Live rock with paint?

[reefcreator1]

I don't have the money or space I need to own an aquarium but I love art. I am using my art skills to make a realistic aquarium on my closet door. The live rock doesn't look very realistic so I need some help making it as realistic as possible. The only art supplies I have to use is paint, lot's of paper, markers and colored pencils so it's been quite a challenge.

 

[reefcreator1]

This is my rock so far

 

[Waters]

It would be kind of difficult to help make a painting/drawing of live rock more realistic through an internet post. Just looking at it, it looks like you have a little too much blending from one color to another...it looks too smooth. There is more contrast in live rock due to the holes, crevices, etc. I recommend just searching the web looking at tons of pictures and hopefully that will give you some ideas? Can you post a full shot of what you have done so far?

 

[reefcreator1]

I'm trying a new approach. imma gonna rumple up decent sized sheets of paper cover them in paper mache and paint them to make it even better. It's gonna take a long time tho.

 

[reefcreator1]

I'm gonna be posting all my new updates on my project in a new thread called Paper Reef