Momo's second partial silicone tail

[Mermaid Momo]

Hi all! I made my first partial tail about a year ago, sadly I hit second puberty and gained a few inches in my hips, making pulling my tail up past my butt impossible :jawdrop:. So my tail has been sitting around collecting dust, but I still have the urge to swim! So I've decided to make a second tail!

The tail is a rehashing of a design I drew up back in high school (so like 5 years back) and I found it over spring break while looking through my old sketch books. Looking at the old design it seems I was going with a flower look, maybe an orchid of some sort.
Below is the original sketch
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/5f/9b/99/5f9b9945fb36523fa34153b00faa691e.jpg

and the new sketch :
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f4/13/55/f41355d87d7c70288f8acdb10cf453c2.jpg

Dots have been changed to stripes, side fins have been added and overall I think I may have strayed a bit from the flower theme because not it looks a bit predatory to me lol.

Anyways,the body of the tail will have scuba knit base covered in silicone while the fluke will be 100% silicone. I actually made a mini fluke of the design I WAS going to make before deciding that I didn't want such a toned down tail.
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17426108_10212923100421719_3884198978895483240_n.j pg?oh=3cf11f11cb14f35632dbe88163b8f471&oe=598025B1

(You may notice the heart motif, I'm trying to stick with hearts "hidden" in my tails since my first one had them in the fluke as well)

I've already bought the scuba knit for it and now all I have to do is buy the silicone and new pigments which I'll be buying in bulk.

Just like last time I'll be working on the tail as I get extra funds to buy materials. As of now I have some savings set up for just tail materials but if you want to support my new tail endeavors have a look at my shop thread/ shop page and buy some mer goodies! If you don't see something you want PM my facebook page for custom orders!

Shop thread: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?15049-Custom-tops-and-accessories
Shop link: http://forbiddenkingdom.storenvy.com/
Shop facebook: https://facebook.com/forbiddenkingdomshop

I will be making the fluke first so the first updates will be sculpting the fluke and adhering it to the monofin.

[Rett]

Yay I cant wait! I loved watching your progress last time! :)

[Luna Dreamtide]

I've been wondering if scuba knit is enough to line a caulking silicone tail. I'm interested to see how you go.

[Vela]

ooooooh!!! YAY!! Can't wait to see this new tail!!! I think it is going to be beautiful!!!! :)

[Mermaid Momo]

Headed to the art store yesterday to buy pigments, sadly the art majors cleaned them out. The other store i buy from us sadly down in the valley, thankfully i can call in an order so I'm going to have then ship it to my house in the valley and gave it waiting on my when i get home.

Also going to be buying the silicone so everything is waiting for more at home by time finals are over

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[LouLouBelle]

Your first tail was absolutely gorgeous - I can't wait to see how this one turns out. [emoji173]


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh yay! Glad to see this is happening!


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[Mermaid Momo]

Thanks everyone! I don't have any new updates to share on the tail, I have made some new accessories and tops though which I'll share soon once I get on my phone, They didn't list any colors besides gold online so I'll have to go into the store to pick up the colors I need. I am hoping I'll be able to find a deep green, I know they have spring green which I will also need but I want a dark green for shading and a maroonish pink which I don't recall seeing them stocking but we'll find out I guess.

I also will be picking up silicone later, I am going to be attempting a new scaling method so that I not only bring down the amount of tubes of silicone I need but I will need a thinner coat of it, making it so that stretch of the scuba knit is not lost.

Also I will be making my first gig debut! I'll be at the 4th of july celebration with Mermaid Whims! Hopefully I'll get my new tail done in time, but if not I'll be wearing my old one. (which I might be taking apart from the waist down to the upper thigh to make room for my butt and so I can pull it up all the way again and not flash people haha)

Will update with pigments if I find them (fingers crossed) and with my tests of scaling methods that I like and glitter that I like.

[Mermaid Momo]

First half of all fins are done. I'm a bit sad because it doesn't look like a flower at all, i should have gone with a pink rather than red russet for the strips because whike the red russet looked maroonish pink in the jar it looks copper on the tail and i wanted a more fantasy looking tail than a realistic fish coloring :( maybe a nice helping of glitter will make it look fantasy-ish again https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170513/54a0d1a6c60926115dc3bd2ed6f399a8.jpg

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[LouLouBelle]

Glitter should definitely help make it more fantasy-ish. But for what it's worth, I love the way it's looking!

Makes me think of a rainforest mermaid. [emoji4]


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[Vela]

I love the look of this tail so far too!! The colors are so much fun! I could see a mermaid who lives in, maybe a river, full of water lillies!!! :)

[Mermaid Momo]

I forgot to add the green veining so i went ahead and did that but i still don't like it :( it looks so "blah" to me and too natural (who would have thought i would dislike a natural looking tail so much). So I've been thinking about ways to make it look like i want. ( i was thinking changing the stripes to gold)

Though i am second guessing changing the color since a few people can see it as a mermaid from tropical areas or from areas with a lot of greenery and i was going for a "garden mermaid" or "mermaid that lives among flowers and plants" look. Uuggh it's bjust so hard ti decide what to do! Also i made a top and headress to go with my new tail ( whatever i decide to do with it anyways)
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170515/486d1f87ee8cff998567e7559f5f75a6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170515/1b9830d78f45f4401c4b44ac17c29aa5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170515/ba03b187001b3ab19f2cd01d3309493f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170515/8aecc4c4f482c2b1ff763b844b6f2408.jpg

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[merwandering]

IiI know colors look a little different in photos, and I'm right there with you as far as getting frustrated when it doesn't work the way I want, but- I scrolled to look at your drawing to compare, and I think it looks really great. The red does look warmer than the drawing but at least in photos not at all copper, and looks great with the headpiece, the colors there look great together. I totally get it, but at the same time- I think it looks wonderful:) especially with the accessories
p.s. Totally reads 'garden', and I guess I think of rain forest and garden colors very similarly- it's all about how you accessorize and where you photograph or what you set up. Really!!

[Mermaid Mia]

I think it loos beautiful and IMMEDIATELY reminded me of a flower. Perhaps if you are unhappy with it you could add some gold accents or lighter pink accents next to the rose-color instead of changing it entirely?


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[LouLouBelle]

You could maybe dust some gold and pink glitter over the veins to really make them pop?

If you're really not sure you like it, put it out of sight for a couple of days then have a fresh look at it. I find that usually works for me.

I think it looks gorgeous as is, so I'm sure it'll be stunning no matter what you do with it. [emoji4]


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[Shaylee Moon]

I am absolutely in LOVE wth your concept oh my gosh!!!! And those hair pieces and tops!!! Ahhh! Do you commission accessories? Because these are just so beautiful!


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[Shaylee Moon]

I also find you definitely hit the garden mermaid look


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[Shaylee Moon]

Oh! I saw the link now!


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[Mermaid Momo]

Oh! I saw the link now!


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Sorry! The shop is https://forbiddenkingdom.storenvy.com

Also i let it sit for a few days (more like a week almost) amd came back to it and added the clear and glitter coat (with a ton of glitter in it) and it's actually growing on me! I flipped the fluke over after the top cost dried to thicken the silicone along the bottom edges since it was pretty thin at those parts. Tomorrow I'll start on the other half of the fluke and the hip fins.

Tubes used so far: 7 (5 for all fins, 2 for top coat on all fins and thickening edges)

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[Shaylee Moon]

Cant wait to see the results!!!


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[Mermaid Momo]

Finished first half layed over the monofin. You can see the color of the monofin through it so I'm going to get some of the white silicone and back the fluke with a thin layer of it to counteract some of the yellow of the mono.

It is good for a size reference though to see my fluke vs. The monofin :) https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170520/d55f10651866fe39573edfdd6855ff04.jpg

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[Mermaid Momo]

It sorta looks like the mexican flag to me 😂😂

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[Mermaid Wesley]

It is looking really cool. I can see the flag if I squint! [emoji1166]


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[Mermaid Momo]

Much needed update!
Fluke has be finished and the monofin sandwiched between the Halves. I have also attached the scuba knit to the fluke. All that is left to do is scale the body and add extra fins.

I haven't been queuing on it recently because instead i was at phoenix comicon over the weekend. Today is my pod's annual pool party as the con but I'm not going because i probably ate something bad or caught a stomach bug 😢😢
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170528/c4ef9949e21e3e9c7a0c31b620830771.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170528/c341066de894014670098c5503974a5c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170528/7847cae8a15effc6a1715cdcfb2e7694.jpg

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[Mermaid Aria]

It's turning out so pretty! You look lovely in your princess outfits also! 😍😍😍

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[Mermaid Momo]

Here's another update! 1 side fully scaled and sealed with the other side nesrly finished, i only have to scale from about mid thigh up and seal and I'm done.

I did run out of the light green powder and with the store over an hour away to get more I'll have to make do with a white belly bigger than what was originally planned.

I hardly work on it anymore because of the heat here (and wasps and black widows love to hang out in my yard so i try not to go out much) but i would like to finish it soon .https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170616/87582e515b39c5551be3598383329190.jpg

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[Waves of Ash]

Hey Momo, where do you get your neoprene? I want to start my hybrid tail soon but I have no idea where to get a decent amount of neoprene.

[Mermaid Momo]

Hey Momo, where do you get your neoprene? I want to start my hybrid tail soon but I have no idea where to get a decent amount of neoprene.
I'm actually not using neoprene, I'm using scuba knit fabric. I can't remember where i got it from but when i do I'll let you know!

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[Mermaid Momo]

I got my scuba knit from fabric wholesale direct :) here's the thread where we talk about neoprene vs. scuba knit: https://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?14659-Neoprene-vs-scuba-knit-how-do-they-compare

Also I'm done with my tail! Trying to figure out a good way to take a full photo of it because I don't have many stools to stand on lol, and it's too hot for me to move from in front of my fan. I do have a few pictures of it up on my instagram though (http://instagram.com/missmomo_tan )

[Mermaid Momo]

My tail fits really good, but I have one problem, my calf region is baggy and I'm not sure why, the body form I used in the tail was an exact copy of my body, I also had this problem with my purple tail too, everything else fit perfect besides the calfs! (that was fixed when I got into the water though). I'm thinking maybe the bagginess is caused because I have a gap between my legs? But even then I feel like it should just be stretched taunt. (the bagginess is only on the gap, my legs bow out making for a large gap between them and while the tail stretches over my actual legs, while dry the gap sags between them.)

[Mermaid Momo]

The finished tail and the tail with my old one https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170627/65789af3357c0cb55d0991d7d355cb95.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170627/0fdc06a39ae3a8dc407e01eb3d4075d7.jpg

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[Mermaid Mia]

Wow its so beautiful!!


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[moniee]

Wow Momo I'm a big fan of this! Such amazing colours! I love how smooth your fluke came out, as well! Great job!

[Keiris]

Great job Momo!

[Neerai]

So beauuuutiful!

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[Mermaid Momo]

Thank you all so much! I can't wait to take her for a swim! Next week I'll wear her to a 4th of July celebration worth mermaid whims (no swimming, lets hope that we won't melt with a low of 89°F usually here and a high of 110°F) hoping to go for a swim after i rebraid my hair.

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[moniee]

OMG best of luck to you then and dont forget sunscreen. Hoping to see some pictures!

[Slim]

I would die in that heat :jawdrop: Don't get heat sickness.

[Mermaid Momo]

I just bought a nice tube of sunscreen too and planning on taking lots of water along. I did take a dip in my nephew's pool tonight with my mom.

Thankfully my drainage system worked like a charm! The tail body is flexible and easy to get on and off and the entire thing is sparkly as can be!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170701/b1998788d8a26470759bf43ac1c5ffa2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170701/4386bb05c05ef742213cc197161d7ab7.jpg

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[Waves of Ash]

Looking good Momo!! Have you found a solution for you bubbling calf area yet? I wonder if all you need to do is cut some of the silicone and scuba knit out, stitch it up again, and silicone the seam to hide it? There may be a better way with elastics or something but I am no expert.

[Galilee]

That tail is so beautiful! I love the heart shape in the middle of the fluke.

[Mermaid Momo]

Photos from the gig! Went swimming today with mermaid whims and will be editing the video before uploading.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170706/862328031f8c37e09f10c36fe95f74fd.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170706/7e0e7c855d8a8d779b456f06e679191d.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170706/c9905539898ef2409d40557eefd689ed.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170706/77aa74b7260441ddd060900992c40ef3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170706/623cd88c86af6c9ee412c100a095d333.jpg

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[Sea~Phoenix Savannah]

Great photos Momo! And your new tail looks awesome! A quick question, did you airbrush the (colored) silicone onto your tail?

[Mermaid Momo]

Great photos Momo! And your new tail looks awesome! A quick question, did you airbrush the (colored) silicone onto your tail?
Nope! No airbrush used at all, i used powedered pigments and dusted them on with a buffing brush from e.l.f

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[Mermaid Momo]

Looking good Momo!! Have you found a solution for you bubbling calf area yet? I wonder if all you need to do is cut some of the silicone and scuba knit out, stitch it up again, and silicone the seam to hide it? There may be a better way with elastics or something but I am no expert.
I actually figured it out at the gig! The reason it's doing that is because my tape dummy wasn't pushed all the way to the foot pockets and so the calf was stretched out about 2 inches above where it should be. I realised this when i pulled my feet partially out of the foot pockets to give them a rest and felt the back of the tail tighten up. Thankfully even with the bubbling in the back apparently noone could tell from the outside it was bubbling, it looked natural to them! So I'm going to leave it rather than chance messing up my tail attempting to fix it

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[Mermaid Momo]

Swimming video!

https://youtu.be/c5cwgoZdI08

[deepblue]

WOW, Momo, it moves so beautifully, such great flow! And it's so pretty.

[Vela]

wow what a beautiful tail!!! It is so flowy!!

[Cordelia]

Oh my gosh! That little boy's face - he is cracking me up! Looks like a fun day. :D

[LouLouBelle]

Momo - your tail is absolutely stunning. I LOVE that fluke!


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[Turtlebites84]

Nope! No airbrush used at all, i used powedered pigments and dusted them on with a buffing brush from e.l.f

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I LOVE your tail!! It looks so beautiful!! I was wondering what powdered pigments you used and what stage in the silicone curing process you dusted them on, and what type of silicone you used. (Sorry for all the questions!)

[Mermaid Momo]

Thank you! I used pearl ex pigments and GE 100% silicone in clear. I got the mold resistant kind. (Still make sure to clean and dry your tail though) and i dust the pigments on about 15-20 minutes into the curing process when the silicone is still soft but i can touch it without it sticking to my finger

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[Turtlebites84]

Thank you!! :)

[shimmygoddess]

That looks great. You mentioned you do another top coat? Are you using that same silicone? Does it dull the colors underneath? Still trying to figure out this process. So you make your fluke w/ the scuba neoprene, smooth on the silicone and design, then added the 'body' of the tail as a seperate layer to overlap on the fluke? That probably sounded confusing, I cant quite explain what I mean. LOL is the top layer mixed w/ the glitter? or was the glitter added after the color, then just a plain top coat?

[Rebela Hunter]

What a beautiful tail! It really compliments you very well, Momo!

[Mermaid Momo]

That looks great. You mentioned you do another top coat? Are you using that same silicone? Does it dull the colors underneath? Still trying to figure out this process. So you make your fluke w/ the scuba neoprene, smooth on the silicone and design, then added the 'body' of the tail as a seperate layer to overlap on the fluke? That probably sounded confusing, I cant quite explain what I mean. LOL is the top layer mixed w/ the glitter? or was the glitter added after the color, then just a plain top coat?

I do one top coat overall (so its scales,pigment, then top coat) and I use the same silicone for all parts, for the top coat i just "water" it down by mixing with mineral spirits or turpentine with my spatula and using a heavy brush made for latex decor paint to brush it on. Because my pigments are on top of the thicker layer of silicone (the scales) none of the colors were dulled.

The fluke on this one doesn't have any scuba knit in it, It's all silicone; my old tail though had neoprene in the entire tail including The fluke and fins, The body however does have scuba knit beneath the silicone.

So for order of the tail it was:
1)lay down thin layer of silicone on tarp in shape of fluke and fins and let dry.
2) lay down second thin coat, let dry.
3) lay down third coat, "sculpt" veining and details, wait till tacky.
4) dust on pigments and let fully dry.
5) mix silicone,turpentine, and glitter as top coat and spread on, let dry. Repeat for second half of fluke then mash them together with straws for drainage.
6) connect body to fluke with more straws for drainage.
7)scale and repeat pigment and clear coat as before.
8) pull out straws and you're done! [emoji2]

Make sure your scales aren't too thick, i made that mistake with my first tail. (Eventually I'll get around to a video comparing the two so people can learn from my mistakes)

I can show where my drainage holes are too if you'd like :) you actually can't see them unless you're looking very very hard.



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[Mermaid Momo]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170715/2682794ed7e33836eba5dafbcd77bb45.jpg

The lighting plays a big part in how the color shows up too, this is so far the most true to color picture i have taken

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[gay-mermaid]

can i ask how much silicone you used for this?

[Alicia26]

It looks good so far.

What sort of paint did you use?

Alicia

[Neerai]

I just LOVE your tails Momo!! You're so talented!! <3

[Mermaid Momo]

can i ask how much silicone you used for this?
I used about 26 tubes, would have used less if my fluke wasn't completely out of silicone (I used up quite a bit of tubes just on one side of the fluke because to make sure it was smooth and thick enough I laid down 2 different on the fluke. and each layer of the fluke was 2 tubes each not including the top coat)

[gay-mermaid]

I used about 26 tubes, would have used less if my fluke wasn't completely out of silicone (I used up quite a bit of tubes just on one side of the fluke because to make sure it was smooth and thick enough I laid down 2 different on the fluke. and each layer of the fluke was 2 tubes each not including the top coat)
Thanks!!!

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