes to soften them.

You may have to go back and forth between the two colors a few times to get the blended look you want.

It should be random but have a nice soft look.

It’s a good idea to leave some of them a little brighter than others, but just make sure you don’t just have a monochromatic striped pattern.

tail

The color you choose for the tail should match the color of the water but also have a bit of contrast. Don’t choose something too similar, or it might get lost in the picture.

my body

Once your water looks just right, you can go back and work on the mermaid yourself.

Paint her torso with your chosen body color, bringing it up about halfway between her waist and the top of her head.

Finally, you can paint over some areas, but depending on the hair you paint, some may be obvious so it needs to be covered.

While it’s drying, you can paint a second coat on the tail, starting with the fins instead of the waist to give the body time to dry.

When you reach the top of the waist, take a smaller brush and finish that tail cleanly, you can do a “V” shape or just go horizontal. Some people like to add a belt or small flower to it later.

Go around the trailing edges and clean any messy lines with a small brush.

Hair

Now, you can start with the hair. We recommend keeping your hair to a medium length, close to your waist.

Choose one main color and one accent color. Start by using a medium-sized brush and trace the shape of the head at the top, then pull the strands down to your desired length.

It’s best to start with a thicker brush and then use a smaller brush once a good layer of paint has been built up.

You can make your hair curlier or give it waves. It shouldn’t look smooth and perfect because it’s underwater. So let’s add some loose strands and drift a little.

Tail detail

You can add highlights at the tail. Choose a similar color with a tail that matches it. Or mix a little white with the original tail color and create a lighter shade of the same color.

Using a thin brush, draw “V” or “U” shaped scales here and there, and you can also add accent lines to the tail if you want.

If you don’t want to do much, you can add a few lines along the edges to accentuate the shape, but this is to create shimmer and movement in the tail.

water bubbles

We want to add bubbles to our underwater scene. Draw some thin, random, non-solid circles in some places on the surface of the water. They should be small lines and not heavy.

Make a few sizes and don’t make them all the same, they will look great.

Make sure you use a small, thin brush for this.

Hair details

Once you have a nice layer of hair, you can add strands of the accent color and then continue layering between both colors until you get the look you want.

It would be best if you made sure it was solid across the head and torso and then had some wavy pieces coming out of the center area.

Continue adding yarn.

If you want to add a headband or belt then this is the time to do it. This part is where you get creative and make it your own.

Add seashells, stars, flowers and whatever feels good to you.

Or you can leave her as is.

White dots

Finally, place your canvas on a flat table, take a medium to large sized brush and dip it in water.

Then spread a small amount of white paint on the brush on the surface of the water and mix it evenly on the plate. You want a thinner version of white.

Hold the white brush on the canvas, lightly tap it with another brush, then move around the canvas, tapping it for a scattered effect.

The higher you hold the brush, the finer and smaller the dots will be.

This is a small thing but it makes the picture come alive.

Once you’re happy with the splatter, you’re ready to go!

Sign your painting and check to make sure it is well covered, including the edges.

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Categories: Activities for Kids
Source: fetb.edu.vn