Fabric Koi tail: Paint VS Sequins?

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

So for my first tail I'd like to make a fabric koi tail, but I'm not sure which method will be best.

Sequins:

I love the large shell sequins but I have read that they break off and require a lot of maintenance. Not to mention the expense, and if I want black sequins I have to go with the 48mm customs which is far more expensive than the 22mm.

Paint:

I was planning on paint to hopefully be a bit cheaper than the sequins, but recently I read someone say their paint faded very quickly. I had planned on getting the lumiere paint because I had seen some successful tails with it. Does it fade?


Lastly I had also considered doing patches of different fabric for the calico colored scale patches but I feel like it may lack texture.

So mers with experiance, what are the pro's and con's of sequin vs paint?

[RNHime]

So far we don't have any word of the 22mm sequins breaking, but yes, the 48's do.

I'm really hoping Cartwright introduces black to their 22mm range! But you could probably paint any of their 22mm shells black if you were really determined. Custom scales! =)

I don't know anything about painting, so no advice there. But are you talking about painting swim fabric, or neoprene? I'm guessing they would probably have different lifespans.
...You're probably going to get a lot of "paint it, sequins can always be done later" comments. =P

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

Yeah that's probably true, I could always add sequins later on.

I had been planning on regular swim fabric but if neoprene would make a big difference I'd be willing to try it.

I'd love it if the 22mm came in black. The volcano color is that perfect mix of orange and red for koi. :(

[Celaeno]

Someone was painting a koi tail and it looked great...I'll see if I can find the thread.

[Mermaid Kassandra]

We made a koi fabric tail and it still looks great of you want to see some pictures and a video look at the Mer-tails Facebook page you can find it in our album "our creations"
www.Facebook.com/mermaidKassandra

[Celaeno]

Found it! http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?11196-Savvy-s-first-REAL-fabric-tail!

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

We made a koi fabric tail and it still looks great of you want to see some pictures and a video look at the Mer-tails Facebook page you can find it in our album "our creations"
www.Facebook.com/mermaidKassandra (http://www.Facebook.com/mermaidKassandra)


Oh wow, that is really nice! Is it fabric with that print on it and then the scales added or is it all paint? It looks really nice!

@Celaeno: Yeah, I had seen her thread before. I like it but I wanted something so that the scales really stood out and had more depth, which I know isn't easy to do. I think it is Jade who has a painted orange tail she did with lumiere paints and netting for the scales which was pretty good for depth.

[Celaeno]

The painted scales in this thread have really good depth: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?10935-Seam-less-neoprene-tail-Take-2

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

The painted scales in this thread have really good depth: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?10935-Seam-less-neoprene-tail-Take-2

Ooooooo it is nice! Thank you for linking these! That's the fancy kind of shading I'd wanna do with the paint. I just worry about it all fading out after a few chlorine swims. I'm gonna do more research in other painted tail threads, but I thought someone may have a quick yes or no on paint fading. Particularly lumiere. Tails like that are why I have been leaning towards paint. ^_^

[Celaeno]

You might be able to preserve the paint if you coat the finished tail with a thin layer of silicone.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I'd just get the fabric in those colors and sew it up. I've no patience to be individually painting each scale or sewing sequins on! I'd want it wash and wear with very little upkeep.

[Mermaid Kassandra]

Oh wow, that is really nice! Is it fabric with that print on it and then the scales added or is it all paint? It looks really nice!



It is completely hand painted with paint we don't use printed fabric as it fades during the time, instead the paint we use lasts for years.

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

It is completely hand painted with paint we don't use printed fabric as it fades during the time, instead the paint we use lasts for years.

Oh, well what kind of paint is it? Or is that a trade secret type thing. If so I get it. :)

[Nyx]

I would highly recommend Jones Tones.
Lumiere paints are beautiful and glittery but aren't as flexible or durable. (super good for details though)

The second tail I made was painted with Jones Tones and has held up amazingly.
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[Mermaid Wesley]

*takes notes*


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[A_Koi_Mermaid]

Oh my goodness I always thought the tail in your icon was silicone!!! It's a gorgeous job! That's exactly the kind of scales I'd need to paint for a koi. It's SO vibrant for a painted tail! I will definitely look into that paint, thank you so much!

[Mermaid Kassandra]

Oh, well what kind of paint is it? Or is that a trade secret type thing. If so I get it. :)


Not at all! We find it in an store for art of trust near our city you should look near your home and see if there's one once I'll have a tube of that painting under my eyes I'll write you the name of the company that produces it (its specifically for fabric so it's fantastic)

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

I would highly recommend Jones Tones.
Lumiere paints are beautiful and glittery but aren't as flexible or durable. (super good for details though)

The second tail I made was painted with Jones Tones and has held up amazingly.
32171

Oh, I also forgot to ask, what fabric IS that? Is it regular swim fabric lycra or is it neoprene? It doesn't look quite as thick as neoprene but I have little experience with that.

[Nyx]

Oh my goodness I always thought the tail in your icon was silicone!!! It's a gorgeous job! That's exactly the kind of scales I'd need to paint for a koi. It's SO vibrant for a painted tail! I will definitely look into that paint, thank you so much!


Oh, I also forgot to ask, what fabric IS that? Is it regular swim fabric lycra or is it neoprene? It doesn't look quite as thick as neoprene but I have little experience with that.

Awww thank you!
I think the reason why it looks more like silicone is because of how thick the layer of paint is.
I use neoprene as a base (I'd tell you the thickness but I always forget, I keep it on the thinner side though), unfortunately, neoprene has a nasty habit of sucking up the first few layers of paint.
The best way in my experience to deal with this is to give it a base coat, let it dry for at least a week (or a month if you're easily distracted like me) and THEN add on the next layers and details.
The extra layers make it super vibrant and tough, it also gets rid of the fabric texture from the spandex on the neoprene.
Which is also why I like Jones Tones so much, they are much more flexible, less prone to cracking, and tough as nails if you let it properly dry. Also way cheaper than Jacquard paints huahuahuaaa.
I AM about to make a regular swim fabric tail for a friend who will be performing with me, so I'll update how that works out in the future.

Here's the first coat of paint vs the final paint job after a month of not painting it.
Front before:
32240

Back after:
32241

(the paint here was still fresh so it looks a little more vibrant than it actually is)

Kind of a massive difference.
The trick is layers, my merfriends, many many layers.

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

Ooooh, thank you! Definitely the method I wanna use! Now I need to do research on sewing neoprene...Pretty sure there's a tutorial for that. Hopefully my machine can handle it.

I still have to do some research on fluke extensions for my wave before I get started, but those paints make budgeting this thing a lot easier.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Oh super nice! Want to paint my tails? Hahaha!

[Ariel-Starfish]

I'm in love with that paintin on that tail! :soon: