OMG! How'd you get that awesome green with pearl ex? They only have that spring green one last I checked. Your color is much closer to the greens I like.
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OMG! How'd you get that awesome green with pearl ex? They only have that spring green one last I checked. Your color is much closer to the greens I like.
That forest green over the pearl is fabulous! :jawdrop:
Thanks pearlie!
Aziara,
This is spring green! I just had to blend it with a few other colors! Pearl ex pigments are so easy to blend and mix very easily into silicone. :)
the color at the top of the fluke is more of an emerald green and it fades into what I would call sea foam.
:)
LOve the blend! Looks like a real fish!
OMG IT'S TURNING OUT BEAUTIFUL!!
Wow, that green is fantastical! I love the pearlesence of it all!
Such beautiful colors!
Love it, looks like a genuine fish's fin.
Some lake or river one.
That'll be one awesome tail.
What paints did you use on the silicone? Did it stick?
ah, it looks beautiful!!! <3 :D
Looking amazing so far!
One epic fluke coloring! I love those colors :D
I've been thinking about this and how we color silicone with pigment...I'm going to run a test this weekend using some dollar store eyeshadows. Pearl Ex is basically tinted mica powders and most eyeshadows are largely the same thing...colored pigment and mica powders, with a little microcrystalline wax as a binder. We'll see how much or how little it takes to color up some silicone!
>insert evil scientist chuckle here <
^looking forward to the results of this!
Thanks so much everyone! I'm having so much fun :)
@ shadeofmyheart, I'm using pearl ex powdered pigments and its working great this time! With my last tail I had trouble with the paint curing due to the rubber monofin inhibiting the cure of the silicone. I'm using a different monofin this time and painting the tail before I put the monofin inside just to be safe!
great minds must think alike...I found some hot pink powdered eyeshadow at a flea market last month I'm planning on testing! I just haven't gotten around to it yet!Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlieMae
Hnnngggg I'm in love with these colors. :drool:
I LOVE the way the end of the tail is tattered and almost translucent. Its just like a real fishes tails, there is no harsh edge with colour, the "skin?" of the fin just becomes translucent and clear towards the end. You seriously need to open your own tail shop, it takes a lot of work and effort but the outcomes are so beautiful! You'd go very far I think :) Good luck with the scales this time round, does the Foil propel you enough in your tail? was it worth the hassle or do you wish you had got a different fin?
I've used the Peal ex macropearl on my tail. if you only mix in a little pigment. YOU don't need much a little goes a long, long way. its looks transulcent and the good thing about this is..... it wont turn yellow over time. I love the pastel colours. there not vibrant but just the right hue. the green goes very well with the pearl. any colour would i reckon. by just looking at your thread ive learnt things i didnt know... with the mold making process. knowing me i always make it DIFFICULT for myself. i will deff watch your thread. keep up the good work :)
Oh em gee! Talent! I'm just waitin till you start taking orders :D we are ready, me n mah moneyz
Thanks so much! You guys are all so sweet :)
blondie: I love the drooling smiley face!
Mermaid aqua,
the tattered fishy look was what I was going for! Eva really wanted a natural looking fluke. :)
i really like how the foil monofin looks in the fluke...it made my fluke very flowy. However, it really doesn't give me the kind of power I want in the water. This tail will have a finis wave and I think it will be much better. Maybe my next tail will get a competitor....
As for a tailmaking business...I'm making this tail for Eva because she understands 100% that I'm still learning! I'm not an expert and I still have so much left to learn. I can't guarantee a perfect tail yet, but I'm learning so much and having fun so I'm pretty happy. :)
Tail update:
i went and picked up three yards of nude colored powermesh from joanns today (a yard and a half for this tail and for my next tail too)
I have almost finished painting one of the fluke halves. I added another shade of green and made the aqua/sea foam a bit brighter. I also added just a teeny tiny hint of pink along the tattered edge so Eva can see if she likes it! This is going to be such a pretty tail and I'm so excited!
I'm working on the scales and I just got more pigment in the mail from Eva today. :)
pictures coming soon!
I can't wait to see the progress!
Jessica, if your tails arent perfect, then your tails are the most perfect imperfect tails I've seen :P
You just made my day :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mermaid Cecelia
i took the first half of the fluke outside and took some pictures! It seems like it changes colors when you look at it from different angles. You can also see the colors better in the sun :)
Wow! Really nice! :D I love it! You go girl!
O....My...God... Those colors! So are you mixing the spring green with some of the blue pigments to get these awesome forest and seafoam shades?
Thanks Dominique!
Aziara,
Here's what I'm using:
duo green purple + spring green + true blue + tiny bit sky blue = emerald
Duo green purple + spring green = medium green
duo green purple + pearl white/macro pearl = sea foam
you have to test the ratios a lot. It takes some practice to get things right! It took me awhile...it's a lot of work but I think the results are worth it!
OH MY GOD!!!! THAT IS SO GORGEOUS!!! Seriously...amazing fluke. I can't believe this is only your second tail.
Wow, just wow!! :D You really are inspiring, Jessica!!
:doh: D'oh! Didnt even think of working with the green/purple duo! Thanks for letting me know the colors you used, don't worry, I'll make sure my paintjob looks different from yours. My brain was just glitching trying to figure out how to get green with pearl ex.
Thanks mermaidm and Mizuko!
aziara,
one of the things I love about pearl ex is how different everything I paint turns out. I don't mind if you use the same colors at all! They're pretty awesome. :) even if I tried to paint a tail with the same colors it would turn out different! Are you going to make a silicone tail?!
I love this fluke and the colors are to die for!
I totally want to make one, though I'm not even completely finished painting my fabric tail. My initial plan was to get a few gigs in my fabric tail to save up for silicone.... But I've always been super picky about realism, and my homemade monofin gives me such terrible foot cramps I'm worried that I'll have to yank it off right in the middle of a gig! I don't want to traumatize some poor kids :O_o:
How do you apply the different colors? Do you blend them after they are mixed? How much dragon skin did you use, again? And how will you adhere the two sides together? Sorry for all the questions.
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Thanks hyli!
aziara,
I'm picky about realism too. That's why I decided to use silicone. It really feels fishy! However, there are some really awesome realistic looking fabric and neoprene tails. Jade's tail is one of my favorites. It really looks like latex or silicone in pictures and I'm sure kids probably would think its real! As for foot cramps....I remember reading that you can roll your foot on top of a tennis ball to help stretch it and prevent cramps. I haven't tried it, but I stretch my feet a lot in general and stretching does seem to help!
tail update:
I've almost completely finished painting one fluke half and I'm working on the other. I also joined the three sections of scales together for the first half of the body. I'm going to brush a very thin layer of silicone on the back of the scales and then lay the powermesh on top. Typically, its best to just add the powermesh when you pour silicone in the scale mold. Since I can only use part of my mold and I'm doing this tail in sections, I'm joining the sections first. I think this method will work best for this situation because it will also help strengthen the seams.
Pictures coming soon! :D
How is the stretch in the silicone once you add the powermesh? I'm going to be piecing my tail body in sections, and am building overlaps on to the piece edges. I like the idea of using the mesh in high stress areas, like an interfacing, but I still want the stretchiness of just the silicone in other areas.
out of curiosity...how much do your tails weigh? You mentioned a thin layer of silicone so I was wondering if your tails were lighter than others :)
Wow Jess, things are flying along for you. You are doing great!
powermesh is awesome! It's very stretchy and very thin so it has only a minimal...if at all....impact on the stretchingness of the silicone. The scales feel very sturdy with the powermesh as a backing. With my first tail the points of the scales are a bit fragile because they're thinner than the rest of the scale. I did tear a hole in one when I was taking my tail off at the waterfall. I really wish I had used powermesh on my last tail...I think it would have made a big difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlieMae
Long story short....powermesh is inexpensive and very effective at adding strength to the scales. If I were you...I would use it for the whole tail. I plan on using it from now on. :)
mermaidm,
my first tail had pretty thin scales, but the fluke was pretty heavy. I haven't weighed it, but its easily 25 lbs. I think unless you have a tiny fluke a tail is going to be rather heavy. I plan on making two kids tails in the spring and I've been trying to think of ways to make them lighter. I will probably use thin neoprene and a very thin layer of silicone on the fluke.
Thanks julz! I can't wait until you finish your tail!
Excellent! Good to know. Thanks!
AHHH THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!! Man so much happened while I was away from the internet!! I LOVE the colors on the fluke. Can't wait to see how the rest of the tail turns out!! :D
re: foot cramps: yes!! Stretch a lot beforehand. Stretch after! Stretch at night! If you want to prevent cramps basically getting your feet more flexible is a good way to go (I am really bad at remembering to stretch for my knee problems, but when I do do it regularly things are so much better).