Kraken
White pencil - Black Fabriano paper
16" x 16"
One of the most intelligent and engaging creatures in the sea. I used to find them frequently on reef tops, hiding in amongst the coral heads. The very well known Maya Thila known for night dives was always a good hunting ground. Very rarely, rather than hiding away i have had an inquisitive individual as much interested in my camera as i was in them.
Breaking Dolphin
White pencil - Black Fabriano paper
22" x 12"
One of the highlights of being on a liveaboard travelling through tropical seas is the chance of an encounter with Dolphins. Fortunately in the Maldives this is a regular occurrence. There are a few places whilst not a guarantee regularly gave our vessel an escort. A pod of spinner dolphins have always been present not far from our old home anchorage of Hule Male and on so many occasions at the start of a safari would join us on our way out to the first dive. But unfortunately could very seldom be seen on the dive. One of the few drawings I have done from a viewpoint above water!
Squid
White pencil - Black Fabriano paper 26" x 16"
I have taken no end of photos of Squid over the years, whenever I have been lucky enough to come across them on dives, but without really capturing something I thought would work as a drawing. Fortunately my friend and fellow dive guide from the Maldives, Lisa Allison sent me a few photos that worked really well. These were taken from a liveaboard trip to Raja Ampat.
Me & My Friend
White pencil - Black Fabriano paper 26" x 26"
Throughout the Indian Ocean there are many species of moray eel to be found. One of the most beautiful is the White mouth (Gymnothorax meleagris)
Moray eels rely on an a powerful sense of smell to hunt and find their way around the reef system and they possess a unique set of teeth. These teeth are home to a second jaw, and an inner set of teeth that work together to ensure that when a fish goes in to a Moray’s mouth it doesn’t come back out.
Despite their formidable appearance cleaner shrimp are tolerated due to the service they provide to the eel. The two together make for a great image especially with the fantastic white spot patterning and stark white mouth.
Porcelain
White pencil - Black Fabriano paper 26" x 16"
Porcelain Anemone Crabs are quite common and easily spotted if you know where to look. They are most commonly found close to the edges of carpet anemones and adhesive anemone’s. If you look around the edges on any of these species of anemones you are likely to find at least one pair but they are quite reclusive often hiding at the sight of a diver. They are fascinating to watch feeding as they flick their fan like mouthparts open and shut.
I have spent considerable time trying to get good photos of these little herberts and honestly its not easy, but if you catch it just right with their fan like appendages held up like miniature fishing nets, they really are a stunning little creature. Along with their beautifully spotted armoured exoskeleton I thought they would make a great subject for a drawing
Drummer Boy
White pencil
Black Canford paper 300gsm
30" x 10"
I have dived a great deal in certain locations, but the Caribbean has not been one of them. So a couple of years ago a group of friends went to Bonaire. The diversity and amount of fish life may not match the Indian Ocean I was used to, but there were so many amazing new things to see. One that seemed to be all over the place were the juvenile spotted drum fish. These wiggling little fellows with their huge dorsal fin were a real delight. Worthy of putting pencil to paper