Modifying Mertailor Fantasea skin

[WiccaEli]

Hello fellow Mers! I am a newbie, I go by mermaid Eden. I am currently in the process of recieving a mertailor fantasea fin and Maroon Fly spandex skin (i did not go for the whimsy skin as it's pretty out of my financial capabilities at this moment.)

What i want to do is add fins (similar to the maroon fly whimsy fins, again i could not afford the actual skin) and sew beading to it to embelish them, and I want to know what the best way of modifying/painting on spandex is. I am planning to order spandex, fabric paint, waterproof acrylic sealer, and then hand stitching the fins to the skin (I am pretty skilled at this so the sewing in't necessarily a worry for me)

I am not sure how well it'll hold up in the water, it doesn't have to be perfect, but I would like to know thoughts and also guage interest in a possible tailmaking/ altering thread?

I cannot add photos yet, but the name and brand of the starting skin is listed above.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Get fabric paints/markers.

Stretch the spandex before painting.

If you don't stretch the fabric before, the artwork will warp when you put it on.

Sew up the tail skin and fins.

Get some newspaper, scrunch up in a ball and plastic bag them or use cling wrap. Then stuff the tail with them. Don't over stuff the tail. Have it enough that, when you put it on, it is a perfect fit. Try a bit a at time. I know it sounds like a pain, but that is the way to go.

[WiccaEli]

Thank you for the tip about stretching the spandex! As I am not painting the tail itself, I don't think the rest will be a problem.

[AniaR]

mertailor whimsy skin doesn't hold paints. it's not spandex, and I know a few mers who have tried. It flakes off and distorts. It has a LOT of stretch to it, a lot. I think you'd be fine to add fins but if they're silicone they will be much heavier than the fabric and I worry create a lot of drag that can pull the actual skin down your body. It would be better to use another type of fabric I think.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

mertailor whimsy skin doesn't hold paints. it's not spandex, and I know a few mers who have tried. It flakes off and distorts. It has a LOT of stretch to it, a lot. I think you'd be fine to add fins but if they're silicone they will be much heavier than the fabric and I worry create a lot of drag that can pull the actual skin down your body. It would be better to use another type of fabric I think.
She/he could just paint the fins before sewing them on. You won't need to stretch the fins before adding paint to it.

[WiccaEli]

I did not order the Whimsy skin, it was too expensive. I bought the Maroon Fly fantasea skin (which is listed as spandex on the website)
However the tailskin itself isn't my worry, I am attempting to paint on different spandex and add that as fins. I want to leave the original skin as it is