Painted Neoprene Tail - The Merrow

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Thank you Mermaid Wesley for fixing the title of the thread when I made a mistake.

Hello!
It's been so long since I've posted I feel like a stranger now. I wanted to announce that since life has occurred and delayed my silicone tail order by about a year or so- I've decided to put my tail fund money to good use. Just today I put in the order for the supplies I'll need to make a painted neoprene version of my silicone tail design!

I'll be posting a play-by-play on the construction and painting of the tail. I'm really excited about this project because I've felt a little depressed at not having a tail that's in good condition (lycra for me lasts two months at the most before being too worn down. I'm a frequent swimmer.)

The monofin being used in the tail will by my trimmed Mahina Merfin. I will be painting the tail with Folk Art multi-surface paints in Thicket and Citrus Green, Folk Art pearl acrylic in Lime Luster, and Folk Art metallic in Antique Gold and Christmas Green. My test swatch of neoprene is dry and the paints don't crack and only reduce the stretch by a little bit.

Update: I made a carrying case for the tail! It was a large bag that I deconstructed. It's hand sewn and hand painted.





Ta-ta for now,
Saoirse.

[Mermaid Saoirse]

I'm really nervous about posting this up here...
This is the basic concept of my tail design. It's been modified a little from my silicone design in order to accommodate for different fluke shape as well as detail fins to hide the zippers in the fluke and on the back of the tail. The front of the tail is going to have gold paint tucked into the veins of the fluke.

[Lotus the Mermaid]

That bag is LEGIT, Saoirse!!! Are you going to start selling them? If you are, please let me know! <3

[Mermaid Saoirse]

That bag is LEGIT, Saoirse!!! Are you going to start selling them? If you are, please let me know! <3

Thanks so much! Sewing it was a little bit of a pain because the pins kept stabbing me as I sewed the zipper on.
I haven't really been able to test the bag much and it's my first time making one. When I get more experienced with them I may offer to make some. I'll just have to factor in costs and everything before I approach selling them.

[Seraphina Suds]

Great tail design! Can't wait to see it come to life! Good luck!

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[Mermaid Saoirse]

Great tail design! Can't wait to see it come to life! Good luck!

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Thank you It's based on the marking pattern of the Greater Eelpout, which lives in Scottish waters.

[Seraphina Suds]

Aww it's cute! I love that you're really sticking to the merrow theme! I'm trying to find a local fish to base my next tail on, but I haven't clicked with any yet haha.

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[Lotus the Mermaid]

Aww it's cute! I love that you're really sticking to the merrow theme! I'm trying to find a local fish to base my next tail on, but I haven't clicked with any yet haha.

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I got curious and found a list of different New England fish species! I hope it helps. There are a few really pretty ones in there! <3

http://www.backwoodssportsman.com/NE...ater_Fish.html

[Seraphina Suds]

Ah, you're sweet, thank you!! I'll check it out :3

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[Lotus the Mermaid]

Ah, you're sweet, thank you!! I'll check it out :3

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No problem!! <3

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Aww it's cute! I love that you're really sticking to the merrow theme! I'm trying to find a local fish to base my next tail on, but I haven't clicked with any yet haha.

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I was originally going to go for a Kelpie theme, but after researching merrows a bit more I settled on it. It was interesting to find that greater eelpouts have a similar contrasting marking style like a Mandarin Goby. I really love the marking patterns for them but they're a little too bright for my river-dwelling tastes to personally wear.

A bit ago I used a spare bra I had to paint one to match for my upcoming tail. I'm glad I did, now I have a top ready to go for the neoprene tail!


Update on progress: I tested the paints I plan to use on a square of neoprene I had sitting around. Without having the material stretched when I painted it the material retains it's stretch and the paint isn't flaking/cracking! This is certainly a relief for me.

[Nashoba]

I love your design. It's beautiful. I'm also a freshwater mer going with local fish designs for my painted neoprene tail.

[Mermaid Saoirse]

I love your design. It's beautiful. I'm also a freshwater mer going with local fish designs for my painted neoprene tail.

Thanks a bunch!
It's great to see other freshwater merfolk on the forums. <3 Do you have plans of making a progress thread when you start your tail? It would be great to bounce tips/tricks back and forth.

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Progress- My neoprene and dorsal zipper came in today, so I got started on construction! The pattern was made from scrap construction paper, hence the weird gaps in the center.
Note: this is my first time working with neoprene so I'm super excited. It feels like for me it will be easier to handle than lycra or spandex. I ordered my 2mm neoprene from seattlefabrics on Wednesday and I was extremely surprised to see it arrive so fast.



The panels! I was able to puzzle piece both sides onto one sheet of neoprene and still have enough left over for lilypad details I plan on attaching to other pieces.



I took a few minutes to find the center of one of the panels and measured to cut the place for the zipper. Nothing has been sewn yet as I'm waiting for my upholstery thread to come in.



I'm going to jump into crafting frenzy when the rest of my supplies come in.
Until next time~
- Saoirse

[Ashe]

Love the fluke!

[IllynReaver]

That's a cool bag!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Love the fluke!

Thanks It took a bit of arguing with myself to decide on it.

That's a cool bag!

Seems my bag's getting a lot of attention ahahaha. If I make more(for Mermaid Noelle Frost more than likely) I'll probably make a tutorial on my process rather than sell them. Custom bags are really hard to find so it would be cool to have the knowledge of making them out in the open.

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Update: My shelf liner came in today It looks really nice, but I should have ordered two rolls instead of just one because there isn't enough. This will delay production of the tail :/



In the meantime, I've been experimenting with making lilypad details for gear. I made a centerpiece for my painted top and I'm working on a halter strap.

[Seraphina Suds]

Cuuuuute! I love your lily pads!

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[Lotus the Mermaid]

Omg. The lilypads just tied the top together so well! You're fantastic!