Watercolor Koi Fish

I lost track of how long this took, but I think I have about 7 hours in the water alone. This is my fourth watercolor. I am teaching myself, which is fun and frustrating at the same time. The content of this piece definitely reflects my roots of tattooing. The koi is incredibly popular in the tattoo scene and makes a beautiful subject time and time again. Some believe that the koi becomes a dragon if it makes it to the beginning of its stream. I have painted this koi to have wing-like fins and a forked tongue to represent a partial transformation. I am experiencing a bit of a transformation right now myself. Cotman watercolors on 11"x14" watercolor paper. Original SOLD. Copyright 2007 Collins.