I'm finishing up my entry about selkies for the
bestiary. This guy has been one of my favourite creatures to draw and paint. There's something really fun about drawing a seals sleek shape along with the splashing water. Working on the Selkie and spending more time on the water even inspired a
poem and cartoon for the Edinburgh Blue Balls.
I actually made this first painting last summer. I went for a bit of a wander to Leith Links and sat under a willow tree to enjoy the day and enjoy flights of fancy. I wanted to test out my new travel water colour set and brush pens. From that experimentation this guy sprang onto the page!
In the bestiary Merlin describes the selkie as: |
| Selkie tramp stamp |
"In their natural form they resemble a seal but are vivid blues, azures and greens. They have the most magnificent markings on their backs. At first glance they appear to be stripes, however, on closer inspection they prove to be densely gathered intricate spirals patterns. They have long flowing hairs on the tops of their heads and an internal glow that illuminate under the water. While on an evening dip it is quite a show to see a group of selkie lights streaking beneath the water.
"When in human form they look just like any other aside from their pelt markings which remain around their lower backs."The selkie's human form and their back tattoos were actually inspired by someone I knew. He was quite possibly the nicest, most loyal, kind hearted and unassuming person you could ever meet. But he had a massive lower back tattoo! It was such a shock it was indeed like finding out he was actually a mythical creature in disguise.
When settling on a look for the selkie in its native form I stuck mainly to the features of a seal. I did explore other aquatic mammals to see if there were any features I could borrow to give the selkie a proper other worldly feeling. But, I realised that for it to truly be a selkie it needed to be as seal-like as possible. So besides big ol' purple eyes and some funky colours it's all seal.
However, one of my favourite drawings is of a walrus-like being. I was envisioning what a dying shapeshifting creature might look like, melting between two forms. This fella is a pretty sorry specimen and may not even be a Celtic creature! Perhaps they're some sort of sea spirit from Greenland or even further afield that got lost in a storm and ended up on the shores of Alba. Now in the (slightly) warmer climes they're struggling to maintain their form. It's a pitiable sight but beautiful in it's strangeness.
Check out more from the Bestiary here!
Hope you enjoy!
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