1 800 913-7906
Accurate drawings of various species of open ocean, kelp forest and coral reef fish; seahorses, groupers, triggerfish, jellyfish, angelfish, eels, sailfish and many others. All illustrations are hand drawn and expertly rendered. All illustrations are available in both line art and full color. High quality prints made on acid-free archival paper are available of all drawings in the gallery. If you do not see the open water or coral reef fish you're looking for please contact the artist to make a suggestion. Custom illustrations of specific animals can be ordered as well. For more information and pricing please call 1 (800) 913-7906 or send an email to the artist.
The wildlife drawings are also available for stock art illustration. Click here for sharks and rays or here for jellyfish
Ocean animals continue to inspire me and create illustrations of them. I recently went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and I was glad to be able to as I hadn't been there in a long time. Since my last visit, they had added a large collection of seahorses. It was incredible! I could have spent hours watching the delicate leafy sea dragons wander around their tanks. Since becoming SCUBA certified some time ago, I've grown very interested in not only the colorful fish of the world's tropical coral reefs, but also the fish of the kelp forests and rocky reefs of the Pacific coast near where I live. Some of these listed here, like the Jellyfish, I know aren't technically fish. But I don't have a separate category for them yet, so they'll have to be grouped in with the true reef fish for the time being. I hope to add some more fish here soon, specifically more rockfish. But if you have a request, or would like to get information about having a custom drawing of a reef fish or sea jelly please send me an email.
Coral Reef Fish, as the name implies, are fish that inhabit the tropical coral reefs in the warm waters of the world's oceans. They are integral parts of the ecosystem of the reef. Some of them use the coral itself to feed on, others provide food for the reef's apex predators like the shark and barracuda. Fish of the coral reefs use various feeding strategies, which often means they have evolved specialized mouths and mouth parts which help them exploit different food sources in their habitat. Some fish are herbivores, feeding only on plant materials and algae. Many of the fish are brightly colored, which helps them camouflage themselves among the myriad of colors found in the reef's corals and anemones. Other reef fish may school in large shoals to help protect themselves. Many different types of fish inhabit the reefs, but most are ray-finned fishes, which are known for the characteristic sharp, bony rays and spines in their fins. There are many symbiotic relationships which exist in the reefs, usually where a specific species of fish lives in or around a type of coral, anemone or plant. Like the clownfish, that lives in and among the stinging tendrils of the anemone, but is immune to it's toxins. In return, the clownfish fiercely defends it's territory within the anemone. These fish are all facing uncertain future, as the warming seas due to climate change and the fouling of the reefs from pollution is causing a worldwide decline.
Pelagic fish live in the areas of the ocean away from the shore, reefs and shallows. They are often massive in size, and include some of the ocean's largest predators like the sharks, Groupers, Marlin, Sailfish and Tuna. Pelagic zones in the ocean account for about 11 percent of all known fish species. Marine pelagic fish may be divided into coastal or "inshore" fish and oceanic or "offshore" fish. Coastal fish are found the relatively shallow waters above the continental shelf, often not too far below the surface where sunlight can still penetrate. Oceanic fish are usually found in the deeper waters beyond the continental shelf. Both types of pelagic fish range in size from very small schooling fish, such as herrings and sardines, to large top predators such as the tuna and sharks. Again, both types are generally very agile swimmers with streamlined bodies, capable of sustained cruising on long distance migrations, as well as quick bursts of speed to elude predators and catch prey. Many of the smaller pelagic fish swim in shoals with hundreds or many thousands of individuals and the total mass of the fish may weigh many tons. Others are more solitary, like the massive mola mola or Ocean Sunfish that wanders in the currents feeding on jellies. These large fish can weigh up to an astonishing 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg)
