Merbellas Thread

Aw!
Lovely!


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Wow! That's what I call a birthday present! :jawdrop: Absolutely stunning, and from the pictures you wouldn't guess it's made from leftover bits. Raven is truly amazing! That goes double for the main tail and the top!
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WOW! It's gonna be so weird to see you in a different tail, but I love the colors so much. Raven's done such an awesome job. <3

got the pic to work, so this is a franken tail, made of recycled pieces

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...e54a157514e9b2

Both of these are beautiful!
That is the best birthday present ever, Raina!

Does anyone know typically how long it takes Raven to paint a medium difficultly paint scheme? :)

Gorgeous Rania :) you must be so stoked! Your new fluke tooks like it's going to be to die for, beautiful top too! xx

Love it <3

The frankentail is beautiful too! What an incredible birthday surprise!

gorgeous!!!!!!!!!

You're right, no one would ever in a million years guess that was a frakentail. I LOVE the spotty fluke!

From Rapidash to flareon... I have a feeling you like fire type Pokemon

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Oh I am quite miffed at my email inbox for falling dead silent about thread updates all this time! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY MY DEAR RAINA! :mermaid kiss: :mermaid kiss: :mermaid kiss: It looks like we were on a strikingly similar page when we were independently coming up with our tail designs way back in February; though mine remains showy and I'm not sure when I'll be able to use it.

If you ever desire the services of a flashy Ancient Fire-Gold Sea Dragon for the Halifax Mermaids in your tank or wherever, I volunteer as tribute!

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Originally Posted by AniaR

Oh right sorry. >.> Sometimes I forget whose is who once the thread gets going.


Since we've changed the design of my tail so much I thought I'd share my sketches with everyone after all.

Originally when I ordered in Feb I had wanted a new tail as a tank tail with the potential of Halifax Mermaids gaining a tank within the next fiscal year. So we wanted something inspired by rapdiash, flowy and showy, with dragon scales. But, with the huge increase I've had this year with bookings, and the wear and tear on my tail we had to consider replacing rapidash all together as opposed to having rapidash for kids parties and the new tail for other things. Now I just really need a new tail. So I'll start saving for my "second" tail all over again, hehe and retire rapidash.

So this was the ORIGINAL idea back in February. A koi + splash hybrid. I'd still love to own it one day :)

Attachment 25363

Instead my new tail will be a little less showy, a little more hard core functioning. Raven's going to use regular rounded scales, no top fins (that way I don't have to worry about them getting damaged when I do quick in and outs of my tail, or worry about them coming off), and a different style of heel and side fins, and a different dorsal. I'll be having a lovely new fluke style, with a smaller monofin this time. I love my competitor and I prefer competitor for swimming, but It is just so hard to fly with my wide stiff fluke, and I feel part of the damage I currently have on my fluke comes from the constant transport of the tail and pressure being put on the wrong spaces when it's carried or packed carelessly. This way I don't have to have a heart attack if the fluke folks a bit and I wont have to worry as much about the potential of a fluke snapping.

So as you can see it's a bit more modest than the showy koi idea ;) but Raven has some great ideas about colouring and little affects she's going to be putting in. I'm sort of known for the orange colours in Canada so they'll still be the base.

Attachment 25364


So as I said earlier. It's the mega evolved form of Rapidash hehe (which is totally a thing now in pokemon) I expect there to be a learning curb for me with the fluke but Raven feels given her current fluke making technique combined with my years of experience I should be okay. One thing I'll say I am super excited to be able to do normal front and back flips. If you've ever seen my videos I was able to do flips in the MC tail but everytime I tried in Rapidash the balance would go halfway and the fluke would knock me to the side hahahaha. It's going to be new and different to have such a flowy fluke. I am looking forward to it.

I have two photoshoots for when it comes, one will be in a studio with a collaboration of local artists, and the other - my mers and I will be renting out a salt water pool for promo photos and video :)

I will be happy to receive my lovely tail, I know it's being worked on atm along with other tails. I think it'll be really cool to see the juxtiposition between for a short period of time what will be the first merbellas tail and the most recent.

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It's amazing this tail is just made of recycled pieces....just wow!

just a quick question: does someone know if there is a reason why raven is selling premade tops only on her private page?
i would love to buy another one but i'm not friend with her private fb (and i really respect her privacy) but i think its kinda unfair for those of us who arn't friends with her. :-(

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just a quick question: does someone know if there is a reason why raven is selling premade tops only on her private page?
i would love to buy another one but i'm not friend with her private fb (and i really respect her privacy) but i think its kinda unfair for those of us who arn't friends with her. :-(

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Agreed. I've been hoping to snap up another of her tops, but even as one of her friends, I don't see these posts. Her privacy settings are set really high, which makes sense, so even some of her friends aren't seeing them.

I would love to get another top, if anyone sees an octopus top come up for sale, please let me know

I wish she would post the tops on her Merbellas page. :( I'm in love with her starfish tops and would jump at the chance to buy one. They're just perfect.

If any of her friends see one, screenshot it for me or something! xD

she gives friend's first dibs before going onto etsy to avoid all the extra hassle and etsy fees. it's pretty much her prerogative. From what I see most of them sold anyway. They were all just extras, cancelled orders, and used ones. If you want something custom it's best to tack it into your tail order, or request on her etsy once she has it up and going again. I think the whole point here is she sells to reliable people- not saying you arent all reliable but when she posts anything to the merbellas page she is bombarded and a huge majority of people dont follow through and it takes a LONG time to get through it all with extra back and forth that just doesnt have to happen when she posts stuff up on her fb and says "who wants what". You probably dont see any on her page because they were only up for a hot minute before selling. The post had been set as "friends" and clicking through them all I see they're all sold now aside from a few small used ones and shell ones. I can see how you'd see it as unfair but really they were never intending to sell the batch to the public.

When all else fails, just send her an email and ask when she'll be doing tops again. But be warned, her birthday is in a few days and she's off for her first actual vacation (only for a few days) pretty much since I met her. LOL

A happy birthday to her! At least I'm early for this one! :mermaid kiss:

Raven going on vaction? I'm glad I'm sitting down! lol 'Tis much overdue for her, and she needs to do it more often <3

Good for her, she needs a break from time to time

I'm not trying to be a bitch but I will cry an ocean into existence if she doesn't mail my tail out before leaving. It was supposed to be finished two months ago and now that it is I still don't have it. I even offered to pay for shipping up front so I could get it shipped ASAP once it was finished. I've mentioned it in nearly every email I've sent. Especially recently. I'm glad Raven is going somewhere and getting time off for her birthday. I can't think of anyone more deserving. I would even send her some cool mermaid stuff for the occasion, but it's so hard to get ahold of her and I really (multiple by a billion) want my tail. I think I've waited long enough.

she;s only going for a weekend folks ;)

I have somehow missed the 'Raven is going on vacation/ Birthday' memo. Either way, Happy Birthday to her and I am most glad she's taking some time off, even if it is only a short while! What day is her birthday anyway, if I may ask?

I hope Raven has a fintastic time on her Birthday and her days off! :)

Tomorrow I believe :)

Haha. My Birthday's on the 23rd (not sure if that matches up because of the time differences but it is tomorrow where I live) That would be the coolest thing to have the same birthday as Raven <3

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Originally Posted by AniaR

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Weird question, but do you happen to know what she uses for her sketches/designs? Markers, watercolor? I love it and need to get me some..... Haha.

When she sent me my colored sketch she mentioned not having added the metallic accents as the don't render well in the colored sharpie markers she was using. The saturation and style of color blending was much like this sketch (different colors) but I don't know if that is what she consistently uses.

Also, I often use concentrated liquid watercolor (like Dr. PH Martin's which comes in dropper bottles) as an ink for the same level of color saturation and blending colors.

My birthday is Nov 24th. Seems to me a lot of mers have November birthdays.=)

It looks like she might use copic markers. They're great, but can be expensive.

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Originally Posted by Green Tea Mermaid

My birthday is Nov 24th. Seems to me a lot of mers have November birthdays.=)

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Because you were all conceived on Valentine's Day! Isn't that romantic?

I was 4 months premature :p

Okay, MOST of you were conceived around Valentine's!

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Originally Posted by PearlieMae

Because you were all conceived on Valentine's Day! Isn't that romantic?

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In Sweden there's a remarkably big rise in babies being born in the end of april, because it's 9 months after we celebrate midsummer.
Many people get drunk and fool around in bushes. ;)

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Originally Posted by AniaR

I was 4 months premature :p

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I was 3 months =D

Raina and Samantha couldn't wait to be part of our world. Ha. Sorry, couldn't resist. ;)

Hahaha