Rock pools and beach finds

As I was researching rockpools for this week's tag, I remembered a family incident that took place in Slidell, Louisiana, USA.  My family and I spent the night there on our way from Del Rio, Texas, to Disney World, which is in Florida.  Slidell is around the bayou area, so crawfish, which resemble miniature lobsters, are common.  As we were walking from the hotel to a restaurant, we saw a crawfish crossing the parking lot.  I though it would be a great opportunity to teach my girls about the local fauna.  Well, the feisty little creature did not like the idea, and immediately propped his claws up at us when we approached it.  Our youngest daughter, who was 5 at the time, screeched in terror.  That was the end of my lesson, since she did not calm down until we walked away.  That incident gave me an idea.

I've been developing a character whom I've named Anel, which is a combination of my daughters' names.  I decided to use Anel to illustrate what would happen if the incident had taken place at a rock pool.  I used an off white bookmark on which I illustrated and lettered my tag using a pencil, black micron pens, watercolor brush pens, and Prismacolor pencils.  As a finishing touch, I twisted a scrap of ribbon into a fish shape and stapled it on the top.  As an embellishment, I glued a button over the staples.  The bookmark could be used as a tag when giving a book.  I may also scan it, so that I can reproduce it for gifts and sales.

 You can learn more about Anel's development in my blog in these two posts: From a Dream and Nursery Rhyme - Mary Had a Little Lamb.  I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continuous words of encouragement.  Blessings!

Arnoldo