I first brainstormed mermaid poses in my sketchbook and was inspired by the stances photographers take to get their perfect shot. I worked closely with the client and made multiple small tweaks in the color, pose, and layout until we had a collection of different versions that she liked. Unique challenges for this piece were keeping up a good composition and avoiding too much empty space. I also decided to leave the mermaid simple and faceless in order to keep it more elegant and to keep the attention on the more important elements.