Theobromine's sea serpent silicone tail!

[Theobromine]

Yeah. Animal safety is a big concern of mine too. I only use a little bit of solvent at a time, anyway. Unfortunately I still have my snake cage in my work room at this point, because I need to keep him behind closed doors to keep the cats away from him (because the screen lid on his habitat is not cat-proof...I learned that the hard way when I lost my crested gecko :( PS, never buy Exo-Terra terrariums, they are flimsy overpriced pieces of shit). I REALLY need to get him a bigger and better habitat but I haven't really had the time or the money yet, so I just need to make sure I'm really careful with ventilation. I typically do all my paint mixing right in front of the open window, cold be damned.

[Mermaid Mystery]

I've got three of their terrariums, haven't had a problem but I hate that you can't just open one door at a time. Especially when housing a cranky tarantula.

[Theobromine]

The components are all very flimsy, which is especially infuriating considering how much they cost. And the screen mesh in the lids, aside from being very thin and delicate itself, is not anchored properly in the lid frame. It's not adhered in at all; it's basically just wedged in with a giant o-ring. I know this cuz I've had to reconstruct them more than once. I lost my crested gecko in the first one I had because the lid gets pushed in and ripped out of the frame as soon as a cat puts enough weight on it. I only have my snake in one now because I got it for half off and I now know to keep him behind closed doors, away from the cats. But I sure as hell will never buy another one. :soap box:

[Mermaid Mystery]

I feel it. We had to replace ALL of our screens at work because when people take them off to clean or get an animal they dig their fingers into the screen. It's the worst. Sorry about your poor crestie, I'd murder my cats after an incident like that.

[Theobromine]

I could never hurt my cats, they're still my babies and I know it was just their instinct. But I was so angry I wouldn't talk to them for like a week.

[Mermaid Mystery]

Of course. My cats are as much my babies as my reptiles. Good on you for giving them the silent treatment, because I'd probably give mine the frustrated-yelling treatment for about an hour. No cat treats for a month.

[darksiren]

Can't breathe. Antisi............................................ ..............

[Theobromine]

PATION

No new pics yet, I've just been fiddling some more, fixing up the edges and some areas in the fluke membranes and I thought I'd share a couple tips. One is that I've discovered that bobby pins are a good way to hold fluke edges together while the glue is curing (I had to fill in some small gaps and the clips I used before were too strong and left a mark so I tried the bobby pins this time and they worked well and were easy and no worries about cure inhibition as they're metal).

Second of all, I don't know if anyone else has had issues with this, but I found it very very tricky to seal the two fluke halves together around the monofin and not get bubbles in the glue. No matter how careful I was, bubbles still got trapped; I also had this problem when putting my fins together but it was easier to squish all the little bubbles out systematically on the much smaller fins. Now, I don't know if this is as much of a concern to a lot of other tailmakers as most people just paint over it anyway, but I deliberately made the membranes on my fins and fluke very thin and transparent for the particular look I was going for, and the bubbles and uneven areas kinda mucked up my plans. Worst comes to worst I can paint over it (and I ended up deciding to paint some markings on anyway) but I still want to retain at least some of the translucency and minimize the stupid bubbles. So I botoxed my fluke :P Not really, but I did use a 20mL syringe with a large-gauge needle that I picked up at TAP plastics, and I carefully poked holes in the bubbled areas with the tip of an exacto knife and then injected thinned silicone into the gaps. It helped fill in a lot of the troublesome areas.

Note: I didn't thin the silicone with solvent, as that wouldn't be able to evaporate off from inside the cured layers. You have to get what's called silicone thinner, which is different from solvent. It lowers the viscosity of the silicone but just becomes part of the cured silicone without needing to evaporate. Anyhoo...I think I can now officially call myself a tail surgeon. (Surgeonfish?)

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

The information above is fantastic, but I had to comment because I laughed really hard at the "reason for edit"

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[Theobromine]

XD Finally someone appreciates my ridiculousness :jester:

I can post links and/or pictures for the syringe and silicone thinner if anyone wants. I figured someone else might find it useful at some point.

[EdenBlue]

So lucky to get the materials. I can't even buy or make one yet, I hope your tail is amazing!

[Luna Dreamtide]

Those are great tips. Thanks for sharing.

[WaterDragon]

I can post links and/or pictures for the syringe and silicone thinner if anyone wants. I figured someone else might find it useful at some point.

yes please :)

[Theobromine]

Ok, so the syringe I got is this one: http://www.tapplastics.com/product/supplies_tools/plastic_tools_supplies/hypo_type_solvent_cement_applicator/409
Looks like they also have little squeeze-bottles with blunt needle tips. Those would work too. You can also get syringes and needles from a lot of local supply companies, I think, if you don't feel like ordering them. I think farm-supply stores often sell syringes for people who have to vaccinate their own livestock (*does not own livestock*) you just have to pick the widest diameter needles you can find (smaller gauge numbers actually mean bigger needles). Also important, this syringe uses a screw-on needle, which helps hold it on when you're injecting viscous fluids that would cause the non screw-in kind to pop off.

This is the silicone thinner I used (with TAP brand platinum silicone, which is already less viscous than dragonskin so I needed less thinner): http://www.tapplastics.com/product/mold_making_materials/mold_making_supplies/silicone_thinner/556
I think Smooth-on also sells a silicone thinner...yup, here it is: http://www.smooth-on.com/Silicone-Rubber-an/c2_1128_1196/index.html

Everything else, like the exacto knife (and I also use those tiny nail scissors or cuticle scissors or whatever they are for trimming tiny details), you can get 'em at Target and whatnot.

[Theobromine]

34891

[Mermaid Alea]

May the force be with you in your alterations.

[PearlieMae]

34891

HAHAHA!

[Theobromine]

Thankfully it's just the paint design, not anything structural. I just ended up painting a rather busy pattern on the fluke membranes :P I just can't seem to stop messing with it.

[PearlieMae]

I know exactly what you mean.

[Theobromine]

34893

Feels.

[PearlieMae]

Re: tailmaking

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

http://replygif.net/i/1397.gif

[Adalira]

I´m so excited to see more of this tail, i just love the colors, love love love!! :swoon:
You can do it Theobromine! :cheerleader:

[Theobromine]

I feel like we need a Tailmaking Memes/Ragecomics thread, hahaha.

You seriously don't appreciate how much work goes into one of these suckers until you make one yourself (and if you're as obsessively anal and pedantic about tiny details as I am, you might be doomed).

[LouLouBelle]

It's like any form of art - it's never finished, it's abandoned!

It'll be worth it when you swim in it for the first time. [emoji4]


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[PearlieMae]

I feel like we need a Tailmaking Memes/Ragecomics thread, hahaha.

You seriously don't appreciate how much work goes into one of these suckers until you make one yourself (and if you're as obsessively anal and pedantic about tiny details as I am, you might be doomed).

YES!

When I get into that death spiral of obsessive detail, I remember something my mom would say (that she said my grandmother said) "you wouldn't see it from a galloping horse", meaning that level of detail will never be noticed by anyone, including yourself, once the thing was finished.

Of course, we know that's not true, but it gives us permission to stop when something is honestly good enough.

[Theobromine]

LouLou, that is SO true. Pearlie...I'm gonna have to remember that. It sounds like something my mom says too.

Note to self....stop trying to take detail shots before putting in contacts (or finishing coffee).

34896

Meh.

I keep brushing different shades over the tail tip because I can't quite decide what looks best. So far I think I'm preferring the blue fading to green around the edges.

[Adalira]

Wow, it looks so beautiful! I truly can't wait to see the complete tail.....omg i am so excited!!!! :swoon:

[PearlieMae]

Put a bright yellow or hot pink dot on it, like a lure! Oooh! I know! A BIOLUMINESCENT spot! OoooooOOOooh!

[Luna Dreamtide]

Put a bright yellow or hot pink dot on it, like a lure! Oooh! I know! A BIOLUMINESCENT spot! OoooooOOOooh!
Ooh I love this idea! Except I think the spot should be purple...

And Theobromine, that looks great like that. The blending of colours is beautiful.

[PearlieMae]

Of course it should be purple, everything should be!

Unfortunately, purple glow in the dark pigment is generally so disappointing that I don't even consider it for use in a tail.

And THAT breaks my heart!

[Theobromine]

Can you mix it with some of the brighter, lighter glow colors? Or even just mix the brightest glow pigment with some straight purple pigment, so you get the purple color but also more of a glow? For all I know it would come out looking barf-colored....but it might be worth a shot, I dunno. (The idea I had in my brain would be to maybe mix or paint over it with some purple Silc Pig, which tends to be a lot more translucent than powder pigments, kind of like putting colored cellophane in front of a light bulb...)

[Luna Dreamtide]

Of course it should be purple, everything should be!

Unfortunately, purple glow in the dark pigment is generally so disappointing that I don't even consider it for use in a tail.

And THAT breaks my heart!
That is sad. Are there any colours you have had success with?

[Vrindavana Starfish]

This is looking so freaking amazing.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

A big neon green glow in the dark spot!! Or spots! MANY SPOTS!

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Oh gods. Just binge-read this entire thread.

*headdesk*

*whispers "this is incredible" in creaky voice*

[Theobromine]

Sooo I may or may not have already planned on adding certain spots....

*mutters something incoherent about must finish tail soon, soooon*
*sits in corner rocking back and forth because not even half finished painting*
*keeps getting in trouble for staying up too late painting*

[Theobromine]

34909

I may have a problem.

[Mermaid Coralia]

Lmao theo, that cartoon is fucking great. And your tail is gonna be awesome

[PearlieMae]

34909

I may have a problem.

In my case, exchange cats for husband. Yeah. How predictable.

Also, no, the glow pigments alone look like snot. Mixing with each other, they don't blend...you could give green a bluish hue, but the green overpowers everything. Adding pigment just dims the glow, and a translucent colored top coat doesn't show up as a gel colored filter. I wish there was a powerful white glow pigment!

I'll try and do a sample test tonight and make a chart.

[LouLouBelle]

The idea I had in my brain would be to maybe mix or paint over it with some purple Silc Pig, which tends to be a lot more translucent than powder pigments, kind of like putting colored cellophane in front of a light bulb...)

If that works, it will look awesome! Otherwise, could you fade it to purple then fade the purple to (glow in the dark) white at the very tip?

Whatever you do, it's looking amazing already! I can't wait to see the whole finished tail!


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[Theobromine]

Hehe thanks guys.

Pearlie, that's good to know! Saved me some fiddling. I'll probably just leave the color as-is.

[Luna Dreamtide]

In my case, exchange cats for husband. Yeah. How predictable.

Also, no, the glow pigments alone look like snot. Mixing with each other, they don't blend...you could give green a bluish hue, but the green overpowers everything. Adding pigment just dims the glow, and a translucent colored top coat doesn't show up as a gel colored filter. I wish there was a powerful white glow pigment!

I'll try and do a sample test tonight and make a chart.
Ooh that would be very helpful! And yes a white glow pigment would be awesome...

[Theobromine]

If anyone's interested in trying the syringe methods I mentioned the other day, I found they have some industrial blunt-needle syringes on Amazon for a really good price: http://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Syringes-Blunt-Needle-plastic/dp/B00DXPRTHG/ref=pd_sim_328_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=21SzolFINTL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0WC9AYYJGZ3N4TM02EVX

[MermaidBrandie]

Can you mix it with some of the brighter, lighter glow colors? Or even just mix the brightest glow pigment with some straight purple pigment, so you get the purple color but also more of a glow? For all I know it would come out looking barf-colored....but it might be worth a shot, I dunno. (The idea I had in my brain would be to maybe mix or paint over it with some purple Silc Pig, which tends to be a lot more translucent than powder pigments, kind of like putting colored cellophane in front of a light bulb...)
I've mixed dashes of other colored pigments with bright blue glow pigments with success. In daylight it looks like purple or whatever but at night its glows bright blue!

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[Theobromine]

I've mixed dashes of other colored pigments with bright blue glow pigments with success. In daylight it looks like purple or whatever but at night its glows bright blue!

Dis good to know.

So, good news and bad news. The good news is the paint job looks great so far. The bad news is a certain Russian tailmaker with a shady reputation followed me on Instagram yesterday, and I blocked her on there but I'm worried she might be looking through these forums as well, so I'm hesitant to post any more sneak peeks :-/

Also, as happy as I am with how the tail's looking so far, I'm starting to get a little exhausted....I don't want to rush the paint job but I also wanna finish the damn tail, like ever. And I'm still only working on the back, I still have to paint the entire front :eye twitch:

[Mermaid Mystery]

if she copies your tail I'll have my friend's Russian famous-hockey-player friends-with-Putin dad beat her up, I swear on me mum

[Theobromine]

:lol:

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Even if she does copy you (which I very much hope she does not) there is no way she could ever hope to match the sheer awesomeness of your tail.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

And THAT is a true statement from Silverfin.

[Theobromine]

Thanks, both :) At least everyone here will know who did it first, I suppose.

Aaaaannnd my tail officially looks like it was violently sneezed on by a wizard.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

That can only be a good thing, I think.

Wizard sneeze sounds like the sort of thing you need to bottle and market.

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Who is the tailmaker? Should keep an eye out

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[Theobromine]

Just flopping back in here for a sec to say I FINISHED PAINTING THE BACK and now I'm about to flip it over and start painting the front!!

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Whoot!!!

[Mermaid Julianne]

Just flopping back in here for a sec to say I FINISHED PAINTING THE BACK and now I'm about to flip it over and start painting the front!!
Yay! How exciting!

[Luna Dreamtide]

Just flopping back in here for a sec to say I FINISHED PAINTING THE BACK and now I'm about to flip it over and start painting the front!!
Yay!! Any chance for a sneak peek photo?

[Theobromine]

Mmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyybeeeeeee........ :neener:

[Theobromine]

Grr, I don't like any of the pictures I took of it. They're either blurry or the color's all weird. And now I'm working on the front, bleh

[Luna Dreamtide]

Grr, I don't like any of the pictures I took of it. They're either blurry or the color's all weird. And now I'm working on the front, bleh
Oh well. We can all ooh and ah over it when it's done!

[Alexander Buratti]

😊 Your Art work on this Tail is Amazing and beautiful 😊 Artist to Artist 🎨

[Theobromine]

Thank you! Oh, and welcome to the forum, Alex! (I saw your intro post right before I went to bed last night).

I'm really hoping that I can get the front done more quickly than the back, as I'm keeping more of the emerald green base color so I won't have to paint as many base layers over it. I know it's probably really frustrating for you guys to only see the occasional glimpses, but I'm doing my best to finish it as swiftly as I can so I can actually get some GOOD pictures of it. It's just annoying where it is right now, it's hard to get the whole thing in one picture and the sunlight coming in from a window in the room, coupled with my feeble photography skills, means that the colors just don't show up like I want them to.

[Adalira]

Don't worry, we are all patiently waiting to see the result :-)

[Dancing Fish]

This tail is going to be epic.

[Theobromine]

Gosh, I really hope so!! If it isn't, I'll have to run away and join the circus.

I'm making good progress on painting the front, though...even with having to constantly stop to pick out cat hairs :anger explode:

[The Green Mermaid]

The silc Pig pigments go extreamly far you only have to use a tiny tiny amount to tint the silicone and they allow you to maintain a bit of transparency

[Theobromine]

Yep, I use silc pig where I want a translucent effect (fin membranes) and pearl ex pigments where I need it to be more opaque and/or shiny, like the scales. I find it's always best to use a wide variety of materials to suit different applications.

[Keiris]

Yep, I use silc pig where I want a translucent effect (fin membranes) and pearl ex pigments where I need it to be more opaque and/or shiny, like the scales. I find it's always best to use a wide variety of materials to suit different applications.

Me too, Theobromine! I think the variety really gives the tails more depth and interest close up.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

The amount of work that must go into that. I'm actually blown away by the work.

And that goes to you too, Keiris. I remember your fabric-silicone hybrid tail thread.

[Mermaid Alea]

I know what you mean about staying up late working on art stuffs. I can't help it I feel like my best inspiration comes when I should be sleeping. :lol:

It is looking great I love your color choices and I am very proud of you for taking your time. :) I know it can be hard to not rush something that you are really excited to finish.

[Theobromine]

Sometimes as soon as my head hits the pillow I start having a whirlwind of crazy ideas and can't get to sleep for ages. I've tried that notebook-next-to-bed thing, but it's pretty hard to write and sketch in the dark :P and I don't really think my husband would appreciate me turning the light on and scribbling madly. So usually I just stay up working until I'm all out of energy/ideas. Probably not ideal, but what can you do.

[Luna Dreamtide]

Sometimes as soon as my head hits the pillow I start having a whirlwind of crazy ideas and can't get to sleep for ages. I've tried that notebook-next-to-bed thing, but it's pretty hard to write and sketch in the dark :P and I don't really think my husband would appreciate me turning the light on and scribbling madly. So usually I just stay up working until I'm all out of energy/ideas. Probably not ideal, but what can you do.
I use Notes on my phone for that purpose! If I have an idea I need to sketch I try to just describe my ideas. The best ideas always come at night!

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Agreed on that count.

[Theobromine]

I bet that works great for those of you who can use it, but I can't stand having my phone near me at night. I always just leave it on my desk downstairs.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Sometimes as soon as my head hits the pillow I start having a whirlwind of crazy ideas and can't get to sleep for ages. I've tried that notebook-next-to-bed thing, but it's pretty hard to write and sketch in the dark :P and I don't really think my husband would appreciate me turning the light on and scribbling madly. So usually I just stay up working until I'm all out of energy/ideas. Probably not ideal, but what can you do.

My husband and I both have book lights so if one of us can't sleep, we can read/write without disturbing the other.

[Saelyyia]

My boyfriend and I have similar issues, when he is reading even with his book light because I'm light sensitive so I just got a sleep mask and it made a world of difference. I got him one too for when I am up late sketching new dresses in bed.

[Theobromine]

I'm actually so light-sensitive and such a light sleeper that I'd mostly just annoy myself. I use a sleep mask but I still get annoyed by the light that sneaks in under the edges :P

Random, but it's weird how sometimes I don't get email notifications of new replies on this thread, but if I'm browsing the forum I'll notice and when I go to the most recent posts, THEN the network sends me an email. Like "oh hey sorry we were totally paying attention and meant to send you this" and I'm like "delayed reaction much, Mernetwork?" :P :P

Tail: something's bugging me about the colors on the front. I can't quite put my finger on it. I've been repainting a few bits, basically just trying to decide what I like. I was trying to keep more of the bright green and some other lighter colors on the ventral side but I'm just not really satisfied with how that looks, so I think I'm going to need to go darker. I've made quite a bit of progress though, got all the patterns blocked out and a lot of it shaded. So once I fix the color BS it's mostly just fixing up the details, then give the whole thing a once-over to make sure I haven't missed anything before doing the clear coat. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

[Luna Dreamtide]

I'm actually so light-sensitive and such a light sleeper that I'd mostly just annoy myself. I use a sleep mask but I still get annoyed by the light that sneaks in under the edges :P

Random, but it's weird how sometimes I don't get email notifications of new replies on this thread, but if I'm browsing the forum I'll notice and when I go to the most recent posts, THEN the network sends me an email. Like "oh hey sorry we were totally paying attention and meant to send you this" and I'm like "delayed reaction much, Mernetwork?" :P :P

Tail: something's bugging me about the colors on the front. I can't quite put my finger on it. I've been repainting a few bits, basically just trying to decide what I like. I was trying to keep more of the bright green and some other lighter colors on the ventral side but I'm just not really satisfied with how that looks, so I think I'm going to need to go darker. I've made quite a bit of progress though, got all the patterns blocked out and a lot of it shaded. So once I fix the color BS it's mostly just fixing up the details, then give the whole thing a once-over to make sure I haven't missed anything before doing the clear coat. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
You could show us for some feedback... ;)

I hope you get it sorted though :)

[Theobromine]

Ooooohhh, nice try, haha! ;D But I think it looks stoopid right now so I don't want anyone to see it until I fix it >_< because....well, you know how I am...

[Theobromine]

I'm just gonna leave this link here so I can go over it in more detail later: http://offbeathome.com/2011/11/how-to-organize-craft-room

Also cuz it might be helpful for some of you guys too.

[PearlieMae]

Alright, before I even look at your link, I am going to demand that you remove the hidden camera you have in my clusterf#ck of a studio.

:gah:

[Theobromine]

HAHA!

[AnnaAbyss]

It is interesting to see someone else make a tail out of a another type of silicone instead of Dragon Skin. I read that you lived in Australia for a bit. Do you know any places here that sell a similar type of urethane molding material that you used?

[Theobromine]

Not off the top of my head, no. I'd have to do a little research. When I lived in Australia all I had was my monofin and some spandex and some plans. I can do a bit of digging around when I get a chance and see if I can find anything similar that might be available there. FYI though, if you're thinking of trying a flexible/rubber mold, you can straight up just use silicone. As long as you use a proper release agent to prevent it from sticking, you can cast silicone in a silicone mold.

Also: fixed the stupid looking paint! It now looks like what I had in mind, rather than a clown on speed :P

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

That is terrifying imagery

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[Theobromine]

Hence why I haven't shared any progress pictures.

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

But, like, humorously terrifying.

I love your descriptions.

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[Theobromine]

Hahahaha, why thank you!

I tried to write a children's book once but my prose was atrociously flowery :P

[Mermaid Clarity]

So long-time lurker, now posting. HOLY CRAP your tail is pants-pooingly beautiful. (I'm gonna go sit in a corner and and feel bad about the messiness that my tail is looking like.)

[Theobromine]

Whut? I just commented on your thread, your tail looks fine (I mean, it looks like you're on the right track so far, at least!) But thank you!

[Theobromine]

AnnaAbyss, I just did a wee bit of googling and came up with a couple things. First, I found this Australian manufacturer that makes silicone and polyurethane molding and casting compounds: http://www.polymech.com.au/moulding-supplies they don't seem to have anything directly analogous to what I've been using (which is just a urethane rubber in Shore A30 hardness, it's what's available to me locally and I like it) but they do have some other options. Maybe you could call them and ask their advice?
I found a couple other Australian rubber/polymer manufacturers but they seemed to be on the industrial supply side; it didn't look like they sell to the general public.

I also found this distributor in SA that stocks Smooth-On products: http://rowetrading.com.au/index.php?route=product/category&path=73_89 but of course since they're imported from the US rather than manufactured locally, the costs are higher. But the trial kits still aren't that expensive, maybe you could buy a sample and see how you like it?

[Mermaid Caspiana]

Just went through this whole thread and I can't wait to see this finished!!! :D

[Theobromine]

Ok guys, if I don't finish this sucker within a week, I encourage you all to send me Howlers.

[Mermaid Clarity]

Ok guys, if I don't finish this sucker within a week, I encourage you all to send me Howlers.

*sharpens pointy stick*


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[Theobromine]

I said Howlers, not stabby sticks!! Aaahhh!

[Mermaid Wesley]

You can do iiittt


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[Sabrina the Selkie]

Darn it, Theobromine, I am fresh out of Howlers. To Diagon Alley I go.

[Merman Arion]

Gurl, if you don't finish this, I'm gonna haunt you in your dreams.

[Mermaid_Nyxe]

Been reading this thread whole evening yesterday. Couldn't sleep all night because of the sheer awesomeness of this project.. Really looking forward to the big reveal!

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[darksiren]

My space is messy,too. But the time I most can't find things is after I've cleaned! I'm organically organized, I guess.:p
I believe in you! You can do the thing!

[Theobromine]

Thanks everyone!

Omg Arion....I actually had a dream just a few days ago that you came to visit me on the way back from Mermania (because Seattle is totally on the way to France, right?) And you were only there for like a day and you wanted me to show you all around but I was too tired and lazy to get out of bed for ages, and then when I finally did it was raining and you were all disappointed and I felt like a huge jerk.

O_o

[Mermaid Wesley]

Gurl, if you don't finish this, I'm gonna haunt you in your dreams.

THATS WEIRD YOU WERE IN MY DREAM TOO. But you were reeeaaaally tall. Like 8 feet tall. And you had to bend over to hug me and it was awkward. But then I woke up and realized I wasn't at MerMania after all.


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[Theobromine]

OMG ARION STOP IT OK!!

[AnnaAbyss]

AnnaAbyss, I just did a wee bit of googling and came up with a couple things. First, I found this Australian manufacturer that makes silicone and polyurethane molding and casting compounds: http://www.polymech.com.au/moulding-supplies they don't seem to have anything directly analogous to what I've been using (which is just a urethane rubber in Shore A30 hardness, it's what's available to me locally and I like it) but they do have some other options. Maybe you could call them and ask their advice?
I found a couple other Australian rubber/polymer manufacturers but they seemed to be on the industrial supply side; it didn't look like they sell to the general public.

I also found this distributor in SA that stocks Smooth-On products: http://rowetrading.com.au/index.php?route=product/category&path=73_89 but of course since they're imported from the US rather than manufactured locally, the costs are higher. But the trial kits still aren't that expensive, maybe you could buy a sample and see how you like it?

Thanks so much Theobromine!!! I am going to buy a Shell Shock trial kit soonish!

[Theobromine]

You're welcome!

[FlyAway]

Oh wow!! This thread needs a warning at the start, something along the lines of "do not read in one sitting, level of awesome may exceed daily limits, head may explode."

[Mermaid Coralia]

GAHH I wanna see the finished tail so bad :gah::biting nails:

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I feel mean saying this to all of you who haven't gotten to see sneak peeks, but let me assure you, this tail is badass! I want it for myself!

[MermaidBrandie]

Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyy

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[Merman Arion]

I feel mean saying this to all of you who haven't gotten to see sneak peeks, but let me assure you, this tail is badass! I want it for myself!

Damn, Laura!! You big tease!! ;)

[Merman Arion]

OMG ARION STOP IT OK!!

And stop all the fun I'm getting? It's gonna cost you a sneak peek or two then :p

[Elodea the Mermaid]

I feel mean saying this to all of you who haven't gotten to see sneak peeks, but let me assure you, this tail is badass! I want it for myself!

Heeheehee, saaaame! #sorrynotsorry :p

[Theobromine]

EVERY DAY I'M SCRAMBLIN'

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Damn, Laura!! You big tease!! ;)

Muahahahaha!

[Mermaid Octavia]

I feel mean saying this to all of you who haven't gotten to see sneak peeks, but let me assure you, this tail is badass! I want it for myself!


​agreed agreed agreed

[Theobromine]

Just you waaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiitt ;)

[Sabrina the Selkie]

*sneaks up with lock pick, muttering to herself*

[Mermaid_Sarina]

*Sends Howler* *Waits really impatiently for Theobromine to open*

[Theobromine]

I'm getting close, I swear!!

And I tried again to get a few detail pics but I hate everything. My camera makes everything look a lot greener than it really is so you don't get the full effect of the blues and teals and that annoys me. But here's a small picture so you guys don't kill me.

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*lurches off to bed muttering incoherently*

[Luna Dreamtide]

Looks gorgeous!! Sleep well! :)

[Mermaid Mystery]

this is killing me I want 20

[Sabrina the Selkie]

This is so beautiful.

[Seraphina Suds]

Oh wow!

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[PearlieMae]

I'm getting close, I swear!!

And I tried again to get a few detail pics but I hate everything. My camera makes everything look a lot greener than it really is so you don't get the full effect of the blues and teals and that annoys me. But here's a small picture so you guys don't kill me.

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*lurches off to bed muttering incoherently*

:swoon:

[Dancing Fish]

OOoooh... Purple and green and stripy... :) So beautiful!

[Mermaid Coralia]

I need MOAR

[Adalira]

oh wow....just wow wow wow :drool:

[Mermaid Julianne]

You are so damn talented 😍

[Rett]

Those details! :swoon::drool:

[Theobromine]

Thank you all so much!

Quick update: got more paint work done today, but not as much as I would've if I HADN'T had to spend half the afternoon replacing my car battery and mucking about forever unscrewing and scrubbing the gross sticky corroded terminals and cables. F@ck cars, man.

May be able to post another small sneak peek tomorrow if enough people kick me in the pants.

[Mermaid_Sarina]

*Sends another howler*

We need another sneak peak!!!! The torture of having to wait is getting way to real!!!! But I love what I've seen so far!

[Sabrina the Selkie]

....you fixed your own car.

Theobromine, my respect for you was already sky high, but if you're not careful, I'm going to worship you as a goddess and start a cult following.

[JustCOS]

So, first off, holy crap that tail is amazing. I cannot wait to see the finished product, and check this thread like every few hours.
Secondly, I notice we're in roughly the same area! Are you/do you order Smooth-On/do you know some place to get it locally and have you ever tried TAP's Platinum Cure? Just curious :p

[Mermaid Coralia]

Thank you all so much!

Quick update: got more paint work done today, but not as much as I would've if I HADN'T had to spend half the afternoon replacing my car battery and mucking about forever unscrewing and scrubbing the gross sticky corroded terminals and cables. F@ck cars, man.

May be able to post another small sneak peek tomorrow if enough people kick me in the pants.

Man, I feel that. I just had to put 500 into mine yesterday cuz i drove him into a ditch :cry:

[Mermaid Julianne]

I wont kick you so much as *lightly* nudge you for a small sneak peak.

And that sucks about your car, I hope its working okay now.

[PearlieMae]

Tip for next time: you can clean the corrosion off your battery terminals with Coca Cola. Takes it right off.

:D The more you know.....

[Theobromine]

Don't worry guys, soon! I promise! And thank you all for the encouragement and Howlers!

Sabrina, don't think too highly of me just yet! Car batteries are actually pretty easy to replace yourself, you can google how to do it. I just didn't want to pay to have my car towed, haha (it needs a lot of other things looked at, but I'm putting that off). My main issue was that the terminals were corroded and dirty so I had to do a lot of scrubbing and wrenching just to get the nuts and bolts off so I could even get the old battery out in the first place.

Just COS, yes we live really close! I'm actually in West Seattle so Tacoma is super close (and I went to UPS so I lived there for four years!) I have to order my Smooth-on stuff, as nowhere around here sells dragonskin, although apparently there's a local pottery supply store that sells their brand of alginate (which I want to pick up and play around with when I have a chance). I've definitely used TAP's platinum silicone. I bought some of it to play around with before I ever ordered anything from Smooth-on, so I could get some experience with silicone. It works really well and is actually easier to work with than dragonskin because it's a lot less viscous and therefore much easier to measure, mix, and pour. PS, we should meet up for a swim sometime!

Pearlie, I read about the coke trick, but I stuck with baking soda because (well, I don't drink coke but I do bake haha) I wanted to make sure I neutralized any acid that might possibly have leaked out of the battery itself. Didn't want to pour acid over more acid. The thing already looked scary enough!

[JustCOS]

Oh my gosh we live closer than I thought! I'm actually up in the Seattle area fairly regularly (I was just in Ballard last weekend lol) and I'd love to swim with you sometime! That's good to know about TAP's, I was curious because I know it has a slightly different number rating? I'll have to try some out myself :)

[Theobromine]

Ok so technical difficulties because apparently phones and cameras and things just hate me so ^%$#@%&^*(*)&^%^$#&+& but here's another angle on the front of my fluke. I'm so freaking tired. I'm trying as hard as I can to get this *&(^%$#$%^ done in the next couple days

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[Theobromine]

Argh that picture looks like barf. I can't even. I give up on the pictures thing.

[Luna Dreamtide]

Oh stop it looks gorgeous! But maybe it'd help if you took photos outside in clear natural light. Just a thought...

[Mermaid Wesley]

It's beautiful


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[Adalira]

Do not stop with the pictures thing, i repeat do not stop! It looks absolutely amazing! I love this tail so much already and i have not even seen it completely yet!

[Mermaid Coralia]

I agree, if you stop with the pictures then we really will come over and kick you.

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Holy carp!! Amazing!!

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[LouLouBelle]

If that picture looks bad, I'd sooooo love to see it for real... You probably think it looks bad just cause you're so used to staring at it 'in the flesh' so any photo that's slightly different will look a bit odd. Either way, the photo looks amazing!


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[Ashton]

looking great so far! I (and probably everyone else) cant wait to see more!

[Theobromine]

Thank you so much everyone! I don't want to get kicked....

Leina, I live in Seattle and it's winter here in the northern hemisphere ;) What light?

In all seriousness though, I'm trying not to kill myself over this but you have nooooooo idea how badly I want to just be able to put the finished creation on and see how it looks. I'm not allowing myself to try it on until it's completely finished, for a few different reasons (as a motivating factor, and also I want to keep it as clean as possible while painting it so I don't have any issues with paint adhering, I already have to wipe off and pick out enough cat hairs and carpet fibers).

I'm trying to get it done as fast as I possibly can while still making sure I do all the little details I want to do, so that I won't be unhappy with it later. The crummy lighting in here makes for feeble photos, yes, but once it IS finished there will be many wonderful pictures, I promise. My husband is a photographer and he's going to take some proper pics of the tail with me actually IN it. And those will be much better eye candy than anything I can accomplish. See mah instagram for examples: https://www.instagram.com/p/7hKTfxiwr3/?taken-by=mermaidcyanea

[Theobromine]

The view from my window. This one's for you, Leina ;) https://www.instagram.com/p/BApntzsCwkQ/?taken-by=mermaidcyanea

[Luna Dreamtide]

The view from my window. This one's for you, Leina ;) https://www.instagram.com/p/BApntzsCwkQ/?taken-by=mermaidcyanea
Haha slipped my mind. I'm in summer here! :D

[Theobromine]

I knew dat, so I reminded you ;)

[Luna Dreamtide]

I knew dat, so I reminded you ;)
Thanks :D I know the rest of the world exists I just forget the seasons are different :P

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Love 'dem gloomy Seattle skies this time of year.

[JustCOS]

Hey, we had patches of sun yesterday for a few minutes :p (it was weird)

[Mermaid_Sarina]

How about we do a trade??? I get some of your winter and you can have some of my summer?? I'm hoping for snowoff it works out :P

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

Except it doesn't actually snow here. Just rains, haha.

[Theobromine]

We actually got a little snow the other week! Quite a lot was coming down, it just didn't stick around for very long. It was really pretty while it lasted, though.

[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

I'm sorry I missed it. Even if it didn't stick.

[Mermaid_Sarina]

Awe figures :( I'm still happy to give you any heat and humidity from Townsville when I get back!!!

[Theobromine]

Heh, thanks, but I do not actually miss the heat and humidity. I'm not even sure how I survived the summers there >_< the "winters" there were perfect for me (and I still laugh at anyone who thinks that's actually winter, bahahahahaaaaaaaa). I moved down there in February so I went from deep winter and being ghost-white to the most flaming hot summer and worst sunburn of my entire life (oh and right in the middle of floods, bushfire season, and dengue outbreaks, that was fun). My skin was literally crispy for weeks. Like, it cracked and bled, I'm not even kidding it was horrible and miserable. I made a GREAT first impression on everybody in the international student centre, lemme tell you :P I was nicknamed Lobster after that.

My favorite thing to do to beat the heat was go up and swim in Little Crystal Creek. I really miss that. I would love to do a mermaid shoot up there if I didn't think I'd kill myself climbing over the rocks with a tail. What I would REALLY love to do is do a mermaid shoot in Millaa Millaa falls. Sooooooooooo pretty! I'm not normally a freshwater mermaid but I would jump at the chance to go there. Maybe one day.....

[Theobromine]

PS, do you scuba dive? Diving in the GBR is what I miss most of all. I would happily do that every day of my life. Wheeler and Helix reefs were my favorite reefs right off Townsville, but the JCU Dive Club liveaboards are amazing for getting you to some really off the beaten path outer reef locations. DO take advantage of that if you have not already. I went on the five-day trip and I never wanted to come back to dry land. Gah.

[Mermaid_Sarina]

That sounds like our summer haha [emoji14] I'm exactly the same, I somehow missed the tan gene and I sunburn so easily! I know both of those and I love them!!! I'd love to go swimming and have a Photo shoot there with you! I'd live to scuba dive but unfortunately not heart conditions makes me at least 80% more likely to get the bends and have major bends issues. I'm hoping to go out and do free diving and snorkelling on the reef :D PM if you're ever down here visiting family!! I'd love to meet up

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[Kait]

PS, do you scuba dive? Diving in the GBR is what I miss most of all. I would happily do that every day of my life. Wheeler and Helix reefs were my favorite reefs right off Townsville, but the JCU Dive Club liveaboards are amazing for getting you to some really off the beaten path outer reef locations. DO take advantage of that if you have not already. I went on the five-day trip and I never wanted to come back to dry land. Gah.

Thank's so much for the heads up on the JCU dive club, I had no idea! Signing up now :D

[Theobromine]

It is done.

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I stayed up until 4:30 am to finish it and I am exhausted (as you can probably tell from my face in that first picture). But I am so happy with this tail, it is so beautiful and I can hardly even believe it's DONE. It's not perfect, there are a couple things I want to modify (the heels are way too prominent but I think I can fix that issue) but it is pretty damn awesome and I am very proud of this beast. The fit is fantastic and the colors are so gorgeous these pictures really don't do them justice (better pictures will happen as soon as I can make them happen; I'm dead tired and my husband is sick but I had to try the tail on anyway and have him snap some pics on my phone because I know a lot of you have been dying to see it and I've been dying to show it).

So there you go! Not bad for a first tail, huh?!

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

*SHRIEKING*

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[Triton-Mahtlinnie]

HOLY HELL that turned out awesome! I can't wait to see how it swims

[Ashton]

I neeeeeeeed to see that in action! SWIMMING VIDEO NOW PLEASE!

[MermaidBrandie]

GOOD F*CKING GODDESS THAT IS THE BEST

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[Saelyyia]

:jawdrop::swoon::fallover:Brava! Brava! Oh my! This is so beyond amazing! I can't handle what a fabulous piece you have created. Congratulations!!!!

[Little_Orca]

ACTION! I DEMAND TO SEE IT IN ACTION!


Also, hi! ;)

[Theobromine]

Couple more shots of some of the detail. Waist, then front and back of the tail tip.

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[Mermaid Clarity]

HOLY DAMN I WANNA SEE THAT SWIM


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[Theobromine]

Oh shiiiiiiiii--
.. thank you so much everyone! I must be really slow and tired right now cuz I thought I just posted my second post after the first and didn't see all the comments! Thank you all so much!

Going to try to arrange a time to swim-test it as soon as I can, but Husband Man has been sick so we couldn't have done it this weekend anyway. Maybe next weekend? Also our gopro died. It died itself to death :P

[Mermaid Kate Silverfin]

Oh my gosh this is so beautiful!! You have done an absolutely awesome job!

[Calizaire]

Spec-freaking-tacular!
Congratulations!! All of your hard work on this tail really shows. It's exquisite!!

[Merman Arion]

I love this so much I can't stand it!! This is amazing!!! :hail: :hail: :hail:

[Theobromine]

Thank you thank you thank you :3 :3

[Mermaid Saoirse]

OH MY GOSH YOU DID AMAZING!!! <3 You look so natural in it and the tail colors look great on you. A+ need to see swimming video when done.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Congratulations!!!! Beautiful!


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[Madison MerFaerie]

Sweet baby jesus it's gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!

[CheshireKat]

I have no words...just...wow. 😍

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[Fifi Tigg]

HOLY SHIT BALLS!!!!!!!!!
That is beyond amazing!!!!!!! :jawdrop:

[Mermaid_Sarina]

KLNAFK ;FDDKS;FFKS;K;AFSK;DFSB THEO! It looks amazing! Congrats! I love it!!!!

[Luna Dreamtide]

Oh my goodness! You are just beyond talented!! That is absolutely stunning! To die for! Amazing!! :jawdrop::fallover:
Also can I has one!?

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Waaah! So pretty! When u swimming in it? Want to see it in the water!!

[Mermaid Mystery]

HOLY SHIT. also r.i.p. GoPro

[Dancing Fish]

I can't wait to see this in the water. I already fangirled all over your FB post, just couldn't resist gushing a little more here. WOOOOW!!

[Ashton]

*pushes you in water* MUST SEE IT SWIM! :jawdrop:

[Theobromine]

I can't wait to swim in it! But I have to wait for my husband and I know he won't be feeling up to it tomorrow so I'll probably have to wait until next weekend :-/

[PearlieMae]

Fifi said it all.

[Kait]

Wow wow wow! Would love to see some footage of you in the water [emoji2]


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[Theobromine]

Also, phooey on winter when I have to find indoor places to swim. In summer I can just drive 6 minutes down to the park and swim in the Sound which is so much nicer than chlorine and the natural sunlight is so much better for pictures.

[PearlieMae]

I am SO stunned and amazed that I am nearly speechless! I will write you privately tomorrow! CONFUCKINGGRATUFUCKINGLATIONS!

:fallover:

[Theobromine]

<3

[Ilyena]

Oh my...I have no words, that stunning piece of work needs to be in an art museum...but like behind lasers and glass

[Mermaid Crystal Shimmer]

:jawdrop:
....

Speechless.

[Azurin Luna]

Wow! That tail is so beautiful I lack words to describe my amazement! :jawdrop:
Congratz with one epic tail :D

[Adalira]

Oh my freaking god that tail is absolutely stunning and gorgeous and beautiful and amazing and everything else!! :swoon::swoon::swoon::drool::drool::drool:
I want to see this tail in action so badly!
My god it looks soooooo gooooood! WOWOOWOWOWOW

[Prince Calypso]

OMFG Its a fucking masterpiece!!! its so beautiful i could cry!

[Sherielle]

This tail. I die. It's beyond brilliant!!!!!!

[MermaidBrandie]

Oh shiiiiiiiii--
.. thank you so much everyone! I must be really slow and tired right now cuz I thought I just posted my second post after the first and didn't see all the comments! Thank you all so much!

Going to try to arrange a time to swim-test it as soon as I can, but Husband Man has been sick so we couldn't have done it this weekend anyway. Maybe next weekend? Also our gopro died. It died itself to death [emoji14]
DO YOU HAVE NOT DEAD UNDERWATER CAMERA BECAUSE IF IT DON'T SEE THIS BEAST IN ACTION I WILL DIE.

not really but yea. Swim vid must happen.

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[Seraphina Suds]

Holy hell I can't even handle how incredible that looks!! Omg you're an artistic mastermind! It's going to be freaking amazing in the water!

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[Mermaid Julianne]

OH MY GOD LOOK AT THE WAIST, THE FLUKE, THE ADORABLE LITTLE TIP OF FLUKE, THE GORGEOUS PAINTJOB! ITS SOOO PRETTY!

Ok, I need to calm down. But seriously, the tail looks absolutely incredible, and I can't wait to see how it swims in the water. Congratulations! 🎉

[Starfrit]

So there I am, going through the Activity Stream when I see Julianne's comment pop up. Okay, Theo's thread apparently updated! Haven't been there in a while, let's see!

I scroll through the last page. No pictures. Oookay, let's go to the previous page. No pics there.

And then I get to page 34 and see the pictures.

My jaw has never hit the floor so fucking fast. Pretty sure there's a dent in the hardwood.

The sculptwork, the detailing, the colors... Holy shit, Theo. This is easily one of the most insane tails I've ever seen made on the forum. I am DYING to see it in the water! :swoon:

[Mermaid Julianne]

Happy to be of service 😉

[SeaDragon Mermaid]

Goreous

[Nyx]

HOLY COW OH MY GOD :jawdrop::swoon::swoon:

[Theobromine]

Everyone, thank you so much for all your kind comments! I appreciate each and everyone of them! And I promise I will get swim pics/vids as soon as I am able to, pleeeeeeease don't kill me!!!

[JustCOS]

Oh my god that is AMAZING!!!!
(and as for a place to swim, if you can't find one up there message me - I use a pool down here that allows tails :p )

[Mermaid Pear]

INCREDIBLE [emoji1376][emoji1376][emoji1376][emoji1376]


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[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

HOLY CARP FUNKING HELL THEO!!! First tail you've made is that fucking good?! Holy shit girl you have one heck of a talent for this! Pearlie may have new competition [emoji13]

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[Sabrina the Selkie]

Holy. Shnikeys. Theobromine. I. Am. Amazed. And. Holy. Hell. In. A. Handbasket. Wow.

Excuse me while I deteriorate I to completely unintelligible dribbles.

[Theobromine]

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[MermaidBrandie]

YAAAAS

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[Theobromine]

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Yes it's January and yes I live in Seattle and no I don't care. HUGE thanks to my amazing husband for taking these for me, though <3

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

Your work is so stunning and amazing!

You are beautiful and talented.

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[AquaStella]

YEAH!!! YEAH!!! In to the water with thee.... Okay, I get it, it's cold. But really want to see it move.

By the way this is beautiful. And the tail is so deceptively interesting-- so much details to look at, and the length and width... It honestly looks like an extension of your body.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Gorgeous. *dies*

[Theobromine]

Thank you all <3

I probably would have gotten in the water despite the cold, but my husband was still feeling unwell so we didn't stay long. Also, he slipped on a stupid slippery log and hurt his arm so I wanted to get him home soon and make sure he was ok. I can't thank him enough for putting up with me and putting himself through things like this just to help me get pictures of myself. So much love to him <3 <3 (and I hope you all appreciate him too!)

I do have some pools up here that I can swim in, it's mostly a matter of finding the time when Husband Man can come with me. I'm always happy to check out new pools in the area, though. But I still really love swimming outdoors the most! So I can't wait for summer to come back!

[Seraphina Suds]

Ahhhh!!! Simply stunning!!! It's so realistic! I have a hard time imagining that there's a lower half of a human hiding in there xD

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[jvry8c]

very impressive for sure. I especially like the "belly" of the tail.

[Luna Dreamtide]

Love the photos! It seriously looks amazing in the light! All the little details on this tail are stunning and I am in love with your top! :swoon: Seriously are you making more tails in the future?! I'd love to see your art out there!

[Mermaid Julianne]

Your pictures are very beautiful, but I hope your husband is okay!

[Keiris]

:jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop: THEOBROMINE, THAT IS AN ABSOLUTELY EXQUISITE, UNIQUE, MOVIE QUALITY PIECE OF ART!!!! SO IMPRESSED AND PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

[Mermaid Lily_Pad]

It is gorgeous! Amazing work!

[Theobromine]

Thank you thank you! :3

I will be starting on some new tails very soon, as soon as I catch up on all my Etsy orders! I have four tail testers lined up (friends that I had offered to make tails for ages ago). They'll be able to help me test and troubleshoot everything to make sure my tails hold up and don't have issues. After that, I plan on hopefully offering tails for sale!

And my husband is okay, thank goodness. After getting home, taking some ibuprofen, and playing some Fallout 4 he's feeling much better.

[Luna Dreamtide]

Thank you thank you! :3

I will be starting on some new tails very soon, as soon as I catch up on all my Etsy orders! I have four tail testers lined up (friends that I had offered to make tails for ages ago). They'll be able to help me test and troubleshoot everything to make sure my tails hold up and don't have issues. After that, I plan on hopefully offering tails for sale!

And my husband is okay, thank goodness. After getting home, taking some ibuprofen, and playing some Fallout 4 he's feeling much better.
That's excellent! I have no doubt that you'll make it as a tailmaker with your artistic skills and attention to detail! People will be lining up the moment you open! :D

[Theobromine]

Gosh I hope so ;)

[Mermaid Clarity]

HOW IS IT EVEN MORE MAJESTIC IN SUNLIGHT?


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[Luna Dreamtide]

HOW IS IT EVEN MORE MAJESTIC IN SUNLIGHT?


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Obviously! Because: THEO IS MAGIC!

[LouLouBelle]

What... How... Why... FIRST TAIL?!?!! SERIOUSLY?!?!

You're not human...

I sooooo want to see it in action! You're beyond gifted, you know that??


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[Spindrift]

Congratulations on a job well done! :)

[MerChemi]

Oh my god theo
how are you even real?? The tail is so gorgeous, and I'm sure it'll look so cool underwater
everything is stunning, honestly, the colours, the sculpting, the DETAILS
i don't think I've ever seen so much detail on a tail before wow
im positive that if you decide to sell tails, you'll be one of the most popular out there!!

i hope your husband feels better soon too <3

[PearlieMae]

:fallover:

[Merman Lir]

Beautiful work! I love a unique vision, and you pulled it off so well!

[Theobromine]

Thanks everyone! Sorry I haven't been responding today, I've been trying to get caught up on Etsy orders @_@

Here's another pic for now.
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[Sabrina the Selkie]

So pretty!

[MermaidRaegan]

Allow me to join the forum wide freak out session over how FREAKIN AMAZING THIS TAIL IS HOLY CARP. You are going to be a sea dragon goddess in the water with that beauty!

[Ashton]

Honestly that is spectacular.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

That is amazing!

[Hydra1337]

OMG it looks AMAZING!

[Mermaid Sirenia]

Drooling over that photo. OMG

[Luna Dreamtide]

The colours look brilliant in that photo!

[Theobromine]

Posting this one cuz I just think my expression looks funny
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I need to learn to pose better. In this picture I THINK I was trying to look glamorously languorously pensive or something, but of course I just look super tired. Probably cuz I was, but whatever.
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Edit: well, also it was bright and I have really sensitive eyes (cuz I are creature of the deeps)

[Luna Dreamtide]

First one is kinda like: 'say what?? You serious?' Looks like you're looking at someone doing something stupid :D
Second: 'dis sun is nice... falling... falling......zzzzzzz...

Also reason for editing!!:lol:

[Theobromine]

Heh, my husband is a wildlife photographer, not a people photographer. He refuses to edit his photos to make them look any different than reality; all he does is clean up specks and stuff, and adjust light levels or whatever (I have no clue really) to make it look true to life. He's an incredible nature photographer and wouldn't know what to do with Photoshop if it bit him on the butt.

I are wildlife.

[Luna Dreamtide]

Heehee. * 'and here we have a wild mermaid in its natural habitat! Shhh... It's falling asleep!' *
;)

[Adalira]

Those photos are great, it shows off the tail so nicely! Love them! and still am madly and deeply in love with your tail!

[Sabrina the Selkie]

It must have been freezing, but the sun looks so warm.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Heh, my husband is a wildlife photographer, not a people photographer. He refuses to edit his photos to make them look any different than reality; all he does is clean up specks and stuff, and adjust light levels or whatever (I have no clue really) to make it look true to life. He's an incredible nature photographer and wouldn't know what to do with Photoshop if it bit him on the butt.

I are wildlife.

Haha, I can attest to this! He takes incredibly real shots. So real, that half the time I looked like a true sea monster. XD Or I was readjusting my dorsal wedgie. :P

[Theobromine]

Baha Leina! So true.

Thanks Adalira :)

Sabrina, it was actually not very cold at all that day! I lucked out. I mean I'm pretty cold tolerant, but I didn't even feel chilly, although horking around and then struggling into a giant skin-tight rubber bodysuit helped me stay warm...

Lorelei can I post a tail wedgie shot? ;D ;D