Painted Neoprene Tail - The Merrow

[Mermaid Saoirse]

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

Hello! :mermaid kiss:
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.

31302
31303
31304

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.

31305

[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!

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Saoirse]

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

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

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

31310

[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.

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

[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.

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

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_Freshwater_Fish.html

[Seraphina Suds]

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

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

[Lotus the Mermaid]

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

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

No problem!! :D <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.

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

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!
31332

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! :D 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.

31415

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.

31416

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.

31417

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 :D 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 :D 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 :/

31429

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.

31430
31431

[Seraphina Suds]

Cuuuuute! I love your lily pads!

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

[Lotus the Mermaid]

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

[Aquatarian]

It looks really pretty so far! I love the shape. Very nice color choice too. Looks more natural. :)

[Luna Dreamtide]

Looking gorgeous. The lily pad is lovely. I thought at first that string of them must have been for a belt. Excited to see it complete.

[Mermaid Galene]

I love how this project is coming together!

[Nashoba]

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.

I will do a progress thread when I start. I'll send you a line when I get it done, if you like.

Ps - Loving the lillypad in the center of the bra. OMG cuteness!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Thanks so much for the support, everyone! I'm really happy with how the lilypads are coming out. I figured I'd put my scraps of neoprene to good use and it's great practice before I start painting the tail.
My upholstery thread, curved needles, and the rest of my paints came in today. Does anyone know what a good stitch width/spacing is for neoprene?



I will do a progress thread when I start. I'll send you a line when I get it done, if you like.

Ps - Loving the lillypad in the center of the bra. OMG cuteness!

That would be cool, Nashoba. I'd love to see that. :D The lilypads are pretty easy to make. It's just a circle of neoprene that I've trimmed and painted with multi-surface/acrylic paints. I'm sure they'd look amazing as other accessories.

[Cetus_The_Sapphire_Merman]

Your design and concept is absolutely gorgeous. I am so happy for you, and I am honored to call you my mersister. :) <3x10

[Madison MerFaerie]

I love your freshwater top! I can't wait to see how it all turns out! I am going to start making a freshwater/forest themed hip wrap and some sort of hair accessory pretty soon. Yay for freshwater mers!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Sorry about the lack of updates! My laptop gave me serious problems a bit ago and he's hanging on his last legs (R.I.P, Coulson.) My boss and I were able to revive him long enough for me to give you this update post! From here on out until I get my new laptop I'll be posting more progress photos on my instagram account. When I get my new laptop I'll do another large update.

I finished the top! I tested it in chlorinated water about two weeks ago and it holds up amazingly! No color lost or malfunctions. This picture was taken just today:
31852

I began stitching the tail together on the sides before adding the shelf lining. I wanted to make sure it would fit me properly. Hand stitching hurts! In the end- this is what the inside seams ended up looking like:
31853

Once the side seams were finished and I'd made some adjustments to the size I added the shelf lining that I had available to me. I have yet to be able to order that second roll I need- but I ended up having enough for half the fluke and most of the dorsal:
31854
31855

The fit is nice. It's not too tight and I left it a little looser in the knee area than elsewhere. I wanted to make sure that when I sit down in the tail my legs will still be comfortable. The zipper ends just above my ankles so it takes a little bit of a struggle to slip my feet in. Mahina fins are pretty stubborn sometimes. I might trim the foot pocket open a little bit more if it continues to give me problems.

I had my boss help me make my duct tape dummy for when I paint my tail. We learned quite a few things that will help me out a lot when I finally make the duct tape dummy for my Mernation tail. The knees really hate being confined in duct tape no matter how loose you wrap it around the trash bag. I needed a t-shirt in between my knees or else I would start crying. We had to abort mission twice before we figured that out. Upon getting home I stuffed the dummy with towels to help it keep shape.
31856

Since most of the body is finished and I didn't want to be at a complete standstill waiting for the shelf liner I began painting the mid area of the tail! The paint is working swimmingly. I'm blocking out the markings for the time being and will blend the colors together when the entire tail has been constructed.
31857
31858

The paint is a lot further along than these two photos but I have yet to get a proper picture of it. About two days after I stopped painting for a while I unzipped the tail temporarily and moved the neoprene around in my hands. The fabric has remained flexible and does not show any signs of cracking when I tug at it. This paint is like a miracle paint right now and is a satin finish. It doesn't give the same gorgeous metallic as Jacquard paints do but I'm quite fond of this style.


Your design and concept is absolutely gorgeous. I am so happy for you, and I am honored to call you my mersister. :) <3x10

Thanks a lot, Cetus. I'm really looking forward to our next pod swim. It will be nice to talk in person again. :3


I love your freshwater top! I can't wait to see how it all turns out! I am going to start making a freshwater/forest themed hip wrap and some sort of hair accessory pretty soon. Yay for freshwater mers!

Thank you! Freshwater is such a fun theme to play with and it's neat designing accessories/gear that is more suited as such. I hope you have fun with your next project!!

Bonus: I found a retro Ariel figurine in my house that was horribly miscolored from age and missing patches of paint. I couldn't stand looking at what appeared to be the face of Ariel turned demon anymore so I took it upon myself to refurbish the toy- okay I took advantage of it and made a little mermaid figurine of me.
31859

[Mermaid Saoirse]

I'm back! We finally got my new laptop abut a week ago and I've been making big progress on my tail and compiling the photos! The shelf liner came in while I was waiting to get back online so I got to work.

First: My top
I felt like it was missing something and I had the luck of having left over shelf liner. I cut out some detail fins and used E6000 to glue them to the bottom edge of the cups. It took some time before it began to bond so I had to clamp it together. It turned out great! I don't have a photo of the now-painted fins, but I do have the photo of before I painted them.

32550

Second: The tail

It was touch and go a bit for if I could achieve the look I wanted to on Merrow. She's doing fine however, and is nearing completion! I have a few photos that I've taken along the way. Please ignore the mess, I don't have a proper workspace.

32551

32552

32553

32554

As a treat I'm going to post a full body shot that I've only shown to a few people. Thanks for being patient with me! :mermaid kiss:

32555

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh woooow it looks amazing. Good job so far!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Oh woooow it looks amazing. Good job so far!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you!! <3 Your tail is looking amazing so far, too! The transition between colors is so smooth. Luckily the fish my design is based after has colors that contrast quickly for the most part.

[Celaeno]

Spectacular! Love the fins on the top, too.

[Meronica]

Yay more green tails! It looks amazing so far!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Seraphina Suds]

So cool!!

Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk

[Fifi Tigg]

Love the colours and pattern :D

[Keiris]

It's looking fantastic!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Thanks, everyone! :$
I'm having a lot of fun making this tail, and I probably wouldn't have been able to figure out how to do it if it wasn't for all of the resources here on Mernetwork. The process is long and requires a lot of mid-construction adjustments but in the end it will be worth it.

I'm hoping on having a bunch of photoshoots(dry and probably beach) after she's finished, since the pool in my area that was mer-friendly is closed until next year. My boyfriend's gopro will be really useful when I start swimming again.

[stellar lee]

It is beautiful! I've really enjoyed watching the progress on this.

[IllynReaver]

That tail is gorgeous!

[Mermaid Galene]

Looks great!

[cierramageeyahoo]

It so good

Sent from my SM-S765C using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Thank you so much merfolk for your kind words!

I hit another delay- I ran out of the green paint for the stripes faster than I expected. I also recently used the $8 for Amazon I'd earned through about a year of Bing Rewards on my phone to get the digital copy of Rescue Sirens and a 3g pot of Solar gold Pearl Ex pigment for the front veins of the fluke.

I will be getting more paint soon thanks to my mertender. In the meantime I have a nice book to read and a new material on its way. I've never used Pearl Ex pigments before- any tips for a newbie?

[Imogen Finnly]

Have you tried using shelf liners for like waist fins like ariel? Your tail would look so great with them:3

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Have you tried using shelf liners for like waist fins like ariel? Your tail would look so great with them:3

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

Hello Imogen! I really love your mermaid name. It's nice to see other Gaelic names around the forum <3

While making waist fins like that is a really awesome idea- it wouldn't work well for the tail's concept. D: I want to keep the design as close as I can to my inspiration. The dorsal and fluke fringe was more to cover the zippers than because I wanted them.

I might attempt to use that concept for a tail I more than likely will make for one of my mermaids in the future. She's itching to get a neoprene tail from me.

Semi-update on Merrow:
I got the paint the other day. I have finished the back and started on the belly. I decided to do scalework as a flat expanse of green would have looked bland compared to the intricate back. I'm taking a short break for the weekend as I wait for the pigment to come in.
One of my friends gave me a wetsuit they had been given that they couldn't fit in. I modified it to be sleeveless and was left with sleeves. The first thing I did? Cut them to length and start painting them as armor styled bracers. I will post photos over the week when I work on them.

[Imogen Finnly]

Hello Imogen! I really love your mermaid name. It's nice to see other Gaelic names around the forum <3

While making waist fins like that is a really awesome idea- it wouldn't work well for the tail's concept. D: I want to keep the design as close as I can to my inspiration. The dorsal and fluke fringe was more to cover the zippers than because I wanted them.

I might attempt to use that concept for a tail I more than likely will make for one of my mermaids in the future. She's itching to get a neoprene tail from me.

Semi-update on Merrow:
I got the paint the other day. I have finished the back and started on the belly. I decided to do scalework as a flat expanse of green would have looked bland compared to the intricate back. I'm taking a short break for the weekend as I wait for the pigment to come in.
One of my friends gave me a wetsuit they had been given that they couldn't fit in. I modified it to be sleeveless and was left with sleeves. The first thing I did? Cut them to length and start painting them as armor styled bracers. I will post photos over the week when I work on them.
Aww thanks!!
If you do use that concept take pictures! I would love to see that in the water! Im getting all excited thinking about it haha

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[cierramageeyahoo]

So cute 💝

Sent from my SM-S765C using Tapatalk

[Ashe]

Such an amazing tail! Neoprene is such an underrated material, but it is so gorgeous :)

[Nyx]

Absolutely stunning!
I love love LOVE neoprene tails <3
Your tail is looking fantastic :swoon:

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Thank you!! I'm honored to hear that my first neoprene tail is looking great. I was a bit embarrassed about the seams at first but realized that it's only because I have the tail in my face and I'm really harsh on myself.


Absolutely stunning!
I love love LOVE neoprene tails <3
Your tail is looking fantastic :swoon:
This means so much to hear from you!! <3 Your works were a major inspiration that gave me the courage to attempt this. The tails you've made look gorgeous in the water and on land.

Progress Update

I've been posting photos on my instagram and not here for awhile and that's really not fair. So I'm going to be explaining the techniques I'm working with a bit more in case anyone wants to try painting with folkart paints on their tail or wants a bit of insight as to how my tail was constructed.

Tips for painting:
- The paint is blended with other paints for a specific color it needs a larger ratio of the multi-surface paint than any other paint in the mix.
- If your tail was made smaller than your measurements and wasn't painted on a duct tape dummy the paint will crack.
- Be patient with it. A lot of the multi-surface paints are thicker than regular paints.
- Neoprene sucks the paint up like a sponge. The stripes are about two to three coats worth of paint depending on the width of the stripe.

Tips for construction:
- Don't be afraid to cut the tail a bit larger than your pattern. You can always modify/resize as you go until you get the hang of it.
- Pliers save your hands when you're pulling the needle through. Trust me, it's so much easier.
- If you're making detail fins out of vinyl it's okay to have excess that extends past any zippers.
- Sewing down said detail fins before pinning the zippers saves a lot of fussing and pin pricks. (I used a three point method. I stitched a spot in the middle and both ends of the vinyl)
- Something will go wrong somewhere if you don't check your work/plan twice over.

The scale work on the belly so far is one of the most time consuming things. It's one coat of a darker green and then the edges are tipped with the pearl lime paint.

Pictures:

33070
33071
(I edited the last photo to turn the saturation up because my lights wash out the gold of the fluke)
33072

[Mermaid Kelda]

It's looking fantastic! I love the lime green highlighting. It really gives it that extra punch.

[Mermaid Saoirse]

It's looking fantastic! I love the lime green highlighting. It really gives it that extra punch.

Thanks! I definitely agree about the highlighting. I didn't want it looking too flat compared to the intricate back design.

I have update news! I finished painting the fluke and the base color of the belly scales. The stripes are starting to be cleaned up and I'm adding a darker shading on the edges of the belly scales to help make the transition pop.

33243
I had to stand on a chair and balance a foot on the edge of the table to get this shot. I'm glad no one was around to see the odd angle I was at.

33244

33245

This project is so close to being finished! Thank you all for the support so far, it's helped keep my spirits high. I'm really excited and this project is even changing my mom's opinion of my mermaiding. I guess her seeing me work tirelessly on something is making her respect my love for mermaiding a little bit more.

[Ashe]

Gorgeous colors, gorgeous paint job. I am so ready to see this tail all finished up soon :D

[Nyx]

This means so much to hear from you!! <3 Your works were a major inspiration that gave me the courage to attempt this. The tails you've made look gorgeous in the water and on land.


Aaaawww, thank you Saoirse! I'm really glad you took the plunge and decided to make a tail, especially a neoprene one!
It's a stunning tail and I can't wait to see the end result <3
I also adooreeee how you've made the scales on the front and a pattern on the back. That's super cool and it looks wonderful!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

I have great news!! I just finished highlighting the scales today. Now all that's left is to clean up the shadows on the scales, add the shimmer coat, and heat set ;D

Nyx, did you heat set your tails? My paint says that I have to and I'm on the edge on whether to use a hairdryer to be safe or take a risk and use the heat gun that I know my family has hidden somewhere in the house. I've never heat set this paint before and haven't had problems, but I don't want to take any chances of all of this work falling apart because I failed to follow a step.

When she's finished and heat set, I'm going to have my photographer take some photos of the tail because my cellphone photos have not been doing this tail justice. I'm really happy about this project. When I finished painting the scales I stepped back and stared at my tail before breaking down into tears. Seeing a design-something that came from my imagination-in person has really given me a confidence boost in my skills. I had to make adjustments along the way but this is definitely a design I'm happy with.

I will be keeping this pattern and adjust the color scheme when the time comes to order my Mernation tail. One of my mermen is helping me restart my tail fund after it got destroyed due to unforeseen circumstances. I'm also in the process of waiting to see what their new fluke looks like when it's finished. From the previews, I might actually choose it over the classic fluke as I originally intended.

Thank you so much everyone for the support along the way. I know I say thank you a lot- but it does mean so much to me to see other merfolk following me through this journey. Expect final photos before the end of the month! There is also plans to have a photoshoot either a few days before Halloween or sometime in the first two months of November. I'm torn between a pinup-esque photoshoot or a darker photoshoot.

[Ashe]

Yay! Great job, it's looking so nice :D

[Nyx]

Nyx, did you heat set your tails? My paint says that I have to and I'm on the edge on whether to use a hairdryer to be safe or take a risk and use the heat gun that I know my family has hidden somewhere in the house. I've never heat set this paint before and haven't had problems, but I don't want to take any chances of all of this work falling apart because I failed to follow a step.

Ooohh good question! I did for my first one and would highly recommend it (my second one used paints that did not need heat setting). I wouldn't use a heat gun out of fear of damaging the neoprene, and most hairdryers don't give enough direct heat to really do much for it. In my experience using an iron to heat set it works the best, just make sure the tail is 100% dry and be very thorough when ironing!

I can't wait to see the end result ommmmggggg :yay:

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Ooohh good question! I did for my first one and would highly recommend it (my second one used paints that did not need heat setting). I wouldn't use a heat gun out of fear of damaging the neoprene, and most hairdryers don't give enough direct heat to really do much for it. In my experience using an iron to heat set it works the best, just make sure the tail is 100% dry and be very thorough when ironing!

I can't wait to see the end result ommmmggggg :yay:

Thanks for the tip!
I did a bit of digging after your response to see what folk art recommended for their multi-surface paints and they also recommended an iron. I followed the instructions about two hours ago and ironed my tail down good with a piece of fabric in between the iron and tail for safety. There is a noticeable difference between the texture of the set vs unset multi-surface paint.

I am proud to say that Merrow is finally finished! I will be seeing when I can get my photographer to come over and take a few photos of her so I can treat you all to better than cellphone quality pictures.

In the meanwhile, I really want to know what everyone else is interested in seeing in reference to my photoshoot comment earlier. Pinup style or Siren? I'm so torn because I like both.

[Ashe]

Siren! This is definitely the tail of a creature who lurks in wait of knowing sailors ;) It's looking amazing by the way!

[darksiren]

silly person, do both!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Siren! This is definitely the tail of a creature who lurks in wait of knowing sailors ;) It's looking amazing by the way!

Awww Kalani that is so sweet to say about my tail! <3 My mersona's personality puts her halfway between the behavior of a kelpie and the behavior of a regular merrow. It's so nice to hear that my tail evokes the thought of a threatening siren.

I'd love to do both siren and pinup in the future, but to save my makeup artist and photographer some stress I think just doing one theme for Merrow's first photoshoot will be ok. I'm starting to lean more on the decision of siren though. I've been working on sprucing up an old chest I found in a thrift store a long time ago. I can't wait to show you all photos of Merrow!! I'm losing my mind waiting for free time to get photos taken of her.

I also have been trying her on a few times and learned that I painted the stripes on a little too thick. They've split in certain parts but since the tail is made to my size it's hardly noticeable as the cracks only show if I stretch the material a lot. At least I know not to paint on so many layers next time I make a tail. :)

[Mermaid Saoirse]

My photographer is sick so I told him to get a lot of rest and not worry about taking the final photos of my tail. Instead, I brought out my old camera that I haven't used in a long time and got a few decent photos in the morning light.

Meet Merrow, everyone!

33624
33625
33626
33627

[Sherielle]

It's beautiful!!!!

[Mermaid Miranda]

I've been staring at this tail. It is excellent. It has given me lots of thought for future tails. It is beautiful and you have done an incredible job. The craftsmanship is spot on!

[WaterDragon]

*.* Its beautiful.

[Nyx]

Oh my GOOOODD it's beautiful!! :swoon::swoon:
Congratulations Saoirse!
Your tail is an absolute stunner, I love it so much oh my gosh.

Super excited to see your photoshoot, as well what other tails you might create in the future!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh my gosh, this is stunning! You've done such an amazing job! I love the shading and all the detail, it's beautiful!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

Gosh, thanks everyone! I'm so happy that she's finished. It took a lot longer than I anticipated to complete her @.@
I definitely learned a lot along the way- and there will be other tails in the future so I can outfit my pod! The next one more than likely will be for Mermaid Noelle Frost, but I need a short break before jumping into another tail project. I still don't have a proper workspace and my sister is tired of me having a large table set up in our bedroom.

I also want to say that I do hope to make another personal tail in the future, based off of the green plesioth from Monster Hunter. It will take some time before that happens however.

[Keiris]

:jawdrop: THAT IS ABSOLUTELY PHENOMEMENAL SAOIRSE!!!! Can't wait to see you wearing it!!!

[Ashton]

Your paint job is just fantastic!

[Nashoba]

Shaka-duh-wow!!! Love this. It turned out so well. So impressed right now.

A neoprene tail is going to be my next project / adventure and this just gave me hella inspiration.

[Merman Arion]

Congrats! It's a beautiful tail! I look forward to see you swim with it :clap:

[darksiren]

Congratulations! It looks gorgeous. Glad we got to watch it happen!

[Mermaid Saoirse]

I felt like my senpais were noticing me all at once and I got too embarrassed to respond. :$
Thank you! I'm glad my tail can serve as an inspiration for others.
I'm excited to say that next week I will be having my Siren photoshoot! I have a few props already in my possession that will definitely give the shoot an extra kick. I hope on being able to post some photos to the photoshoot thread and on instagram on Halloween.

[Rett]

Wow its stunning! Cant wait to see it in the water! :D

[Mermaid Saoirse]

I took Merrow for her first swim yesterday! I found that despite the buoyancy I like swimming with a neoprene tail significantly more than with a fabric tail.

The paint is 100% intact, so if anyone was thinking on using folk art multi-surface paints on their tail you can safely use 3 coats of paint and as long as it's heat-treated it won't peel when the tail is used for a long time.

I couldn't get any photos/footage for the first swim, but that should change sometime soon.

[Hydra1337]

Your tail turned out AMAZING! I wish I was financially able to make a tail as beautiful as yours.