No external photos or any references of any kind were used.
step 1 background color
step 2 of 8
drew the outlines of background fish
step 3 of 8
start shading of fish
step 4 of 8
finish the background fish and adjust colors and contrast
step 5 of 8
draw in the foreground fish outlines
step 6 of 8
this is to show progress of foreground fish
step 7 of 8
finish forground fish adjust colors and contrast of these layers.
step 8 of 8
new layer, put in a few small highlights and added light streams to background water for added depth---
finished ! this whole process took about six to seven hours.