When I found this image of a Candy Cane Starfish, I knew I had to paint it and the bed of coral it rests in.  I used watercolor paints on water color paper.  Here's my process:

First I gathered my materials.

 

Then I sketched my starfish until I was happy with it.

 

I started my detailed painting of the starfish with a red/orange color to keep it bright.  It ended up being a series of outlined circles with just a little filling in between them.

 

After completing the starfish, I filled my page with a thin coat of water and dropped some dark blue paint throughout. 

 

Then I swirled my brush in circular motions to replicate the rounded texture of the coral bed.  After letting it dry I repeated the process a few times to create a feeling of depth.

 

Lastly, I painted opaque white dots on the darkest parts of the blue to add some interest and make it pop.  

 

Here's my completed painting.  So much fun!  Hope you enjoyed the process.