Painting using my photos of a satinfin shiner (Cyprinella analostana) and a tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi) as references. I've been obsessed with photographing freshwater critters lately.
[ID: a watercolor, colored pencil, and acrylic illustration of two colorful fish facing opposite directions. The upper fish has a red face and fins, and two horn-like protrusions. The lower fish is blue with purple fins. The fish are framed at the top and bottom by river oats (a grass) and threadfoot (an aquatic plant). There is a katydid sitting on top of the grass, and two freshwater mussels with pink, purple, and blue bands at the bottom right. Below the illustration are two photos of the real life fish used as references. These fish are silver and tan, and don't have horns.]
