My first whale shark, probably of many. I love them, especially their markings. It's not the most interesting of compositions, but I'd thought about adding a little entourage of fish and decided that'd be more suited to a picture closer to the surface. I'm definitely on an elasmobranch binge lately.
Isn't that one of the greatest scientific names you've ever heard? I love it. A quickish zebra shark, done for my good friend and fellow former marine educator Jessica Steele Allen, whose love for these cute little sharks is unmatched.
The second sketch for someone on tumblr! Crystal was requested by sistervenom, who is quite possibly the biggest fan of her out there. I love her design, especially the hairband. I'd asked Jamie before whether it was a physical band or just markings on her hair, as it varies so much depending on the artist, but the general consensus seems to be band. So there you go!
Please view this in the larger size, as blogspot makes the smaller version look super dumb! I recently opened myself up for sketches on tumblr and got requests for some really cool characters. The very first one to pop up in my inbox (from bovineblood-beast) was Faiza Hussain, AKA Excalibur, the young Muslim doctor from Captain Britain and MI:13. I loved that series and really liked the character, so it was fun to have an excuse to draw her.
These manta rays are hopefully the first of many elasmobranchs from me. I found them incredibly fun to do, given that their physiology is so different to the cetaceans I usually draw. They've always reminded me of some kind of otherworldly spacecraft; seeing them in person, and watching them move, blows my mind every time. They're just fantastic animals.
