American illustrator and fine artist Kelly McKernan paints women in imaginative worlds other than our own. Each of her scenes includes, as she says on her website; a woman and a world. These women either interact with the world around them or they seem to look off-page, over the viewer’s shoulder, as if there is more to our own world than we perceive, and only the fantasy femme in the painting can see it.
McKernan’s art isn’t classic fantasy, which would mean dragons and wizards and most likely, blazing arcs of magic lightning. No, Kelly McKernan’s fantasy is more modern, depicting worlds that could possibly exist, if we were to stretch our imaginations somewhat. Something that is impressive about McKernan’s paintings is their scale – they are generally between A4 and A3 sizes, which means that all that intricate detail you see below is painted in with the finest, tiniest paint brushes you can imagine…
Kelly McKernan works primarily in watercolor and has had the honor of being been named a Featured Artist for the brand Grumbacher. Check out more watercolor paintings by Kelly McKernan on her Tumblr or her website.
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- Kelly McKernan paints a watercolor women in this fantasy scene with a moth and the moon.
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- A dark forest filled with snakes and poisonous berries emerges from a woman’s flesh in this gothic fantasy painting by Kelly McKernan. Note the effect that the artist has used on the woman’s hair – McKernan doesn’t usually use masking fluid, so instead of masking the hair areas and peeling the dried mask away to reveal the background beneath, McKernan paints around the hair areas with tiny paint brushes.
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- A girl dreams of flying in this watercolor painting by Kelly McKernan. The bold reds and blues are a stark contrast to the whites and greys. The colors are reminiscent of the American flag.
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- A woman is torn asunder in this emotive watercolor painting by Kelly McKernan. The bright red flowers and hummingbirds belie this woman’s angst.
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- Alice doesn’t stumble into Wonderland in this dark, gothic watercolor painting by Kelly McKernan. The demonic figure that lies in wait is somewhat reminiscent of an HR Giger character design.
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- An octopus is tangled in the hair of this girl who belongs to the ocean Gods in this watercolor painting by Kelly McKernan. This artist uses salt and paper towels to create different effect with the paint.
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- Kelly McKernan paints in the tiniest details like lace and pearls in this watercolor painting of a pale beauty. Every detail is perfect due to McKernan’s perfectionist painting style.
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- Liquid gold spills from the mouth of a mysterious maiden in this fantasy watercolor painting by Kelly McKernan.
