Theobromine's sea serpent silicone tail!

[Luna Dreamtide]

The dragon sculpture is beautiful! Your tail will look gorgeous in those colours.

[Sherielle]

I have the mother and father Pena dragons with that coloring too. They don't use that color scheme anymore. I love it!

[Dancing Fish]

Wooooow. Those gloves. Super cool! :)

[MermaidBrandie]

Awww that little dragon is too cute!

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[Theobromine]

Thank you everyone :) :) I'm so excited to start actually constructing this ermagerd. I have a couple Etsy orders to finish today but I hope to also get started pouring some tail pieces (fingers crossed). I DID start working on the base layer for the tail body already! I still have some things I want to test on my monofin, though. I fixed the one foot pocket but I have some new ideas for reinforcing it further so it doesn't pry up again. Will update when I can!

[Theobromine]

Just a quick progress update right now cuz I'm tired, but I've been working practically nonstop on both tailmaking and Etsy orders, and I've actually finished casting all my little fins! They're all sealed together, I just have to finish trimming all the freaking flashings, blaaahhh boring. But I've got those, some scales (I made small scale sheets because the tiny scales were taking me so bloody long to make I figured I'd go insane if I made a full-size one, plus with how many fins and things I have I'd just have had to cut it all up anyway). So I have six small scale sheets so far and I'm going to just cast more as I need them. I also have a couple other small pieces I'm going to experiment with...which I guess you'll just get to see when you see them ;) I also added more urethane to the back of my fluke mold because it was a bit uneven and I wanted to level it out. I hadn't poured quite enough before because I wanted to make sure I had enough to make all my fin molds, but now those are all done and I had plenty left so yeah. I've also been modifying my monofin a little bit. Had to shave it down a little bit and I'm going to reinforce the area under the footpockets. That's all for now but I might post a picture of my big pile of fins once I finish trimming them.

[MermaidBrandie]

We wait with baited breath 😘

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[Mermaid Alea]

I hope you do post a picture. :)

[Theobromine]

Still working on it! It's coming along slowly, but it's coming along nevertheless. Last week was pretty busy, so was the weekend (Halloween parties and it was also my anniversary). Then on top of that, my husband finally prodded me into starting Fallout 3 and I'm going to have to try really hard not to disappear for weeks like I do with Elder Scrolls games :P But don't worry, I promise I will post pictures when I have something that's ready to show.

[Mermaid Alea]

Happy late anniversary! :)

[MermaidBrandie]

Yay anniversary!!

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[Theobromine]

Thank you both :D

I'm definitely getting stuff done, and the reason I'm not describing my progress in more detail is that I'm testing out some alternate construction methods that are completely different from what I've seen other people do so far. So if they work well, which at this point they are, that might end up being one of my signature methods when I eventually start selling tails. I want to differentiate my work in terms of method, not just look, so there won't be any doubt about my stuff being original and not copied or anything. So if I've been seeming a tad vague, that's why. Buuuuuuut I hope to start pouring my fluke tomorrow and you guys already know what that looks like so I can post pics of it :D

[Luna Dreamtide]

That's actually a great idea. That is something I have been really careful about with the planning of my tail. I don't want to be accused of copying anyone. Keen to see what you're going to do though :)

[Theobromine]

I'm sneaky :P But I know people have gotten burned before when sharing too much of their methodology. Of course I'm always happy to help people out with stuff in general, but just in terms of developing my own methodology for putting everything together, I just feel more comfortable keeping some things to myself. But I'm sooo excited to finish this tail and show you all what I've come up with! Not long now, it's just a matter of putting everything together!

[Gingersnaps]

I'm a dragon! I'll be the dragoniest sea dragon ever!

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Pleez excuse my messy hair and doofy expression. It is very late and I am going to bed right now this very second. I just had to show this off, cuz I'm pretty pleased with it.


so gorgeous!!! and the webbed gloves and your fluke sculpt! like holy guacamole, I cant wait to see it all put together.

[Theobromine]

Thank you :D Soon hopefully!!! Been working hard all day!

[PearlieMae]

Thank you both :D

I'm definitely getting stuff done, and the reason I'm not describing my progress in more detail is that I'm testing out some alternate construction methods that are completely different from what I've seen other people do so far. So if they work well, which at this point they are, that might end up being one of my signature methods when I eventually start selling tails. I want to differentiate my work in terms of method, not just look, so there won't be any doubt about my stuff being original and not copied or anything. So if I've been seeming a tad vague, that's why. Buuuuuuut I hope to start pouring my fluke tomorrow and you guys already know what that looks like so I can post pics of it :D

THIS!

(This is why my tailmaking thread is no longer useful.)

[Theobromine]

Pearlie, I understand so well now!

Also, I can't decide which I hate more: trimming flashings or cleaning mixing cups *silent sobbing*

[PearlieMae]

Now I have a crew to trim flashing, and I use several mixing cups so the rubber just peels out once it cures. :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm using disposable medicine cups from Reynolds. I get 2-3 used out of them and then I just toss and get a new one. Thank god I don't have to deal with flashings right now. The carpet is finally clean!


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[Theobromine]

Pearlie, I do the multiple mixing cups trick too, but even though most of the rubber peels out there are always some tiny rubbery bits that roll around like silicone boogers :P

Also, I made the most kindergarten mistake today. I sometimes measure out silicone into multiple different containers when I'm making different things, to save time. Usually it works great but of course this time I stupidly mixed part B with part B and didn't notice it until a couple hours later when I wondered why the giant thing I just poured wasn't curing. GAAAHAAAAHHHRGRHRGHRGRGHRHGR now I have to scrape it all up and start over again. It's fixable but it's a huge pain in the arse and a colossal waste of time and just FML. :gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah: :gah::gah:

Now accepting words of consolation or amusing anecdotes to make me feel like less of a dingus :P

[cletusk20]

I've spent 5 1/2 hours spraying a Cat articulated dump truck with urethane. On a job of that size I use a pressure pot rig. Well due to a major brain failure I ended up spraying most of the first coat mixed with the wrong hardener. Needless to say the next day you could peel large sections of paint off the machine with your fingers. So yeah, I know that feeling.

[Theobromine]

Arrrgh!

[Lotus the Mermaid]

I'm a dragon! I'll be the dragoniest sea dragon ever!

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Pleez excuse my messy hair and doofy expression. It is very late and I am going to bed right now this very second. I just had to show this off, cuz I'm pretty pleased with it.

Your sculpting is so exquisite, and I totally would jump at the chance to buy one of these from you. Please, tell me you're offering one for sale! :'D

[Theobromine]

Your sculpting is so exquisite, and I totally would jump at the chance to buy one of these from you. Please, tell me you're offering one for sale! :'D

Thank you so much! I DO plan to sell tails in the future (or did you just mean the top?), but I'm still undecided if I'm going to offer this particular design...I had originally planned the sea serpent ensemble to be my one-of-a-kind design that would be MINEMINEMINE but now after the ridiculous amounts of work I've put into it, it seems like it might be a shame to only ever make one like this. So I'm still thinking about it. It's a special design but maybe I shouldn't be greedy. I guess I figured if people really really want to buy it I might have to. So...stay tuned, I guess.

And I think I managed to rescue my goopy uncured silicone mess. It was a setback in terms of time, but all is not lost. Just means you guys don't get to see the fluke quite yet.

[Lotus the Mermaid]

Thank you so much! I DO plan to sell tails in the future (or did you just mean the top?), but I'm still undecided if I'm going to offer this particular design...I had originally planned the sea serpent ensemble to be my one-of-a-kind design that would be MINEMINEMINE but now after the ridiculous amounts of work I've put into it, it seems like it might be a shame to only ever make one like this. So I'm still thinking about it. It's a special design but maybe I shouldn't be greedy. I guess I figured if people really really want to buy it I might have to. So...stay tuned, I guess.

And I think I managed to rescue my goopy uncured silicone mess. It was a setback in terms of time, but all is not lost. Just means you guys don't get to see the fluke quite yet.

The top AND the gloves for sure! They're both amazing creations! I understand making it OoaK, though! Amazing work! <3

[Theobromine]

Well thank you, I'm honestly really flattered that people think my work is that good! I'm still thinking about it. I'll definitely sell gloves once I've perfected them, and more top designs for sure. I've got several more in the planning stages that I'll start working on as soon as I finish this tail. And maybe the world really does need more sea dragons!

[Keiris]

Theobromine that top is exquisite! I love the sculpt and the color transitions are GORGEOUS!!!!

[Azurin Luna]

Yay for more sea dragons! :D

[Theobromine]

Thank you so much Keiris!!

[Theobromine]

BEHOLD

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[IllynReaver]

BEHOLD

33925

I have no words for how amazing that is! It's so pretty!

[saborigakusei]

:jawdrop: oh... my god.... *bows to the sea serpent queen*<33333

[PearlieMae]

THAT IS SO FREAKING AWESOME!!!


Pearlie, I do the multiple mixing cups trick too, but even though most of the rubber peels out there are always some tiny rubbery bits that roll around like silicone boogers :P

Also, I made the most kindergarten mistake today. I sometimes measure out silicone into multiple different containers when I'm making different things, to save time. Usually it works great but of course this time I stupidly mixed part B with part B and didn't notice it until a couple hours later when I wondered why the giant thing I just poured wasn't curing. GAAAHAAAAHHHRGRHRGHRGRGHRHGR now I have to scrape it all up and start over again. It's fixable but it's a huge pain in the arse and a colossal waste of time and just FML. :gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah::gah: :gah::gah:

Now accepting words of consolation or amusing anecdotes to make me feel like less of a dingus :P

Also, quick tip for when you do this again - and you will - scoop up two little blobs and put them on a piece of plastic/plate/back of a mold and mix a tiny bit of color into one of them - because you WILL forget - and into each blob, mix an equal blob of Part A into one, and Part B into the other (remember which blob has the added color) and let them sit. The one that cures is the part you didn't add.

Scoop up all the mistake and put it into a mixing cup and add the corresponding other part. You'll have twice as much as you initially had, but at least you won't be wasting it. Also, if you don't need that much, put half of it aside AND LABEL IT WELL to use later...don't forget to write what part (A or B) it is.

Of course, this is assuming that you pigment your silicone prior to pouring.

Does that make sense? :thinks:

[Theobromine]

Thanks for the tips Pearlie, it does make sense. The worst part is that I DO label all my mixing cups. I'm just an idiot and put them aside for a while, then forgot to look at the labels before I started mixing :headwall: I did manage to reclaim most of it, though. And I learned my lesson about being stoopid.

[Theobromine]

Also, thanks everyone :3

[Theobromine]

I learned something interesting from the uncured silicone experience I should probably share, though. So, the silicone I was trying to pour was the final layer of my fluke (gluing on some sheer mesh fabric to reinforce the really thin membranes before I demolded it). And it turns out if you pour the unmixed silicone (in this case part B) onto CURED silicone, it actually eats away at the cured silicone a bit. I discovered this when I peeled the sticky fabric off and scraped up the unmixed silicone. I was scooping the part B back into its measuring container so I could salvage it, and I noticed it seemed a lot gloopier than normal but at the time I just assumed it was because of fine air bubbles getting mixed into it from my frantic scooping. When I finally got all the part B off the cured fluke I wiped the cured silicone down with some isopropyl to clean it (that's what I always use to clean) and I noticed the surface was still sticky, no matter how carefully I cleaned it. That was when I realized what had happened. Luckily it didn't seem to cause too much damage to the surface other than making it tacky, but when I re-mixed the silicone that included the salvaged part B I was really careful to test a bit of it first before spreading it over the fluke again. Luckily it cured with no problems, so I went ahead and re-glued the fabric down, and just made sure to spread properly mixed silicone over all the sticky areas and it cured without a problem (I missed a couple small spots on the far side where I couldn't reach as well, so I just have to fix that today). Anyway, it didn't cause irreparable damage THANK GOODNESS, but I thought it was an interesting effect I don't remember reading about anywhere. I guess it's probably the same thing that would happen if you used silicone lube on a silicone sex toy :P The more you know!

[PearlieMae]

:thinks: Hmmm...interesting. That actually answers a question that had been vexing me for a while! Thanks!

[Sherielle]

Holy mother of gods.
It's......beautiful.
:jawdrop:

[Theobromine]

:thinks: Hmmm...interesting. That actually answers a question that had been vexing me for a while! Thanks!

Well, glad I could help answer your secret question!

[Mermaid Alea]

Your creations make me want to learn how to sculpt sooo badly. I might as well start practicing now.

Those ridges you made make me soo happy because a few years ago I drew some mermaids whose flukes had ridges kind of like yours (not as cool looking) and they were down the sides of the fluke and I always wondered what that would look like in reality. Now I know it looks FLIPPIN EPIC!!!!

[PearlieMae]

Well, glad I could help answer your secret question!

I'll explain privately...btw, how long was that Part B on there before it started degrading the cured silicone?

[Theobromine]

I'll explain privately...btw, how long was that Part B on there before it started degrading the cured silicone?

I don't remember exactly, but it was on there for about two or three hours before I scraped it off. So I don't know at what exact point it started degrading it. I'm just glad the damage wasn't permanent.

[Ophelia Finn]

I....can't......even....... :jawdrop: Words are beyond how stunning your work is!!! I would sell my soul for your skills.

[Mermaid Alea]

I would sell my soul for your skills.

What about your voice? :lol:

[Mermaid Julianne]

Ugh I can see everyone's reactions but the darn photo won't load.... I WANNA SEE SO BAD

Edit: Omg totally worth the wait it's gorgeous! Theobromine you are truly an artist.

[Mermaid Wesley]

mmm from what i would assume, its not that it degraded the first layer, but that an ultra-fine layer of the part b cured partially as it was in contact with the mixed silicone. Thats how i would think of it anyways. but its possible that it degraded it too.

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Part B has the catalyst in it, so maybe that either cured slightly as Wesley said, or ate into the old silicone. I'm glad you were able to salvage most of it!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Actually silicone doesn't have a catalyst. That's why it's shelf life is actually like forever and why it's 1:1....
Actually I don't know that for sure. Part b could have a catalyst IN it but it isn't just a catalyst


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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

You're right, part B is not all catalyst, but it does contain it. The catalyst in dragonskin is platinum, hence why it is called platinum cure silicone (same as tin for tin cure silicones). Hence why it is okay to have a bit more part B than part A, but not the other way round (to a degree of course).

[Mermaid Wesley]

The more you knooooooowwww.


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[PearlieMae]

Stop it! You are making my brain itch!

[Theobromine]

Bahahahaha! Well first of all thanks so much everyone, I'm working as hard as I can to finish this tail so you guys can all see it complete!

Yes, silicone does have a base and a catalyst, that's how it reacts. Not all silicones are 1:1, it just depends on how they're formulated, but the catalyst is necessary for the reaction (science!). I'm putting my money on the part B degrading the cured silicone, because both parts in the cured silicone have already reacted, therefore I don't think it's possible for one part to react again with a new part. It's already been used up in the reaction, essentially. Also, you know how they always say not to use silicone lube with silicone sex toys because it ruins them? Or does nobody around here own vibrators anymore :P Anyway, I'm not sure of the exact chemical pathway that causes it, but I'm betting it's a similar effect. Anyway....take heed, learn from my mistake, don't fuck up your carefully poured fluke with a final layer of FAIL.

[PearlieMae]

But I have buckets of fail to use up before they expire!

[Theobromine]

Buckets of Fail would be a funny band name. Also, have I ever told you how magical your sig gif is?

Started pouring second fluke half! I've also spent a lot of time fiddling with the blended waist I'm doing....testing and adjusting and such. I know everyone and their cat is doing blended waists these days, but whatever, I do what I want. And I wanted to do a blended waist since before I ever actually saw one done, and I'm just doing it my own way. I think it's working out pretty well, I'm excited. I don't even know how other people do their blended waists so I'm just doing it Cyanea style :P

[Luna Dreamtide]

Buckets of Fail would be a funny band name. Also, have I ever told you how magical your sig gif is?

Started pouring second fluke half! I've also spent a lot of time fiddling with the blended waist I'm doing....testing and adjusting and such. I know everyone and their cat is doing blended waists these days, but whatever, I do what I want. And I wanted to do a blended waist since before I ever actually saw one done, and I'm just doing it my own way. I think it's working out pretty well, I'm excited. I don't even know how other people do their blended waists so I'm just doing it Cyanea style :P

Yay how exciting! And I feel similarly about the blended waists. I guess what's important is to do it your own way :)

[Mermaid_Sarina]

BEHOLD

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I love it Theobromine!!!! This is hands down my favourite tail design I've seen recently!!!!

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[Theobromine]

Thank you :) :)

[Theobromine]

I just have to complain a bit....I was planning to work SO hard on my tail ALL day today but then I woke up with a HUGE headache and a terrible crick in my neck and it hurts too much to do anything :( I am SO MAD RIGHT NOW ARRRRGH. I really wanted to try to bust it out and finish it up this week. Looks like that's not gonna happen :'(

[Mermaid Alea]

Aww Theobromine that is a legit reason to complain. I had one of those days recently when I planned on doing homework but then I couldn't because I felt too bad. I hope you feel better later today and can maybe work on your tail a bit.

[Theobromine]

Thanks. If I don't feel better I'll just take out my frustration on some ghouls and Supermutants :p or just lie in bed and read comics. I consoled myself with cake for breakfast and I have a snuggly cat in my lap right now and a heat pad on my neck, which is helping a little. Just......graaaahhh.

[PearlieMae]

I just have to complain a bit....I was planning to work SO hard on my tail ALL day today but then I woke up with a HUGE headache and a terrible crick in my neck and it hurts too much to do anything :( I am SO MAD RIGHT NOW ARRRRGH. I really wanted to try to bust it out and finish it up this week. Looks like that's not gonna happen :'(

Welcome to my world.

:rollover:

[Theobromine]

The world sucks.

[Luna Dreamtide]

The world sucks.
Aw. I hope you feel better soon. It sucks to be sick/sore when there's things you want to do.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Woke up sick yesterday with so much stuff on my plate! Better to just rest and get better, then get back to work when you're well. It's so frustrating though! I have all this "work" motivation but sick energy doesn't play well with getting stuff done. Feel better! You'll be back soon. Cake for breakfast sounds like great medicine :)

[Theobromine]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O1TbUHGN_k

[Theobromine]

#FML

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:P

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

It that like the funnel cake of the art world?

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[Mermaid Alea]

Yay glittery pants!

[PearlieMae]

I'm thinking you got off easy. ;)

[Theobromine]

I'm thinking you got off easy. ;)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zXDo4dL7SU

[Theobromine]

Sooooo, having finally connected the fluke to the body, I just measured the length of the entire tail. From waist to tail tip, it is 8.5 feet long. I barely have enough space to even lay the thing out to work on it.

[PearlieMae]

AND YOU DIDN'T TAKE A PHOTO?

[Theobromine]

I did...but I'm not going to post it because it would reveal a bit too much about how I'm putting it together. Which I don't wanna do. Also...at this point, since I'm in the home stretch, I'm super tempted not to post any pics until it's finished and just do a big reveal ;D

[Ophelia Finn]

I did...but I'm not going to post it because it would reveal a bit too much about how I'm putting it together. Which I don't wanna do. Also...at this point, since I'm in the home stretch, I'm super tempted not to post any pics until it's finished and just do a big reveal ;D
On one hand I respect you for protecting your process, on the other I am worried that if I don't see a photo soon I might explode >_<

[Luna Dreamtide]

On one hand I respect you for protecting your process, on the other I am worried that if I don't see a photo soon I might explode >_<
I agree. Protecting your methods totally makes sense and I'd probably do the same. But you may have a riot on your hands if your fans don't see this tail soon ;)

[Theobromine]

^^That's why I'm working my arse off in my every waking moment!! Except yesterday, when I had to do Bridesmaid Duties and help my friend look for a wedding dress. But apparently I kick ass at it, because not only did I manage to provide helpful commentary on little details (and to me, all wedding dresses just look like White Fabric, and I think I may have gotten the stinkeye from another bridesmaid when she asked if the dresses were arranged by color and I unthinkingly turned around and said "they're all white") but I actually managed to pick a dress off the rack for my friend to try on that turned out to be The Dress! We didn't have to go to the third appointment that afternoon because she just immediately bought the one I picked out (and I was like suuuuuuuper excited and proud of myself! I got way more into it than I thought I would, haha). So yeah, basically after that I went straight home and kept working on the tail :P

Still working on trimming flashings from the fluke, but that's almost done. I did find a few thin spots, though, that I want to reinforce before I go any further with that. But I'm still coming along pretty quickly now! Please bear with me!

[Theobromine]

Ok, well, I still don't want you guys to explode so here's a teaser pic: my fins, painted!

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[Theobromine]

They'll look better under natural light. The lighting in here is crap right now, but oh well.

[PearlieMae]

Ok, well, I still don't want you guys to explode so here's a teaser pic: my fins, painted!

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SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[Cerulean]

:jawdrop: Holy mother of mers I literally just started drooling

[Dancing Fish]

Woooow! They're so swirly and I love the little nubs on the ends!

[Grey Gambit]

Those fins are fantastic!

[Seraphina Suds]

Aaaaaahhhh!! I can't wait to see everything together!

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[Theobromine]

Thanks muchly everyone :) I can't wait to get this done!! It's so close now I can almost taste it...

[Luna Dreamtide]

Ok, well, I still don't want you guys to explode so here's a teaser pic: my fins, painted!

34073
Oh my gosh I missed you posting these. They're gorgeous! Your tail will certainly be one of a kind - you're so creative!

[Theobromine]

Thank you thank you :)

...so I made all the fins I'd sketched out in my original drawing for the fins, but now I'm wondering if they're enough.... :thinks:

[Theobromine]

I'm pretty in love with these, though...and even these ones took me forever to cast, glue together, trim flashings, and paint. I'll have to see if I can get a better picture of them in some direct sunlight (if we ever get any direct sunlight around here anytime soon); the fin membranes are really thin and iridescent and that pic I posted doesn't really show it very well.

[Azurin Luna]

Wow! They are lovely! :jawdrop:

[LouLouBelle]

Those fins are incredible. I can't wait to see them on the tail!


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[MermaidBrandie]

Love those fins.

Also:

"They're all white." Is legit what I would've said too lol

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[Theobromine]

"They're all white." Is legit what I would've said too lol
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Haha, thank goodness I'm not the only one! I guess at my age I should have realized that white comes in different colors, right? :P (I wore a green medieval dress to my courthouse wedding on Halloween. I have no clue what normal is)

[Ashton]

LOVE THE COLOR! And the shape of them is just fin-nominal!

[MermaidBrandie]

Haha, thank goodness I'm not the only one! I guess at my age I should have realized that white comes in different colors, right? [emoji14] (I wore a green medieval dress to my courthouse wedding on Halloween. I have no clue what normal is)
Hahaha what is this normal you speak of? I wore my old prom dress to my first wedding. I debating between getting another prom dress or making one for my next.

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[Theobromine]

34111
I love this part.

[Luna Dreamtide]

34111
I love this part.
Love! :fallover:

[Gingersnaps]

34111
I love this part.


AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! <3 <3 its so beautiful!!! I want to touch it hahaha

[Luna Dreamtide]

You are going to have mers lining up if you do go ahead with selling tails! Your attention to detail is phenomenal. Do you have an sfx background at all? You seem to know the techniques well.

[The Water Phoenix]

Lovely :) Reminds me of a leafy sea dragon :)

[Ariel-Starfish]

[QUOTE=Theobromine;219938]So...I was gonna wait to post any pictures of this until after I'd finished them and painted them, but I'm pretty proud of these new webby gloves I just made, plus you guys are all so nice and awesome and supportive I figured I'd give you a teaser. I've been wanting to make these for a long time, and I'll probably make a better version at some point, but for a first try I'm pretty happy with them :)

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THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!

[Mermaid Ruthie]

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!

[MermaidBrandie]

34111
I love this part.
This is amazing.

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[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh my gosh! This is stunning! You've done such an amazing job!

[PearlieMae]

34111
I love this part.

Holy Carp! :swoon:

[Ashton]

More please! <3

[Theobromine]

Thanks everyone! <3 I'm trying to keep everyone as updated as I can! And if it seems like my progress is slow, I've been working on reinforcing certain parts of the body before I work on the details, and I want to make sure I get that right so I'm spending a lot of time on it. But I'm almost done with that bit now so hopefully more updates soon!

Leina, I don't have an sfx background, but I wish I did! I'd actually really love to take some classes and learn from the professionals. I guess I just like spending a lot of time researching things before jumping into them, and on practicing techniques. I started practicing with silicone in August 2014 so I've got more than a year of experience under my belt now, and I'm also just really anal about small details. Always have been. That probably comes from being raised by a pair of scientists who sort of drilled that into me :P Plus my own lifelong love of science and the natural world, and my six years of college and two science degrees that honed my research skills and detail-orientation. Sometimes I feel like I'm spending TOO much time working on tiny little details that most people probably won't even notice in the final piece, but then again, if I didn't spend time on the little details...I think it would be noticeably less realistic, even if you couldn't quite tell exactly what about it made it feel that way. (If that makes sense, I need more coffee). Anyway, rest assured that any further tails I put out will also have a lot of attention to detail paid to them ;)

[Mermaid Alea]

I love attention to detail! I think it is a great quality to want to spend time on little details.

[Dancing Fish]

Amazing!! I can't wait to see the final result!!

[MerChemi]

Your tail is turning out so magnificent!! I'm so excited to see how it turns out!
i really love the colours and the details in it! Wow * v*

[Theobromine]

Thanks! I'm sooo excited to finish this! It's really starting to come together and last night I just had to stand there and admire it for a while before hauling myself to bed. I keep finding little details I want to fiddle with, but overall it's looking great, coming together into a whole, and I'm super happy with how it's looking so far!

[MermaidRaegan]

Your fins are so whimsical while also feeling very organic. I can't wait to see the finished product, dragon mers are the bomb diggity.

[MermaidBrandie]

I have not heard or seen anyone use the phrase "bomb diggity" in....well...forever. I'm both stunned and amused.

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[Ashton]

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=34128&stc=1

[MermaidRaegan]

I'm determined to make 'bomb diggity' a thing again.

[Theobromine]

*giggling lots*

Had to order more silicone...hope it doesn't take too freaking long to ship...

[darksiren]

*fellow dragon mer, waiting with baited breath* I just ordered my first round of materials for my first tail attempt. I've been very excited to see yours coming together!

[Luna Dreamtide]

*giggling lots*

Had to order more silicone...hope it doesn't take too freaking long to ship...
How much silicone have you had to use?

[Theobromine]

Hmm...at this point, I've probably used about a whole gallon-unit (meaning you order 1 gallon but it comes in 2 1-gallon buckets, aka 2 gallons total material). I have a weensy bit left in my last buckets but I think I'll need a little more to just finish off this tail, plus I need to make sure I have enough for my Etsy orders. Plus there were a couple other materials I wanted to test so I ordered some sample sizes of a few things just to play around with. $75 shipping...ballz.

[Theobromine]

Also. I THINK I should be able to finish off constructing the body of the tail in the next couple days, after which I can begin PAINTING!!!! The painting is the part I'm really looking forward to. Seaming together all the little tiny detail pieces is a pain in the rump (refer back to the top I made, you'll see the tiny transitional scales I did next to the fins....and I'm doing that for all of the fins on the body because apparently I'm a masochist).

[Luna Dreamtide]

Hmm...at this point, I've probably used about a whole gallon-unit (meaning you order 1 gallon but it comes in 2 1-gallon buckets, aka 2 gallons total material). I have a weensy bit left in my last buckets but I think I'll need a little more to just finish off this tail, plus I need to make sure I have enough for my Etsy orders. Plus there were a couple other materials I wanted to test so I ordered some sample sizes of a few things just to play around with. $75 shipping...ballz.
Awesome. Thanks. I'm starting my tail soon and was hoping that just one order of silicone would be enough - after all it's super expensive in Australia.

[Theobromine]

Totally. It depends a lot on how big your fluke sculpt is, how thick everything is, and how tall you are, but you could probably get away with just one. Mine will end up using a bit more than that....in fact I'm guessing that it will be more like 1.5 orders' worth when all is said and done, but my design is pretty complex and I have a lot of fins and a pretty long tail tip :P

[Vrindavana Starfish]

I'm determined to make 'bomb diggity' a thing again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pubd-spHN-0

Couldn't resist!

Seriously though, her work is bomb-diggity, and I will help you bring sexy back with that phrase.

[Theobromine]

^^I keep getting called out by various people for never having seen this movie :P

[Vrindavana Starfish]

^^I keep getting called out by various people for never having seen this movie :P

GIRL GO SEE IT!

[Theobromine]

But if it's not fantasy or sci-fi why would I wanna watch it LA LA LA LA LA LA *runs away with hands over ears*

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

The only benefit that movie has been to me is that I get some references now.

I understand why other people like it, but it was not my cup of tea.

Fantasy and sci-fi!

(And musicals [emoji14])

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[Vrindavana Starfish]

I am all about some fantasy and sci-fi. I have a master's degree in fairy tales, so...

But Mean Girls is damn funny, and I like to laugh too.

And there's sort of a musical sequence. :P

[Mermaid Mystery]

Princess Bride was so much better and waaaaay more worth quoting to be honest

[Theobromine]

As you wish...

[Mermaid Wesley]

It's coming along wonderfully!! I spilled about a teaspoon of my most potent blue pigment on my leg and the carpet. The powder just didn't come out of the carpet. You can still see it if you look closely lol

Also, keep rested and don't over exert yourself. We're all eager to see but you should take care of yourself first. <3


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[Mermaid Alea]

Princess Bride was so much better and waaaaay more worth quoting to be honest

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=34141&stc=1

I loooooove that movie!

I hope your silicone comes in quickly Theobromine! I would be excited to paint it as well. That always seems to be the best part is painting your art.

[Theobromine]

Thanks Wesley! And hey, blue is a pretty color for carpets, right?

Alea, it's supposed to get here next Wednesday, so we'll see how far I can get with what I have left for now. Yeah, painting is my favorite part!

[Theobromine]

So, this project is my entire life right now. I barely leave the house. My husband keeps saying he never sees me. I have to make a special effort to go have dinner with him lately so he doesn't get too sad. All these tiny damn microscopic scales, you guys don't even know.

I hope the thing doesn't end up looking like shit.

[Ashton]

So, this project is my entire life right now. I barely leave the house. My husband keeps saying he never sees me. I have to make a special effort to go have dinner with him lately so he doesn't get too sad. All these tiny damn microscopic scales, you guys don't even know.

I hope the thing doesn't end up looking like shit.

I HIGHLY doubt that it will look like shit, you things are amazing!

[Vrindavana Starfish]

So, this project is my entire life right now. I barely leave the house. My husband keeps saying he never sees me. I have to make a special effort to go have dinner with him lately so he doesn't get too sad. All these tiny damn microscopic scales, you guys don't even know.

I hope the thing doesn't end up looking like shit.


I HIGHLY doubt that it will look like shit, you things are amazing!

Seriously. We've seen the project so far and the only way it could look like shit is if a truck ran over it. It'll look amazing. Go spend some time with your husband ;) We will not explode, despite our threats to do so. :D

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I keep forgetting to post on here since I talk to you every day, but I SO PROUD OF YOU! <3

[Ophelia Finn]

Explosions can be put on hold for a while :P Go spend some quality cuddle time. We can wait ^_^

[Theobromine]

Awww, thank you all :group hug: I guess I was just reeeally tired last night.

Edit: trust me though, I want to get this done at LEAST as bad as you guys want me to ;)

[darksiren]

:thumbs-up:
Personally, I liked Heathers over Mean Girls.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

:thumbs-up:
Personally, I liked Heathers over Mean Girls.

That was an excellent movie. So was Princess Bride - of course.

[Mermaid Mystery]

Heathers is 100% better than Mean Girls imo

[MermaidRaegan]

I love my gay son!

Okay, now that I have that out of my system...
Make sure you're taking care of yourself while doing this! With the amount of time and effort you're devoting, it's bound to be gorgeous.

[Theobromine]

Man, I feel so uncool and out of the loop with all these movie references, haha.

Thank you, Mermaid Raegan! Also thanks again to everyone else who has been cheering me on this whole time. Even though I'm being a jerk and not posting a lot of photos. At this point though, I'm so close to finishing I'm trying to just sort of do a marathon finish. Not rush so much that I start ignoring the little details, but...I honestly think I can get this done in a week or two and I kind of want to just finish it before posting any more pics so I can do a big reveal at the end :) I think it might be more fun that way.

Plus, I just really enjoy creating antici...
...

[Mermaid Wesley]

*waits*


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[PearlieMae]

SAY IT!

[Theobromine]

...PATION!

[PearlieMae]

Thank q! Now I can move on with my life. :)

[AnnaAbyss]

We're going to need all the popcorn in the world for this one! :D
*Waiting impatiently*

[Theobromine]

Hopefully it will be worth the wait! :eek:

[AnnaAbyss]

I'm sure it absolutely will be with the amount of time and effort you've put into it! :yay:

[Mermaid Alea]

I hope it turns out even better than you had hoped for Theobromine! I know we are all going to be blown away!

[Theobromine]

So basically, no pressure or nuthin; ;)

[swimmingsammi95]

None lol

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[UtahMermaidPearl]

Any new pics?


MermaidPearl

[Theobromine]

Working my arse off on this. I am SO close to finishing the construction and being able to paint it (I'm just doing ridiculous amounts of little tiny detail work that you probably can't even see but oh well). I...I COULD show a picture now, but I'm a jerk and kinda wanna just wait to show it off until it's done >_<

I didn't get any work on it done over Thanksgiving week because I was out of town for the holiday, then I screwed up my neck again when I got back. But now I'm making a lot of progress and I am REALLY close to being done and I really appreciate that you all have been so patient with me! It will be worth the wait, I promise <3

[MermaidBrandie]

*quietly squishes into couch and waits*

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[UtahMermaidPearl]

Uuuugggghhhhhhh I'm so excited!


MermaidPearl

[Luna Dreamtide]

How exciting!!! I can't wait!

[Theobromine]

Sorry I'm a jerk >_< The other reason I'm not showing any progress pics is, to be completely honest, I think everything I do looks like shit until it's finished :P So in it's not-yet-finished and polished state, all I can see are the flaws and I just want to get all the little details taken care of. I know probably no one else will be as picky about it as I am, but this project is my baby so I'm being overprotective and sheepish at the same time, if that makes any sense whatsoever (I just realized it's waayyy past my bedtime).

[Theobromine]

In fact, maybe I SHOULDN'T tell you all it will be worth the wait. I don't want to raise expectations TOO high, yikes. It totally looks like crap, you guys. It looks like it was made by a 5 year old. You'll all hate it. It's terrible.

[PearlieMae]

In fact, maybe I SHOULDN'T tell you all it will be worth the wait. I don't want to raise expectations TOO high, yikes. It totally looks like crap, you guys. It looks like it was made by a 5 year old. You'll all hate it. It's terrible.

I am SO about to finslap you! FINISH IT!

[Fifi Tigg]

You and PearlieMae are one of the main reasons I check Mernetwork everyday!
I love seeing such beautiful craftsmanship and so much passion that goes into these creations! :mermaid kiss:

[Theobromine]

I am SO about to finslap you! FINISH IT!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[Theobromine]

You and PearlieMae are one of the main reasons I check Mernetwork everyday!
I love seeing such beautiful craftsmanship and so much passion that goes into these creations! :mermaid kiss:

<3

I REALLY am trying as hard as I can to get it done! I guess my one point of advice is...if you want to do something fast, don't make scales that are literally the size of a pinhead. Or if you do, don't be super anal about fitting them together. And trying to save yourself time by not sculpting a full scale sheet of those micro-scales just adds more time later when you have to fit a bunch of smaller scale sheets together. Though I guess the upside is, I'm getting so good at hiding seams I think I've actually hidden a couple from myself.

[Theobromine]

Also, I am authorized to tell you that Lorelei keeps telling me NO RUSHING so it's totally her fault I'm not done yet. :cool:

[Mermaid Lorelei]

:sweat drop:

[PearlieMae]

:sweat drop:

Ah...so it's YOUR fault!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

:surrender:

[Theobromine]

Hee hee :hug:

But she also helps me keep my cool so it evens out <3

[Luna Dreamtide]

Very much enjoying this thread's conversation... :D

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Hee hee :hug:

But she also helps me keep my cool so it evens out <3


Dawww. :blush:

[darksiren]

:cool:

[Theobromine]

I'm at the painting stage!! The good news is I've finally really refined my design (same dragon colors I posted recently but new patterning). The bad news is I ended up designing a way more complicated pattern than I originally planned because of course. So it may take me longer than I anticipated to paint it, but this is the most exciting part so I'm gonna enjoy it. I plan on having this done before Christmas! A little cheering-on couldn't hurt, though :) For inspiration for the markings I looked at tons of panther chameleon photos, which I thought would be fitting considering my scales are chameleon-inspired. I'm also throwing in various dashes of inspiration from everything from other lizards to Avatar. Not long now!

[Theobromine]

I'm not going to post a full-length shot of the whole tail until it's done, but if enough people screech at me, I miiiight be persuaded to post a couple sneak peeks....

(Big part of the reason I'm not posting the whole thing, aside from aforementioned concerns, is that my workspace just is not a good place to photograph this creature and I really want to do it justice. I keep having to fold the tip of the fluke over when I move the thing around and in pictures I've tried taking it always just looks way too much like a boner :eye twitch: )

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

This is going to be so amazing when you finish! Good things take time, and we are our own biggest critics! Your inspirations sound awesome, I look forward to seeing your interpretation!

[LouLouBelle]

I'm not going to post a full-length shot of the whole tail until it's done, but if enough people screech at me, I miiiight be persuaded to post a couple sneak peeks....

(Big part of the reason I'm not posting the whole thing, aside from aforementioned concerns, is that my workspace just is not a good place to photograph this creature and I really want to do it justice. I keep having to fold the tip of the fluke over when I move the thing around and in pictures I've tried taking it always just looks way too much like a boner :eye twitch: )

Lol!!!

You can't tease us like that and then not give us a sneak peak... Come on!!

I can't wait to see it finished! I usually go through a love-hate cycle with my watercolour paintings where I'm seriously considering scrapping it and starting again, then I decide it's not so bad... And I usually end up with something that I'm over the moon with, so don't give up!


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[Fifi Tigg]

Sneak peek!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!! xoxoxoxo

[Sherielle]

This is me screeching!!!!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

-RAPTOR SCREEEEEEEECH-

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[WaterDragon]

sneak peek! sneak peek! sneak peek!!!!!!!!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

http://www.bbwildliferemoval.com/images/owl1.jpg

Does a screech owl count? :p

[PearlieMae]

I'm not going to post a full-length shot of the whole tail until it's done, but if enough people screech at me, I miiiight be persuaded to post a couple sneak peeks....

(Big part of the reason I'm not posting the whole thing, aside from aforementioned concerns, is that my workspace just is not a good place to photograph this creature and I really want to do it justice. I keep having to fold the tip of the fluke over when I move the thing around and in pictures I've tried taking it always just looks way too much like a boner :eye twitch: )

Am I going to have to teach you the fine art of cropping out the hoarder's paradise in the background?

C'MON! We want to see!

http://replygif.net/i/689.gif

http://replygif.net/i/171.gif

[Elodea the Mermaid]

https://youtu.be/pxo8X5uIWRE

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[Theobromine]

Aaaaaahhhh!!!

Well thanks everyone, I'm flattered you guys want to see it that bad! Haha. And Pearlie, it's not an issue of cropping anything out, it's that I literally can't get a shot of the whole thing in one picture (I have a 4x8 plywood board as my work surface, which fits perfectly into a 4x8' nook in my workroom which is already quite small, and I have to lay the tail out diagonally across the board and even then it doesn't quite fit, and I just can't get a good angle on it.) Yay logistics. So I'm gonna wait until it's done so I can move it into a bigger space, which I refuse to do before I finish painting because it would be a nightmare to clean all the cat hair off of it afterwards :P I'm having enough trouble with cat hairs as it is, because they seem to love floating around and getting stuck in the paint whereupon I have to pick them out by hand.

Ok, keep in mind these are only base layers, not the final paint job. Colors will be nicer when I'm done. But this should give you an idea.
34735
34736
In the second picture, I'm pointing to a seam line.

[PearlieMae]

:fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover: :fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover: :fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover: :fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover::fallover: :fallover::fallover::fallover:

[PearlieMae]

Also, static electricity will attract cat hair from across the room, EVEN WHILE THE SILICONE IS STILL LIQUID!

[Theobromine]

Well, static electricity can just bite my shiny metal ass!

[PetLoverSpy]

:jawdrop: I LOVE that texture! It looks so natural! And the colors and fins and invisible seam and everything but that texture really takes the cake <3

[Mermaid Wesley]

*gasp* ok keep going.KEEP GOING.

[Theobromine]

I'm painting furiously!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

I'm painting furiously!

Faster! But not too fast. Produce this art at reasonable but satisfying speed!

[LouLouBelle]

Wow! Even with just the base layers it's looking amazing! Those colours are mesmerising.


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[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

*gasp* ok keep going.KEEP GOING.


Faster! But not too fast. Produce this art at reasonable but satisfying speed!
It sounds like you guys are crying out during sex [emoji14]

I think everyone is going to have an artgasm when this is finished.

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[Theobromine]

:lol:

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

It sounds like you guys are crying out during sex [emoji14]

I think everyone is going to have an artgasm when this is finished.

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[emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

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[Seraphina Suds]

What seam line?!? It looks like a macro photo of some real critter!

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[Luna Dreamtide]

:fallover::fallover: That's amazing!! How! Gosh you're good. That looks amazing.

[Mermaid Saoirse]

*excited shrieking* You're boss at this! It's coming out great!!

[Dancing Fish]

Seriously...that's just incredible!!

[Mermaid Alea]

What seam line?!? It looks like a macro photo of some real critter!

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I know RIGHT!!?? I don't see the line at all!! I am not saying that I can't see it to be nice, I seriously mean I don't see it AT ALL!

When Theobromine was talking about how meticulous she was being and detailed I just knew that meant it would be epic. It is already epic and it isn't even done yet. I love the patterning you are working on.

I know this is your Christmas present to yourself, but seriously I think it will be a Christmas present for us just being able to see the finished tail.

[Elodea the Mermaid]

I know this is your Christmas present to yourself, but seriously I think it will be a Christmas present for us just being able to see the finished tail.

Preach!

[Theobromine]

Aw, jeez, thanks everyone!! :$ I feel like a super jerk meanie-pants being so sneaky about everything, but I really think it will be fun to do a big reveal on the completed tail, hopefully it will be worth all the waiting!

I did some more painting on the stripes today and intensified the colors, though I didn't have all day cuz I had some friends over and I had to clean the house. I tried to take a picture to show the color difference, which is quite obvious in person, but on my phone and computer screens the color just looks the exact same as before *scream* so here it is anyway, I don't know if you'll be able to tell the difference though. *grumblegrumblephonesgrumble*
34740

I've been layering the colors so that the darker colors will shade and define the areas between the scales I'm hoping that will help give it some realism. And yeah, the seams...hiding them isn't so much a trick as just painstaking meticulous work. I've filled in any gaps with individually-cut-out scales, and yes, including the tiniest of the pinprick ones. It's taken me a bloody long time.

[Mermaid Wesley]

OHHH nooooo >\\\\\< now I see it and am embarassed lol
(@aysun)

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[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh that looks brilliant


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[Theobromine]

Did a bit more paint work after my friends left; added some more stripes (going to keep blending the colors together). The light in here is atrocious for taking pictures, but I'm tryin'.

34741

PS, there are 4 seams in this picture (2 partially hidden behind the dorsal). See if you can find them.

[Theobromine]

Thanks Wesley :)

[Luna Dreamtide]

Did a bit more paint work after my friends left; added some more stripes (going to keep blending the colors together). The light in here is atrocious for taking pictures, but I'm tryin'.

34741

PS, there are 4 seams in this picture (2 partially hidden behind the dorsal). See if you can find them.
Your attention to detail always blows my mind! That's looking so good!

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oooooooohhhhhh it is absolutely stunning!! You've done an amazing job!

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

How did you do the scales?

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[Spindrift]

Voice pitch goes from normal/low to high: This is looking AWESOMMMMME!!!

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

Wow. That is just extraordinary!

[LouLouBelle]

Just... Wow... How in the name of goodness could you have EVER thought that wasn't looking good?!? There's no way that could ever have had an 'ugly stage'... Seriously!


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[PearlieMae]

This is getting more and more incredible! I feel like such a hack!

[MermaidBrandie]

*flails excitedly*

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[MermaidBrandie]

Are you gonna sell these? Because like...

Damn

...you should sell these.

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[Seraphina Suds]

It's. So. Beautiful.

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[UtahMermaidPearl]

You are honestly the most talented tail maker I have ever seen


MermaidPearl

[AniaR]

Woooooow

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[Vrindavana Starfish]

This is so amazing. Those colors are beautiful!

[Azurin Luna]

Holy seacow! That looks amazing! Love the color blends and the dorsal shape :D
:swoon:

[Theobromine]

Everyone, thank you so so much. I appreciate all of your comments. I'm really really glad people appreciate my work! I was honestly afraid my ridiculous level of pickiness about tiny details was going to be completely superfluous because I know I tend to be overly anal about tiny details that a lot of people don't even really care about. (I have ADD, and the flip side of having trouble focusing on most tasks is that I also get hyperfocused on things I find really interesting or am very passionate about; this is why I tend to spend all my time fiddling with things until I'm completely satisfied and block out everything else. Which reminds me...shit, I still haven't done any Christmas shopping, crap).

Pearlie: OMG WTF YOU ARE NOT A HACK AND YOU KNOW IT. So many of us here look up to you and your beautiful artful tails so just shush. If you're a hack then so am I.

Neri Elvina: I'm not sure exactly what you mean about how I did the scales, but all I really did was sculpt them in clay and cast them, but then I had to take my small scale sheets and "stitch" them together. I trimmed around scales and lined the sheets up as best I could, then cut out individual scales from the scrap pieces and stuck them in where there were any gaps left between scale sheets, so they'd look continuous. It was just as tedious as it sounds. I don't recommend that method unless you're prepared to do a lot of careful detail-oriented work. I knew what I was setting myself up for, but I also knew that I'd go completely insane if I had to sculpt an entire scale sheet of tiny chameleon scales.

Everyone: yes, I do hope to sell tails in the future! But like with this tail, I'm going to go about it very carefully, not just jump straight in, because I'd rather be overly cautious than get myself in over my head and run the risk of screwing up. I have four friends I've been talking to for quite a while now about tail ideas and I'll be making tails for them first so they can give me honest feedback on what works and what doesn't so I can work out all the kinks before I start selling tails to the public. (That's what I did for my kelp tops and it was very helpful). I want to be 100% confident in my product before I start putting it out there. So while that means it will take longer before I start advertising and taking orders, my work will be better for it in the end. I hope you all can continue to be patient with me while I do this. I can't even express how much I appreciate everyone's support <3 <3 <3

[Theobromine]

Thanks, Azurin Luna! (You replied while I was writing out my previous comment). Fun fact about the dorsal fin: I was originally just planning to put a row of smaller fins there instead of a single continuous dorsal, because I didn't want to have to sculpt another huge fin, haha. Then rather late in the process after I'd already finished all my molds and started casting the fins, I changed my mind. So I spliced that dorsal fin together out of whole and partial castings of about four different fins. And I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! If you look carefully at it (like in the pic of all the fins together I posted a little while back) you can see the shapes that are taken from other fins.

[Mer-Crazy]

I feel like I am going to need one of your tails in my life haha

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[Mermaid Clara]

Holy mother of pearl! You have talent!


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[IllynReaver]

Simply stunning, I can't wait until it's finished.

[Theobromine]

Thanks!!

So...I think I need to be realistic; there's no way I'm gonna finish this before Christmas. Not now that I decided to make my paint scheme 10x more complicated than I originally planned :P I really need to stop saying I'll have it done by X date. I don't want to rush the painting and end up with something I'm not happy with. And I seriously have done zero Christmas shopping and barely anything Christmassy at all and it's almost Christmas :( soooooo not that I actually want to stop painting, but I think I'm going to have to take a break until after Christmas. I guess this just goes to show how obsessive I've been over this project....I love Christmas and I've been missing it all. Sigh. Oh well, I'm feeling a lot more confident about my tail now that I'm in the painting stage. I know it's gonna be done soon and it's gonna be awesome. Even though there are still a few parts here and there that I think are wretched, overall I'm just so happy with it and the colors are looking fantastic and really making the whole thing look soooo much better than it did just a few days ago. So yeah, merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone, expect to see updates again in a week or so!

<3

[Theobromine]

(If I HAD finished it by Christmas I would have seriously wrapped it up in a giant box and put it under the tree and then opened it on Christmas morning and pretended to be all surprised or something :P )

[Merman Arion]

@Theobromine

Take a good break gurl. You deserve it :hug:
Your tail is beyond amazing! I'm very impressed and I hope to see it one day in person. Congrats! I know it will look stunning on you :clap: :clap: :hail:

[AquaStella]

*pulls up to her computer with a bowl of eggs and salsa and cup of coffee*
This. Is. Making. My Morning! This is a piece of art!!! I am so excited to see the whole thing when completed, but I have to say that the small glimpses are magnificent and awe-inspiring.

Please have a break. We are here (salivating) but we can wait. Art takes time.

[Theobromine]

Omg you eat eggs with salsa too?! I thought I was just a weirdo.

Thanks again everyone! And don't worry, I'm pretty sure that when I finally finish this tail, it will be worth the wait in the end :) And after that, you guys can look forward to my next tailmaking adventures when I start working on tails for my product tester friends (and add to my library of molds)!

[Theobromine]

Oh, Arion, I just saw your comment. Thank you, and I really hope you can come out here and swim with me someday!! Maybe next time Lorelei comes to visit :)

[Mermaid Julianne]

Everyone: yes, I do hope to sell tails in the future! But like with this tail, I'm going to go about it very carefully, not just jump straight in, because I'd rather be overly cautious than get myself in over my head and run the risk of screwing up. I have four friends I've been talking to for quite a while now about tail ideas and I'll be making tails for them first so they can give me honest feedback on what works and what doesn't so I can work out all the kinks before I start selling tails to the public. (That's what I did for my kelp tops and it was very helpful). I want to be 100% confident in my product before I start putting it out there. So while that means it will take longer before I start advertising and taking orders, my work will be better for it in the end. I hope you all can continue to be patient with me while I do this. I can't even express how much I appreciate everyone's support <3 <3 <3

Thats completely understandable! Its so much smarter to prepare and perfect your craft before diving in. (But when you do dive in let us know, cause I 100% want a tail from you)

Also, I looked at that scale photo for like 5 minutes, and I still can't find all the seams.

[Theobromine]

You'll hear it here first, folks! I haven't even posted any of those pictures anywhere else besides this thread so everyone who's been following knows more than anyone else aside from my family and close friends. I'll probably do the same with my next tails as well. Man I can't wait to get started on those, my friends have some amazing designs worked out and I have some ideas for bringing them to life that I can't wait to try out!!

Also, I don't wanna go to bed, I just wanna keep petting my tail.

[Adalira]

OMG Those colors! That tail (or at least the part we can see) wow wow wow wow wooooow!
I can't wait to see the finished result, this part so far looks absolutely stunning! Blue, green and purple are my absolute favorite colors. wow wow wow wow wow is all i have to say

[Ashton]

Looks great! How big are your molds?


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[Mermaid Lyra]

Holy moly batman that color
Scheme is so pretty and the scaling and everything!!! Amazing job so far!!! [emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7][emoji7] ps dragons are the best


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[Theobromine]

Thanks you guys! Ashton, which molds are you curious about? I have molds in aaaaaalllllllll different sizes...

Back to painting tomorrow! Husband and I took a rest day today and just hung out...watched the Doctor Who Christmas special and played a Star Wars game and hung out with the kitties (and gave them their Christmas presents--Star Wars toys from Petco. Our kitties are as nerdy as we are). Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

[Luna Dreamtide]

In continuation of the conversation on another thread - since you mentioned you were handpainting...
How are you finding it? I always thought it would be harder to blend colours and build intensity by hand...
Plus I would think paint brushes would get ruined. Are you able to clean paint brushes to use them again?

[Theobromine]

I actually really enjoy painting by hand, but I've also been practicing handpainting silicone for over a year now so I've been able to develop my skills accordingly. I don't think it's any more difficult to blend colors if you just practice at it, but you also have to thin the silicone enough to do that easily. So it just takes some practice, really. Everything I've ever made in silicone that you may have seen either in this thread or in my Etsy thread has been hand-painted, so you can kind of see how I've improved as I've made more things :P Plus, I can get certain effects with hand-painting that I don't think you could do with an airbrush (maybe you could? I dunno) such as painting just the top surfaces of the scales with a brighter color to highlight them (using a lighter hand vs. heavier hand on the brush). Like if you go back and look at the sea serpent top I made, you can see that I highlighted a lot of tiny scales in gold. Even Abby from Finfolk, who is incredibly skilled at airbrushing, hand-paints the scale-tipping details.

As for brushes, I generally just go to Michaels and buy the big cheap packages of paintbrushes because yeah, I've ruined a lot of paintbrushes this way. I normally just clean everything really well with rubbing alcohol, which cleans up uncured silicone pretty well. I always have a spray bottle full of isopropyl and a roll of paper towels handy when I'm working. However, most paintbrushes have eventually gotten clogged with silicone. Sometimes it doesn't matter so much (if I'm just using it for spreading silicone in a mold or gluing two pieces together) but I've found that having tiny, almost invisible silicone crumbs hidden in the paintbrush bristles can ruin the smoothness of a paint job, because they get dragged out with the paint. I've had some pretty infuriating moments that way. But just recently I ordered some NOVOCS from Smooth-on (it's their no-volatile organic compounds solvent, one of the safest solvents available) and I've found that not only is it a great paint thinner, it works SO much better for cleaning brushes than just isopropyl. It appears to actually help dissolve/soften cured silicone a bit, and I've been able to rescue a bunch of paintbrushes I thought I was going to have to throw out. Oh, and one more thing about brushes: use brushes with synthetic bristles. Any time I've tried using the natural-bristle ones (either the soft or the coarse ones) I've ended up having to pick hairs out of the paint because the friggin' natural bristles ALWAYS come out. Like, I already have enough cat hair to deal with, man!

[Luna Dreamtide]

Good points. I didn't even consider you hand painted but it would definitely make sense with your little creatures.
I guess using a combination of both would work too, though hand painting is certainly cheaper...
How thin do you make the silicone?

[Theobromine]

How much I thin the silicone depends on what part I'm painting and what effect I'm going for. It's kind of hard to explain, but I usually just add solvent bit by bit until it's as runny as I want it to be. I'll make it runnier if I want to do a thin wash over an area, such as doing a dark wash over scales to make them stand out, then I'll use slightly thicker paint in a lighter color and a very light brushstroke to highlight just the tops of the scales. The instructions for psycho paint (which I've been using recently) say to use 1 part A + 1 part B + 2-5 parts solvent, but when I tried using even 2 parts solvent (aka equal volumes mixed paint and solvent) I found it still way too runny for my taste. It was such a thin wash you could barely see the color. Of course that still works fine, you just build the color up in multiple layers, and I do that anyway but I prefer to use less solvent so I can see the color I'm adding better. It doesn't have to be watery to still be easy to brush on, just has to be thin enough that it's not gloppy and clinging to the brush in viscous strands, if that makes sense....it causes backsplatter (I don't know what else you'd call it).

[Theobromine]

Grumble grumble....eternally frustrated with my phone camera for not capturing colors accurately...but here's an example of hand-painted detail on my fluke. You can't really see the color gradations that well, but this part is still super unfinished so it should be more vibrant and detailed when I'm finished. But it should at least give you an idea of how you really can get soft, natural colors and patterns with just a few cheap-ass paintbrushes.

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[Mermaid Alea]

So in a way what you are doing is like working with watercolors? It sounds really fun experimenting with different washes and everything. I love how fluid the markings are. It is looking perfect already!

[Luna Dreamtide]

Gosh that looks incredible. If this is unfinished - I can't wait to see it done!

[LouLouBelle]

That looks gorgeous. I think you've taken tail making to a whole new level!


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[PearlieMae]

http://replygif.net/i/675.gif

[Theobromine]

So in a way what you are doing is like working with watercolors? It sounds really fun experimenting with different washes and everything. I love how fluid the markings are. It is looking perfect already!

That's not a bad way to put it, actually. Yeah, it's pretty fun to experiment, and layering the colors in thin coats or washes makes it much easier to do color blends and gradients. I was never a hugely talented painter when it came to 2D art projects, but I've always enjoyed and felt more at home painting 3D objects. Come to think of it I was always better at making 3D art than just drawing and painting, anyway. I'm just not very good at actually giving tutorials or describing my process :P

[PearlieMae]

Be careful with that NOVOCS! I just read the SDS...I had no idea it was that dangerous despite having low VOCs!

[Theobromine]

I always have the window open when I use it and I always wear gloves now while painting. Thanks for the warning, though! It doesn't have a nice smell to it so I wasn't expecting it to be completely safe. I'll go look up the SDS right now, though. Always a good idea to read those!

[PearlieMae]

Good idea...the fire thing was my big concern.

I can't use any solvents unless I use them outside. Don't want to kill my canary!