Most of my illustrations begin with a doodle in my sketchbook. This doodle may have been inspired by a dream, a funny experience, or a random character that popped into my head. I usually feel most comfortable using a black ballpoint pen for my doodles.
My next step is to sketch out the creature lightly in pencil, and then watercolor over the sketch. After the watercolor is dried, I use ink for the linework. In this case I used India ink with a pen nib. I also highlighted a few areas with colored pencil.
I finished him up with a green mat and a fun frame. I hope you enjoy the finished Sea Dragon!
Watercolor & Ink Sea Dragon by Melissa Rohr