“In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.”

Because sirens are supposed to be traps, I wanted it to look like a happy mermaid at first but one would then read the title and realise it is something completely different. I tried to use different ways to convey this:

The viewer’s eyes: Everything on the piece points toward her face, which is friendly and catches the eye on the first view. the hooks in her hair, the spikes below and most other edges point to the face. The cloud also point in different directions so that the slope of one cloud couldn’t lead the eye right off the page

Shape theory: The parts above water are soft curves and circles, which are used for friendly, welcoming things. Below the water, the shapes are spiky and unwelcoming.

Balance: The friendly face is closer than anything else to the center

Emphasis: The hatching in the background is aids in the viewer’s eyes staying on the paper. The eyelashes are the only things that are pitch black, which also brings attention to the face

Colour Theory: Yellow and Purple are complementary colours. They are complete opposites and make the piece shocking to the eye. Yellow is friendly and purple is considered evil. The tiny bit of orange between them is to soften the contrast and for the warmth in the orange to make the yellow more golden. It makes the image warm despite the cool purple because the purple becomes warmer due to the red in the orange.

Tl;dr: Top good bottom evil