My favorite art supplies!

Hi everyone! Many fans have asked me in emails what type of art supplies I use. Here is my answer: 1) Disposable mechanical pencils, 0.05mm in size. I love sketching and making thumbnails of my paintings with these. They work great on many types of paper, I specially like bristol board. 2) Koh-I-Noor ink pens. I love inking my art with these pens, I can ink the smallest details in my art with them. I love using the waterproof inks by Koh-I- Noor as well, because they are acid free, waterproof on paper and film and archival safe. Plus they are very economical compared to disposable ink pens. These are my favorite pens to ink with, I have been using them for over ten years. 3) Sakura Koi Watercolors. I love how bright and colorful these watercolors are. They are my favorite brand of watercolors to use, for my mermaid paintings. The paint is also very smooth, and goes nicely on bristol board. 4) Bristol board. I love using this type of paper for my original paintings and illustrations. Coming from a comic book artist background, I always loved drawing and painting on bristol board. It is very smooth and bright, and the best part, it is acid free. 5) Glittery gel paints. I love to use these to enhance the look of my original paintings. The glittery fine dust adds an extra layer of magic to every painting. The paints I use are also acid free and archival safe. 6) Kneaded eraser. I prefer them instead of other eraser, because they don't leave eraser dust all over the painting. I sketch lightly on the bristol board, so it is easy to erase later. 7) Sakura Micron Ink Pens. I love using these when I am painting while travelling. I found out the Koh-I-Noor pens will leak ink if you drive around with them, with ink still in the pens. (I always keep them now in a ziploc bag just to be safe!) But when I travel, I take the micron pens with me. I love the very fine tip, which is great for inking aceos. 8) Sketchbooks. I never leave home without them! You never know when a good idea can strike! That is why I always carry a sketchbook with me, wherever I go. Sometimes a quick sketch or idea can become one of my newest paintings! And I am always full of great new ideas for my paintings. 9) Prismacolor color pencils. I have been drawing since I was a very young child, and these are my most favorite brand of color pencils. I love how soft they are, and hot colorful they are. I love blending colors together, to create a glowing look to my characters. 10) Prismacolor Markers. I love using them for marker rendering in my illustrations. The colors are very bright and the finish is so smooth! And I like the double tips. From my background as a comic book artist, and collector and illustrator, I always make sure I am using art supplies that are acid free and won't harm the finished paintings in the years to come. I keep the original artworks protected in special sturdy acid free plastic sleeves and special clear plastic bags. If you have any questions, please do let me know! I gotta get back to the drawing board and work on more new paintings. See you all later! ~Elisa :)

Update!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to wish you all a happy Easter. I have been busy working on many illustrations, and finishing up a few new paintings. The belly dancer mermaid in the rose garden has been finished, after a small delay, due to my busy life but she has been fully painted! and I will be posting her soon. Here is a quick preview of another large painting, 11 by 14 inches in size, of an Egyptian Queen Mermaid! I am still in the process of inking her, using sakura micron inking pens, and I will be adding hieroglyphs to this painting as well. I have always been inspired by the mystery of ancient Egyptian culture. I am fascinated with the secrets of the pyramids and hieroglyphs. I am also taking some time off from painting this month to experiment with international cooking recipes. Cooking is one of my other passions besides painting with watercolors. I hope everyone enjoys some good chocolate! I will talk to you all soon! ~Sofi! :D

Sneak preview! New Bellydancer mermaid original watercolor painting!

Hi everyone! I finally have a chance to post on my blog, after being busy working on a lot of new illustrations and finishing up other projects. Here is an exclusive sneak preview on the latest original watercolored painting I am working on. It was created with waterproof inks and watercolors on bristol board. It is 14 by 17 inches in size. It is a big and beautiful painting, with lots of details. Sketching and inking this painting took more than ten hours, and I am not finished yet! It is a work in progress. I was inspired by my passion for dance, which includes belly dancing. :) This painting shows a beautiful belly dancing mermaid, with a lovely pink fish tail, who loves to spend time in her beautiful rose garden in the depths of the crystal blue seas. She loves to wear a jingly golden coins belt and many different types of golden jewerly, covered with colorful precious stones all over her body. She is holding a beautiful blooming pink rose in her hand, and has a smile on her face, as she is very happy to see so many roses! Rose Garden belly Dancing Mermaid: Here is a close up: I am also working on a few digital art projects with my wacom tablet, so I am finishing this illustration when I have some free time from my other projects. Painting mermaids with watercolors always relaxes me. :) Also, don't miss out on new aceo paintings, now on auction at: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZsexyartgirl And new Limited ACEOS, series 2 are now available at: http://sexymermaid.etsy.com/ Start collecting them now, before they are sold out!

New original art sale is going on at:

http://www.sofianime.com/originalssale.html

I need to get back to my projects, so I will talk to you all soon! ~Elisa :)

New Faerie art!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to show you my newest faerie art! Kimono Peach Blossom Faerie http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300140051225 Peach Blossom Faerie http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300140052039&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=020 I have been very busy working on new illustration projects at the moment, I haven't had a chance to do that many paintings a day. I hope everyone is doing ok so far! I will catch up with replying to emails soon. Have a great day! ~Sofi! :)

Mermaid with Red Roses

Hi everyone! I am relaxing a bit this week, too much work can really stress me out! After working on some illustration projects, I finally had time to paint a few mermaids in watercolors. I love painting mermaids in watercolors because they always relax me. They make me think of the beach, wishing I was there, on vacation! :) Here is my latest mermaid original watercolor painting: Mermaid with Red Roses Size: 5.5 by 8.5 inches Medium: professional grade watercolors and waterproof ink on paper Year: 2007 The original watercolor painting is available for sale at: http://sexymermaid.etsy.com Check out my new ACEO Limited Edition cards there too! Have a great weekend everyone! I am gong back to the drawing board to paint with some colorful watercolors! :) ~S!

Orange Tail Mermaid

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I painted a mermaid a day. I was super busy with other illustration projects, and a busy life too.

Here is my latest painting, a fiery orange and purple tail mermaid, who is sitting by the rocks, enjoying the sea breeze, and thinking to herself.

Title: Orange Tail Mermaid

Size: 5.5 by 8.5 inches

Medium: Sakura Koi Watercolors and koh-i-noor inks on bristol board.

Price: $75

Email me at sofianime@yahoo.com to purchase.

Thanks for looking!

~S!

New mother's day Youtube video!

Check it out right here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiTKWb8fAAc These paintings were created by yours truly and the talented artists from the ebay group Sea Gods, the theme were mother's day mermaids. Thanks Deb for creating this awesome video! ~S!