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The Librarian Painting – Original Watercolor, Gouache, & Colored Pencils

Watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating orange light against a dark blue night sky. Gentle blue waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night. Puffy light blue fish shaped clouds fill the nigh sky surrounding a crescent moon. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads. The painting is in a silver ornate frame.
Photograph of the artist Heather R. Hitchman holding a framed watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating orange light against a dark blue night sky. Gentle blue waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night. Puffy light blue fish shaped clouds fill the nigh sky surrounding a crescent moon. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads. Heather is standing in front of a wooden art desk in her studio filled with potted plants and artwork.
Watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating orange light against a dark blue night sky. Gentle blue waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night. Puffy light blue fish shaped clouds fill the nigh sky surrounding a crescent moon. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads. The painting is in a silver ornate frame.
Close up of a watercolor and gouache painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The closeup is focused on the mermaid’s tail. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. Gentle blue waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night.
Close up of a watercolor and gouache painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The closeup is focused on the mermaid’s tail. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. Gentle blue waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night.
Close up of a watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating orange light against a dark blue night sky. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads.
Watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating orange light against a dark blue night sky. Gentle blue waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night. Puffy light blue fish shaped clouds fill the nigh sky surrounding a crescent moon. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads.
Close up of a watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating orange light against a dark blue night sky. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads. The painting is in a silver ornate frame.
Photograph of the artist Heather R. Hitchman holding a framed watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating orange light against a dark blue night sky. Gentle blue waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night. Puffy light blue fish shaped clouds fill the nigh sky surrounding a crescent moon. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads. Heather is standing in front of a wooden art desk in her studio filled with potted plants and artwork.
In progress watercolor and gouache full body painting of a purple mermaid reading a book under the moonlight while sitting on a gray rock in the middle of the sea. The painting is mostly lightly painted purple and white at this stage. The rock is covered in glowing candles and also has a pile of books besides the mermaid’s tail. An old fashioned street lantern covered in barnacles is attached to the rock, illuminating light against a night sky. Gentle waves wash up against the rock. Loose white pages from books float in the water into the distance, leading towards a mysterious black ship that vanishes into the night. Puffy light blue fish shaped clouds fill the nigh sky surrounding a crescent moon. The mermaid is holding a book in her right hand up to her face. Her other hand is placed behind her as she leans back slightly, her left arm supporting her weight. Her body faces the viewer, and she has a peaceful smile as she looks towards the book and reads.
Photograph of the side view of the artist Heather R. Hitchman’s “The Librarian”. This viewpoint shows the 1 inch thickness of the birch board that the painting is mounted on. The photograph shows part of the painting, the tail of a purple mermaid sitting on a rock in the middle of a blue sea is visible.
Photograph of the artist Heather R. Hitchman’s hand holding up a parchment page over her original painting “The Librarian”. The parchment covers most of the painting, leaving only the blue sky, waves, and a glowing lantern visible. The page has the story of “The Librarian” printed on it in black ink.

$900.00

The Librarian Painting Details:

Title:  “The Librarian” 2025
Medium: Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil on Hot Press Arches Watercolor Paper, mounted to a birch board
Size:  9×12 inches

  • This listing is for the original one of a kind drawing, not a print.
  • Painted on Arches Hot press watercolor paper 140 lb
  • Mounted to approx. 3/4 inch thick birch board
  • Painting is signed and dated
  • Painting is 9×12 inches FRAME NOT INCLUDED – You may request to add the pictured frame and glass for an additional $150
  • Includes a “Story Scroll” with the story of the character transcribed on 5×7 parchment paper.
  • Ships in box or stiff mailer with padding and plastic sleeve to protect from damage and spills.
  • Delivered from a smoke free home.
  • Includes tracking and insurance domestic.

1 in stock

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Description

Painting Process:

For “The Librarian” painting, my process includes several steps. I begin with a sketch that I develop into a finished drawing using wax based archival colored pencils, and graphite. Next the drawing is scanned, then printed out at a low opacity onto hot press watercolor paper. Now the painting begins! Watercolor is the first layer to establish the mood, tones, and color scheme. Then I shift back and forth between oil based colored pencils and gouache to refine and render the painting. I strive to select vibrant and archival pigments throughout my process. Check out my listing photos to see examples of the paints, brushes, and other materials I used!

“The Librarian” Painting Story:

“Every sailor knows the fabled stories of the merfolk. Deep in the seas of “Twom” (The World of Men) an entire kingdom of underwater creatures reign. Temperamental beings, just like the ocean waves, the merfolk could be clement one moment and raging the next. But none of their kind were more beautiful nor dangerous than the mermaid.

Sailors and pirates alike wisely feared the wrath of the mermaid should they wander into her territory. The merfolk did not appreciate when the surface would interfere with their lives, hunt their kin, or scare away their game. Battles raged on for centuries between man and merfolk, sinking ships and taking lives. Many routes were impossible to pass through for untold years.

That all changed one day when a clever pirate struck up a deal with the merfolk. In exchange for a precious a treasure (and a promise to be on their best behavior) the captain negotiated safe passage through their waters. The priceless gift he offered? Selections from his own personal library, rare and valuable books became their key to the forbidden seas. The mermaids fixed keystones with lampposts to mark where one must leave their toll, and for the first time human knowledge and imagination was at their fingertips. This arrangement lead to a surge in pirating and crime for a time, until the navy and tradesmen learned of the toll arrangement and joined in on the deal.

The merfolk were enchanted by fascinating stories of the surface, filled with new creatures, lands, and heroes that they had never heard of. The merfolk enjoyed a period of enlightenment and taught themselves all they could from their books. It was not a perfect system mind you, strong storms would clear out the books on a regular basis. So the merfolk had to learn quickly and freely share their knowledge with their brethren. If they did not like a book that was offered, the ship was surely punished. But over time the merfolk began to understand mankind, and a delicate truce was reached between the two realms… so long as the ships respected the sea life below. ”

Merfolk Codex Link

Art is copyright © Heather R. Hitchman
EMAIL: Artist@HeatherHitchman.com
The purchase does not give buyer reproduction rights of any kind.

 

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