Tail Design Challenge!

[Mer-Crazy]

SOOOOOO I'm definitely buying another Merbella's tail once she starts taking orders! HOWEVER! I'm not too sure what I want it to look like yet :/ My last tail was kind of "oh no! I've ordered it without and idea of what I want it to look like!" And I do have a couple of ideas as to what it could look like, but they're both designs I keep hesitating on. So! I was wondering if you lovely people out there could maybe help me out a little with the designs? You can use any colours/patterns you like, but know a few things:
-I'm not a fan of spots or stripes.
-I would really love a set of hip fins on it please.
-My last tail was a dark one with cool colours but I'm open to any colours.
-A MUST is that the back must be darker and the front lighter (you'll see what I mean below in my designs). It is simply a thing I really like, and I think would be more realistic as it is present in most marine mammals.
-I have also provided a picture of me both in tail and out if you wanted to see what I look like.
-Please use the Merbella's Performance Tail template found below with the Merbella fluke.
-If you really like one of my designs you can simply vote for it <3
-Please no stealing my designs please <3

Merbella Template:
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My Tail and I:
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My 2 Current Tail Designs:
The Ice Cream Tail:
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The Sunset Tail:
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So you can see that on both of my current designs the front and back are pretty different. Happy deigning <3

[SeaSister]

Just wondering, how do you colour in the templates? I use Photoshop elements, but the only way I can think to do it with the scales still showing is to have the opacity low. The problem with this is that if ever I let go of the mouse before colouring in something, I have to start over... this then creates a layer over what I've already coloured and darkens it, so that you can see that I hadn't coloured it all in with one stroke. Ugh, it's annoying. I'm so useless with photoshop lol.

[Elle]

Just wondering, how do you colour in the templates? I use Photoshop elements, but the only way I can think to do it with the scales still showing is to have the opacity low. The problem with this is that if ever I let go of the mouse before colouring in something, I have to start over... this then creates a layer over what I've already coloured and darkens it, so that you can see that I hadn't coloured it all in with one stroke. Ugh, it's annoying. I'm so useless with photoshop lol.

Colour on separate layers....That way if you have to change something you can just change one colour at a time

[Mer-Crazy]

Basically it's a whole tone of layers. There's the solid tail on the very bottom layer and the faded tail on the very top (about 25% opacity I think) and then every single colour is a layer on it's own. I then blur them to get a better blending. I use Paint.Net just because I'm more familiar with it than photoshop, and my old laptop with photoshop on it was recently dropped on the ground, so I can't use it anymore.

[Elle]

or you can take the designs she already has and just muck around with the colours :)

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[MerEmma]

I really love that sunset tail. <3

[Dusty007]

you'll see what I mean below in my designs). It is simply a thing I really like, and I think would be more realistic as it is present in most marine mammals.

[Mermaid Cecelia]

I really like the ice cream tail, just considering the fact that the tail you have now was dubbed by raven as the "starry night" tail. I just think that the sunset tail would be too similar, and I think you would have more fun with two completely different tails :D just a thought

[Mermaid Annariea]

i personally like the sunset tail you have, especially because it's so similar but so incredibly different from the tail you have now.

[tealmermaid]

Just wondering, how do you colour in the templates? I use Photoshop elements, but the only way I can think to do it with the scales still showing is to have the opacity low. The problem with this is that if ever I let go of the mouse before colouring in something, I have to start over... this then creates a layer over what I've already coloured and darkens it, so that you can see that I hadn't coloured it all in with one stroke.
I'm not sure if Elements is the same as normal Photoshop, but you should be able to set the layer blend mode. "Multiply" makes the white transparent; "Screen" does same for black. Then create more layers under the original image to colour on, one colour per layer.

Here's a fast one I did in greens:
http://album.tealmermaid.com/mermaids/merbella-tail-green.png

[Mermaid Momo]

Do you like purples? any colors you would absolutely stay away from? or any you like?

[Mer-Crazy]

I'm kind of looking for a more intense coloured tail, rather than pastels and probably cool colours over warm (because cool colours look better on me) Some people say I should get a completely different tail, so I have variety but in all honesty I want this one to completely replace the one I have now, so variety won't matter much. But really any colors you want to play with or think would look good is fine with me :)

[Mermaid Annariea]

are you going to sell your current tail? :(

[Mer-Crazy]

It's a possibility. I know a lot more now than I did when I ordered the first one, it was kind of a trail as it were. I'm not saying for certain I will, I may keep it or I have a friend who'd fit it well so I may give it to her so I have a mer-buddy to splash around with. But nothing is certain and this new tail will be a ways off whilst I save up for it, I more meant that I won't wear the other much once I get the new one mainly because I measured this one WAY too tightly so it's a bit uncomfortable ATM. But for now she's still my baby :)