Novice tail making adventures in Oregon

[KatieScottArt]

So after nearly 3 years of "I'm totally going to do this", I am finally totally going to do this. I'm making a mermaid fin.

Can I just start out by saying that I had no idea how hard it would be to come up with an original design?? I've tried my hardest to come up with an original sculpt that *hopefully* doesn't mimic other fin designs out there already.. but I'm still paranoid. Heck.

So basically, I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm doing it with gusto. I started and finished my scale sheet about a year ago and I finally just had time to start on the fluke. The fluke was going to be last summer's project but then work was like "Oh btw, mandatory 60 hr work weeks all summer". Fantastic, thanks guys!

For this sculpt I used approximately 15lbs of monster clay and heated each of the containers in the oven for 2 hours until they became a liquid consistency. I made a simple fin shaped cardboard wall over some parchment paper and had my bf jiggle the board while I poured the liquid monster clay into it. This gave it a relatively even surface and saved me the time of getting all of the clay leveled by hand. Monster clay is amazing because I was literally able to pry the clay fin completely off of the board and turn it over to remove the parchment paper. Its such durable clay.
Next I took my larger tools and started evening out the surface of the clay. I had a trace of my fin design on a separate sheet of paper which I would periodically place over the clay to check the shape. This entire sculpt was made using a takeaway technique because I thought that might give me a little more control over line consistency. Most art is trial and error but making this fin is such a high stakes project that I wanted to take my sweet time in making sure this would all turn out perfect the first time around. We'll see when the mold is done though!

More updates at a later time! I hope this is interesting or helpful to someone out there. I know I personally LOVE reading through peoples tail making threads to see the unique techniques people use :). Y'all are so talented!
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[Mermaid Summerlilly]

That looks amazing! Good luck!

[moomer]

This looks amazing!! Well done!!

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[Ashton]

Great work so far!

[merwandering]

fantastic fluke! And- melting clay- thats so smart... I can't help but lament the fact that I probably would have been far more mentally and emotionally stable during the tailmaking process if I had circumvented smoothing clay...

[Hydra1337]

I love your sculpting work. Following with great interest.

[KatieScottArt]

Thanks everyone! I'm way too excited to have this finally come to life!

[Marinus Mortimer]

fantastic fluke! And- melting clay- thats so smart... I can't help but lament the fact that I probably would have been far more mentally and emotionally stable during the tailmaking process if I had circumvented smoothing clay...

Took the words from my key pad [emoji1432] well said [emoji1419]
Its a great technique and great job on it it looks great btw


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[Khaleesi Daenerys]

This is beautiful :jelly::jelly::jelly::jelly::pearl:

[LeeniusUnicorn]

Yay another Oregon mer!!!! Love your technique, very awesome. [emoji178][emoji178][emoji178]


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh woooowwww so pretty <3


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[KatieScottArt]

Progress! My goal was to have all molds made by June first. I had better get my butt in gear.

I went all out and used Smooth Cast 300 for my molds. I have worked with it before, its an easy 1:1 part mix ratio and heck, I'm going to be reusing these molds forever so they might as well be fabulous. I hot glued a cardboard moat around the mold and made sure to use gloss coated cardboard for absorption resistance. I mixed small batches of Smooth Cast and poured them in layers. This isn't necessarily a trick or anything, I just didn't have a large enough container to mix it in and this stuff cures FAST. Like, 4 minutes fast. You can see that little clumpy area where my resin started hardening in the cup while I was pouring it!
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I made sure to do a test mold first with some small fin things. There was some resin seepage under the sculpt so I had to break some thin layers of resin off of the sculpt before pulling it out. Easy enough, but I need to take a dremel to the edges now. I have fixed this problem with the fluke sculpt so there should be no seepage when I turn it over. Thank goodness for tests! I was also surprised at how "well" the actual sculpt was able to lift out of the mold (this is without any cleaning either). Ideally I'd like my fluke sculpt to come out relatively unharmed but we'll see how lucky I actually am :p. Lastly, I'm finishing up a modpodge coat on my scale sheet and finishing two extra fin sculpts. Tip: I've found that drywall is an excellent backboard for sculpting. Easy to cut, lightweight, and cheap. Just make sure to cover it with plastic, tape, or wax paper because resin will NOT come off of it if directly molded on. I learned the hard way.
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This forum thing is also pretty foreign to me so I'm not replying to every individual response.. but I appreciate you all and the kinds words! Just know that <3

[PearlieMae]

That's a beautiful fluke sculpt! Nicely done!

[Ashton]

I look forward to seeing your fluke come out.

[moomer]

I am loving the look of your fluke!
And great idea using foam circles (I am assuming they are foam).
Can't wait to see more! :)

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[Mermaid hannahML]

Oh my I love reading through people's threads and this ones got me excited to make one of my own

[KatieScottArt]

Above and beyond my expectations. The sculpt was virtually untouched minus the slightly bothered scales at the top and separating the mold took less than a minute. This is also a photo of the mold with zero cleaning done to it and I'm genuinely shocked! I was expecting to do a lot of clean up until the molds were ready and now I get to keep the fluke sculpt in case I need to do any alterations or additions in the future. Talk about a time saver!! Silicone Tests and pigment education next.
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[MermaidBrandie]

This fluke is so lovely.. You're very talented

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[Marinus Mortimer]

Above and beyond my expectations. The sculpt was virtually untouched minus the slightly bothered scales at the top and separating the mold took less than a minute. This is also a photo of the mold with zero cleaning done to it and I'm genuinely shocked! I was expecting to do a lot of clean up until the molds were ready and now I get to keep the fluke sculpt in case I need to do any alterations or additions in the future. Talk about a time saver!! Silicone Tests and pigment education next.
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Thats how i felt with my molds they just came right out no damage at all! Congrats on a successful mold!


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[Mermaid hannahML]

It is looking amazing so far keep up this good work

[Ashton]

Looks great so far!

[Dancing Fish]

WOW, that's a gorgeous fluke sculpt!!

[Mermaid Kalahari]

You're fluke is lovely! I love classic shapes but interesting details!

Do you know, can you use that melting technique with any oil based clay? Or only monster?


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[Neerai]

The fluke is lovely *^^*

[KatieScottArt]

You're fluke is lovely! I love classic shapes but interesting details!

Do you know, can you use that melting technique with any oil based clay? Or only monster?


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I believe that you can use this method with at least a few oil based clays to the best my knowledge. My coworker said that he used to soften and melt both Chavant and NSP clay before use (he used to sculpt for Matel). Both are sulfur free, oil based clays. They had different methods of heating the clay too including a microwaveable popcorn bucket in the microwave and a crock pot.
I say try a small test first to make sure! :)

[Rett]

Wow, very impressive so far!

[KatieScottArt]

Thank you again everyone! Posting my progress on here helps me stay motivated. I appreciate your support!

Updates:
-Scale sheet has been molded using Smooth Cast 300 Fast and still needs a ton of TLC. In hindsight I should have used WAY more mold release because cleaning this is now the bane of my existence. However, I did save my own ass by filling in all the tiny gaps with Mod Podge before pouring the resin. The mod podge that is still stuck will need to be scraped with an exacto knife and sanded with a dremel. Dang.
-First pair of extra fins are nearly completed and will be molded tonight. Second pair of extra fins will be started and finished this week as well. Third pair of extra fins?? We'll see.
-First test pour of Dragonskin 10 Fast has been successful. I mixed a rose toned pearlescent pigment into the silicone just to see what the effect would be. I love it.
-Next on the list are the airbrush tests. I will be using Psycho Paint and NOVOCS Gloss silicone solvent along with my small airbrush setup. Pigments used are yet to be determined.

I am also planning on building a janky-ass paint booth that can either be set up in my studio or set up outside. I'm thinking a super simple PVC frame, collapsible table and Painters Plastic for the walls. This way I can literally pull it apart when I'm not using it.

I have a long weekend this week.. so my goal is to make the tail this weekend. This will all depend on how productive I am in the next three days though (on top of my job) so fingers crossed!
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[Mermaid Wesley]

Love the fins!


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[Aurelian]

OMGoodness that looks amazing! :swoon: Keep it up dude!

[KatieScottArt]

I had intended on starting my fin this past weekend but a few things were still giving me sass, namely my scale sheet. I have to dremel the entire thing again and I've already spent two solid days working on cleaning it. Note to self: USE MORE MOLD RELEASE.
-I built a janky-ass "paint booth" in my studio using PVC and leftover painter's plastic but I still need to rig a makeshift fan system for air flow. I don't have an available garage space to do the painting out of and our back yard gets windy and dirty.. so I don't want particles landing on the wet silicone paint. I airbrush other projects every so often so this structure won't be solely for mermaid tail painting.
-I trimmed down the rubber ridges on my Leaderfin Sport monofin so that they wouldn't be visible under the silicone. I also trimmed around the foot pockets and heel straps a bit. If I'm having a hard time getting my feet into the monofin without it attached to the tail, its going to be dang near impossible to try and get my feet in later. I also have to cut the carbon fiber fin itself to fit in the fluke shape I sculpted. I really hope cutting it doesn't interfere with the structural integrity of the fin too much :(.
-Extra extra fins were made and cast in resin. I might do another set just for fun.
-I have yet to do airbrush tests too. I heard that having a "gravity fed" airbrush is best. I have a bottom fed "precision" air brush so I might look into getting just a big clunky gravity fed brush to get the big areas painted. I don't know. It might be spendy and not necessary?

I think the airbrushing part is the scariest bit for me. I just don't want the brush to get clogged and waste paint and time.

I'm still trying to figure out what type of "glue" to use to glue everything together. Would using more Dragonskin be best? Or would a Tin-cure silicone be a decent option (caulking)?

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[Mermaid Wesley]

Do tests on scraps!


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[KatieScottArt]

Do tests on scraps!


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I don't know why I didn't consider that, haha. Thank you!!

[KatieScottArt]

Well, my goal was to finish this during the weekend (4 day weekend due to the holiday) but I had some bumps along the way.
-setback #1: I didn't test or even think about the fact that the rubber on the monofin foot pockets is a cure inhibitor. Obviously the silicone touching the rubber areas didn't cure so I had to clean those areas with paint thinner to remove the waste. The quickest solution I could come up with was to paint the rubber foot pockets with a thick layer of acrylic paint to provide a good barrier in case the silicone touched it again. This worked!
-Setback #2: Pigmentation. I think I'm mixing my pigments too thin because they are not covering the opacity of the silicone well at all. I mixed some pigment into the initial pour but I need to try and thicken the top coat paint so that the monofin is not visible.
-Setback #3: Airbrush. The gravity fed airbrush I have does not work with my small compressor due to the low PSI. I had to use my nice airbrush for this first pass but it took WAY too long. I had to order another compressor so that I can get the areas even and actually have the paint flow at a decent speed.

Continued on Friday when the compressor arrives.

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[Mermaid_Izzy]

I mixed so much pigment into my silicone that it I basically had to add A to B or pigment would have flew everywhere. And it still cured.

Oh and I love your fluke btw!


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[KatieScottArt]

I mixed so much pigment into my silicone that it I basically had to add A to B or pigment would have flew everywhere. And it still cured.

Oh and I love your fluke btw!


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Good to know! I'm probably just being too sparing with my pigment usage :). Thanks!

[Mermaid_Izzy]

Good to know! I'm probably just being too sparing with my pigment usage :). Thanks!

You're welcome, I was very apprehensive that I was going to add too much pigment.


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[KatieScottArt]

Your suggestion really really helped! I went home during my lunch break to test the "more pigment" painting technique and long story short, it worked like a charm. I kept remembering your comments as I mixed. My airbrush exploded so I had to resort to using a brush but that actually worked extremely well for the base coat. I might do that all the time for the now! Thank you!

[Mermaid_Izzy]

Your suggestion really really helped! I went home during my lunch break to test the "more pigment" painting technique and long story short, it worked like a charm. I kept remembering your comments as I mixed. My airbrush exploded so I had to resort to using a brush but that actually worked extremely well for the base coat. I might do that all the time for the now! Thank you!

You're very welcome!


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[merwandering]

if you're using... I think it's called the lacing method(?) on your fluke, you can get an opaque but thin but very shimmery fabric, and since it will be cut to the shape of the fluke, can help hide the monofin, and still retain some of the aesthetic and depth of the outer layer being a little more translucent:)
if that makes any sense

[KatieScottArt]

if you're using... I think it's called the lacing method(?) on your fluke, you can get an opaque but thin but very shimmery fabric, and since it will be cut to the shape of the fluke, can help hide the monofin, and still retain some of the aesthetic and depth of the outer layer being a little more translucent:)
if that makes any sense
Well Jeeze, I didn't even think of that! I actually used some Power mesh on one side of the fluke cast for added support but using shimmery fabric is brilliant. I've seen it done once I think but I hadn't considered it to be a solution to my problem. THANK YOU!

[KatieScottArt]

I am both frustrated by and thankful for the mistakes I've made along the way. I thought I knew all I needed to know but boy was I wrong! I'm already looking forward to starting a new fin after this because it will go faster and look waaaay better haha.

Painting took the longest to figure out. I think I got a good system down for my liking at this point but it still leaves much to be desired. This is just the "base" coat and I'll paint it a few more times once everything is stitched together. Also I love how the colors turned out so far! They look iridescent but its just a ton of different pigment combos! I'm going to see if I can't do an iridescent top coat of some sorts. We'll see.
The body is 2 inches too big all the way around. I also glued it to where there is a big-ass seam running down both sides. I will fix that when I take it all in. See how it has that big puffy look when I bend my knees? Same goes for the waist when I bend over slightly. Also disregard the big seams. I hadn't trimmed them yet.
I'm thinking I didn't leave enough scale real estate by the ankles so I might have to make an extra slab to add on.
Yay, learning!

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[MermaidBrandie]

This is looking so pretty! Good job!

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[Mermaid_Izzy]

I am both frustrated by and thankful for the mistakes I've made along the way. I thought I knew all I needed to know but boy was I wrong! I'm already looking forward to starting a new fin after this because it will go faster and look waaaay better haha.

Painting took the longest to figure out. I think I got a good system down for my liking at this point but it still leaves much to be desired. This is just the "base" coat and I'll paint it a few more times once everything is stitched together. Also I love how the colors turned out so far! They look iridescent but its just a ton of different pigment combos! I'm going to see if I can't do an iridescent top coat of some sorts. We'll see.
The body is 2 inches too big all the way around. I also glued it to where there is a big-ass seam running down both sides. I will fix that when I take it all in. See how it has that big puffy look when I bend my knees? Same goes for the waist when I bend over slightly. Also disregard the big seams. I hadn't trimmed them yet.
I'm thinking I didn't leave enough scale real estate by the ankles so I might have to make an extra slab to add on.
Yay, learning!

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I have the same problem with the top part at my back gapping and the worst part being my tail is completely finished, but I am going to try and go back to fix it.


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[KatieScottArt]

Thanks MermaidBrandie!

Mermaid Izzy, if I wasn't going to cut the side seams already, I was thinking about how I would otherwise fix that issue. I was thinking that maybe the center part of the lip could be taken in and the new seam could be covered with a unique small scale cluster or something. Dang that waist to ass ratio! It makes the fit all wonky and prone to ripping.

[Mermaid_Izzy]

Thanks MermaidBrandie!

Mermaid Izzy, if I wasn't going to cut the side seams already, I was thinking about how I would otherwise fix that issue. I was thinking that maybe the center part of the lip could be taken in and the new seam could be covered with a unique small scale cluster or something. Dang that waist to ass ratio! It makes the fit all wonky and prone to ripping.

Yeah, I have an individually scaled tail and then body base fit but I somehow managed to get the silcone too loose.


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[TillyGemDracha]

I am both frustrated by and thankful for the mistakes I've made along the way. I thought I knew all I needed to know but boy was I wrong! I'm already looking forward to starting a new fin after this because it will go faster and look waaaay better haha.

Painting took the longest to figure out. I think I got a good system down for my liking at this point but it still leaves much to be desired. This is just the "base" coat and I'll paint it a few more times once everything is stitched together. Also I love how the colors turned out so far! They look iridescent but its just a ton of different pigment combos! I'm going to see if I can't do an iridescent top coat of some sorts. We'll see.
The body is 2 inches too big all the way around. I also glued it to where there is a big-ass seam running down both sides. I will fix that when I take it all in. See how it has that big puffy look when I bend my knees? Same goes for the waist when I bend over slightly. Also disregard the big seams. I hadn't trimmed them yet.
I'm thinking I didn't leave enough scale real estate by the ankles so I might have to make an extra slab to add on.
Yay, learning!

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Sweet sea gods im absolutely in love with the color!!![emoji7] [emoji7] [emoji7]

[KatieScottArt]

Sweet sea gods im absolutely in love with the color!!![emoji7] [emoji7] [emoji7]
Thanks! This was the original design but I've only been using it as a general guide. I never follow my sketches completely, rather I just go with what feels best when I'm executing it.
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[Rebela Hunter]

It looks great so far!
I wish I could help with the gap in the top, but I don't know enough about tailmaking to talk with confidence :P

I hope you find some way to fix that, though!
< 3

[KatieScottArt]

Thanks Rebela, you're too sweet <3!

So I've decided to call my creations Creature Fins. I made a logo and a little mascot who I call Moop. lol.
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[Mermaid Mia]

Thanks Rebela, you're too sweet <3!

So I've decided to call my creations Creature Fins. I made a logo and a little mascot who I call Moop. lol.
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That is INCREDIBLY adorable


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[Ashton]

very cute

[KatieScottArt]

Its Done. Oh sweet heavens its done!

I took photos of the wonky seams and everything I have to improve on but here is the final product in all its glory. It fits, is easy to get on, swims amazingly, and is actually very comfortable. I don't know what it is, but the silicone is so soft in comparison to my Merbellas fins. Soft like.. the skin of a peach (my fin) vs. the skin of an apple (merbella). Don't get me wrong, I love it. Its so cozy. I've already begun making changes to my original sculpt and will begin on the next fin as soon as I've gone through my "fix these problems" checklist.
:D

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[RiverDragonKaringan]

Its Done. Oh sweet heavens its done!

I took photos of the wonky seams and everything I have to improve on but here is the final product in all its glory. It fits, is easy to get on, swims amazingly, and is actually very comfortable. I don't know what it is, but the silicone is so soft in comparison to my Merbellas fins. Soft like.. the skin of a peach (my fin) vs. the skin of an apple (merbella). Don't get me wrong, I love it. Its so cozy. I've already begun making changes to my original sculpt and will begin on the next fin as soon as I've gone through my "fix these problems" checklist.
:D

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Amazing!

PDX River Dragon! They/Them pronouns, please!

[Slim]

That looks amazing

[lotusauriel]

Gorgeous!

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