Paint a Big Smiling Fish on Canvas

My nephew graduated from high school recently. He moved in to his own place this summer and is trying to get a start on his life. I found out that he got a tattoo of Florida and a lot of trouble from mom and his nana for that one.  I heard his walls were bare, so I decided to make him a painting tailored to him that his friends will ooh and ahh over... hopefully--fingers crossed.

I started with a blank canvas and using a pencil free hand sketched the outline of a fish. The silly fish pictures are popular in Florida right now. You see them at the restaurants and other businesses. The thing that is so funny to me is that I made a picture almost like the one that I am showing you today when I was in high school myself. It was made out of colored markers and was only done in dots--no lines. My picture sat in the front showcase of the same school he just graduated from, but many many moons later as the indians would say.  Now, I am basically doing the same fish, but as a painting.

I chose to put a dumbbell in its' fin because my nephew is most likely equivalent to a Master of Fitness in the Army. He works out a lot. I also chose to add his graduation year and school initials. I used yellow, black, and white outlined in hunter green for the scales. Those were his school colors. He wears ball caps backwards on his forehead now mostly. If I had added that to the top of the fish head, then it might look odd, so I chose a different route. He use to wear visors, so I added a visor with his favorite college using the main color of FSU in the fins. I also added a fish hook and wished after placing it on the hat, that I had glued a real one on instead. My nephew fishes a lot and has spent some time working on boats. I might go back and do that before I hand it over. My nephew has light tan freckles, so I added some to the snout area. Pretty lips and beautiful teeth are a must with a little smile line. Also, the sunglasses...Costas tortoise shell is what I painted on here. Oh and the famous tattoo of Florida on his side and breast... I couldn't forget that.

Just make a light penciled mark over the canvas where you want to fill it all in. You can always erase on canvas or after drying, paint over a mistake. It's great. Pick up some acrylics and you can do the same thing at home. Make a picture that is tailored to yourself or the person you are making it for. Add some character to it and have fun. With acrylic paints you can get very inexpensive in your local store, you can always start over.

I started filling in the background first. Then one by one I filled in the different areas. Always do the background areas first such as the scales then the fins... I found it easier to clean up my errors that way.

See the mess on his rear and top fins? I painted over it and you don't even see it in the final project.


Always make sure to keep your paint lids shut, palettes covered, and spare paint in the bottle for mess ups. Take your time and tackle one thing each day let it dry then start on another part.  You will be amazed at what you can do!

I originally had 25 for pounds on the dumbbell. I didn't want it to be a sissified number, so I thought 25 was okay, but then I got the idea to use his graduation year. Yes, 2011 is a much heavier dumbbell after all! I went back to the area where the number was, and I covered it in black. Once it dried, I added the year he graduated and his school's initials on the other end peeking out. You can see them in the final picture.

I also went back over the background with a big dry brush dabbing it lightly in white and added swirls in the water. I actually outlined the scales with a hunter or dark green T-shirt paint. It stands out from the canvas, and it is his school's color, so it was perfect. Much easier than using a brush.  Get creative!

I have to say he's pretty cool, my fish and all. What did you think I was talking about my nephew? :) Yes he is too. 

Next stop is a frame made from old wood. Hey grampy are you busy???