More of the Fish painting

As a painting progresses I like to take reference photos. Having a background in animation it's fun to see the echo of the animation process in the recording a painting.   I do this for myself, well, because it looks cool. 

I experimented with some mediums in this one using Gel Medium which slows down the drying time of the acrylic paint while giving it a gooey warm jello flow.  Seemed to feel in tune with the gooey fleshy snotty consistency of things in water all the time.

 These great cartoon ghosty eyes were happening all over the painting. I added some body to them as they became their own life.  

There are some freshwater fish making their way into this painting.  I had quite a few different fresh water fish growing up that have made it into there.  A Black Molly, a Fan tail Guppy, Some fake looking seaweed from a childhood tank... I quite miss having a fish tank. 

 The detail accomplished in these eyes were not premeditated.  They just came about in the swirl making process, and I tried to preserve it as much as possible.  I have never intentionally painted or drawn in this style before and it was quite a giddy surprise that I made something so cool looking.  Naturally I took 100 photos, in case I messed it up and had to re-do.  

I also added Dill seeds into the paint around the eye to give it a bumpy texture just to see what happens.  I have some Glass Beads Gel Medium that is hard to see in this picture, but they will be more prominent in the next set of pictures I will post on this painting.