Moorish Idol fish illustration by Alan J. Benge

If you have ever snorkelled or dived in tropical waters like Australia's Great Barrier Reef, you probably will have seen these marvellous striped inhabitants of the underwater world.  From an artist's point of view, they are fantastic to draw.  In this original acrylic painting, I portrayed the moorish idol on a background of colourful abstract shapes.  Splattered texture was used for effect, along with bold primary colour 'blobs' to represent the incredible beauty of the reef.  

Sketch of Hobart boat harbour, Tasmania by Alan J. Benge

This is primarily a fairly detailed pen and ink sketch that I drew whilst on a visit to Hobart.  It is near the area where the yachts in the Sydney Hobart race come into Constitution dock.  If you get the chance to stroll along the wharf area at Hobart, it's a colourful scene full of interest and variety.
On a sunny day, there is lots here to capture the eye of any artist. 
I felt a birds-eye view of the wharves would be effective, so I took an elevator to the top of a nearby hotel overlooking the harbour.  A pencil outline established the basic composition, with the boats in the mid foreground, plus buildings and hills forming the background interest.
Later, my trusty artist's toothbrush was employed to create a splatter texture, and then a light blue wash was brushed over the nearly completed work.  Red highlights were added in acrylics to provide keynotes for this painting. I worked on good quality illustration board.