This incredible little shark is an Epaulette shark, a species of longtailed carpet shark.

What a beauty to paint. With its striking spots and large black ocellus above its pectoral fin. This species of shark didn’t just make it to the top of my ‘to paint’ list because of its gorgeous appearance, but I have a soft spot for these sharks as I have had the pleasure of encountering one whilst free-diving on the Great Barrier Reef which sparked my inspiration.

They are also an incredibly fascinating species of shark, as they possess the ability to ‘walk’ over land using their pectoral fins and endure incredibly low oxygen levels. Definitely a worthy species to paint and showcase how diverse and interesting our sharks really are!

This is an A4 (210 x 297mm) original watercolour painting. Painted on a high quality 300gsm, cold-pressed watercolour paper.