Hidden Treasure II

After Hidden Treasure I, I knew I had to feature more interesting things if I were to keep up with the first illustration in my series.

The first one presented a coral brain and a clown fish, so naturally, I was on the lookout for underwater living things that could trigger my creativity.

Since I find them fascinating growing up, I dug my memory bank for things that I feel worthy of sharing through my art.  (I have always loved going to the beach and my family has taken care of small corals and fishes in the past.) Then I remembered a childhood moment, in particular, and I knew I had to immortalize it for my next illustration…

It was one of those trips to the beach during my childhood.  I cannot remember the place anymore and the occasion.  In my mind, it was just a view near the seashore and my accompanying thoughts.

We rode a boat to an island, where I was allowed to play by the shores.  It was quiet, and the waters clearer than the beach where we came from.  In fact, it was so clear that I could spot the floating red creatures from our boat.  I pointed it to my mom and she told me it was a jellyfish.

I was entranced.

Weren’t jellyfishes a transparent white?  Those red ones were beautiful!  Like floating reds demanding attention in a sea of blues.

As I voiced my thoughts, I was warned to stay near the shore and away from one, for these red ones were likely more dangerous than the normal whites.  I kept my distance, but the whole time I was there, my mind was on those red creatures displaying themselves instead of blending in with the waters.

The memory is vague now, and possibly not accurate. But somehow, I never forgot about those swimming reds.  And as I revisited the moment, one more time, I knew I had to draw inspiration from this memory before it completely fades away.

So it became my Hidden Treasure II, a combination of the beauty of jellyfishes and my bits and pieces of treasured childhood memories.

I don’t know the name of the jellyfish that I saw many years ago, so I went Google-hunting for a new one.  Some qualities that I imagined my jellyfish to have were the following:

• In shades of red to give life to my vision of a warm color amidst a sea of blue.
• A nice texture that would challenge my drawing skills and add more aesthetic value.
• Lots of those flowy and lacy stuff that we associate in a jellyfish.

To my delight, those were all present in a Pelagia Noctiluca.  I dreaded drawing all those textures, but then, challenge accepted!  😛  They come in shades of purple and maroon;  I went with maroon, since it was closer to the color red.

This time, I drew a child to express playfulness and make use of happy colors.

Hidden Treasure I was originally an anatomy practice, so I thought I’d use this series as a chance to draw things that I want to improve.  I could explore drawing faces and expressions. Also, wouldn’t it be nice to see a happy jellyfish?  They might be deadly, but this one sure is excited to sting!

On a serious note, having a nephew close to me made me appreciate children.  I can’t say that I’ve turned into a child-lover, but I definitely care more than before my nephew was born.  It made me appreciate things that I’ve never given much thought before.

When I look at them now, I not only see little humans, I see priceless treasures and memories packed in chibis.  (Oh, those demons in the making!  😛 )

These insights may not be noticeable in a single image, but they make up the second part of this series.  🙂