Adding Scales to Neoprene Tail

[Mermaid Gosalyn]

Hello! I have a neoprene tail, and I'd really love to add some scales to it. I know people usually sew on sequin scales, but I have pretty bad arthritis and could not possibly do that, and I'd also like the scales to be larger and the top and get smaller as they go down. The idea occured to me that I could glue on foam scales, but I'm afraid that it might make the tail too bouyant and the glue might break after being rolled repeatedly for me to get the tail on and off. So now I'm wondering if anyone here has any ideas?

(Sorry if this has already been addresssed, my searches only came up with results about sequins)

[Trident True]

what about creating a template of the scales then use paint to paint them in, this way you will be getting them the exact same size all the time. make sure the template fits around the sides of the tail as well. hope this helps.

[Mermaid Gosalyn]

I forgot to mention that! I have been planning to paint on scales already, but I was hoping to find a way to add a bit of texture, like in a sequin or silicone tail.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Impasto paint or medium.

Impasto paint will give you the texture you need. Or you can use acrylic paint and buy the impasto medium. Mix 50:50.

You can sculpt the paint with a palette knife or brush it on.

[Mermaid Gosalyn]

Do you know if anyone's ever tried that on a tail before? It looks interesting but I think it may be out of my skill set. I'd love to see if anyone else has done it and how it worked for them, to give me a better idea.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

No don't know anyone that's done that. Though when I was at art school many years ago, I did try it on cotton fabric for a project. It didn't wash off or crack.

You don't need painting skills to play with impasto. Look it up and you'll see how its so easy to use.

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

[Mermaid Gosalyn]

It does look like something to experiment with! It sound like I could press some netting into it to make an easy scale texture. I will get some when I get the funds for sure. Thank you for letting me know about it!