Tracy, what was the original inspiration for the Under the Sea poster?

After seeing a trailer for the now-released Pixar movie “Finding Nemo” Annamaria Farbizio, publisher at Leaping Antelope Productions, said she couldn’t wait for a year to experience an underwater celebration! So we talked about the fun of an underwater party...Who might come out of their dark secret caves to attend? What types of gifts would the partygoers bring? Who would be the star of the celebration?

Why is watercolor such an inspiring medium for you, Tracy?

Watercolor is a very intuitive art medium. After the detailed sketch has been chosen, the color lay down is an exciting and fun part of the process. For me, the process of thought to brush flows and I hope my passion for the medium shows in the finished poster.

How did you create that incredible wave effect that really looks like water?

We artists must keep a few secrets...

Were there technical challenges you had to face to make the poster a reality?

Yes, the original poster had to be scanned several times and is a combination of watercolor details with photoshop finishing. Blending these elements to achieve the finished look was challenging but the final result was worth the extra time.

Do you have any idea what’s inside the treasure chest or the gifts?

I don’t know what’s in every gift, but I’m sure that childhood memories are inside one of the boxes.

Why did you and the publishers decide to create a customizable poster?

We all felt, that just like adults, children love to ”sea” their names in print. This art print is a gift from the heart and we wanted the details of a child’s memorable day to be captured as part of the final print.