Dream a Little Dream of Mermaid You... How?

[Seatan]

So tell me, how did anybody out there decide on ONE look for their tail? I swear, every day I wake up with new wonderful designs in my mind, all: "Oh, man, if I ever have the money my tail is gonna look like THAT." Like lately I've been thinking it would be awesome to have a tail based off of a Portuegese Man O War. They have such beautiful coloring and such a distinctive shape that could be turned into a dorsal fin.

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So how did you pick? Did you know right away? Did it come to you slowly? Did you go through many tails? Were you influenced by others or by media? Just wondering how you fabulous mers came into your colors and flukes!

[MerEmma]

Okay, that is a totally unique idea and you should totally go for it. That would look GORGEOUS as a tail. <3

I don't have a tail yet though so I can't answer your question... :P

[SeaSister]

I don't have a tail yet either, but I'm sort of the same way...

I mean, I have a specific colouring in mind that I want, but I have all of these different designs in my head, too. I figure, though, I have a lot of time to decide... I'm broke, atm. XD

[Gem Stone]

I dreamed up all sorts of ideas and I keep them in a journal. then when I get to make or buy my next tail, I go with the idea I love the most. after I do an idea, I put a check mark so I know not to do it again

[Coradion]

Well, I go crazy. I'm a marine bio person, like it's my career and kind of ruins my life some days. I had a nightmare about CCA once. For my tail, I had a vague idea, then I wanted a feel to it. I think that's what I struggled with the most, what kind of flow does it have in the water? Different fishes swim different ways. Like watch a butterfly koi swim and then watch a tuna or scarid. I picked a movement that I liked and made a fin shaped to the effect I wanted, hence my heavily forked and stiff tail. Then I just painted until I was happy. For designing new silicone tails I plan and sketch and make myself crazy. Mermaid Harmony can attest to it. In the end what helped me was to take my sculpting board and some acrylic paint. Make a tape line dividing it down the middle and paint directly on the board half of a tail. When you like it let the paint dry, then take some pastels, I used oil based ones and trace the details of the painted fin using color coded pastels. After that put a piece of paper on it, rub the lines and use it as a reflection by taping it to the board, sculpt onto that.

[PearlieMae]

That's pretty ingenious! Me, I have images saved all over my computers, pinterest, I fill sketch books...I will go into a build with many, many ideas and plans. Of course, those plans change along the way, I never really know what I will end up with.

Then, it's on to the next build!