The Phantom Inker

Their families lived on a lake, and Jacqueline was literally the girl next door. When she was little, she saw a movie about a mermaid, and she fell in love. She collected mermaid dolls and pictures, and wrote stories about mermaids. Case thought this was strange, but all girls were strange: He would sit on the dock fishing, and she would be splashing around in the water pretending to be a mermaid, and scaring away all the fish. In those days, she was annoying. But in time they grew up, and the annoying gave way to other thoughts and feelings. She was pretty, and she was friendly, and she liked to talk with him, and he her; they had grown into the best of friends.

On the afternoon of her seventeenth birthday, she called him on the phone. She told him to go out to the end of the dock, and then she hung up. Confused, he left his house and saw her sitting on the end of the dock, her long hair covering her back. He walked up beside her, and as he looked down, he gasped. The pretty girl he’d known since the day he was born had a tail, a long shimmering fish tail, draping over the edge of the dock into the water, and by the way it moved, there was no doubt it was real.

“Sit?” she asked, looking up, and he then realized she wasn't wearing a single stitch of clothing. Nervously, he sat down beside her, and she took a deep breath. “Tell me: Would you — be willing to — be willing to be more than just friends — even if my birthday wish came true?”

So after seeing the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie a week ago (and being thoroughly disgusted with how awful it was), I had mermaids on the brain, and ended up drawing this surprisingly innocent picture of a mermaid awkwardly trying to talk to a nervous boy.

She's named Jacqueline, and he's named Case. And you can read a little about her.

This was also an exercise in drawing dynamic poses; for once I didn't put the center line square down the middle of each of them with stock shoulders and hips; they actually have real body language that goes beyond their facial expressions.

Should she have clothing on? I can't decide if the rating on this should be a kid-friendly G, or if it should be PG-13 for "brief nudity." I guess for now it's PG-13, so shield your eyes, kids.

Anyway, here it is, after about ten hours. They make a cute couple, I think, don't you? :)