Snake Tail "fluke"- possibilities

[Echidna]

Hello fellow tailmakers!

I'm entering the next phase in my endeavours to produce a snake/naga tail that not only looks genuine, but gives decent propulsion.

I'm going for a flowy, serpentine look in the tail tip, looking like this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joN78DXO7Zw

While it flows nicely enough, there is zero propulsion and lots of drag.
I've tried using a clear monofin inserted in the tailend, but it stiffens the tailtip too much for my liking.

Now I'm considering new options.
My idea is to put something (for example a cylinder-shaped thick hose) into the tailtip, and then sew it shut.

My questions would be;
is it feasible to sew a fabric tail tip shut, or will it balloon up, since it's not waterproof?
Then there's the propulsion.
Will something slightly paddle-shaped give any when sewed into the tailend, or does it have to be attached to some sort of footpocket?

Ideas and feedback appreciated.

[Aziara]

Maybe a small monofin, like the foil? I think it would fit in that flowy fabric past your feet.

[TheChimera]

My advice would be, leave a small pocket at the bottom for the water to escape, and maybe reshape the monofin into a more paddle-shaped design at the end, that way you will still have some propulsion, while creating the illusion of a serpentine tail

[Dee Tal]

My first tail will also be more serpentine like the ones in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICXiijPt7nw

I like how the paint makes the sides of the monofin look like fins while the rest of the tail continues further down.

For an even more gradual look you could start side fins maybe at the thighs, gradually getting larger to the width of the monofin then taper out to the end of the tail. That might look more eel-like though.

I hope it gives you some ideas.

[Echidna]

Thanks for the replies!

The tails in that video look rad, but I bet they're still hard to swim in :p
Making the monofin look like fins is a great idea.

I'll just have to try it all out I guess :)

[TheChimera]

What kind of 'naga' design are you looking for? Like the mythological naga or like the naga race from WoW? An idea for accessories could be a ornate brass bracelet or gauntlet, to give yourself a more 'snakey' tribal appearance :D like the greek Lamia , the torso of a woman and the lower body of a serpent kind of thing

[Echidna]

What kind of 'naga' design are you looking for? Like the mythological naga or like the naga race from WoW?
Was going for a true snake-like appearance.

WoW Naga, and other semi-humanoid Naga, are rather short and thick snakes.
Which is of course easier to emulate ;)

Now that I think of it, all serpent-human hybrids have rather short, thick tails
(Medusa, Lamia, Echidna...), Mélusine is an exception, but then she was probably half a dragon/fairy,
and depictions of her vary a lot.

[TheChimera]

Always good to know there are others with interests similar to mine :) you could always have like a 'lost civilization' look going on with like a rubbery or silicone tentacle headdress ,like a female counterpart to Cthulhu, and dragon wings ...but that would probably be taking it too far haha, i enjoy the whole WOW naga 'sunken city' themed appearance, looks so mystical and badass, the idea I had for the monofin being altered into a paddle shape is to almost have it taper down into a smooth point (rounded for safety ofcourse) i'll make a crude sketch of it and post it in a few, btw what monofin are you planning on using? Using a naga themed tail you could style it quite extensively, since especially the tide witches and naga sirens have decorative tails, i was considering going for the look myself, something alot like this


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/13/6u5a5ese.jpg

[Azurin Luna]

Looks like a very nice idea. I've also an idea for a naga like tail floating around in my head. I've had made small side fins from fabric and they baloon up when they are completely sewn up, but as they are fabric, you can squeeze them and they stay mostly flat, unless one of them gets out of the water long enough to get drained from water.

[Echidna]

While wow-like Naga look awesome (if only they made them playable!), I didn't plan on making such a tail.
It would be very unique for sure, but I try to keep stuff simple and swimmable

15802

^^cannot imagine moving underwater in something similar lol.

As for the "monofin", I'll try out something entirely new
(tailtip-shaped, flattened like a real watersnake's tailend, and added footpockets), have yet to see how that one goes.

[TheChimera]

P
Looks like a very nice idea. I've also an idea for a naga like tail floating around in my head. I've had made small side fins from fabric and they baloon up when they are completely sewn up, but as they are fabric, you can squeeze them and they stay mostly flat, unless one of them gets out of the water long enough to get drained from water.

What I do for fabric tails is do a lot of structural stitching, like dont just stitch the sides, or glue (i use silicone sealant) to apply the fabric firmly to the fin, and i avoid ballooning this way, i usually do it to make the stitching or glue look like veins, much like those in a leaf, vertical lines running through the fin also makes it look more realistic, sorry if my explanation is a little foggy, i'ts a hard thing to describe


If only they had made them playable, I had requested it but theres tons of things involved in introducing a new race, like , are they able to have mounts and architecture and language , but mostly the fact that they have tails makes it impossible for them to have mounts, and the idea for the flattened tip of a snake tail is what I'm talking about, just in more technical terms , Im planning on doing a a black and white striped tail with red accents in the fin to match my hair and a large dorsal-fin and side fins, and I would use this to perform with sharks

[TheChimera]

The paddle shape idea ive had lately would look loosely like this design I drew below but the paddle would sit lower down the legs like the previous finfolk design

15803

[Mermaid Dottie]

I may be crazy, but I came up with this design and immediately thought of Caltuna. I was really thankful this thread was here. So, it's a bit like those serpentine tails in the video, but I imagine a much narrower monofin, like a foil, with a duct tape and zip ties extender on it to hold the tail shape.
I'm sorry about the quality, I literally jumped out of bed and grabbed the first things I saw to sketch it with. Which happened to be my son's enormous crayons. Don't judge.

I
Hope it's explanatory enough, I'm feeling a little fried since it's 01:00 right now.
19245
The side fins would attach to arm bands and glove thingies to create a really unique silhouette in the water, sort of a Roman feel, hopefully. You would probably need to glue the eel body to the monofin, just on the edges.
If you have narrow enough monofin, it's likely you could use a sheer fabric for the side fins.
Yeah, I should sleep now.....

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[Echidna]

oh, so the sidefins extend along the entire body, and thus hide the monofin shape?
that's a cool idea!
smoothens out the shape.

I've never seen someone with an eel tail, I hope you go for it. :)

[Mermaid Dottie]

Oh, no, I was thinking of you, dear, I think it would be great for your style. I probably wouldn't look very good in something like this. I think you would look amazing, though.

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[Echidna]

Oh I see! Thanks!

I'll think about it.
Maybe I can even use one of my older wetsuits and sew the side fins all along its length.

Best to go for unnatural colouring though, I bet it comes out scarily real-looking

--> http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?7504-Run-ins-with-spearfishers&p=116541#post116541

[jvry8c]

very original and cool idea.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Yeah, don't try and look like an actual fish where you're at, hon. I don't want you harpooned!

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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Are you going to make a monofin that is longer in length? Like a snake blade? That would be really cool if one can swim in it!