Behind the Scenes of My Collaboration with Finfolk Productions: Mermaids, Art Nouveau, and Magic
When fantasy meets a touch of Art Nouveau—something truly magical happens. I’m so excited to finally share the story behind my recent collaboration with Finfolk Productions, a company known for their stunning, high-end mermaid tails used in TV, film, and by mermaid performers around the world.
Illustrations for Finfolk Productions Spring Sale campaign
I was first contacted by Zach, Finfolk’s CSO, in mid-March. Their Spring Sale campaign was built around a dreamy new theme: Art Nouveau mermaids with fairy wings. They were preparing to launch a line of four unique mermaid tail designs—Amphibia, Clementine, Silhouette, and Azalea—and needed custom illustrations that captured the essence of each one.
Details
Their vision? Four distinct mermaids in my signature Art Nouveau style, brought to life with a shared background and fine, flowing details. These illustrations would be used across their campaign—stickers, digital assets, merchandise, and more. The brief combined everything I love: elegant Art Nouveau aesthetics, the dreamy world of mermaids and fantasy, and the trust to shape something visually powerful for a brand. From the very beginning, I felt like part of the Finfolk team — invited into their creative world, encouraged to explore, and involved at every step.
Each mermaid illustration was a unique character—Finfolk wanted all four to have distinct personalities, poses, and energy. They shared references for the general aesthetic, and from there, I did my own visual research to choose poses and body types that would highlight each tail’s features in the best light.
One of the biggest challenges? Showing off the intricate fin designs while keeping the mermaids large enough in frame to capture details like crowns, neckpieces, and accessories. That’s why most poses are seated or gently curved—I didn’t want to shrink them just to fit everything in. Since I hadn’t seen the tails in motion yet, I had to imagine their fluidity and movement under water as I sketched.
My favorite moment in every piece was painting the fins. Adding those final touches—the shimmer, the gradient, the light-catching details—was when each mermaid truly came to life.
Drawing in progress
We worked in three clear stages for every illustration:
Line Art – pose and composition approval
Color Draft – color palette and background approval
Final Art – full detail: waterfalls, palms, sparkles, pearls, and all.
I also created a cohesive frame with “F” letter in the corners and a custom Finbella logo in delicate Art Nouveau style to unify the collection.
Finbella merchandise
The final collection was revealed during Finfolk’s YouTube livestream, and I was genuinely in awe. They produced a cinematic experience that showcased their tails in the most stunning way imaginable.
Their team traveled across Florida—shooting in lush secret gardens in Miami and then filming underwater in natural springs, capturing each tail in motion. During the livestream, a massive water tank was set up where performers swam live, fully styled in the new designs. With wigs, wings, crowns, and accessories, the show brought each mermaid to life and made my illustrations feel part of something bigger.
This project opened the door to an entire global community of mermaids—a passionate, expressive, and creative space I’m honored to have contributed to. And it reminded me how hand-drawn art can transform a product launch into a collectible fantasy moment.
This type of custom commission is perfect for fantasy-inspired lifestyle brands, product-based businesses with a whimsical or feminine edge, or those with an Art Nouveau aesthetic—think editorial campaigns, limited-edition packaging, merchandise, launch visuals, even themed calendars. It’s feminine, romantic, and deeply expressive.
If your brand wants to weave emotion, elegance, and imagination into your visuals, let’s talk.