Desert Mermaid is about to get a tail!

[Desert Mermaid]

Hello all you lovely merfolk! I just joined the forum yesterday and have been lapping up everybody's advice on tailmaking. I initially wanted to buy one. Mertailor's look lovely and I could easily afford one, but the reviews put me off :(( So I think I'll make my own.

I'll post my progress here (as and when it happens). Right now I'm stuck on where to buy the material. I can't seem to find a store in Dubai that sells thick spandex by the yard :doh:

I'm also kind of playing aroung with fluke designs and color schemes and wanted to get your opinion on what color you thinkI should go for. I'm thinking to choose between:

1. Golden base with copper and purple shades
2. Silver base with blue and purple shades

What do you all think?

It's lovely to be a part of this community, by the way. (online for now, but hopefully for real very soon!!)

Bubbles and kisses! xoxoxo

[Taylor is a Mermaid]

Welcome to the forum! So glad we inspired you. I have no idea where to find spandex in Dubai; I've never been to Dubai! As far as colors for your tail go, if it were me I'd choose colors based on skintone and hair color, my personality, and whether or not I wanted to be different from most of the community. I don't know what you look like or anything about your personality, but I do know that there are a lot of blue tails out here and not as many gold, copper or purple ones. But I don't think I've seen a fully silver tail on here either. Both color schemes sound lovely, though I think golden, copper and purple sounds more unique. Good luck! :)

[Desert Mermaid]

Thanks for your reply Taylor! Your advice is really good :) I love the blue/ peacock hued tails but i have seen SO many of them on here. No wonder they're so popular - they're gorgeous!!

I'm on the darker side and have really dark brown hair and brown eyes. You're spot on about the golden scheme ... would go better with my skintone. I'm most likely gonna have to make do with whatever color spandex I can find though :(

Below is a sketch I made while playing around with ideas. It's got some fluke designs that I've been thinking about. Still not decided which one I'll go for.

[Desert Mermaid]

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=644&d=1312449643

[Spindrift]

Wow, I love your sketches! And the color schemes! ...and the fact that you live in Dubai! Haha. I've actually got some friends from high school that live there and it's huge on my list of places I want to travel to. Are you an expat?

[AniaR]

welcome, Im very excited for you. woo!

[jukumerboii]

hey there!! oowwww those are some wicked sketches!!

[Mermaid Sirena]

I love the purple design! Taylor is right there are a lot of blue tails around (not that you can't make a creative and unique blue tail) I can't wait to see what you come up with!

[Desert Mermaid]

Thanks so much for the encouragement lovely mermaids :) So I went on a shopping trip to buy material and it proved almost impossible to get the stuff I wanted! I managed to buy some stretchy golden material but it's not swimwear material so we'll just have to see how it holds up in water. I bought some thin foam for the fluke but I have noticed that gets all floopy. Any ideas on how I can make it unfloopy? I.m thinking of reinforcing it by sticking some thick wire inside so let's see how it goes.

The painting part did not go well at all. I tested ALL the paints at our biggest artist supply store on a swatch of my tail material, but all of them washed off after just one go in the water :(http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/images/blank.gif I'm gonna have to settle for a solid golden tail I guess :( I'm thinking of adding color with some dyed organza fins coming out of the fluke.

So excited!!! I think the tail should be done in a couple of days.

Gonna have to get very creative with the top too. I'm a Muslim mermaid in a Muslim country so bikini tops are outta question. I've got great hopes for a one-shoulder bandeau top made of the same golden material and then layered with netting and lots of seashells. Do you gals think I should go for golden netting or hemp/twine like netting? I cant seem to find that lovely black netting I see used on tops on this forum. Can't find anything in Dubai!!!:doh:

[Desert Mermaid]

Hiya Spindrift ... yep I'man expat. Dubai is an awesome place to be. You should visit. We can take mermaid pix together on the beach :)

[Spindrift]

Oh man. That would be so awesome. Hah, if I'm in town I will definitely let you know! :P Hmmm this might serve better in a private message and feel free to answer that way if you like, but if you're an expat do you happen to know people from Dubai International Academy?

[Odette]

the blue magenta and silver is my favorite. bonne chance!

[Mermaid Saphira]

was this tail ever completed? I was looking forward to seeing it :p