Tail Envy

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Lately, I've been comparing my tail to other mers' realistic high-end tails and finding it very lacking, hence my thread about finding a way to make a more realistic-looking tail for me. When I first got my tail, it seemed there were less mers with realistic tails than there were now, but now I feel like I might have to eventually find a way to get a more realistic tail to simply "keep up with the Joneses" in the mer-community and feel more like a "real" mermaid. I'd like to feel like my tail is just as special as another other mers, including those with beautiful, elaborate, Hollywood SFX-quality tails, but that's just not how I feel. Sometimes the fun is taken out of mermaiding for me since I have a bad habit of comparing myself to other mers and finding myself unworthy, whether it's my tail, my lack of swimming ability, or whatever. Anyone else feel that way sometimes? Is every tail equally unique or special, or is my tail truly a "sleeping bag" like Eric says compared to high-end silicone tails?

[MermaidAubrin]

I used to get that feeling a lot, before I made my tail I would think mine would never be as pretty and realistic as the high end ones then once I made it I would look at picutres and think i was right mine isn't as good.

So now I just think as long as I practice my tail will be just as good :)

[Artisankatie]

I wouldn't worry too much, we all had to start somewhere! I'm on the third incarnation of my sixth tail myself, and it's nowhere near as good as the silicone ones starting to appear. So if you've only made one tail, don't feel too bad - if you keep trying, you'll keep improving - once I have the funds I'm going to try to make a good latex tail like Star's. You have to keep trying though, and it costs a LOT of time, effort and money. Having a community like MerNetwork means we will always have a drive to improve and keep up with our merfriends, and that gives us something to strive for. Try not to compare your efforts to someone else's, though, compare them to your own and see how much you've improved - I used to be satisfied and happy with my first tail, until I made another, and another, and another, etc.

Of course every tail is unique! And you have a lot of advantages as a terramaid - most of us started with a tail we were horribly disappointed with because it turned out really crappy in the water, or swimming destroyed it etc, but you'll be able to make tails out of anything you like without worrying about how it's going to hold up in the water :D I love your purple sparkly tail, I tried to have a red sparkly tail similar but the water just ruined it and I only got a couple of uses out of it.

I hope I'm helping :3

[AniaR]

or is my tail truly a "sleeping bag" like Eric says compared to high-end silicone tails?

Eric doesnt think before he says shit. :/ he said that to lash out at Thom Shouse because Thom rents tails and people generally use them for 1 time photoshoots so they're baggy. That had nothing to do with anyone else, or any other mer. He shouldnt insult Thom- and he shouldn't insult other mermaids.

[Mermaid Saphira]

^ I think Thom is one of the best tail makers! He works much harder than Eric does...such a shame

[Princess Kae-Leah]

For the record, I didn't make my tail, I bought it from Fin Fun Mermaid Tails for $72.95 w/free shipping. I can't sew or craft to save my life.
Something I try to keep in mind is my budget. I am one broke mermaid princess, and I don't see me EVER affording to spend four digits on what is essentially a costume. Even if I did have that kind of money burning a hole in my pocket, I'd rather donate it to charity or perhaps buy some of the rare vintage dolls I've been coveting for years than spend it on a tail. You get what you pay for, pretty much, and my tail is probably the most realistic an under-$100 budget would allow. I try to remind myself that most mers with SFX-quality tails are professionals, and their tail is a business expense. Many mers who do this purely as a hobby have low-end fabric tails like mine. The most I think I'd ever consider spending on a tail might be around $500, and even that is still a lot of money to me, so I'd have to be doing pretty well financially to consider it and be confident that what I'm getting truly is my dream tail.

[Mermaid Saphira]

^ I know you didn't make your tail...My 1st tail was purchased as well :D

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I suppose a straightforward question would be how would you rank my tail, on a scale of 1 to 10?

[AniaR]

I think your tail is great it's one of the best fabric tails Ive ever seen! If you're going on a scale of 1-10 for fabric it's a 10 fins down. Stop feeling so self concious woman! It's great, it's perfect for you, and the fluke is realistic and meets your needs.

[Mermaid Saphira]

Definately a 10! Mostly because I am a HUGE fanof sparkles ;)

I suppose a straightforward question would be how would you rank my tail, on a scale of 1 to 10?

[Theta]

If I were you I wouldn't even worry about the 'realistic' tails. They're hot, uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, severely restrictive, and difficult to move in unless you're in the water (believe me, I spent about nine hours sitting on the steps in one at an anime convention- a nightmare I'm never repeating.) You've said before you like the vibrantly colored tails that are similar to the Barbie ones- why don't you go in that direction? You'd be more comfortable, and it would be far prettier! I've got a bunch of designs for you in my head right now :)

[Princess Kae-Leah]

If you've got any ideas, please share, nirix5! :)

[Theta]

From left to right:

Pink and purple tail with silk fins and side fins (iridescent and transparent for extra lightness and delicacy.) Top is pink silk with pearls and amethyst beading.

Purple and aqua tail with embroidered fluke (in my head there's a lot more detailing, and also beading along the side seams.)

Yellow and aqua tail. Fluke is constructed with silk over wires (similar to the tail that Julianne Moore wore in the Ariel Disney promotion.) The wires would enable you to bend them differently, and get different shapes and poses from the fluke for photoshoots. Aqua beading makes its way up the tail, maypole style.

Salmon colored tail with a pleated, aqua trimmed fluke. Ribbon embroidery and beading is used here for detailing.

These materials wouldn't hold up well in water, but they'd look spectacular on land. Also keep in mind tails like Hannah's: you can do more with sequins on fabric than you can on latex :)

[Theta]

The Ariel tail can be seen here:

http://cdn.binarymoon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/disney-little-mermaid-julianne-moore.jpg

Hannah:

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnzwyarqLp1qcxfhgo1_500.jpg

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=Er2KSU0tm7tPYM:&imgrefurl=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jun/10/human-mermaid-captivates-city-may-find-underwater-/&docid=7vKoptfe6Cp4oM&imgurl=http://photos.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2010/06/07/scaled.HannahFraserJeffWebber5_t653.jpg%253F214bc4 f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7b&w=653&h=434&ei=cAlLT56eB6q50QHtwPSvDg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=624&sig=111359931797327404847&page=3&tbnh=136&tbnw=181&start=42&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:19,s:42&tx=139&ty=86&biw=1280&bih=632

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Ooh thanks for sharing! Really original, artistic ideas, I wish I could draw like you. My favorites are the first two you listed, as I'm not sure I'd ever want a tail that wasn't purple, since my whole mersona is that I'm a Royal Purple Mermaid Princess.

[Theta]

I'm glad you like them :) You can change the colors on all of them, if you wanted to- they're just basic ideas to show what can be done with fabric vs. gook (silicone, latex, etc.) To tell you the truth, I only had one purple colored pencil and no pencil sharpener, lol. So different colors it was!

[Princess Kae-Leah]

A sort of questionaire for those with high-end, realistic, latex/silicone/etc. tails:
*What does your tail weigh OUT OF THE WATER?
*Is your tail comfortable to sit in OUT OF THE WATER, especially for long periods of time?
*How much movement does your tail allow OUT OF THE WATER? Can you stand or walk in it at all? Pose easily?
*Would paint touchups and such still be necessary if you never swam in it?
*If you were a dry mer, would you have still bought or made the kind of tail you did, or would you have went with something different?

[BlueMermaid]

Good point Nirix5! When I'm not performing, I swim or wear a fabric tail. They are far more comfortable and easier to move in. My realistic tails are wonderful for photos and entertainment, but for fun I am far happier in a pretty fabric tail.


If I were you I wouldn't even worry about the 'realistic' tails. They're hot, uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, severely restrictive, and difficult to move in unless you're in the water (believe me, I spent about nine hours sitting on the steps in one at an anime convention- a nightmare I'm never repeating.) You've said before you like the vibrantly colored tails that are similar to the Barbie ones- why don't you go in that direction? You'd be more comfortable, and it would be far prettier! I've got a bunch of designs for you in my head right now :)

[Mermaid Luna]

Alasea makes a very good point - and I'm sure it's something a ton of the higher-end mers would agree with. Fabric tails are just so much more comfortable, and far easier to swim in because they're tighter and give less drag, not to mention they weigh less. Plus, less maintenance.
But Kae-Leah, don't get discouraged or feel like you're not a good enough mer! Because I'm pretty sure I speak for a whole bunch of us in the community, tails or no, who think you're one of the best mermaids! <3 I know how tail envy feels - my very first tail was one that my friend helped me make so I could swim at a friend's bachelorette party. The end was open so I could put on and take off my monofin, and the darn thing dragged in the water sooo bad.
1892
My second tail, the one I made my debut with, is the green fabric one Alasea lent me. And even though it was far more realistic, it was still fabric, and the heel area really shows. There were a bunch of times I had realistic tail envy, and some people even called me out for not having a real-enough looking tail. =/ Which sucked, because they were random people online and in public.
Even though now I have a latex tail, I'm sure there'll be plenty of times where I feel like less of a mer than say, Hannah.

BUT, in my opinion, it's not the tail that makes the mer - it's how you conduct yourself, and if you believe in yourself. Stand up for what you believe in, and for yourself, and always help others when you can, and just make the world a better place starting with your own little corner of it. THAT'S what I think really makes the mer. :) Your tail is unique, just like you, and makes you unique from regular people. Use that stand-out quality to paint the world with your passions, and help make it a more colorful, vibrant place. <3

[Mermaid Saphira]

^ I didn't know you had a realistic tail!

[Princess Kae-Leah]

How much does a latex-caulked tail, like the Mertailor latex tails, weigh?

[Mermaid Jewel]

I've never owned a full caulked tail, KL, but just swatch-testing caulked patches, I imagine pretty heavy! I know it's meant to be more weightless in water.

But like mentioned before, you have a great advantage over us who are limited to fabrics good for underwater use. I've seen so many fabrics and tactics I'd love to use that i just can't...and you don't have to worry about monofins and the ridges and ugh!

Even if you're not a sewing type, it's not too hard to add things onto premade tails, like tons of shimmery fabric to spice up a fluke or add fins, even painting scales and such. Or have someone help you, since you really just find where to sew it then run a line through the sewing machine. I mean, you can use practically any kind of sparkly fabric you want! Me, I'm limited to neoprene and spandex, which isn't much option. I've seen tails more realistic that look good and tails that are so personality-filled and unique they one-up realistic tails. So I wouldn't worry about realistic, and just focus on the tail you really want for yourself and would work for you :)

[Mermaid Luna]

@Aqua: Yeah, Alasea bought it for me and I'll be paying her back on a payment plan. =D It JUST came in the mail Friday.

@Kae-Leah: It's at least a good 20-25 pounds. Like if you pick up the whole thing at once.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Oh my! Is it possible to make a latex or silicone tail that weighs 10 or less pounds? I think realism is kinda in the eye of the beholder, as we all have our own idea as to what a mertail should look like. I think perhaps a better word would be "elaborate" or "complex", as I think my tail is very simple in design and I think in the future I may want something more interesting visually.

[Mermaid Luna]

I'm not sure, honestly. Ask around with the different tailmakers, and some of the up-and-coming new tailmakers, and see what they say. I certainly think it would be possible - part of the weight is the monofin, but I think you could get a custom one made, like in the magictail.eu/ (http://www.magictail.eu/) tails that are really light and super easy to move.

[Princess Kae-Leah]

I love the look of the Magictails, and of course it doesn't hurt that they're just about as cheap as it gets ;), but their fabric selection is pretty limited. They don't have a purely purple tail, just a hot pink tail with purple accents, and they come with monos. I asked on their FB fanpage if they would be willing to sell a tail with no mono, and they haven't responded yet.

[Winged Mermaid]

Quite honestly some of the most realistic, amazing, and beautiful eye catching tails have been DIY fabric tail creations. You can get SO creative with fabric tails that you just can't do with latex and silicone. There are SO SO SO many times where people spout off wonderful ideas for tails, but the materials would not hold up in water. You can tap into all KINDS of stuff that the rest of us can't (if we want to keep our tails together :P). I know it's a huge, "grass is greener" kind of deal, but even people who have latex and silicone tails will have tail envy for the DIY neoprene/fabric ones. And just for the record neoprene is faced with lycra so it's pretty much the same thing design wise- the only thing better about neoprene is the thickness and that it doesn't drag when it's swimming like lycra does, but you don't have to worry about that. Just think, be creative, make it your own! There are people willing to help you with designs, and there are people willing to make it and sell it to you. You can let the princess come out in your tail without spending a fortune!

[Theta]

Most of the weight in my mertailor tail comes from the monofin and the fluke, which is huge. The body of the tail, if you were to cut it off at the ankles, probably would weigh around six pounds or something. It feels like a very heavy pair of sweatpants, or something like that. Part of the problem of having a caulk tail is that it has to be on thicker fabric, to keep it away from your skin- it's not good for your health to be in contact with it too much. From what I've read on the tailmaking section of the forum, it doesn't seem to take too well to thinner fabrics like lycra or spandex anyway (pulls the fabric, dries funny, etc.)

Also I can't stress enough how hot this stuff is when there's no water to cool it off. Seriously, I got heat hives from sitting around in mine.

I would look at other costuming forums, such as cosplay.com, to look for alternatives to getting the wet look, or the scale look, that you seem to be wanting, without having to go the mertraditional caulk route for. There are all kinds of materials and substances that will give you the same look, you've just got to be creative and think outside the box :)

[Princess Kae-Leah]

Anyone got any good examples of painted spandex tails to share?

[Mermaid Jewel]

LindseyLu had some fantastic ones! her scale patterns are breath-taking too! Taylor's blue tail is hand-painted spandex as well and it looks amazing! Kailaini, hers was painted neoprene but I guess same idea. A lot of mers here have painted tails :)