brian_the_geek | Reading

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Water Column

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Content Notes:

The ink I used for today's Mermay, the 16th of 2026, is Diamine's Cosmic Sky, a sheen and shimmer.

I have a new lighting set up so I've got good sheen for you today, just as well, there's no sunshine to speak of this afternoon. Well, evening now.

All with the Kakimori again. Such a great nib!

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Merprise!

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Content Notes:

Well, this is drawn with the Kakimori nib - as a lot of my new inks are, for convenience, because the fountain pens have all been filled up or will need cleaning before reloading. But we'll get there in the end I'm sure. This is the last of the inks from

rdm 's naughty and unsanctioned raiding of Van Diemen's Ink's moving sale.

It's Red Lightning and it brings a lot to the drawing, and presumably writing table, because you know, I understand that these inks can be written with too, who would've guessed?

Aaaany way, I sketched out the outline of this merperson, and then filled in the back with broad strokes. Sketched in lightly with the scales and hair, and then realized it looked better upside down. So there you go.

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Spirit of The Maelstrom

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Content Notes:

It's MerMay the 14th of 2026 and here we have a spirit of the maelstrom, drawing down ships to their doom. Or perhaps just to have tea and crumpets with the crew and then send them on their way, who am I to say what spirits of the maelstrom want to do?

I'm using the Van Diemen's Ink Azure Kingfisher Ink, a firmly fond favourite.

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Getting a Wriggle On

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Content Notes:

A pretty odd one for today's MerMay. I was thinking about molluscs and some of those odd nudibranch species - colourful sea slugs and the like, and this guy developed. Drawn with the Kakimori steel nib, and one of the Van Diemen's ink moving day specials, Persian Princess. It is very sparkly.

queervanilla posting in

art

I'm a beginner artist and I really, REALLY, REALLY like how the artist Itousa does colors. I would really like to replicate the same thing in my works but what level of color theory do I need to pull this off.

( Examples Under Cut )

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Ocean Dancer

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Content Notes:

This MerMay - number 12, was drawn in the cardiologist's waiting room while

rdm had his tests. It's drawn with the beautiful Azure Kingfisher ink I've used before this MerMay, it's in a Lamy Demonstrator.

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Mermaid Blues

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Content Notes:

I enjoyed getting the Akkerman bottle out again and using it with the Kakimori nib. Something has profoundly upset this mermaid. Poor thing. She was fun to draw though. She'll pull through, don't worry, the ocean is on her side.

Current Mood: thoughtful

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Happy Merther's Day
Artist: leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: n/a
Characters/Pairings: n/a
Content Notes:

Mermay the Tenth - Yesterday in Australia it was Mother's Day, so I'm catching up after a lovely day out with my Mum.

So there'll be another drawing later today so I can catch up.

This mermum and merbaby were drawn with Van Diemen's Ink Rainbow Scarab. I am not sure if the shimmer has come up in these photos but the sheen certainly has!

Gotta say this Life Noble Note book has really come to the sheen party.

Current Mood: happy

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Chasey
Artist: leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: n/a
Characters/Pairings: na
Content Notes:

I dragged myself away from games at the club for a bit to draw this playful mermaid. I used VanDiemen's ink Great Ice Lake, I think it is, which has a silver shimmer. The darker blue is Azure Kingfisher. And a little black for the fish. I used one of

rdm 's 3d printed pens with a Schmidt nib with the Lake, and then the Lamy Demo with the Azure Kingfisher, and the Rotring Art Pen with whatever black it was I put in it ages ago.

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Some leave only Ripples
Artist: leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: n/a
Characters/Pairings: na
Content Notes:

After a busy day, and incidentally GMing a game where the PC's are all merfolk except for one water elemental, I had a little time to bring out the Kakimori dip pen once more and do a quick brush like sketch of this mermaid touching the surface and causing ripples.

I don't know if it's the ink - Van Diemen's Ink 9 Lives, but it didn't seem to flow as smoothly as previous inks. Or maybe the Kakimori is needing a bit of a scrub.

Anyway, I think she looks elegant for just a sketch.

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Speedy
Artist: leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: n/a
Characters/Pairings: n/a
Notes:
MerMay the 7th.

I've had a day not conducive to drawing but fired this off this evening.
It's drawn with a Lamy Demonstrator gleefully full of Van Diemen's ink of Azure Kingfisher,
one of my favourite with its sparkle and sheen.

Streamlined and pelagic evolved merperson

Current Mood: tired

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: MerMay The Sixth

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Notes:

I had a good 3 hours to draw this one, so the more relaxed pace shows I think. Back to the Kakimori nib, because, guess what,

rdm bought some ink from Van Diemen's Ink moving sale, which I told him not to do, but he did anyway. Naughty fellow isn't he?

It arrived today and this was the one he wanted me to try out.

This is Anna's Hummingbird Ink.

Current Mood: accomplished

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Deeper One
Artist: leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: n/a
Characters/Pairings: n/a
Notes:

From the deep, deep sea she rises. Her distant brethren in the shallows may sport long hair, beauty and mirrors, but she knows they'd never survive alone in the depths. But they're always very polite to her when she visits. Maybe they're just that nice, or maybe they realise that the depths are the last sanctuary, and they may some day need a friend.

Drawn with a Diplomat Magnum filled with Diamine's Sleigh Ride.

Click the images to view larger.

Current Mood: accomplished

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Alert
Artist:

leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: n/a
Characters/Pairings: n/a
Content Notes:

Mermay the fourth for 2026.

This was drawn in various cafes and bars today, between bus trips. I had one pen with me, a Kaweco sport that I thought was loaded with some standard black ink. But it's very shiny and might have some chameleonic properties. So maybe it's one of the Diamines, and if I look at last year's mermay or artober I might be able to work out what it is.

The pen was a bit clogged and it's been poor light all the way, and I had the wrong glasses. But it turned out okay, I think.

Drawing without a net means I'm drawing without pencil, freehand straight ink to paper.

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Bubbles!
Artist:

leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: n/a
Characters/Pairings: n/a
Content Notes:

This Merperson likes playing with bubbles! Just a quick drawing as I've had a busy day. You might like to colour it, I'd be interested to see how you get on.

The ink is Parker's Quink. It's a decades old bottle, with just a black coloured label, no name except Parker Quink, but it's nice to use on occasion - with so many tempting other fancy inks around I don't often.

I'm still using the Kakimori steel nib dipper.

An exuberant Merperson plays with bubbles

Current Mood: cheerful

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: Bittersweet Mermphony
Artist:

leecetheartist
Rating: G
Fandom: The Verve, I guess.
Characters/Pairings: n/a
Content Notes:
I asked one of the folks on the Aussie Fountain Pen Discord which ink they'd like me to use for this day and they chose Diamine's Bittersweet.

Of course that got Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve stuck in my head, oh yes, there was no shifting it. Go and look at the clip on Youtube and see if I got the sense of it with this mer version of Richard Ashcroft rudely swimming through a bunch of sea creatures.

This is MerMay No.2 for MerMay2026 and you can click the image to view it larger.

Current Mood: calm

leecetheartist posting in

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Title: MerMay The First

Artist: leecetheartist

Rating: G

Fandom: n/a

Characters/Pairings: n/a

Notes:

I drew most of this today with my new Kakimori dip nib, and I used Diamine's UltraSheen Laurel. As you can see, it really sheens. The paper is the very first page in my smaller Life Noble Note I got with my birthday money. Happy MerMay everybody!

Close up of the tail, with sheen apparent.

Current Mood: cheerful

mific posting in

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A reminder that as well as the Windows and Openings challenge, MerMay (art featuring merpeople of any sort) is also running across the rest of May.

You can draw or paint something for either challenge, or combine them together.

mific posting in

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Title: In Any Universe on AO3
Artist:

mific
Rating: Teen
Fandom: Heated Rivalry
Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Notes: Made in Procreate for the Windows and Openings challenge, and for MerMay. Shane and Ilya through an opening in the kelp.