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View Full Version : I'll get around to making this eventually...



ShyMer
05-23-2012, 01:32 AM
So I've been planning this for a while, I'm just a terrible procrastinator and probably won't actually do it for a bit. I thought it would be cool if people could look it over and give me feedback.

I'm aiming for Image one color wise, though image two is more what I'm thinking now for side fins-
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Originally I wanted to do a whole bunch of fins, but then I remembered I haven't tried this yet, and want this to be finished sometime before 2015, so I think I'm just going to go with two sets this time.

I plan on using swim fins instead of a monofin. I think a rapid would also work fine for this shape, but I don't like the look of the rapid under a tail very much.
I intend to use neoprene and Alex plus. I would like to use real latex but that isn't an option for now for various reasons. As this will be a first tail of this kind I've made, I am fine with using this material to start out with, knowing it won't last as long and will need a lot of upkeep.

Specifically I am excited about this fluke shape. I saw a yellow magictail mod on the yuku site once that had a similar cut with dark eye spots. I don't remember who it belonged to, but I think it was partly an inspiration for this shape. I chose this shape because I wanted a unique fluke, and I wanted to play with making it appear larger than it was without being huge. I also wanted to try making a tail with swim fins, and this was a shape that I thought might work particularly well for them. It is also similar to the shape I like for wings if that means anything.
I am thinking about starting the curve for the fluke shape a little lower down on my feet, rather than my ankle, in an attempt to make it appear longer and hide the foot shape some. I don't know if this will work very well, it's just a thought at this point.
In image two from above, I marked where I would expect the swim fins to go. I think one thing I'll have to work around is the ridges from the fins. I'm not sure how I'll try to blend it yet. Maybe I'll cut away bits of the rubber on the fin to hide it better. I could probably experiment with tubes as well.

So I haven't actually gotten any materials yet... I decided it would be wise to throw my idea out there before getting started :)

Anyone have any thoughts? Even little things would be appreciated.

Gem Stone
05-23-2012, 09:11 AM
Warning, the extra side fin material might cause drag when swimming and it may not really 'flow' like you want. I have three tails with swim fins and each one has it's own drag depending on where the fins are located. But I think you have a great idea

ShyMer
05-23-2012, 09:39 AM
Right, drag is probably going to be an issue, especially with using swim fins instead of a bigger monofin. I half anticipate that the extra bits on the side of the fluke will probably flop the wrong way :( Maybe if I use something to stiffen the outside edge? I don't know :/

Merman Ray
05-23-2012, 11:07 AM
I must say that even though drag would be an issue with the extra fins, your design looks really nice.

Ayla of Duluth
05-23-2012, 11:50 AM
I am absolutely LOVING that color scheme. it looks so delicate and natural! I think maybe if you filed the ridges on a rapid monofin down and filed the end of it to a flatter angle [think like a razor blade and how its tapered] it should work fine in a tail like this. Although i can't speak from experience, Ive only ever seen the rapids after they're already in the tails and they do look quite obvious.

MermanJesse
05-23-2012, 11:54 AM
I can make it for you! :cool:

ShyMer
05-23-2012, 02:50 PM
Thanks, Waterwolf! I went between a bunch of color schemes, mostly gray, orange, koi, and the green. I've always liked the idea of a koi tail, but the fin shape i'd want wouldn't be right for it. I also like goldfish, but it's being done a lot now. I think if I did gray correctly, with lots of other pearly colors and silvery contrast, it'd look fantastic, but cmon, it's my first non spandex tail. Originally I really wanted a green tail, but I didn't want people to look at it and say Disney, so after playing with patterns a ton, I came up with what I have now. I'm quite pleased with it, and look forward to wearing it.
I have a rapid that the foot pocket tore a little back in November. Finis said they'd replace it for me, but I slacked off and still haven't sent it in. I have a feeling they wouldn't want to replace it for me anymore, so it might end up being a guinea pig for trying to hide/remove those pesky ridges. I just wouldn't want to take away any extra support the ridges may be giving :(

Thank you, Ray. I have two dozen of the same drawings on my bedroom floor from changing little things and just getting a better feel for how it'd look. I've thought about this design a long time. You wouldn't really know by my sad computer sketches, they're a little sloppy...

Jesse, I know you could :P I've been keeping an eye on your tails lately, and I like what I've been seeing. I don't want to pester you too much though, as the budget doesn't like anything other than homemade :(

MermaidRaegan
05-23-2012, 07:06 PM
I'm loving that fluke! Side fins do cause a bit of drag, but if you do them right then they look so nice. :D

ShyMer
06-06-2012, 01:53 PM
At this point I'm awaiting my parents' approval to build my tail in their garage. The problem is that it'd be there for several weeks, which they're not be too impressed with. Oh and fumes. That rules out their basement, which they would have liked better :/

Also I'm still going between using a rapid, a foil, and swim fins. I like the foil's looks in a tail and the fact that my ankles wouldn't be at a weird angle I'm not used to.

AniaR
06-06-2012, 06:26 PM
very beautiful amazing and unique design!

ShyMer
06-06-2012, 10:03 PM
Thank you :)

Mahi Mermaid
06-06-2012, 10:05 PM
I really like it!

ShyMer
07-26-2012, 10:41 AM
So plans have changed- turns out I had this savings account where my grandparents had put some money in for college. It would have been nice to know back when I was still in college, but that's great, because I have a bigger budget now for tail making <3

I'm not going to use alex plus anymore. Instead I'm going to do something like what Star did.

I've been thinking for a long time that I wanted to use oval scales. I found a 1 1/2 inch oval puncher last night at ac moore, but I can't fit craft foam in it. I had to think of something else to use for my scale sheet, and so far the best I've come up with is thin cardboard, like the stuff they make cereal boxes with. I love that stuff.

Here's my test-

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Yes, that is a dominoes pizza box I slapped them on. Don't worry, it's just a test to see how the cardboard looks:)
I like the idea of using cardboard because the foam scales look too much to me like a fish that's pineconing. I want something that has a lower profile I guess, and I think cardboard might work, as long as they show up well enough on my finished scales.

Oh, also there are two patterns there- I'm leaning more to the lower pattern, but I'm still thinking. Anyone have any thoughts?

Ayla of Duluth
07-26-2012, 02:56 PM
i'm torn. i like them both.

Mermaid Saphira
07-26-2012, 03:06 PM
I like the 2nd one :D

Ayla of Duluth
07-26-2012, 03:08 PM
actually, i think the second one looks a bit more realistic, but that might just be because its put together a tweak bit neater than the upper one. :) they certainly both have their pros.

ShyMer
07-26-2012, 03:19 PM
Ha, they're both sloppy. The more I look at it, the more I like that lower one. That might be the one I go with. The problem with that pattern is it leaves small spaces under each scale, so I'll have to figure out how I'm going to deal with undercuts. I could fill them in, but that sounds tedious.

Mermaid Eutha
07-26-2012, 03:19 PM
How thick is the cardbord about? I can you see the edges?

ShyMer
07-26-2012, 03:35 PM
It looks like it's around .5 mm, which is pretty thin. I can see the edges pretty well actually, depending on the light. I am up for suggestions if anyone can think of a better material.

Oh, as a reference, craft foam seems to typically be around 2mm.

ShyMer
08-09-2012, 12:04 PM
Here's an update, mostly for motivation for myself.

Almost finished my fluke, just needs to be smoothed and tweaked a bit. I'm going to let it sit out for a while so that it doesn't just smoosh when I try to sharpen edges.
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Hopefully I'll be able to do some molds tomorrow! Yay!!

Mermaid Crystal
08-12-2012, 06:43 PM
Cool fluke and i like the second one1 What are u going to use to make your fluke?

ShyMer
08-12-2012, 07:16 PM
The store that I went to had hydrocal. I could have asked them to order ultracal for me, but I was already in the area and the trip is around two hours to make from my house. I made my mold Friday and haven't opened it yet. I have no idea if my mold worked :)

From what I've read, hydrocal doesn't last as long as ultracal, and I may have problems with my mold degrading the more I use it. I plan on coating the cleaned mold with shellac or something to help protect it though.. We'll see how it works out.

Winged Mermaid
08-12-2012, 08:07 PM
Wow, that fluke looks awesome! Very unique- love it!

Thalassa
08-12-2012, 08:16 PM
:thumbs-up: This is looking great!

ShyMer
08-19-2012, 10:03 AM
Thanks for the encouragement, you guys.

So I finished my mold, like, last Friday. I was kinda puzzled as to how to get it off my wood. It's kinda heavy, but it's somewhat thin for its size, so I was afraid I'd snap it. Also for some reason I stuck Press and Seal on the board before I put my clay down, and it was keeping the mold stuck to the board. Maybe not the best idea.



I managed to flip it over this morning. One of the tails has a crack- if I hadn't used fabric to reinforce it, it would have snapped off. The good thing is that I can just use wood glue to stick anything back on that breaks.

Speaking of wood glue, I have a bunch of bubbles in some places on my tail. Those tail things have almost all of them. I don't know how I got so many. Perhaps if next time I allow my mix to set up a bit more before applying it to my clay, I would have had fewer problems building it up on the taller parts.
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So sad :(
Anyways, I'm using wood glue to fill in the holes. It works well with hydrocal, as the plaster likes to suck in moisture, so the glue sets up rather quickly. I'm going to sand the glued places down to make sure they're smooth after it's completely dried.


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Here it is, all cleaned up (yay!) I used a cloth, an old toothbrush, and a container of water to clean it off. That thing sucks up water like a sponge, it's amazing.

Next up is my scale box. I filled in any gaps under the scales with wood glue and am going to put on a last coat of poly today. I should be able to make that mold in a few days once it's dried.

Mermaid Saphira
08-19-2012, 01:09 PM
is that the fluke? how neat :D

ShyMer
08-19-2012, 04:26 PM
Yup, that's my fluke. It's got a ways to go because of holes and stuff, but I'm pleased with it. I really hope it works out!

Mermaid Saphira
08-19-2012, 04:33 PM
Yup, that's my fluke. It's got a ways to go because of holes and stuff, but I'm pleased with it. I really hope it works out!

looks great so far! good luck w/ it :)

ShyMer
09-06-2012, 03:03 PM
My hubby and I got a sewing machine about a week ago. I'm so excited! I used to be afraid that I'd break it if I got one or I'd not use it or anything. So far I've been making making cozies for my pet rats, repairing stuff like jeans and my canvas martial arts uniform (which worked just fine, yay!), and a whole bunch of other stuff. I don't know why I waited so long. It's awesome.

So I figured it was about time to order my neoprene. I already ordered my latex, though it hasn't been shipped yet. I had trouble finding a site that sold neoprene, but I decided to go with Stretch house- it seemed to work out fine for Star, so I'm hoping it works well enough for me too.

I've been lazy with my molds. The sewing machine came along and I haven't done much anything else project wise. Now that the initial excitement is over with, maybe I'll get some work done!

Azurin Luna
09-07-2012, 05:05 AM
When I made molds and little statues I always tapped the bottom and the sides to get it to release the bubbles trapped in it, maybe it works for you too.

It looks very nice so far :D

ShyMer
09-09-2012, 10:04 AM
Yeah, I think agitating it somehow would probably help, but I'm not sure how I'd do it with such a large piece of board like my fluke was... I guess I could put some pvc underneath it so it's raised and I can roll it around and tap the underside, but I don't want to run the risk that it would warp the finished cast in the end because of sagging. It's puzzling.

I was thinking the other day about not using straps for my monofin in this tail. I have trouble keeping them in the right place without a tail, so I'm concerned about them slipping off inside it. Then I remembered that I want to make the monofin removable. I need to have something to keep the monofin from sliding back. Maybe I could make something work with a zipper? I'm not sure a zipper can take the strain of it though. Any thoughts?

Also my latex came in! We had it sent to my husband's parents' house and he'd had it in the back of his car for a couple days and didn't say anything. I think he was trying to wait until my birthday present came in- two new airbrushes to help with painting later! One will be for covering large areas. It uses 2 oz jars to hold the paint, which will be really nice, though paint flow control isn't as precise. The other, nicer airbrush is such an improvement on my old one! It has the small gravity well on the top, but this one has a cap that seals (!) so no more paint splashing around everywhere! Also the mechanism is a lot smoother and you can adjust various parts on it. It was pricey, but I think the difference will be worth it.

Now if my neoprene comes in, I'll be set to go!

ShyMer
09-17-2012, 05:15 PM
So I've had trouble with people taking our packages or something in the past, so I was concerned when my neoprene didn't show up within a week.
I just emailed Stretchhouse a little while ago asking when my neoprene was sent, and a representative called me.

Turns out they were out of stock of the color I wanted, but didn't try to contact me in any way. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't emailed them :/

So I asked for a different color (I won't be seeing it anyway) and he said it should be shipping today. We'll see.


Also I did my scale mold today! Haven't pulled it up yet as it's still chalky feeling. I made a huge mess though. My clay walls weren't pressed down as well as they should have been...

Mermaid Saphira
09-17-2012, 05:21 PM
^ I believe alot of mers have been having problems with stretch house. O_o

ShyMer
09-17-2012, 10:01 PM
I know I'd heard of people having problems with some fabric places but I couldn't remember which. We also don't seem to have a good list of fabric stores on the forum, so I went with something I knew worked based on another's experience.
Maybe we could do some sort of review section for online fabric stores? I'd like to see a more complete list with people's experiences.

Mizuko
09-18-2012, 02:07 AM
Your design is amazing, I cannot wait to see the finished result! :D The fluke mold is incredible! :D

ShyMer
09-18-2012, 08:29 AM
Scale mold!

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It's awesome to be able to hold a product. It makes me all excited for when I'll have the finished latex sheets!

I'm going to make another scale mold so I can cast two sheets at once and hopefully get less wear. Also there are bubbles that I intend to fill in with glue again I guess, though I'm not as worried here. If anything I'll just cut off the extra bumps once the latex is cast. I did try agitating the mold a bit so maybe there are fewer than there would have been :/

Thanks for the encouragement:)

Mermaid Caidence
09-18-2012, 11:41 AM
It looks great! Can't wait to see finished. :D

ShyMer
09-22-2012, 11:05 PM
Started casting my latex today. The base color isn't dark like I would have liked, showing up as a teal color actually, but it's still lovely. I was surprised how thick the latex is. I think when I do my dorsal I'll be able to use the brush to make texture like I hoped (instead of a full sculpted mold. I'm getting lazy.)

I may post pictures once it's ready to come out of the mold. I'm quite pleased so far.

Ashe
09-22-2012, 11:06 PM
I cant wait for more pics!!! I love it when i can see mers making their own epic tails! <3

jukumerboii
09-23-2012, 02:36 AM
o...m....g ur designs are AMAZING!!!! i cant wait to see the finished tail!!!

ShyMer
09-23-2012, 09:12 AM
So I moved my pet rats into the bathroom so the fumes from the latex wouldn't bother them last night. This morning I went in to feed them and saw some gray bedding at the bottom of their cage, which is weird, because I use the brown carefresh stuff. Turns out my new gray sweater was too close to the cage and is now missing the lower part of its left sleeve... X(



Otherwise the latex dried really nicely. I had a ceiling fan going all night and the scales are pretty much done. From what I've seen so far I may not need a second scale mold either. It didn't pull up any plaster and dries super quickly.
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Those blobs are gonna be cut off in a bit.
My fluke has some really thick parts that are still lighter colored, but the thinner areas are dry and pulling off in some places. I'm going to continue to build the fluke up through today and hopefully will be done tomorrow.

Ilonka
10-07-2012, 09:46 PM
Everything is very beautiful! its going to be an amazing tail!

ShyMer
10-08-2012, 07:16 AM
Thank you :)

As a short update, I've sewn most of my neoprene (neoprin, really ) sleeve, have installed the zipper, and sewn in the belt with coat hooks and eyes. It feels pretty sturdy so far.
I have both sides of my fluke finished, but it's funny, I coulda sworn I had been careful with my mold to make sure it should meet together evenly. I guess any extra that doesn't mirror itself can be trimmed off. Just puzzling is all.

MerEmma
02-20-2013, 03:20 PM
How did this go?

Disfusional
02-20-2013, 03:34 PM
LOVE LOVE LOVE all of this. Thanks for the progress pictures and updates. I'm so excited for you!

ShyMer
02-20-2013, 06:09 PM
Oh hey, I was getting ready to make another post soon, thanks for the motivation :)

I'm getting close to being finished actually. My original goal was to have this tail done by haloween... that clearly didn't happen. Stuff comes up, you know?

Anyway, I've got my fluke finished and put together, the side fins attached to the body, and have finally found a way to blend the scales that I like, though it's still too messy looking to put up pictures just yet. I decided to make a lexan monofin for this tail, which has been a pain in a rear, but I'll be able to put it all together this weekend, with the rest of the tail to follow.

I was surprised at what parts of this project were going to be more time consuming and difficult to do. totally would have planned some things differently.

ShyMer
02-25-2013, 03:35 PM
I've got the two parts of my lexan adhered and am getting ready to attach my foot pockets. Other than cleaning up seams and doing minor adjustments, this is the last step before I attach the fluke to the body.

I specifically wanted the body to appear very long. Being a size twelve or so, I think this'll help to make me appear less short and hide the legs better. I'm excited to see if it'll work. My fluke will start just on my toes.

Here's a shot of some of my extra fins. It's a tad messy from using the dremel, sorry :/

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I can not get over how they stand up. I love the way they hold their shape. They're nicely floppy, yet they have a good weight to them.

You can see my seams here. They're not done yet, too messy, but I've got it figured out now.
You can also see a lighter patch next to the right fin. When I first attached them, I put them too close together and didn't realize it until it had partially set. I was able to rip it off easily enough, but it left a mess behind. My dremel helped to clean it up easier, but it's not as pretty now. I was considering diluting some latex and brushing it on. Maybe that'd help smooth out the roughness.

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I'm not as much of a fan of the shape of them though, and I didn't cast them very well in comparison to the scales and fluke. I was looking back at my old sketches and found that I had a much more elegant, yet complicated shape, and wish I had done that instead, but as a whole, it looks fine.


Those long pieces at the end of my fins are awesome. I love to flip them around <3


Once I get it all put together I'll post pictures. It's been a lot of fun and I've learned a lot. I have a better respect for tail makers now. Tail making can be hard.

MerEmma
02-25-2013, 03:41 PM
So gorgeous<3

Ariel-Starfish
02-25-2013, 03:46 PM
Omg this looks amazing!! So talented!

Nymue
02-25-2013, 04:59 PM
Your design is really awesome, and I love the shape of the fluke and fins :) Wainting to see the overall render of yout tail ^^

Mermaid Saphira
02-26-2013, 04:33 PM
love the fins! I can't wait to see this tail in action :D

MerEmma
03-12-2013, 12:40 PM
Gotten much further?

Mertara
03-21-2013, 02:10 PM
can't wait to see more of this!

ShyMer
03-24-2013, 10:26 PM
Oog, this thing seems to be so much trouble some times. I worked on attaching my fluke to the body today. Took a couple hours trying to make sure things lined up okay, put it on half way to try to get it long enough in the ankle area. Nope, it somehow ended up several inches too short, so I got to rip it apart at the bottom and ask myself what I did wrong. Fitting is hard.

There's a good side to all this though- i did put it on the best i could and i got to flip the fluke around some. It's heavy, but the latex is strong enough to hold it together. The swim shoes have a weaker material on top, so i think I'll still reinforce them with nylon straps, but i can still move it well enough on land.
I loved being able to see what it'll look like once it's finished. It's an awesome feeling, and even though it has its issues, it looks great overall.

No pictures today. Maybe tomorrow if I can get this all sorted out.

Mermaid Wesley
03-24-2013, 10:50 PM
its so beautiful! i cant wait for the finished product

MermaidBrittany
03-24-2013, 11:37 PM
Very cool! :D When you are able to upload pics, it would be really cool to see the fluke :)
Can't wait to see it in the water!

ShyMer
04-28-2013, 04:04 PM
Photo Update!

In my opinion, getting to paint the tail is the best part of the tail making process.

I finally decided that I had my seams as smooth as I was going to get them, so this week I started to paint.
I began by painting on a layer of transparent brown (I picked up transparent by mistake, I simply wanted a dark brown) mixed with some latex and water. I used a brush at this point because my air compressor and brushes are at my in law's house right now. I don't want to upset my neighbors at our apartment building with the scary compressor noises :/

Yesterday I finally got to try my new airbrush. My husband got me a lovely gravity fed Badger for my birthday (back in October, this project has taken forever) and it came with a Master freebie that had bottles (which is super convenient, you just switch them out when you run out of paint.) I was nervous about the paint clogging up my nice brush, as I'm mixing with latex, so I tried the Master first.
After some messing around with it, I have found that as long as the paint is mixed thin enough with water, it works just fine. I would suggest using a piece of tights/hose or other fine meshed material to strain the paint to avoid globs clogging up the brush. Don't get me wrong, it tends to gum up anyway every once in a while, you just will have to take it apart fewer times to clean it if you strain the thing first.

So here's what I have so far as of yesterday afternoon.

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This was one of the closest photos I could get to the actual color of the paint.
I wanted to blend the green color from the right over the brown of the left, but I wanted the underside of the scale to stay dark. I achieved this by only airbrushing from one direction, so very little of the paint lands on that plane. This makes the scales look like they're outlined in dark.
I didn't anticipate that it would give such a gorgeous sheen to the brown. If I had known it would do this, I would have painted brown all over the tail to begin with. I don't like how flat the right looks in comparison to the left, though the green does have the same amount of shine (though you wouldn't know from my photo.) Perhaps when I start the back I will put brown on first. We'll see.

Here's a shot of the fluke so far.

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Sorry for the weird lighting. When you airbrush latex, you have to do thin coats of paint and wait for it to dry, as the material is non absorbent. If you put too much paint on in one place, it becomes a puddle, which isn't good. Because of this, it can take forever to build the paint up to where you want it.
The fluke isn't as blended yet as the rest of the scales, but you can see what I'm going for so far.

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I like this shot because you can see the painted side and the unpainted back side. The latex was tinted green when I cast it so if the paint scrapes off, it shows up green sorta. Also the side fin is a good example of how the green scales in the left really look.

Things I'll do differently next time-

-If you're tinting your latex, you don't have to use tinted latex all the way through the finished sheet, especially if you're casting in layers to get it to dry faster. Maybe just tint the first layer or so, then use plain latex. This way you use less paint that you won't see anyway.

- If you make straight seams, it shows up more than if you cut along the edges of the scales. It leaves noticeable straight lines. Not good. You blend better if you take the time to cut out the edge of the scales.

- Know exactly how big you need each piece of scales to be. I cut most of mine too small to begin with and ended up with far more seams than I wanted. Maybe make a muslin version first to make sure your measurements are correct.


That's all I can think of at the moment.

The paint isn't done yet- I have some pearly white and yellow I'll be using to blend in different places once I have enough green. I'll continue to post updates as I make progress.

Mermaid Momo
04-28-2013, 05:06 PM
so beautiful!

MerAnthony
04-28-2013, 05:27 PM
:jawdrop: OMG!!! WOW!!!!

ShyMer
04-28-2013, 07:46 PM
Thank you :) I can't wait to paint again! Air brushing is so much fun. Aside from having to wait while it dries, it's really fast in comparison to using a regular paint brush. Looks much nicer, too.

I wanted to go paint again today, but it's rainy and dark today, boo.

Mahi Mermaid
04-28-2013, 08:10 PM
lets see the whole thing!!

ShyMer
05-01-2013, 01:51 PM
It's sunny today! Super convenient because I don't have anything else I have to do today, so I get to paint :)

Here is a shot of the full tail. It's easier to see how thin the paint is so far- you can see the under color of the latex where there's no reflection.

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You can still see the edges of where I stopped with the brown, but that just means I have some blending to do. I still have a lot of painting ahead of me. Good news though! It's pretty warm out, so the paint dries very quickly. I can do a lot more today, I think. Perhaps I'll be able to experiment with my yellow today.

I've already done a lot of painting so far. Hopefully I'll be able to post some more pictures when I'm done.

Ashe
05-01-2013, 02:11 PM
Oh my goodness that is amazing!!! :O So pretty and I LOVE that metallic paint job!

Mermaid Varshana
05-01-2013, 06:42 PM
Wow, those flukes are killer!!!

Mahi Mermaid
05-01-2013, 06:53 PM
This is awesome! so cute!!

Mizuko
05-01-2013, 07:57 PM
Oh wow!!! :D Its incredible!

Mermaid Caidence
05-03-2013, 01:43 AM
Gorgeous! Can't wait to see it when It's finished. :)

Azurin Luna
05-03-2013, 03:18 AM
Wow, that is a really nice and original tail :D

Mermaid Dottie
05-08-2013, 06:04 PM
Oh.
.
My.
.
Venus.
.
I think I'm in love....

SeaGlass Siren
05-08-2013, 06:13 PM
Oh my .... This is beautiful!!!

Mermaid Allie
05-08-2013, 06:14 PM
OMG ITS BEAUTIFUL.

devilkitten1
05-08-2013, 06:52 PM
Oh my gosh, that is gorgeous! I love the little knee and side fins!

ShyMer
05-08-2013, 11:52 PM
Thanks everyone c: I'm glad other people can enjoy my tail as well.

I'm not busy this weekend so i hope to do the remaining painting then. Also i will be wearing sunscreen this time. i burned so bad ;_;

Ariel-Starfish
05-09-2013, 03:55 AM
Wow so awsome! I love the shape of the side fins!

ShyMer
05-09-2013, 12:29 PM
Tried it on today, found that the knee fins are fun, but a pain if you want to do a kneeling pose. Duh, I guess :p

Flopping around in a tail on your apartment floor, trying to wiggle onto the couch to get to your computer is something else. Also, missed phone calls.


Other tips for making a latex tail-

when sculpting your fluke, make it bigger than you'd like it to be when finished. It will shrink considerably when the latex dries. I think it's something like 5 %?
I originally tried to make it so I could use my rapid in my tail, but it ended up being too small.

ShyMer
05-13-2013, 11:18 AM
I got to paint again yesterday! It was cold, so I didn't get to do as much.

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Photographing this thing is hard. A better camera would probably help.

Last time I painted, I struggled with paint mixing. I tried straining it to prevent lumps, but somehow the latex separated some from the paint mixture, and it didn't have enough latex in it. When I rubbed the tail with something wet, the paint rubbed off some. That worried me.

Yesterday I tried something different. I mixed the paint and transferred it to an empty plastic water bottle. I strained it a little with cheesecloth, but I didn't worry about it so much this time.
Now I just shake the bottle some each time I refill the well on my airbrush. I still get lumps, but my brush seems to work really well for cleanup so I swipe the well with a toothpick and that's usually all I need.

This time there was plenty of latex in the paint and it doesn't rub off.

It's hard to tell but this time I used a gold in the paint, so now it's more green. I left the edges the bluer color, and I like it. I will probably go back in next time with a blue green to touch up places I covered too much.

I think I'll continue to cover with the yellow green for a while, then start using the gold and white for highlights.

I was also thinking about the paints themselves- I don't know if the regular non pearlized stuff is cheaper, but it would probably be good to use some regular paint and some non pearlized paints. The shiny stuff seems to do very well over top an opaque color. When I use the rest of my latex in the future for another tail, I will experiment with the different paints together more.

Here's a wider shot :)

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Jadestone
05-19-2013, 10:49 PM
This is beautiful, ShyMer!! I really love how the parts with brown underneath look, wow what a shine. Also, your side/knee fins and fluke shape are AWESOME!! I can't wait to see pictures of you in this! Glad to see how all your hard work is paying off :)

MerMarla
05-20-2013, 01:02 AM
Great job! I love the blending of greens to blues, and the shimmer is a beautiful effect! Glad to hear your airbrush didn't clog with the lumps! I can't wait to see pix or vid of you swimming in it!

Ariel-Starfish
05-20-2013, 11:42 AM
this is some amazing work!

ShyMer
06-20-2013, 01:52 AM
I finally got to try it out today! I'm borrowing a friend's sister's pool which is only six feet deep at the deepest, and pretty short. At the most shallow it's three feet deep. It's a little awkward, but good for making sure I can do it without drowning or something.
I struggled to get it on in the water, but it feels great. It doesn't really float like I expected, which is pretty nice. I guess you could say it's neutrally buoyant. From what I've heard, this isn't usually the case, so I'm pleased.
Even my monofin performed well enough. I'd show pictures of the monofin I made, but it's not very pretty or neat. It's a little embarrassing :/ I get plenty of kick from it, and I look forward to trying it out in a longer pool.

I did seem to have lost paint in a couple places. It seems like it tore off. Maybe it stuck together at some point and pulled off. I'll take pictures tomorrow.

Interestingly, I didn't feel as much drag as I thought I would. I seem to remember my spandex tail having more drag, though it does have a lot of extra fabric on the fluke.

I should be able to swim tomorrow as well. Will post again tomorrow if I can.

Bonus- swimming at night is super cool and nobody can see the wrinkles at your knees and ankles. Of course, the color makes it hard to see at all...

Little_Orca
06-25-2013, 11:55 PM
Love this tail.

Mermaid Caspiana
06-30-2013, 02:44 PM
Can't wait to see how this comes out! So far it looks exactly like your drawing! So amazed and perplexed! Ivjope I can do this with one of my drawings too someday (hopefully) soon! ;) good luck on finishing and be sure to post lost of pictures dry and wet! :)

ShyMer
06-30-2013, 03:33 PM
Thank you!

I did have my friend take a couple very short videos of it in action. We did the best we could considering the camera (her phone) and the tiny pool. When I get the videos back from her I will post them.

ShyMer
08-03-2013, 10:13 PM
My husband and I got a camera with a waterproof case last night, so today we borrowed my neighbor's pool to get some footage. I love having an underwater camera- it's a great tool to see your swimming technique.

We have to edit the video still, so I can't post that yet, but I do have a couple of stills that my father took. I apologize for the low quality, my mother seems to have shrunk them down somehow.

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I seem to have no neck? Anyway, I loved getting a few shots in, and hopefully I'll be able to post a video before too long.

In the future I would like to also show how I made my monofin. my design is similar to the competitor style monofin and actually moves very nicely. It's almost too floppy to get as much propulsion as I'd like, but it has a nice, fish like movement to it.

jazz2453
08-04-2013, 12:15 AM
Looks good! Congratulations;)

Jadestone
08-04-2013, 01:32 AM
Ahh, it's looking gorgeous!! Can't wait to see more pictures. I ADORE the color!

Gem Stone
08-07-2013, 12:58 AM
it turned out amazing! congrats on a job well done