Swim with the Fishes

It's that time of year! Oh you know. . . YOU KNOW. . . what I'm talking about. Today I went outside without a coat on! Yippee!!! Anyone who knows me at all, knows that today, 'first day without coat on day,' was prime for the Coney Island Aquarium. However, I had things to do and couldn't get down there today. I did the next best thing and went through one of my old sketchbooks. These sketches were all done at there on the last day of Fall when the weather was pretty close to what it is today. It was considerably colder down on the water and frankly I froze my a off. However, it was the good kind of freezing, the kind where frigid sea water hits you on your nose and your teeth chatter because you're too happy to stop smiling and they're suffering the consequences. On that particular day, the fish seemed happy to see me. I'm afraid it's been slim pickings for them, friendly-cute-girls-coming-to-sketch-wise.

I think that I might use this chunky guy for a children's book. I want to put together a folk tale about how the nautilus became 'chambered'.

This puffer fish refused to get puffy. I coached him for a good long while. He wasn't having it.

This little racoon fish had moxie. It was as if he knew I was drawing him and was willing to pose a bit.

Apparently Lisa Frank draws at the Coney Island Aqauarium too, because I came away with a few sketches that really looked like they belonged on the front of a puffy three-ring binder.

This fish below looks like it could have done with a unicorn or two for good measure.

I think this eel fish below would make a great design for a surf board.