Soon-to-be-Kissing Fish?

Or, if you prefer, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, but I only have eyes for you." My rep, Nicole Tugeau, challenged all of her illustrators to come up with a tropical theme for the Valentine's Day promo this year, and when I think tropical, I think fish. (Maybe it has something to do with my fair skin. I prefer to be underwater rather than under the sun.)

To begin with, I just scribbled lots of ideas down, until I came up with the deep sea secret admirer. That decided, I quickly drew my first sketch.

At first I like it, and was almost ready to go to final, but after letting it sit for a while, I decided I wanted to do something a little less cartoony. I began sketching alternative fish, playing especially with the eyes and mouth. Then I decided to play up the lovey-dovey angle by making the main fish more feminine. (Click on the image for a closer look.)

When I finally found the fish I liked, I plugged them into the original sketch with Photoshop. Then I tightened up the scenery and added the heart-shaped bubbles. Finally, I changed the valentine. I had a sudden inspiration from a Mother's Day card my son made me years ago. 

Very effective, don't you think? I know it melted MY heart. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!