Christmas Holiday Mermaid In Procreate - Episode 18

video - Episode 18

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In today's episode, we are discussing holidays, but with a twist, and creating a Christmas mermaid in Procreate.

I decided to create a nutcracker-inspired mermaid but incorporated details that reflect my tropical environment since I live close to the water and the ocean.

Creating A Christmas Holiday Nutcracker Style Mermaid In Procreate

When location is a big part of what inspires you, it begins to define your style and influence what you create and can give your work a unique look that reflects you as an artist and illustrator.

Try out non-traditional artwork for Christmas and holiday art and color palettes because it is fun to try out new themes and stories to tell for even traditional seasons of the year.

To get more resources on art and design, you can find them here on the resources page.

More Resources On Art & Design

Get more resources on art and design with guides, color palettes and more!

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1. You can subscribe to the video chats right here on YouTube

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Christmas Holiday Nutcracker Mermaid In Procreate Transcript:

• Christmas Holiday Mermaid In Procreate Transcript:

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  I am Denise Palmer and I am an illustrator,

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  artist and surface pattern designer working out of my studio close to the

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  Gulf of Mexico where water adventures and botanical plants surround my

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  everyday life.

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  Welcome to these video chats where I talk about some of the techniques I've used

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  to create my artwork and chat about all things illustration, art, and design.

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  Welcome to today's episode,

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  and I'm continuing today with the subject of Christmas artwork.

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  Usually when you think of Christmas, you think of reindeer,

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  Santas and Christmas trees and traditional holiday colors,

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  but this artwork in this episode is anything but traditional.

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  Most of the artwork I have shared in these video chats were commissioned

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  projects,

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  but this artwork is something I decided to create to reflect my environment,

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  which is tropical.

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  And so I wanted this design to have a tropical holiday theme to it.

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  This is why I am creating a mermaid with hints of a nutcracker style

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  with a nutcracker fish,

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  which you will see at the end of this video in the full design I will share with

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  you. The color palette is tropical with a bright Christmas undertone,

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  and there are present stealing crabs and coral inspired Christmas trees to bring

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  the theme and story to life. I wanted the mermaid to have long,

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  flowy hair because it is definitely something my daughter would love,

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  and I gave this mermaid a more boxy look to her mermaid tail and her face

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  to create a separation between the blocks of color,

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  I added darker line work to outline the shapes in the body hair and little

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  details.

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  When you use line work in the same color range as what you are outlining,

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  it creates a softer look, but still delivers definition.

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  It is much softer than using a black outline.

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  This is my personal preference and style,

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  and not to say that you cannot use black line work,

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  black or gray line work can be done really well. I just don't like using it.

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  So if you haven't tried line work in a darker color,

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  try it out and see if it fits your style.

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  Try thinking about non-traditional holiday themes and color palettes,

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  like a tropical one to create a different look to traditional seasons of the

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  year. You never know. You may love the new twist on tradition,

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  and so will your clients.

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  I will be sharing more process videos just like this one,

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  so be sure to subscribe. Thank you for watching!