Sierra's first silicone tail(freshwater mer)

[CeeCeeScarlet]

Hey guys! I've been reading through these forums for quite some time now and finally made an account last year, I started my tail making process around this time last year(It's been a slow process due to frustration and discouragement lol) But since i'm close to being finished i'd like to post my progress! I don't know how this forum works really.
This is the design I came up with, I wanted it to be somewhat original and i've never seen a koi mermaid! Pardon the quality, my laptop wouldn't let me upload the photo so I had to take a picture of it.


EDIT: I took the photo down because I re drew it, look down for the design!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I love the design! Blue but koi! Neat!

[CeeCeeScarlet]

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ahh thank you! I know blue koi aren't very common, but I always wanted my first tail to be blue. I'll definitely make a gold/orange version in the future!
Here's what i've done with my scale sheet, had to have 3 other people help me flip it lol

[CeeCeeScarlet]

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[Mermaid Wesley]

Wow! You're moving right along! This is gonna be cool!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ooo! Blue Koi! Looks really awesome!

[CeeCeeScarlet]

(I've typed this twice lol) Yay i'm glad you like it! yesterday I was playing around with clay and made the molds for my side fins and ankle fins, it's hard to see from the photo but once I pour the silicone i'll post another photo. I also decided lily pads would be appropriate for the top, with a blue lotus flower in the middle!
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[CeeCeeScarlet]

I finished the silicone scales a while back! I added acrylic paint to the silicone to make the base white.
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[Freshwater_Nim]

Hi Scarlet!
I love your project :) As another freshwater mer who just finished her first silicone tail project, lemme say I'm rooting for you! You go girl! :cheerleader:

Just one little thing; mixing acrylic paint with silicone should technically Not work :D. I have no idea why it did, but I'd strongly advise you to mix in powder pigment from now on, or specialised silicone pigment. I don't want something horrible to happen to your tail later! <3

[CeeCeeScarlet]

Thank you!!! I did so many tests with the paint and silicone, for the finished scales I added 2 spoonfuls of paint to the 16 cups of mixed silicone(not too much as I was scared it would prevent it from curing) thankfully it came out okay, honestly I was just impatient and wanted to get as much done as possible.

For my next tail i'm definitely going to use pigments to color it, because you're absolutely right and i'm not sure why it worked either hahaha.

[CeeCeeScarlet]

Also, Nim, can I just say how much I adore your tail? When I designed my first tail(not this one) I made my scales like yours, and that's definitely how i'm doing them for my next tail to make it more realistic. Cost and time made me go with simple scales but wow yours look amazing!

[Rett]

Wow you are motoring along! Haha, its crazy that the silicone cured! I guess because there was only a little bit of paint? Strange. Cant wait for more!

[CeeCeeScarlet]

Actually i've had these scales done for quite some time, i'm just now posting about my progress because I was scared if I posted too early, i'd take too long to post again. :( this project was not time/wallet friendly but i'm so close to being done i'm just so excited!

Tonight i'm going to try and flip the plaster mold of my fluke, and the replies i'm getting on this makes me happy and gives me motivation to finish!

[Freshwater_Nim]

Aww thanks Scarlet :$ I'm very much looking forward to your progress reports. Let's make art freshwater-sister! :mermaid kiss:

[Karri3]

Fantastic!
(Leaving a comment so I can stalk this later and get updates on your progress)


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[CeeCeeScarlet]

I really hope it comes out the way I have it in my mind, I spent the last few hours cleaning up my design and changing it slightly. What do you guys think?

Also i'm sure the finished tail won't have as much of a smooth gradient as the drawing, but hopefully I can get it to come out decent!
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[Mermaid Wesley]

Awesome! I have seen acrylic paint work in the past, but its hit or miss!

[CeeCeeScarlet]

Yay I can finally update!! I just finished the plaster mold of the fluke, and it didn't crack! I find that using blankets to cover the mold before turning it over gives a nice cushion.

hopefully I can fill it with silicone tonight or tomorrow!

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[Karri3]

Congratulations! Looking good


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[CeeCeeScarlet]

I have to buy a power mesh for the fluke before I can cast the silicone, hopefully soon!

But does anyone have any recommendations for pigments? I've seen pearlex, and they're beautiful but very shimmery! Are there any matte pigments someone can recommend me?

[Mermaid Fenicia]

I've been using pearl-ex and perfect pearl along with some mica-powder and no problems with the Dragonskin ;)
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The 'white' on the left is pearl-ex and the last blue (bigger hearts) is perfect pearls ;) All the other colors are mica. ;)

[CeeCeeScarlet]

Wow they're so pretty, Thanks i'll try them out! :)

[CeeCeeScarlet]

So I finished the first half of my fluke! I still have to trim the side bits, paint it and make it look all nice and pretty, but I got the base done! I do regret not giving it more texture, I suppose it couldn't be helped though with time. For my next tail it's definitely going to be more textured!
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[Mermaid Wesley]

pretty!

[Rett]

I love ypur fluke! Cant wait to see it done!

[Waves of Ash]

If you want more texture, a thing that you can do is to brush on a thin layer of silicone with a rough paint brush! That can definitely add some textured lines throughout your fluke!

[Hydra1337]

I love your design. I can't wait until it's done.

[MermaidCelesteFL]

I'm working my way up on both sides and working on gradient shading. I might end up dispersing some more light blue sequins in the darker areas. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170504/f6e33f1db819df94cfeedc75cb186a8a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170504/6bcd87f6d033bc43a03eab3879ef064c.jpg


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[CeeCeeScarlet]

Ash, That's such a great idea, thanks i'll do that!!

also celeste, your tail is so pretty, i love the colors!

[CeeCeeScarlet]

I know it's been quite a few weeks since I posted this, but I just got finished with a move! I moved out to a new state so finding time for the tail was a challenge, but i'm back at it! I have all my fins done, just need to work on my dorsal fin!

[CeeCeeScarlet]

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I just finished sculpting my dorsal fin, i'm not sure if anyone is still following this thread but I wanted to post anyway! I think it came out okay, I didn't make it too big!

[WaterDragon]

thats looking great!

[CeeCeeScarlet]

Thank you! I have a trip to LA this weekend, once i'm back i'm going to cast those!

[Mermaid Maris]

Awesome!

[AllieAnnKattFish]

Beautiful!

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[Astridia]

Oooh that dosal is preeetyy!

[Mermaid Kane]

Another freshwater mer! c:

[Mermaid Maris]

Another freshwater mer! c:

:jawdrop: I love it!!!!!!

[Mermaid Kane]

:jawdrop: I love it!!!!!!
Aw, thank you! c:

[Astridia]

Another freshwater mer! c:
AAH those whiskers! I love catfish XP

[DancingJohari]

Beautiful work! Am thinking of making my next tail a hybrid tail and basing it on a Beta fish! Trying to figure out my fluke design so it'll be nice and flowy. Will post pictures when I start on it. In the meantime, I can't to see how yours turns out all together!

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