Tail Colors

[MermanJamie]

Whenever I draw myself as a merman, I always get conflicted over what color to draw the tail. Does anyone have any advice as to how to pick a definitive color for drawing, as well as when I finally get a tail? I've taken a few quizzes online, but I've gotten at least five different answers. I'd just like to know, or have a definitive idea, not a ton of ideas swirling around in my head. I know that people say that colors symbolize certain things, but going into symbolism seems complex. A lot of people just choose their favorite color, which is great for some people, but I have so many favorite colors, and that seems like the easy way out. If you have any advice for deciding, please tell me. Also, tell me what color your tail is!

[MermaidBrandie]

I based mine off of some really pretty tropical fish

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[Keiris]

Maybe you need a color-shifting tail!

[merwandering]

This probably sounds so silly, but- just don't even think about it. Just imagine yourself swimming, for example, and what do you imagine? or just start sketching and see what happens. We made tails last summer, and both just 'knew' what our tails should look like, but I realized both of our instincts were very, very influenced by what we had experienced. When I think 'mermaid' I think of classical art and literature, and of course my tail is green and looks sort of traditional. My daughter, on the other hand, grew up with me working at a camp, and freshwater fish were what she saw all of the time, so she immediately gravitated to making a more natural tail with golds and whites and browns. Now we are both making new tails, and they just felt like obvious choices to us, but are much more branching out from such deeply engrained images. Mine is inspired by peacocks, and I have another I'm working on inspired by flames! So- maybe something will just seem obvious, if you imagine yourself swimming, but if it doesn't- is there a fish you think is particularly compelling? or literally anything- a plant, an animal, a place, I've seen them inspired by the night sky, by gemstones, even by cartoon characters or hobbies or philanthropy causes. You could do something very different, inspired by geometric graphic design- the sky is the limit! Maybe start instead of with a color scheme, with a concept...but color shifting tails are about the coolest thing ever. Ever.

[Cayden]

It takes some soul searching and I know I mention this a lot but... if you have the soul of a Merfolk then you should naturally be drawn to the color your tail is. My color tail is green and I found out through meditation and dreams and I realized that my fav. color is green. Green isn't my fav. color to wear or color with but it symbolizes a piece of who I am. A person's true color takes time to understand and figure out.
The good news is that at this point it may not be such a huge deal. If you want to buy a tail it's probably not going to be a super expensive one right? So just have fun with it, make it silly until you're older and understand more about the color that symbolizes your soul. n_n

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

Mine changes based on mood character design ect. A lot factors into it I have so many designs and each have different color palettes.

[Aurelian]

I usually decide based on what region the mer is from. For example, arctic mers would have white and light blue tails, while tropical mers would have bright colors like pink, orange, and yellow, and freshwaters would have green and dark blue tails. I was torn between blue and pink, but was able to decide on blue because my mersona is from the open ocean, where I imagine blue tails would be more common.

[MermanJamie]

Thanks for letting me know, everyone. These all sound like great ideas. I'll have to think more, but I definitely have a lot of good ideas to help me.

[MermanJamie]

So, I went through a lot of the ideas, and I still can't decide. If I'm going to get a tail, I should decide what it will look like, but there are just too many good choices. I really don't know now.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I decided by making myself of this dollmaker in a bunch of different colors and decided on the ones i liked best.
http://www.dolldivine.com/neptunes-son.php
(well i used the girl version but i assume you want this one.)

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

You know what I can't believe I didn't think to tell you this before but if you can't decide between a couple of different colors you can get a color shifting tail.

[Misty Lau]

I'm going to have iridescent pigment in my tail, but I know the fish I am, and I know the fins. I'm thinking along the lines of buying some cheap but effective cosmetic highlight for it.

[MermanJamie]

It takes some soul searching and I know I mention this a lot but... if you have the soul of a Merfolk then you should naturally be drawn to the color your tail is. My color tail is green and I found out through meditation and dreams and I realized that my fav. color is green. Green isn't my fav. color to wear or color with but it symbolizes a piece of who I am. A person's true color takes time to understand and figure out.
The good news is that at this point it may not be such a huge deal. If you want to buy a tail it's probably not going to be a super expensive one right? So just have fun with it, make it silly until you're older and understand more about the color that symbolizes your soul. n_n

If you get what I mean, Cayden, this isn't just for me. I want to find out what the mer inside of me is saying, and what his tail is like, because he is essentially a huge part of my soul. But I don't know how I can see what my soul is saying. If anyone knows what I can do, if there's a certain set of rules or steps I should follow, please tell me. The more I know about what is inside me, the more comfortable I will be with myself

[Mermaid Alea]

Wow a few green mers are commenting! I guess I will join in too! I am a green mer as well but my favorite color is purple lol. I feel very much like merwandering. I am also inspired by peacocks. I like how peacocks have both brilliant and subtle colors - that is something I want in my dream tail - nice colors but also not too crazy that it looks a bit unbelievable or too fanciful.

What helped me some was creating a mood board to get an idea of what colors I am most drawn to. Start saving images - perhaps on Pinterest - of things you find beautiful and inspiring. Perhaps you have a favorite fish, bird, flower, etc. I found myself drawn to blues, greens, teals, and golds.

But then my mind started thinking up other color schemes. Recently I have been thinking maybe my designs are too light colored. I have been liking the idea of having a darker colored tail recently and I am even veering off from the colors I originally chose.

I try to picture myself in each color scheme too. Imagining myself wearing such a tail, swimming in the tail, if it fits my personality, etc. Generally there are a few color schemes that keep popping up in my mind over and over again. I think those are the really good ones since I keep thinking about them.

You could start writing down what you picture your mersona to be like and that could give you clues as to what your color(s) will be.
Is your mersona tough? - Perhaps darker colors would be good.
Is he shy or outgoing? - If shy - perhaps colors that blend in more with nature and if outgoing perhaps bright, vibrant colors.
Is he freshwater, saltwater, brackish, etc? Sometimes it can be fun to have your tail 'match' the main environment you will be swimming in.

Those are just some ideas. :)

[MermanJamie]

If you get what I mean, Cayden, this isn't just for me. I want to find out what the mer inside of me is saying, and what his tail is like, because he is essentially a huge part of my soul. But I don't know how I can see what my soul is saying. If anyone knows what I can do, if there's a certain set of rules or steps I should follow, please tell me. The more I know about what is inside me, the more comfortable I will be with myself
I know we've talked about this, Cayden, but having merfolk inside you is an amazing thing. I know I have it. I don't really have a mersona, but I imagine that my mersona is just the mer in my soul, the mer inside of me. I don't know anything about him, but I don't know how I can learn more. I'm kinda looking for ways to learn more about him.

[Mermaid Slaney]

My tail is a deep lagoon--> http://www.htmlcsscolor.com/preview/gallery/006D74.png.
But my mer is a freshwater mer. If your mer is an arctic mer, blues and whites would probably be it, tropical mers would have bright colors, deep sea mers are dark and sometimes have glow spots-->https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/89/5d/fc/895dfc5e823f719f8d92390fd725704b.jpg, pacific mermaids look kind of classic, and so on.

[Misty Lau]

I'd say look at a bunch of beautiful tails to see what kind of colorschemes people have come up with for inspiration, try to imagine yourself in a tail, and go from there. I have this weird thing where tails NEED to match hair color in some respect. If you're a blonde, you could do a stunning gold. If you have black hair, you could do black with bright pops of color and look fierce and mysterious. Or, you can do a color that compliments your eye color. For instance, green and red compliment. If you've got brown eyes, go with a green tail. Green eyes, go with a red to brown tail. Blue eyes could go with a yellow or orange tail. Just some ideas to look into.

[.MermaidSophia.]

wow. tough question. Right now I am a "natural" mer with browns and blacks and greens in my tail, but soon I'm switching to blue. If you want to be unique, surprisingly blue tails aren't as common as you'd think! As you can see from this thread, many many of us go with the greens and tropical colors, but sometimes I think the simple colors are most unique.

[The Magic Crafter]

Ugh. I hear what you're saying!! Designing mine took me foreeeever! My tail was made up of many sleepless nights and impromptu sketches in the early morning (I'm talking 3 A.M.). It's rough... but you'll find the perfect tail for you.

Personally, I'd suggest creating a Pinterest Board and "pinning" different things that you like the look of/ have a fondness of and then try looking for a pattern in your pins. Do you tend to opt towards cooler colors... warm colors? Maybe darker ones? Do you tend to like things with dramatic patterns, or are you more of a "clean lines" minimalist sort of mer? For me, I decided that I wanted something that could swing from Gothic to Cheerful depending on my mood. I then drafted up a few rough sketches, asked for the opinions of my family members and boyfriend, and went from there. (I kinda explain it here: What Inspired my Mermaid Tail's Design (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTAVHFanKTA&index=6&list=PLf88KrDvBQclbnl4njpLUbR7-nGjtYKkV) ) If you're feeling super stuck, I highly suggest you turn to the people that know you best.

Best of luck to you! :hug:

XOXO- Mermaid Phantom

[MermanJamie]

Ugh. I hear what you're saying!! Designing mine took me foreeeever! My tail was made up of many sleepless nights and impromptu sketches in the early morning (I'm talking 3 A.M.). It's rough... but you'll find the perfect tail for you.

Personally, I'd suggest creating a Pinterest Board and "pinning" different things that you like the look of/ have a fondness of and then try looking for a pattern in your pins. Do you tend to opt towards cooler colors... warm colors? Maybe darker ones? Do you tend to like things with dramatic patterns, or are you more of a "clean lines" minimalist sort of mer? For me, I decided that I wanted something that could swing from Gothic to Cheerful depending on my mood. I then drafted up a few rough sketches, asked for the opinions of my family members and boyfriend, and went from there. (I kinda explain it here: What Inspired my Mermaid Tail's Design (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTAVHFanKTA&index=6&list=PLf88KrDvBQclbnl4njpLUbR7-nGjtYKkV) ) If you're feeling super stuck, I highly suggest you turn to the people that know you best.

Best of luck to you! :hug:

XOXO- Mermaid Phantom

I definitely hear what you're saying. I usually prefer cooler colors, because warm ones don't look too good on me. I prefer brighter colors, but surprisingly my wardrobe has much more dark than bright, so I guess you could say I like both. I don't really have a mersona, because I'm still discovering who I am inside, but from what I can tell he's probably kind hearted and good, but shy, as that's what I'm like, and I usually just use someone like myself. He probably also likes to sing, as I consider myself kind of like a siren, but that's pretty much all I have.

[TheMermaidQuintessence]

I went with my birthstone, which is sapphire, which felt right to me, even though I almost chose green, and have ALWAYS been drawn to gold tails....Personally I think it would be cool though to have an earthy tone tail, since in nature female species are much plainer then the extravagant male species. I low key think it would be super cool to have an army of mermaids with brownish tails in various shades, and one merman in the center with like a rainbow fish type tail lol what a photo that would be!

[Rebela Hunter]

I went with my birthstone, which is sapphire, which felt right to me, even though I almost chose green, and have ALWAYS been drawn to gold tails....Personally I think it would be cool though to have an earthy tone tail, since in nature female species are much plainer then the extravagant male species. I low key think it would be super cool to have an army of mermaids with brownish tails in various shades, and one merman in the center with like a rainbow fish type tail lol what a photo that would be!

I very much agree! It'd be even cooler if they all had similar patterns, too. Like stripes or spots, and the merman's tail was just a more colorful version of the same or similar pattern !

[MermaidLiara]

Hmmm, well,

What do you look like? Do you have pale skin, with blonde hair perhaps? Then I'd take a darker color such as black, or maybe royal blue or dark green.
If you have darker skin then I'd pick light green, silver, gold or grey. But only if you like it of course.


But I'm also curious: when you picture yourself swimming as a merman, what color/pattern does your tail have? :) What's the first thing that comes to mind?

A color shifting tail is also on option - you should search for finfolk's premade silicone tail, there's a video of it on instagram and it's MIND. BLOWING. Finfolk and Mertailor (among others) are doing pioneering work when it comes to colorshifting/iridiscent tails!

You could also pick a theme before picking a color or pattern - such as dragon, tree, northern lights, swan, etc. One mer even designed a tail according to the flag colors of her country of heritage.

[Mermaid Lilija]

Hmmm, well,

What do you look like? Do you have pale skin, with blonde hair perhaps? Then I'd take a darker color such as black, or maybe royal blue or dark green.
If you have darker skin then I'd pick light green, silver, gold or grey. But only if you like it of course.


But I'm also curious: when you picture yourself swimming as a merman, what color/pattern does your tail have? :) What's the first thing that comes to mind?

A color shifting tail is also on option - you should search for finfolk's premade silicone tail, there's a video of it on instagram and it's MIND. BLOWING. Finfolk and Mertailor (among others) are doing pioneering work when it comes to colorshifting/iridiscent tails!

You could also pick a theme before picking a color or pattern - such as dragon, tree, northern lights, swan, etc. One mer even designed a tail according to the flag colors of her country of heritage.

Do you mean me? :)


MermanJamie

I too have a lot of favorite colors! I sketched so many tails with those but nothing I said “This is it!” to. I went to think outside the box… From what region is my mersona, what are my hobbies, birthstones, is my mersona from salt waters or fresh waters, what kind of person you are,…


For example:


I thought by myself how I miss my birth country wich is Finland. The flag of Finland is blue & white. My mersona is from the arctic & fresh water mer, she is a spirit that lives in the ice cold rivers. I am a really complicated person and every stripe & dot on my tail means something. The stripes represent icicles. My dots are a reference to the snow I miss so much, they are also my mer freckles.
So there you have it. A tail designed by the flag of my birth country, my interests, personality. :)

Good luck with designing your tail! :eek:

[merman_kae]

I have struggled with the same exact dilemma for so long. My tail design process has been a continuous journey for the past five years. That's why I don't have a custom tail yet! What I ended up doing was ordering a custom top for Halloween and forcing myself to stick with that color scheme since I already had the thing. I don't think you have to buy anything, just restrict yourself. It's great if you have ideas, but once you have one that you set, do not let yourself change it.

[MermaidLiara]

Do you mean me? :)

Lol YEP! :) I followed your tail journey. I really like Scandinavia (spent quite some time in Sweden during my childhood) and liked your idea to incorporate flag colors in your tail. :)

[MermanJamie]

Ok, so in terms of what I look like: I'm tall, and pretty much a string bean compared to my friends. Everyone calls me pale, but I'm the darkest kid in my family, lol. So I'm like slightly dark. My hair is like a weird two tone mix of light brown and dark blond, and I have my mom's hazel/amber-ish eyes. Hers were much greener than mine though. You have to be in the light to see the massive amber ring in my eyes that remind me of her every day. Whenever I picture myself, I really don't know, it's usually not something super bright, usually duller, because while I like bright colors, I don't think a bright neon tail would suit me.

[mermaid anastasia]

I actually chose my colors based on the fact that i wanted something different i thought that i see a lot of green also i used nail polish to see how the color looks compared to my skin some colors make me look sickly and others bring out my best features now you dont have to use nail polish like me you can just use fabric or even shirts think about what colors look best on you what makes you check yourself out in the mirror for my husband thats red for me its darker colors like purple

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[Denise]

I have a bright green and blue tail. with my light skin color is good combined

[Mermaid Kane]

xD I don't have a tail yet.... I'm thinking oilslick for me. :)

[Slim]

Mer Made Tails is actually selling an already made silicone oilslick tail. Check the photos to see it. The like to their page is here: https://www.facebook.com/mermadetails/


xD I don't have a tail yet.... I'm thinking oilslick for me. :)

[KayanatheMermaid]

My tail plan is blue with hints of gold and countershading, with a dorsal fin and side fins and a large fluke

[Mermaid Whisper]

I enjoy having my variety of tailskins, but my mersona is a darker type, and I typically gravitate towards my classic blue with black as needed :)

My most recent outings (MerMania and the pod meetup) had me air out my blue tang tail, but I think this is the beginning of the end for that bubbly friend. Time to shift into a bit more originality (well, as much as you can get modifying a basic colored tail).


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[Mermaid Kane]

I enjoy having my variety of tailskins, but my mersona is a darker type, and I typically gravitate towards my classic blue with black as needed :)

My most recent outings (MerMania and the pod meetup) had me air out my blue tang tail, but I think this is the beginning of the end for that bubbly friend. Time to shift into a bit more originality (well, as much as you can get modifying a basic colored tail).

:D Tell us what you come up with!!

[MissLunaBelle]

I have 3 tails, all generally the same color scheme. Blue-purple, purple-green, and ice blue-mint green. I'm very drawn to the north, and the northern lights. So as a Minnesotan mer, i came up with that my tails change as the northern lights do♡ some nights there beautiful greens and purples, other nights the white blue light of the moon dances with them♡

[Mermaid Kane]

I have 3 tails, all generally the same color scheme. Blue-purple, purple-green, and ice blue-mint green. I'm very drawn to the north, and the northern lights. So as a Minnesotan mer, i came up with that my tails change as the northern lights do♡ some nights there beautiful greens and purples, other nights the white blue light of the moon dances with them♡

:o have any pictures of your tails?

[MissLunaBelle]

:o have any pictures of your tails?
Two are still in production, but I do have one!!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171004/99522384f81af916dbeec8940f42c4e6.jpg

[Mermaid Fenicia]

Most of my tails are yellow/gold or blue/aqua.

[Mermaid Kane]

Two are still in production, but I do have one!!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171004/99522384f81af916dbeec8940f42c4e6.jpg

Aw! So cute! <3

[MermanJamie]

I actually chose my colors based on the fact that i wanted something different i thought that i see a lot of green also i used nail polish to see how the color looks compared to my skin some colors make me look sickly and others bring out my best features now you dont have to use nail polish like me you can just use fabric or even shirts think about what colors look best on you what makes you check yourself out in the mirror for my husband thats red for me its darker colors like purple

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I got some paint samples from a nearby hardware store, that might help. Thanks for your advice!

[MermanJamie]

Ok, so in terms of what I look like: I'm tall, and pretty much a string bean compared to my friends. Everyone calls me pale, but I'm the darkest kid in my family, lol. So I'm like slightly dark. My hair is like a weird two tone mix of light brown and dark blond, and I have my mom's hazel/amber-ish eyes. Hers were much greener than mine though. You have to be in the light to see the massive amber ring in my eyes that remind me of her every day. Whenever I picture myself, I really don't know, it's usually not something super bright, usually duller, because while I like bright colors, I don't think a bright neon tail would suit me.

So yeah, I guess a darker tail might suit me better. I guess it would go with my eyes kinda. I'm darker than both of my siblings, who are both really pale, but it's not like I'm super dark or anything, so I guess it would also contrast with my skin, which I think would be a good combination. I'm not sure which would be better for me though: dark blue or green.

[Merman Storm]

A few months ago, the television Telemundo wanted to interview me as a merman. I brought two tails, the black "Toothless" tail and a blue one I made. They did not like the blue one because it is hard to see underwater, against the blue color of the pool. (Then I broke the monofin in the Toothless tail, so they had no choice.)

In selecting your tail color, think about how it will be viewed.
42297

[Keiris]

You're right, Storm. The hybrid tail I made was done in those turquoise colors because I love them. It photographs beautifully on the beach, against the sand, out of the water etc. In the pool water there wasn't enough contrast which is why I added stripes. It helped but the next tail I created, I went for a completely different color scheme with the water in mind.

[bizarre]

It be more beautiful if you use bright colors.

[gay-mermaid]

I personally went with my favorite color for my first tail! I'm going with a several shades of dark turquoise with gold accents!

[MermanJamie]

I finally did it. A while back, I did a pretty lengthy test that took about 20 minutes to figure out my aura. Turns out I'm mainly blue with a hint of lavender. I think that would make for a really pretty tail, but tell me what you think

[gay-mermaid]

I finally did it. A while back, I did a pretty lengthy test that took about 20 minutes to figure out my aura. Turns out I'm mainly blue with a hint of lavender. I think that would make for a really pretty tail, but tell me what you think

that sounds gorgeous! lavender is such a pretty color! what shade of blue are you thinking?

[MermanJamie]

that sounds gorgeous! lavender is such a pretty color! what shade of blue are you thinking?

It's hard to say, because like Storm said, certain blues might blend in with the water a bit too much. I've been told my color is sky blue by several people, which I think would look really pretty, but something darker would probably pop out more. I might still stick with sky blue, though

[gay-mermaid]

It's hard to say, because like Storm said, certain blues might blend in with the water a bit too much. I've been told my color is sky blue by several people, which I think would look really pretty, but something darker would probably pop out more. I might still stick with sky blue, thoughIf you would like it to stand out in the water, perhaps have lavender be the primary color with sky blue accents?

pronouns are they/them/their

[MermanJamie]

If you would like it to stand out in the water, perhaps have lavender be the primary color with sky blue accents?

pronouns are they/them/their

Maybe I should go with a more medium blue, not too light or too dark, that way it doesn't blend in too much, but it is not super dark?

[gay-mermaid]

Maybe I should go with a more medium blue, not too light or too dark, that way it doesn't blend in too much, but it is not super dark?If you like i can whip up some color palettes for you?

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[MermanJamie]

If you like i can whip up some color palettes for you?

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Sounds awesome!

[OrcaMatt]

I just decided I was an orca ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bam. Color scheme sorted.

[gay-mermaid]

Sounds awesome!

43396 43397

i thought a soft yellow would be a nice accent color?

[Kathleen Everett]

Maybe, the perfect color is a Royal Turquoise for a Mermaid tail. It is stunning!

[MermanJamie]

43396 43397

i thought a soft yellow would be a nice accent color?

OMG THIS IS PERFECT, I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! IT'S AMAZING!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH, THE PERFECT COLORS!!!!

[gay-mermaid]

OMG THIS IS PERFECT, I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! IT'S AMAZING!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH, THE PERFECT COLORS!!!!

no problem! i had fun with it!

[NeverlandMerman]

I know I have had several drawings of myself as my merman self, I started off asking for green, then went to blue and yellow and then gold yellow
that bright yellow has become what I’m comfortable with I haven’t looked into the color meanings, however I feel that yellow is what my scales are, I do have this idea of scattered electric blue scales as accents but have yet to have that idea drawn out.
It took a good while for me to land on a color choice. But seeing different stuff did help, and idk the bright yellow just feels right to me