Mermaid and Pirate Boy Chatting Beside a Rowboat

A gentle color plan to get started — mix in your own anytime.

• sky blue
• peach skin
• light gray
• wood brown
• pale blue
• mint green
• light blue
• charcoal black
• medium gray
• caramel brown
• rust red
• slate gray

A suggested order, zone by zone — skip around as you like.

1. 1Start with the sea and sky: fill the water and the distant sea areas with sky blue, add light blue lines for the ripples, and color the clouds pale blue.
2. 2Paint the mermaid's skin peach skin, then color her long hair with rust red and add light blue shading along the strands, leaving the shell top and the flower highlights white.
3. 3Color the mermaid's tail with mint green and turquoise scales, keeping the bright white edges of each scale so the tail still looks shiny.
4. 4Fill the rowboat and oar with wood brown and add dark brown edges and planks; color the pirate hat charcoal black with a bright red band, and the boy's vest navy blue.
5. 5Color the rocks light gray and medium gray, the seaweed and bush leaf green, and the sun golden yellow; keep the boy's shirt and the lighthouse windows white.
6. 6Optional: add a little darker shading under the rocks, the tail and the boat edge to make the scene feel more three-dimensional.