Little Pirate Shipwrecked in Mermaid Land

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The Story

Little Miguel came from a family of pirates. He knew since he was a tiny baby that he was destined to be a pirate too and he would one day go explore Mermaid Land.

Mermaid Land was a mystical land that claimed the lives of many. Most people who dared go, were never to be heard of again. But many brave individuals still kept going, because whomever captured a mermaid and proved their existence, was destined for fame and wealth.

Miguel did not care for either fame or wealth. More than anything, Miguel wanted to go there and find his father and older sister who had disappeared on their journey to Mermaid Land only a year ago.

Against his mother’s wishes, he managed to escape one night and set sail on his tiny sailboat.

But things did not go as planned.

Miguel instantly knew when he had arrived to Mermaid Land, everything there was more colorful and vibrant. As he admired it’s beauty, he was surprised by a giant octopus who took his boat and shook it until Miguel fell out.

Worse of all, waiting just below the surface, was the largest shark Miguel had ever seen. Just waiting there to eat Miguel and make him disappear forever.

What happened to Miguel? No one knows. Miguel never returned home. And his body was never found.

Rumors surfaced that pirates had seen him swimming with the mermaids. Others claimed that he was frozen by fear and turned to stone. But his mother believed in her heart that Miguel was still alive and that he would return one day with proof of mermaids’ existence and perhaps even with his father and sister.

Extra info & Pictures

I decided to create this light box for a popular instagram challenge called #MerMay. I had just completed a lengthy challenge in April, so I did not want to get too involved like I did with the April Challenge. Therefore, I decided to pick about 10 of the prompts and create an overall light box that would encompass them all.

Right from the start, I knew I wanted to work mostly with vellum paper to give the water and sky a transparent look. I also wanted many of the water creatures to have a glow to them, so they too would be created in vellum.

Working with mostly vellum was definitely a challenge, because it is the first time I’ve attempted it. However, it was exactly what this light box needed. Had I used mostly cardstock paper, it would not have looked as magical as it does.

There were many trials and errors while working on this light box, but in the end it turned out to be one of my all time favorites.