Mermaid Melanies First Silicone Tail

[Mermaid Melanie]

Hey lovelies ! So back in November 2013 I ordered all of my materials to make a silicone tail. I got all my stuff pretty quickly, ordering the dragonskin from AUS ( cost a fortune ) and the monster makers clay from Malaysia ( which was actually very cheap ! ) I made a scale sheet first and it took me about 4 days total as I couldn't get my hands on a cutter so I drew circles around a jar lid and then cut them out and stuck them down. Thats when the work halted, and ill be honest its because I didnt want to put my fin in the tail and not have my freediving fin anymore but I have a new one on the way for that so full steam ahead ! I figured if I made a thread it would keep me motivated and get me on my way to my first silicone tail ! heres what pics n stuff i have so far !

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And heres some design plans I started, not sure what one to choose I loved the rasta tail when I first coloured it what do you guys think ?
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im not so sure about the fluke I think when I sculpt it, it will just happen ... I hope lol

[AniaR]

Great designs

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[Mermaid Wesley]

Love it! I have all these tailmaking buddies! I'm following all these threads lol

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks guys ! I'm still playing around with the designs ... I really do love the rasta tail design, feel like its very me lol

[Mermaid Kelda]

I looove the blue and red one, but the rasta's fantastic too :)

[Mizuko]

Oh all your designs are beautiful! :D The rasta one stands out the most, though! Such bright colours! :)

[Mermaid Adriel]

All designs are great, but I opt for the rasta one! ;)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Note : when i was cutting the foam circles, i cut them at an angle so they would have a little slope onto the next scale, thought this would be nice for fitting them together nicely and also gave me some room to paint highlights on the scales ( hopefully )

[mermaid_lover]

I love your designs, I wish I could draw that way :drool:

But I like the rasta the most! :D

[Mermaid Melanie]

okay guys so i did some digital versions of the tails in diff colour designs - i think i like the fluke so I'm gonna stick with that now for the colour !

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I really like this one below
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[Merman Arion]

As a brunette, I think you would look great in a green tail like Ariel. That would be my choice if I were you :)


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[Mermaid Melanie]

I was thinking of going with green I love Ariel tails and actually my hair is red but still waiting for the rest of this brown to wash out lol

Really like this one -
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[mermaid_lover]

I really like the blue/pink tail :D and it will look gorgeous to your eyes.

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[Ariadne]

Yes! I love the last one...so much talent in our mer-family! Can't wait to see it for reals!

[lynsea]

You are an excellent digital painter!

[Kamanaka]

Last one gets my vote :-) gorgeous and different too!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I like the last one too :)


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks guys ! I got a graphics tablet a while back and I've been loving playing around with it and its really great for tail design has so many cool features ( I use Sketchbook Pro ) anyway I really do love that last tail design and its very apt. Siamese fighting fish it was based and and I am in the land of Siam lol but I had fun continuing to do design plans last night and thought id share them with you all anyway ! some of these I wouldn't use for my own tail but I think they would look nice on other people !


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lol watermelon tail :D
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Jeez I made a lot of these last night :/

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So today I'm starting to sculpt the fluke Ill take some video and pictures and keep you guys updated with how I get on ! ooo excited :D x

[lollikit]

Wow! im in love with this one!!!
http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=20507&d=1399004951

[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/02/uju5arad.jpg

So here's the first half of the fluke drawn out I quite like it hope it's big enough ?



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[Mermaid Wesley]

What are the measurements?


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Well it's bigger than my fin by about 10cm and gradually gets closer to the fin near the middle I think it will be fine I'll measure it in the morning - it took me so long trying to smooth out the clay going to try and did some tips in the tail making threads
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/03/3y6ypyry.jpg
Here's what I finished with tonight


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Looks great!


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks chick ! How's yours coming along ? I'm finding it pretty hard to smooth the clay even after heating - are you using your hands to smooth or a tool?
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/03/a3eqejed.jpg


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[Mermaid Riia]

Look sooo fiiine! More pics pls :)

[mermaid_lover]

I make clay statues, i just grab a small, flat rock and i gently rub it over the clay ( in small cirkels) how longer you rub how smoother the clay will be. But like I said I make sculptures so i dont know this can be used on a fluke ;)

Your fluke looks amazing :D
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[Ariel-Starfish]

This looks incredible! :D

[Mermaid Wesley]

Try turning on the heater to keep the clay consistently softer. When it got hot in my house sculpting got easy


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks guys ! Its gonna take a lot of love to smooth it out lol So I got 1 half of it finished now - ill post some more pictures tomorrow ! yeah I guess I'm being a wimp its like 35 degrees C here so I guess the clay isn't that hard lol Ive been using a hair dryer to soften it, I think I read that in Jazz's tutorial* once I get the initial sculpt done, Im going to put it on top of my mono fin and see how its sits and then probs gonna have to make some adjustments for where the ridges are etc, other than that, I've got my scale sheet ready for casting the mold, I just need the pigments now, haven't decided on what to use yet, will check the forum for suggestions, pretty happy with the design plan, also might make those side fins ... not quite sure how ill go about them yet but again tomorrow ill post more pics ! x

[Mermaid Wesley]

keep it up! You're doing great!

[Mertara]

too many pretty color schemes!!!!!!!!!!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Hey guys sorry no updates had a few lazy days there ! But back at it today - changing slight elements of the design as the middle kinda looks like ... Eh a vagina lol so that's gonna have to go ! But anyway here's a wee update pic

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/07/gy8ygemy.jpg


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[Morticia Mermaid]

Looks good so far.

As for the middle, I think if you change the lines a bit in that very center portion it will lose that vag look.

Sent by star fish

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks ! Yeah it's not too bad just have to change it up a lil bit lol I didn't wen realise till I'd done it lol


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[Ariel-Starfish]

Lol i had the same problem with my fluke design. :p

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Hehehe! Looks like I'm not the only one that draws half a tail and copies the other side!

Looks great btw!

[Kishiko]

Looks so awesome, Mel!!! Very fantasy like, I love it <3

[Mizuko]

Loveee your fluke design Melanie! :D Its beautiful!

[Mermaid Meredith]

Are you going to line your tail with neoprene or just leave it the silicone?

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thank everyone ! I'm up bright and early to start it again today ! And yep Irene I thought it was the only way of get it symmetrical lol I used a window on a sunny day as a light box to trace through the second side lol - no neoprene to be put in this tail this is going to be full silicone


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[Ashe]

I'm in love with that fluke ahhh! :D I can't wait to see more updates!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Since its all curvy on the edge, you could just change the vag into a heart. Or double hearts.

[PearlieMae]

Since its all curvy on the edge, you could just change the vag into a heart. Or double hearts.

Hmmmm...that sounds oddly familiar...:thinks:

Looks great! Looks like a lot of work!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Ok fine then! Stars! No one has stars on their flukes.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Haha don't worry Pearlie I won't steal your heart :p I'm just going to flatten it and make it more like my original design cuz I kinda made it more curvy and stuff but thanks guys I'm glad you like it so far ! http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/08/5upaga6e.jpg
Here's where I'm at right now - I'm filling in the design and then I'm going to go back over the whole thing making sure that each ridge has a nice slope to the next and I'm a little unsure of how thick it should be but I'm going to make the edges slightly thinner I think at the bottom of the fluke, once I've done this I'm going to put my sculpt on top of my monofin because the monofin isn't flat it has a slight bend at the toes on the blade and I'm just gone try and smooth it out and hide the ridges I guess ! Sound about right ?


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[Mermaid Wesley]

sounds right to me!

[AnnaAbyss]

I was thinking of going with green I love Ariel tails and actually my hair is red but still waiting for the rest of this brown to wash out lol

Really like this one -
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Oh my lord this one is beautiful. *-* Looks almost like a rainbow trout.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks Anna ! That's the one I decided to go for it was based more on the Siamese fighting fish - I can't wait to play with the colours !


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[Theta]

Your tail is really coming along stunningly! I love the fluke design- can't wait to see it finished!

[PearlieMae]

I was kidding! You can has hearts if you want!!!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks everyone, its so encouraging all your comments ! Im really enjoying this sculpting its pretty therapeutic lol will post a few more pics tomorrow but only have a little while tomorrow to work on it xx

[PearlieMae]

This is going to be so pretty!

[Ariel-Starfish]

Oooh smoooooth! :D <3

[Mermaid Melanie]

Ahhh okay so I've been very lazy and bad and today I'm getting off the lazy train and back to the sculpt so pics to follow soon ! x

[Mermaid Melanie]

Ok guys so I went today to checkout some pigments and the like but my local store doesn't have pearl ex - I've searched through the forum and couldn't find the answers I was looking for but can you use paints mixed with silicone to colour it , does it have to be a certain kind of pigment you use ? Ugh freaking out incase I put something in it that might stop it curing or something :/


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Some work, I've heard, but you should definitely do tests because each paint could have a different effect


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[Mermaid Melanie]

I'll do a few lil tests before hand then - would you guys recommend tinting the silicone like before painting ? Almost finished the fluke sculpt - http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/17/aqy5a2yb.jpg


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[Merman Arion]

I LOVE the style of your fluke! :D

WOWZA! :dance:

[Mermaid Melanie]

Here's some of the paints/pigments/glitters Im going to test out http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/17/e3a9apeg.jpg


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[Mermaid Amelia]

Love that fluke


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks guys ! Ooh Arion Im so excited to see how it comes out ! can't wait to see your finfolk when you get it :D

[Mermaid Melanie]

So I've been working the past few days and haven't had any time to work on my tail but back on it today - moving it onto the monofin today - the fin has some ridges that I'll need to adjust for hope it turns out alright ! Also I had a really funny moment a few weeks back at a fashion show and the platform of my heel came off - I never stumbled or fell lol but it was quite comical so I'm going to fix them and make them into mermaid shoes I'll decorate them with pearly beads and mermaidyness lol so will try and post pics of that today too :)


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Yay!


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[Ariel-Starfish]

Hey lovelies ! So back in November 2013 I ordered all of my materials to make a silicone tail. I got all my stuff pretty quickly, ordering the dragonskin from AUS ( cost a fortune ) and the monster makers clay from Malaysia ( which was actually very cheap ! ) I made a scale sheet first and it took me about 4 days total as I couldn't get my hands on a cutter so I drew circles around a jar lid and then cut them out and stuck them down. Thats when the work halted, and ill be honest its because I didnt want to put my fin in the tail and not have my freediving fin anymore but I have a new one on the way for that so full steam ahead ! I figured if I made a thread it would keep me motivated and get me on my way to my first silicone tail ! heres what pics n stuff i have so far !

20467


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And heres some design plans I started, not sure what one to choose I loved the rasta tail when I first coloured it what do you guys think ?
20470

20471

20472

im not so sure about the fluke I think when I sculpt it, it will just happen ... I hope lol

Incredible designs!!!

Urgh, i wish I had foam circles! My clay sheet is taking me FOREVER! :(

[Mermaid Melanie]

I quite like the foam circles I did I hope they have a nice definition but I did draw each circle and cut it all out with scissors which left me with some blisters lol maybe in the future I'll try a clay scale sheet ! Would be nice to play with different shapes ! :D


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Ugh I'm such a fail at motivation ! So I realised I had a lot more work to do on the fluke sculpt than I though to last night I started trying to smooth it out more then moved it onto the monofin I found that the ridges on the special fins monofin really showed through so with my heart in my mouth my boyfriend David cut them down and then I sanded them - they look good now and the fin will fit in nicely ! I could t fin vinyl gloves anywhere - island troubles ! I thought maybe at least a doctors or pharmacy might have em but nope ! I did manage to did PVC gloves at the Chinese supermarket however - has anyone used these kind with shell shock and or dragon silicone before ? It says they are latex free - could I just have used fabric gloves ? Anyway I moved in to building my clay wall for making my mold! All coming together now ! David was working on fixing his surf board for the low season using expanding foam and I thought maybe it would be good to fill the duct tape dummy with the expanding foam to keep the shape it's really sturdy and would be a good mannequin to work on ! Any thoughts ?


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[Mermaid Wesley]

keep up the momentum! You can do it!

[MermanOliver]

Expanding foam can build up quite some pressure to the mold and might bust up the duct tape mannequin. So it might not be such a good idea filling it with foam.
If you have enough of that stuff, do a test first before using it on your dummy.
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[PearlieMae]

Also, unless there is adequate ventilation, the expanding foam doesn't always harden inside the form...found out the hard way with the exact thing you are trying to do. Use foam packing peanuts! They are so much cheaper than the expanding foam!

[Mermaid Zaffiro]

You are an excellent digital painter and very talented with clay: the fluke is beautiful! Don't be demotivated! You're going great! ��

[Mermaid Melanie]

Aw thanks guys for the tips and encouragement ! It's pretty hot and humid here so your probs right Pearlie ! I'll get my hands on some foamy peanuts - finishing the clay wall today and then gonna jump in and do the shell shock mold ! Excited!


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Hey folks so today I was going to make the fluke mold but my poor puppy is sick an had to go to the vets - after an xray and some blood tests he tested positive for blood parasites poor wee thing is all sore and can't walk much but hopefully he will start getting better with the medicine - I did however do a small sample with fiberglass and resin on my foam scales - it's a polyester resin and doesn't seem to be melting the scales - http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/14/y3esy8yd.jpg has anyone else used fiberglass and foam scales ? Just figured after reason through the forum that I can use Createx paints to colour the silicone ? If so I'll be relieved as I have a box here already ! I'll check what colours I have and post some pics !


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Ok so the fiberglass didn't melt the foam I would use more hardener next time though cuz as it sits there if it's not hardenening you have to keep poking the fiberglass back into the details - also looked out my Createx paints and looks like I have all the colours I need ! Yipee ! And on another note I got a new puppy today ! We called her Lola she's super cute and will be a great companion for Pablo ! http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/15/tubavype.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/15/a6eve6ab.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/15/asemuva2.jpg


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[Mermaid Wesley]

awesome!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks lovely ! Just waiting for the acrylic coat drying then ease release then she'll shock is going on ! Really happy with the sculpt finally ! http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/15/aty2asyt.jpg


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh how gorgeous!


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Omg that shell shock just about shocked my system David helped me to do it and thank god cuz it hardened super fast I wasn't expecting that ! It is like 30 degrees in the shade however - do you find part A kind of hard to mix with part B ? We spent a lot of time trying to mix them maybe I should use less part A next time ! Here's the first layer - http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/15/era5eher.jpg


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[Fifi Tigg]

That's a beautiful fluke :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Aw thanks so much Fifi ! Ive just finished the 2nd layer of shell shock - will probs add another layer tomorrow morning or maybe just back it with fiberglass ! really excited the tail project is on its way now ! I've been loving the tail makeovers you have been doing ! x

[Mermaid Melanie]

De - moulding today ! Excited ! http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/e6une4ez.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/16/6ynyheby.jpg

I used acrylic lacquer and a silicone mould release but still having to peel out the clay but it's coming out nicely so far ! Little over hang at ye edges I'll sand down what you think so far ?


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Really pretty! Good for you!


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[Mermaid Adriel]

Great fluke!

[Mermaid Amaya]

So gorgeous!
You make it seem so possible to do

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks Claudia! yours looks fab too ! :D and thank you Aikiaterine - its a bit daunting at first but there are so many great great threads with information/tutorials and lots of lovely helpful mers to guide you ! it is a big project and I've had a few errors here and there but you learn ! gotta start somewhere! in the process of cleaning out the last of the clay from my mold and sanding down the little over hangs around the edges ! will post a clean mold pic later hopefully lol ! x

[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/18/u5eqata4.jpg

Phew took a while to get that clay out but I'm really happy with out the mould turned out ! Just sanding the little overhangs an then it will be ready ! Then on to the scale sheet - it's takin me a fair few coats of lacquer but still putting more !


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Okay so when I got my scale sheet back out and had a look I noticed I had a lot of areas the shell shock might slip into and after having to sand the fluke mould I don't want to make the same mistake as there's so many little over hangs so I darted to fill the gaps with clay I'm sure I heard that somewhere if not I hope it works okay !

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/18/muse9ehe.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/18/ynysyba2.jpg

Yes it's taking a while but lucky I have David helping out !


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[Mermaid Amaya]

I've heard that about clay before. Looks great!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks ! I'm almost finished filling it in then tonight when David gets home he's going to help me pour the shell shock mould ( decided to try the shell shock since I think I have enough left over - next time I'll buy 2 buckets instead of just one )


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Okay folks so I didn't get the mould poured last night - David was late in from work and I've hurt my back so just took it easy - today's my birthday so probs won't be doing any of the tail today but will get back on it as soon as I can !


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[MerMarla]

Happy Birthday! Mermaid Melanie! :)

Your flukes are beautiful! I didn't realize until now that you were making your silicone tail! Awesome! I'll page back to see your progress!

Have a wonderful Birthday!
me, marla

[Mermaid Adriel]

Happy birthday! :D

[Pascal21M]

Happy Birthday

[lynsea]

I think this is my favorite fluke ever... yup, it definitely is!

[AniaR]

Looks amazing great progress

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[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks for the lovely birthday wishes and comments guys ! I'm finishing the clay filling today and then doing the shell shock yay ! Will try and post a few pics later ! Getting very excited about this now it seems like it will be ready so soon now !


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[Lily]

How large are you making your scale sheet? Looks about 12"x36" (30.5cm x 90.5 cm)?

Definitely a good idea to fill in those gaps. Making a mould with undercuts is always risky - and even if the mould comes out fine, the silicone could get stuck tear when you take it out. Better safe than sorry!

[Mermaid Melanie]

The scale sheet is 19" by 46" roughly - yeah when i looked at it all level i saw so many spaces that could fill up with the shell shock - and after all the sanding on the fluke I'm for sure not taking that chance again lol

[Lily]

You can also try running a blowdryer over the areas where you've added clay. It can help smooth out any bumps or fingerprints and slightly melt the clay so that it really fills in each gap. Start on a low setting and work your way up until you see results.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Ok so finally today I will pour the shell shock for the scales ! - yeah I have been using the blow dryer trick throughout the process, its been a big help, but i still found it hard to smooth the large areas of clay on the fluke but I'm happy with how it turned out so far - so excited to start the silicone and painting ! Im wondering what to do to seal the mono fin in properly I saw some people say glue lace to the mono fin to make it stick etc but I don't know is it necessary ?

[Mermaid Wesley]

You're probably going to needs special glue for sure *nod*


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[Mermaid Melanie]

oh what sort of glue do you think ? i don't know why but in my head i just thought i could put some silicone on both sides and it would stick lol wishful thinking

[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/24/reqenyga.jpg

Finished the scale sheet all coated and ready to rock with the wall up ! Hope it works out well ! X


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[Mermaid Amaya]

Looks great!

[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/25/e5amebad.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/25/3utyzy4e.jpg

Okay so first layer down on the scales we had a system so we poured all the cups out that we estimated we would use so all in all it was 6 cups and a cup and a half of hardener - it was just enough but left some of the scales a little thin so we will put another layer with what we have got left and maybe some fiberglass on the back to strengthen it - I mixed and poured the first 2 cups and half a cup of hardener and started brushing it in while David mixed the other and then passed on to me and so on -

SHOCK HORROR MOMENT .... When I realise I forgot to put on the ease release but it does have a lot if lacquer coats so I'm hoping it will turn out okay if not I'll have to sculpt out of clay and use fiberglass or wait till I can get more shell shock - bummer but it was too late at that point to stop

Lesson learned - take your damn time with prep !

Should the fiberglass be put on the back when the shell shock is still wet ? Or wait till it dries and do it separately ?

Will keep the updates coming !


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[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/25/gapu6e8e.jpg

Ok so top layer poured and setting covered all edges and peaks pretty well so my only
Worry is that I can't get the scales out of the mould and break it

Tomorrow I'll get up early to star work at it and then I'm off I training for the DNF event this weekend yay ! I got a buddy for tomorrow so will be awesome to train properly again !

Anyhoo will let you know the good or bad news in the morning !


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Ugh so tired today woke up at like 4:30am with all the lights on and the laptop still running off to attempt fe moulding wish me luck lol


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Woe is me I'm either going to spend a lot of time cleaning and fixing and sanding the mould or have to abandon it :( http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/26/tyjapu9a.jpg sad :(


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[Mermaid Wesley]

I say go for it. You can do it :)


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[Lily]

Clean out a portion of it and fill/paint a small test area with your silicone. If the master scales are getting trapped like that, the silicone might as well and then you'd be SOL. If the silicone comes out okay, it's probably worth it to clean out this mold.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks guys - ah I forgot the ease release like a wee dafty lol will know better next time I'll still clean it out and try to fix it I think once I sand down the over hangs it will be fine to be honest if I can get the foam out alright !


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[Trident True]

I like what i see, its looks fab. im very, very Jealous of your fluke though.

Q. do you put the clay on piece be piece then smooth it out? when i did my fluke i ended up using a rolling pin to smooth out the clay. yes MM clay can be difficult to smooth out but it can be done :) I only done it this way to ensure i got even weight distribution on both sides. a tip. once you've done your fluke use a leveller to see if its level. this way you can tell if there is even a mounts on both sides. I then have a separate design then i etch into the clay then simply start carving etc. Im very intrigued on how you are crafting your luke. no messy clean up. your scale sheet looks fine. just remember this is your first tail and there will be very mild imperfections that may arise. :) your second tail would be even better. ive learnt alot from my tail making experience and this coming from me seems a little sentimental as i can be extremely stubborn at times. good luck with the rest of your tail. :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

working through the scale peeling - my fingers hurt bad but I think I might be able to salvage it with a bit of sand paper ... or many bits lol

Thanks Trident - Im really happy with how the fluke turned out - when I was sculpting it I just used a hair dryer and my hands with a chopstick hair thing for smoothing the edges and in hindsight - a rolling pin would have been a much smarter way to do it lol I rolled out the clay for the edges and then kept rolling long pieces to fill in the gaps and smoothed it with my hands - for sure the mould isn't the same thickness all over but I think it looks alright and when I was peeling the fluke clay out it came out in big parts in places but I still had a lot of sanding to do on the edges where the shell shock crept under - but it turned out not bad. The scales ... pah ! ill learn from this mistake for sure lol but yeah I think it might be alright once i get it sanded in areas! Thanks for the lovely comments everyone !

[Mermaid Melanie]

Only got about 1/3 left to pull out then moving on to the clay - if you wanna see how the scale pulling is going you can check out pics and vids on my Instagram - CopperLocks or #mernetwork on IG xx


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[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/27/erusahu3.jpg

I had a much better pulling technique once I I got into the groove of it - I think this mould will be fine - next stage - clean out the clay - after I get back from training ! Xx


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[Lily]

Looking good! I'm so glad you didn't have to give up on this mould after all the hard work you out into it!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks so much Lily ! - I'm glad too - uch it may be a lot of work but I think it will be worth it plus ill learn from the mistakes I've made this time ! I'm still thinking of doing little side fins like in the digital drawing but not sure how to make them flowly like i drew them - I saw a thread about something similar and they mentioned using a circle skirt pattern and that is a fantastic idea ! either that or ill try and make a 2 part mould ... gosh i have no idea about how to do them but we will see how it goes ! off to training now with Katie and Miguel ! excited to meet Miguel for the first time he's supposed to be like a freediving Guru ! lol will get back to work soon ! I really am loving this tail making madness ! if i lived somewhere that the materials were priced a bit lower id love to make more !

[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/28/vy6ysape.jpg

Phew clays out next step sanding sanding sanding - will check in with the results once I've finished a wee patch x


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[Mermaid Wesley]

Yay!!


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[Azurin Luna]

Looks really nice, keep up the good work :D

[Mermaid Melanie]

Ahhhh dear me.... I can't sand out the foam, so I have resorted to scraping out the foam and carving the plastic with a knife and yes its taking forever but actually its working out pretty well ! spent about 3 hours today scraping and got about an A4 size done .... might be a few days before this ones ready ! then onto silicone and pigments yay !

[Lily]

So I have an idea. Some types of foam dissolve easily with acetone. You can find pure, undiluted acetone at most drug stores near the nail polish - be sure to get the real stuff, not the colored/scented/vitamin-enhanced kind, as that can introduce weird things to your mold that might affect the silicone. Test a piece of your craft foam AND a piece of the mold and see if you can dissolve the foam without damaging the mold. It might help speed up the cleaning process :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Its funny you said that - i tried this the other day to see if I could avoid sanding but the foam didnt dissolve unfortunately, but the knife is working okay - I've got a bad flu right now that has floored me ! but been to the docs and had some injections so hopefully will start to feel better tomorrow and get back to work on my mould !

[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/05/6yzava5a.jpg

Very slowly but surely getting there...


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[Ashton]

You are doing great!


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[Mermaid Leira]

It's ging to look great, anyone have any ideas on how to ensure the back of the shellshock mold is level so that the silicone pours a consistent thickness??

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks guys I'm so close to being done scraping - as for being level I didn't even consider that before really but I can maybe prop it up at either end with some clay to level it out a bit but I don't think itl make too much of a difference - will post hopefully a foam free mould later ! Then it's time to play with silicone ! X


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[Mermaid Leira]

awesome can't wait to see, it looks great so far! I did a trial with dragon shin in a scale plaster mold, the back was a bit uneven so it was thicker at one end, mught use a level to check when I do my big scale sheet :) what pigments are you using? powders?

[Seatan]

You have the patience of a saint, LOL. I can't wait to see how this turns out! Did you decide which colors?

[Mermaid Melanie]

Yeah I think next time ( if I make another tail ) I'll do a clay scale sheet cuz the clay for the fluke mould came out way easier lol

I was going to use Createx paint as I have a box full of different colours and I think it was in one of Jazz' tail making tutorials I read you could use it so I hope it works out

I did a bunch of design plans but funny enough I chose one subconsciously I think - the light green/aqua colour with pink/red tips - but the other day I was looking through pictures on my computer and found I'd saved a similar colour scheme and also done a digital doodle with the same colour design ! I'll post em once I get to my laptop but yeah kinda weird lol


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[Mermaid Leira]

Great can't wait to see the pigment and scale sheet!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Well I'm still scraping but here's a lil look at the smoothed out scales compare to the rough ones I've still to do - slowly but surely getting there
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/21/epapaseg.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/21/yzu4ajys.jpg


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[Mermaid Leira]

Looks great :) was the scraping just to get rid of the foam? Do you think the spray release would have fixed it completely? I was planning on using foam but now I'm not sure, although I have seen a lot of post with people having issues with clay and resins :-/

[Mermaid Melanie]

Well the areas that had clay came out much smoother and so did my fluke - I live in temperatures of 30C and found that although the shellshock hardens fast it didn't bubble or anything and turned out pretty good - I think if I had the release spray on the foam it would have been way easier to pull out but next time I'll for sure use clay scales ! But yeah I found my fiberglass and resin cast of my foam scales worked out well actually and might be another possibility for you ? But you need to make sure you don't use a resin that will melt your foam scales


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[Seatan]

Looks great :) was the scraping just to get rid of the foam? Do you think the spray release would have fixed it completely? I was planning on using foam but now I'm not sure, although I have seen a lot of post with people having issues with clay and resins :-/

My clay comes out of the flat parts of my molds with no problem. Unfortunately each of my scales had deep, narrow grooves and my secret project is highly detailed and it sticks in the tiny details. For a scale sheet like this one it should come out no problem!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Yeah I agree with Seavanna - I was just rushing and I think the silicone ease release was the key factor I missed ... well I've learnt my lesson lol even with about 15 coats of acrylic spray the scales got stuck, I think clay would be quicker and easier to be honest though but yeah ease release for foam for sure lol

[Mermaid Melanie]

This wee guy made an appearance today while I was finishing my scales ! http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/26/7ysuvuhy.jpg


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[Mermaid Galene]

Allow me to say... EEK! :O_o:

[Mermaid Melanie]

First whole one I've seen wild ! Sometimes I find big claws around the driveway lol really want to take some shots of the nature I find around my garden snakes, butterflies , exotic birds we even found a glow in the dark caterpillar once!


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[Lostariel Telrunya]

OOOHHHH..... next project up for grabs...... scorpion tail :)

[Mermaid Isabel]

wow that scorpion gives me creeps!

[Lostariel Telrunya]

But seriously! The body of the tail wouldn't be small little fish scales, it would be big long plates like the body of the scorpion. The sides fins would be the same shape as the smaller legs.... the tail could be like two thick sharp claws that come out of the tail...... not too brithday-party friendly, but still, if you're lookin' for a tail design for that special male someone, you got pretty much the manliest tail out there!

[Mermaid Melanie]

haha yeah that would be a cool idea for a merman tail ! merman armoured tail sounds pretty badass !

[AniaR]

looks great and also AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks chick ! Haha that's also how I felt when I saw it !

On another note - YEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH BABY - Finished scroping out the scales all cleaned up and ready to fill the cracks/holes (for sure use at least 3 coats if shell shock - I got about 2 and half on mine and where it was thin I got little holes , probs shoulda backed it up with fiberglass which I think I'll try once this first tail is over ) http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/27/ydutu8eb.jpg

[Ariel-Starfish]

Omg your scales are perfect! Mine are a bit thick at the top.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Aw thanks Ariel ! I wish they were but there really are lots if holes , hopefully I can patch em up with clay and that will work alright !

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/27/y8e6ysyr.jpg

Patching with clay -

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/27/dyza2aby.jpg

[Mermaid Wesley]

If that doesn't work I would try flipping it over (maybe with some scales stuck into the ones with holes or something) and just paint another layer of shellshock over the back to strengthen everything.


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Good idea never thought of that but I don't have anymore shell shock left :( would need to order more from Aus so I'm praying this clay packing works out ! I think it will be alright to be honest ! Maybe I'm just hoping haha

[Mermaid Melanie]

Ahhh so I didn't get much clay put in today as I was picking up my new Elios wetsuit from customs and it took ages but one so happy with it and I thought the neoprene they used would be lovely as a neoprene tail ! It's metallic green and super smooth the neoprene is called Yamamoto and it's just lovely ! What ya think ? Will get a full shot later when someone's home to take it lol http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/28/dyjy3uty.jpg

[Mermaid Melanie]

Okay guys the day has come ! I finally finished fixing my moulds and now they are sitting all prepped and ready for the silicone !

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/01/se4uzame.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/01/hy8e9are.jpg

I'm going to tint my silicone for the base colour using Createx airbrush paint. I'm going to use a pearly white and opaque aqua ! My next step is mixing the colour into part B ! Nervous much lol

[MerEmma]

I really love your fluke shape choice!

[jazz2453]

Looking awesome! Love that fluke! :thumbs up:

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks Emma + Jazz ! Im really happy with the fluke, it came out better than I thought it would ! Jazz, your tail making tutorial has been my bible for making this tail, thanks so much for all the tips, I totally underestimated how big a project this was but really glad Im doing it !

Just poured the first layers of silicone for the fluke and the scales. I did my first layer for the fluke and scales with: 3 cups A : 3 cups B. It was super messy, I tried to pour the silicone into the cups but it was so thick that it almost overflowed, lucky we caught it in time lol so we spooned in the cups. I poured 3 cups B into a larger mixing bowl and then added my Createx. I just wanted a light tint on the silicone for the base so I tinted it with the pearly white and a little opaque aqua and it came out pretty nice, very subtle ( I used 5 drops pearly and 5 drops aqua for the 3 cups of silicone) once the colour was mixed nicely I added the 3 cups Part A and mixed together.

I don't know if its because the temperature and humidity make the air bubbles rise but once the silicone was in the moulds the bubbles came out very easily to the top and then it was like a sheet of glass, so i hope it cures like that !

Im super excited now that its coming together!

[jazz2453]

Cool! I'm glad I could help! Keep on going, you're doing great!

[Mermaid Melanie]

First Layer in the fluke -

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[Mermaid Melanie]

Scale sheet first layer took 5 cups

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/01/8asumeba.jpg

[Mermaid Melanie]

Second layer finished - now off to bed and will try and get the demould done tomorrow ! Exciting times Ahhh :D

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/02/uvynehum.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/02/y3y4uvy2.jpg

[PearlieMae]

AWESOME! :highfive:

[Mermaid Wesley]

Yay!!

[Grey Gambit]

Looking good!

[Mermaid Adriel]

GO!

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

Love the fluke! So pretty! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Yeeeeow ! I got up early this morn to pull the silicone from the moulds and I'm really happy with how they came out !

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/02/qa5equba.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/02/4yqa9ase.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/02/5y6e2yvu.jpg

[jazz2453]

Exciting! Did you back your scales with power mesh?

[Mermaid Melanie]

I didn't back them with power mesh - fabric can be a nightmare to get here believe it or not, but I think that the scales are pretty sturdy but for sure I'm going to need to use oil or lube to get into it once it's put together lol

[MerEmma]

They look so clean and clear cut. AWESOME :D

[AniaR]

Great job!!!

[Mermaid Adriel]

That's the part I love more ::D

[Mermaid Galene]

Looks awesome!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Fantastic!!

[Raayvhen]

I'm so excited to see how it turns out! I love your fluke. It's such a lovely design.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks guys ! Ah it's so exciting having even just a piece of my tail haha !

Last night I had David help with the mixing and measuring and we were able to do the fluke and scale sheet first layer at the same time but today David was working so I did the second half myself and it took way longer - I can't imagine how raven and other solo tail makers get time to breathe with how time consuming these tails are !

I managed to get layer one on both the fluke and scales in about 1hr 45 mins. Still got another layer to do but I'll have to do that later as I have my first aerial hoop class today woop woop !

Anyhoo here's a look at my wee work station consisting of our dinning table ( we haven't say down to a dinner at home in so long - thanks for your sacrifice David lol )

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/03/e3esezus.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/03/nuqesuvu.jpg

Silicone is setting nice, bubble free so I'll return in an hour and tomorrow it's demoulding and painting TIMEEEE !

[Mermaid Wesley]

Don't you seam it up before you paint?

[Raayvhen]

I didn't realize your fluke looked so big!

i adore big flukes! The bigger the better.

[Mermaid Melanie]

I was thinking I might paint the base colours on while the sheets are flat then add the shading and detail once it's seamed.

It's pretty big but I feel it could have been a little longer but hey ho I'm happy with it ! Lol

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh ok that's a good idea :) are you airbrushing? Have you done it before? ARE YOU EXCITED??!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Yeah I'm gonna airbrush it ! I'm really lucky my mum is an awesome airbrush body painter and she taught me how to use it so I've got her old airbrush and compressor to use - I've done a few fabric tails with the airbrush so I hope I can make a nice job of this one !

And yes ... UNBELIEVABLY so ! Can't wait for it to come together as one tail [emoji177]

[Raayvhen]

I'm sure it's going to look gorgeous! You're so close to being done!

[Merman Arion]

Melanie, have you decided already about the monofin? Is it gonna be a finis trainer or you are going to cut a competitor one?

I wonder what is gonna be your choice for the flopiness of this fluke :)

So far, I really like what you're doing. The quality of your scales is on par with Jazz's and totally outshine Eric's.

[Mizuko]

I love how this is turning out! :D
Just curious, what are you going to use as a thinner for the silicone when you airbrush it? :)

[Lostariel Telrunya]

It is going to look beautiful! The silicone looks so professional :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Hey Arion ! I decided to use my special fins custom cut monofin - the blade is soft and nice and flowy plus the foot pockets are custom fit to your feet which is great !

From the first cast in silicone I can see the end come down over the monofin about 10cm and have a nice little flop.

Thanks Arion that's really nice of you to say ! If my tail turns out half as good as jazz's I'd be super happy !!

Mizuko I actually don't have the solution yet for thinner I'm going to the craft store today to look for naphtha or toluene failing that - I have silicone based airbrush make up that my mum left me and there's some thinner for it too but would rather not use that cuz it's pretty expensive !

Will be posting pics of the 2 halves later I was so tired after aerial hoop last night I never finished the second layer to off to do that pronto ! Xx

[Mermaid Melanie]

Oh also don't know if I should cut the row if circles at the top to scale shapes or just cut them off ?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/04/a2u7uzyg.jpg

[Mizuko]

Thanks Melanie! :) I'm trying to work out the best options for airbrushing my next tail, as the research I've done so far has just confused me. haha!
Personally, I like the scales cut like the rest up the top- then it looks like its blended into the waist better :) But it still looks nice like this!

[Mermaid Melanie]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/04/me6eby6y.jpg

Yeah it can be daunting at times this tail making ! Above is what I'm going to use to thin the silicone - I got it at the local art store and when I googles naphtha is said it was a solvent based hydrocarbon or something and luckily this label had some English info !

Mizuko - I think it can be any solvent type hydrocarbon ( paint thinner ) that deals with thinning oil based paints

I'm going to test it out first on some scrap silicone I pulled from the tub once it cured

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/04/my5e4ysy.jpg

Hope it works out if not I'll try another kind of thinner !

[*Celine*]

I'm in love with your fluke Mermaid Melanie!!! Your doing a tremendous job!!! keep up the good work!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks so much Celine ! I think my fluke turned out quite close to my drawings and how I imagined it!

I demoulded the second half of my tail last night . After I poured the first layer I found that there had been a little drop of water in the silicone from the tub I had washed before mixing ( silicone and water don't mix ) the water had held it's droplet shape and was in the face of my fluke so I gently peeled up the first layer where the bubble was and filled it with silicone then pressed it back into the mould and finished applying ye second layer - hey presto bubble gone ! :D

I also tried out the Naphtha ( paint thinner ) with pigment and silicone and painted it into my scrap silicone and it cured just fine ! You defo lose the intensity of your pigment but I'll be doing airbrush and will have to build up a few layers I reckon !

I'm going to make my duct tape dummy when David get back from work and move on to seaming tomorrow I hope - going to try and paint my flukes today - might leave the scales till after I seam them though

[Mermaid Melanie]

Here's the colour and thinning tests I did on the scrap silicone - in the right is just pigmented silicone not thinned down on the left was the thinned silicone and it was much runnier and not as strong colouring but airbrush should work nice with it I hope !

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/05/u5enu7u7.jpg

[Mizuko]

Thank you so much for the info Melanie! :D I'm going to try find the same thinner here! ^_^ Cant wait to see the paint on the tail! :D

[AnnaAbyss]

Melanie, this thread is getting me so pumped! Your tail is coming along so well and the moulds look really professional and smooth. I had to contain myself from drooling when I saw your scales partly de-moulded from the sheet. *-*

[Mermaid Melanie]

No problem Mizuko! Hope you get what your looking for ! :D

Thanks Anna ! Im getting pretty excited myself now :P Just checked out your silicone tail thread ! you are doing great too, can't wait to see yours either ! :D

I started airbrushing today-

I used my mums Iwata airbrush - its quite a good one but small ... i don't know if i need more pigment in my silicone, or do i need to just do layers and layers or do i get a bigger spray gun ? its coming out very pale and more like a tint lol

[AnnaAbyss]

Thanks and you're welcome. :3

[Ashley]

AHH I need updates!!! Your tail is going to look amazing!!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Aha sorry for the wait Ashley ! My airbrush is a small one so I've had to play around with settings to get a decent flow so painting is going very slow but here's a lol look at it so far !

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/12/u6epa2u8.jpg

Oh yeah guys I wouldn't recommend putting silicone in the freezer uncovered with paint thinner in it - the solvent permeates all through the fridge and seems to infuse cartons and organic stuff so be aware of that ! Had to throw a few things out and they were even I different compartments ! The silicone held fine btw and was very usable!

[Mermaid Melanie]

so the airbrushing was a nightmare to be honest - my airbrush isn't really suitable for the thick silicone, its meant more for airbrush make up and fine work so I've switched to painting and to be honest, I'm finding that better, the airbrush just wasn't getting the colour through that I wanted - the painting is pretty easy to blend and you can use a nice fine flat brush to make sure you don't have streaks and you don't have to throw away your brush ! just rinse it in the naphtha and hey presto its good to go for another round ! ill post a pic of the fluke so far its one side airbrushed and the other painted and I think the difference is pretty huge ( ill be painting the other half too don't worry lol ) I think my tail will be ready pretty soon now that I'm chaining to painting ! :D:D:D

[Mermaid Melanie]

Here's a few pics if the tail half airbrushed half painted
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/13/juneme4y.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/13/e4egatyb.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/13/emusyqub.jpg

I'm loving painting the tail and can't wait to crack on with it !

[Mermaid Galene]

I adore that turquoise!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Sweet!

[Raayvhen]

Am in love with your fluke so far!

[Ashley]

It's going to be beautiful!

[Lostariel Telrunya]

The difference between the two is amazing. I suppose the airbrush would look cool if you were layering a bunch of colours on top of each other, but the brush just makes it so much more vivid and rich. It is going to look so cool!

[teeth4u]

Wow! This is stunning, love the color

[MermanOliver]

It looks so beautiful. Fins crossed for the progress!
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[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks for the encouragement guys ! I won't get a chance to work on it today but maybe get the other half of that fluke painted tomorrow ! I'm itching to get on it ... damn life getting in the way of my painting haha

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

I love that colour, it's gorgeous! :) It's all looking amazing!

[Trident True]

You know, i really love the airbrushed look it gives the fluke a transparency look to it in a way. like when you see a fin when the light hits it. as for solid colours not my forte but if its works for you then that's all that matters :)

Oh and BtW i used Mineral Turps to thin down my silicone, so far so good. its still a little tacky but the 24hrs isn't up yet.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Yeah I think it could be really nice with a more suitable airbrush but mine just isn't big enough / strong enough for the silicone - i end up with a lot if waste cuz so little comes out the rest starts to cure in the tub and I have to throw it ! But with the painting I ind I'm more in control ! You could thin it down more if you wanted it to be kinda transparent and just do one later but I don't want mine to be see through - just can't wait to see it finished and covering up my human legs haha

[Trident True]

Yeah true, the paints you use do give very vivid colours are they acrylics? I hand paint mine as I'm extremely nervous about airbrushing, I use the pearl Ex pigments and i've noticed that i have to do at least 3 coats to get the colour desired. Even though they don't give vivid colours they seem very natural, which is what i'm after. i cant wait to see the finished tail. where all drooling :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

I'm using Createx airbrush paints they seem to be working well painting them on

Here's the first fluke half with the base colour done

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/15/vu2adujy.jpg

[Trident True]

looks great ;)

[Raayvhen]

I seriously think this is one of my favorite flukes. And the color is so lovely. Do you know yet what other colors you're using?

[Mermaid Adriel]

:swoon:

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks for all the lovely comments guys it's so nice to think other folk appreciate the project ! I'm using a coral pink /red as flashes at the bottom and I'll be adding darker sparkly green to the sides to add shading and definition and also probs use some lime /gold or highlights it's quite good fun painting it ! Yesterday was
A bit harder because I had less thinner so going to put a little more in today I had a tiny spot that didn't cure air some reason I'm not sure of but I'll patch it in later today when I paint the other fluke half ! ;(

[Mermaid Melanie]

Okay two flukes base colour done just need to add the coral pink / red at the bottom and then a little shading and highlighting on the ridges ! Going to do the base colour of the scales before I add details !

For some reason I can't upload Pics from my phone and taptalk is telling me to verify by email but they haven't sent me one ! Argh ! Will be posting more pics and videos on Instagram today @CopperLocks or #mernetwork or #mermaidmelanie :)


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[Raayvhen]

You can always host the pic somewhere and use tags

[Mizuko]

Love the colour Melanie! :D Its so lovely and bright!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Yeah I think ill have to start doing that again - thanks Mizuko ! I'm happy with how its turning out ! I feel like I'm so close ! I have a mermaid gig at a wedding on the 28th and would love to have it by then but not sure it will be ready yet ! fingers crossed !

[Ariel-Starfish]

Wow Girl u work fast! I love it how it turns out! I'm still at the stage casting my scales...

[Mermaid Melanie]

Hand painting has sped things up a lot airbrushing meant stopping every hour to clean out the brush etc plus once you start to get a feel for using the silicone it happens faster ! I started back on November so it's taken a while to get here but it seems like everything goes really slowly then near the end it's 100 mph ! lol


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[Mermaid Galene]

Your fluke has such a lovely flow to it! And that seafoam color is one of my favorite colors.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Alrighty finally have the tapatalk app sorted I think ! So since last time -
I made a duct tape mannequin in fun coloured tapes ! But sadly it didn't hold it's shape even once it was stuffed and I didn't wanna risk making my tail too small !
23677

Then I decided to go by measurements and cut the scales to size
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And then started to paint it !
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Was harder to paint the scale sheet because it's a bigger area and the silicone starts to go gloopy near the end but I was lucky and it was still very workable and cured just fine !

Going to do the second coat tomorrow and then I have to work on some fabric tails , so I'll be airbrushing then after doing the silicone :) busy busy busy !

[PearlieMae]

Beautiful! I love that tropical blue!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks Pearlie ! I'm pretty happy with how the colours are turning out ! its been hard to match them exactly each time i paint but its getting there ! I quite like the way the scales are looking some are a little lighter than others and it looks pretty I think ! :D

[Lostariel Telrunya]

That's so pretty! I love how clean your scales look :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Ok here's a lil picture update I've just got one more scale sheet to do then it's the red/pink highlights and seaming !

23929

[Mermaid Wesley]

Did you ever post your design? Or is it a secret?


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[Mermaid Melanie]

Yeah there are pics back at the beginning of the thread ! It gonna have red/coral flashes at the tips of the fluke and I haven't made the side fins yet but will do the when I get back from Scotland ! :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

I was thinking of going with green I love Ariel tails and actually my hair is red but still waiting for the rest of this brown to wash out lol

Really like this one -
20480


heres the design I settled on! so far I've only done a base layer of the green/ sea foamy colour id like to add highlights, shading and the extra colour and maybe later down the line to some scale tipping - my scales are very pronounced so I think it would be a shame not to tip them !

[Ariel-Starfish]

It looks so perfect!

[Yulia]

The fluke is very cute! It's cool that it feels so 3-dimensional.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks lovelies ! slowly but surely its coming together now and I'm happy with how its going ! after having a look at other tails I'm a bit worries my scales are too thick - they are super heavy and i just hope I can make the seams nice - I'm thinking I'm going to try and alternate which scales go on top so if its a front and back side i was thinking of putting the first scale from the front on top then the second layer down underneath - hope I'm explaining this alright, I will post pics soon ! x

[MerEmma]

I love the fluke SO much. What an awesome shape and texture combination. ;D

[PearlieMae]

I love it!

I have to ask...is the empty wallet a metaphor?

[Nyx]

Holy Fish Tails Batman! That fluke is gorgeous!
It's looking awesome <3

[Mermaid Melanie]

hahahah Pearlie ! I didn't even think about that ! lol But yes I guess it could be ! thanks for all the lovely comments guys ! I didnt expect the fluke to turn out so nice but Im really happy with the shaping and once the paint goes on it really smoothes it out !

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh that's right! I remember now. Still Lovely


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[Sherielle]

Loving the fluke!

[Mermaid Melanie]

Hey folks ! sorry I've gone dark for a while there - I was on holiday visiting friends and family back in Scotland and Ireland ! It was a great trip and lovely to see everyone again. I had hoped to finish my tail to take home for shoots etc but just didnt make the time frame, I seem to have difficulty judging time frames.... its taken me so long to make this tail ! Im back now and ready to get stuck into the silicone tail ! I also bought some goodies when I was at home ! Ive decided to do scale tipping on my tail with glow powders I bought from smooth on ! I got the blue glow in the dark powder to mix in with the silicone so hopefully that will be pretty cool ! ill try and get some pictures up soon - need to get my tail out today and see what stage I'm at- i think the next step will be to add the red/ coral flashes at the bottom then seam the scales and sandwich the fluke then finish off with scale tipping and viola ! :D sounds easy but I bet its gonna throw me some challenges ! anyway guys hope you have all been good and hope I haven't missed too much while I was gone ! xxx

[Mermaid Daenerys]

Love the fluke, it's beautiful!

[Hollydell]

Ohh my Goddess!
This is beautiful! <3


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[Mermaid Saoirse]

I've been lurking around following this thread and I just have to say your tail design is amazing! The quality of it is amazing and I'm just floored by the fluke shape! It's coming along great and I hope you get a lot of good swims from it. :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks Saoirse! i finished my second scale sheet last night so ill be adding the highlights / red flashes and shading today, ill probs leave the scale tipping till tomorrow and just work on the fluke halves today ! I was a bit unsure of the colour matching on the scales but they have actually worked out quite well - wish I had a bigger work space so I could do both pieces at the same time of even have like a big work bench that I could lay out each piece of the tail at the same time - would make the whole thing go a lot smoother !

[Mermaid Melanie]

Okay so I started painting the tips of the fluke and was a bit unhappy with the blending of the silicone on the first layer but once the second went on it started to look a lot better. I think sometimes I'm my own harshest critic but hope you guys like it so far !

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[Mermaid Kelda]

It looks absolutely stunning! Great job! :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks so much Melania ! I'm excited to see your tail develop ! The designs are stunning and I'm sure Pearlie will make a great job of it !

[Mermaid Leira]

Melanie, that is stunning! The colors really showcase your fluke shape! What did you use for your fluke mould? Resin or plaster? Almost finished my sculpt :)

[Mermaid Melanie]

Thanks Amy ! I'm happy with how the colours are coming out just hope my painting skills are up to it ! I used shell shock for my moulds and it worked brilliant on the fluke - but for the foam scales it was a mission, I had to spend a lot of time scraping out foam from the mould so next time I'll do it all in clay , scales and fluke !

[Mermaid Adriel]

Love the colors, so brilliant *_*

[Mermaid Kassandra]

This is going to turn out amazingly beautiful!
Stunning colors and design also great job! ;)

[Merman Jamie]

Awesome job.