HA Little Mermaid

There's a tragic story (for one person) in the real story behind the Little Mermaid. Hans Christian Andersen (whose portrait is carved as the figurehead of the ship) met and fell in love with the Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind. She regarded him as a friend only, but that didn't stop the press of the day from seeing connections in his work. Taking a cue from one of his stories, the media nicknamed her "The Swedish Nightingale." The Little Mermaid, with her incredible voice, was also inspired by Jenny Lind.
After a career in singing, she married and retired from performing, using her fame to aid in charity work. Andersen never married, and his loneliness and perceived sacrifice is evident in his work.

I have a colored version of this sketch. I redrew it, rendered it in colored pencils, and HATE HATE HATED it. Some of that is because I've never liked the palette for the movie-- Ariel's ketchup-red hair, lavender bra and mint green tail just clash awfully in my mind. I also didn't get the fey look that I have here on the original mermaid I drew. Her dress is based on an engraving of a portrait of Jenny Lind, with my addition of a scallop-lace motif on the bodice drape.