Awwwwyeeaaaahhhhh, it's like Christmas around here! (And not just because we still haven't taken our lights down...)
Small tests begin tonight. If everything goes well, I'll be making molds of my side fins and starting in the fluke and scale sheet tomorrow.
It's official - waiting for tests to cure is even worse than watching paint dry. It's a nauseating mix of boredom and anxiety.
Spent today making mini scale sheets! I have two designs - one smooth, one textured - and I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. Thoughts? I'm leaning toward the smooth one, as I'm worried the texture will look too busy or not be very visible once it's painted... but the texture is so cute...
(Sorry for the watermarks, but I'm paranoid. Wouldn't be the first time a tailmaker lurked the forum looking for ideas.)
I personally like the textured scales and I don't think they would look too busy. To help you decide, you can always look at other tails that have textured scales. Finfolk Productions has many tails with textured scales so you can look at those tails to get an idea if you like the texture or not: https://www.facebook.com/FinfolkProd...=page_internal
I like texture because it ads more depth and uniqueness to the scales. To me it doesn't look busy. You could open up a word document and get a photo of a tail with non-textured scales and put it next to a photo of a tail that has textured scales and that could help you compare them to see the difference.
From what I read so far - but I haven't worked in silicone - is that if you tint the silicone, when you paint it you won't have to paint so much because the silicone is tinted. That way you wouldn't be using so many layers of paint and that would help keep the detail of your scales. Just something I remember reading.
www.youtube.com/MinxFox
I love: Peacocks - Mermaiding - Tropical Plants
That was her magic, she could still see the sunset, even on those darkest days. - Atticus
I like the textured for sure
Agreed, the textured ones are so cute!
And what Minx said - tint your silicone! If you airbrush, too, I imagine you'll keep more of the detail.
I this both look great, but I agree, I like the textured ones because I like little bits of details in there. I think it adds a little something extra! But either would be a great option.
User formerly known as "Harley".
I like the textured scales too
Texture! Gah, that scale shape is wonderful!
If you can't stand upon the water I will meet you on the ocean floor
I like the textured ones personally.
Loving your scale shape! Definitely go with the textured ones! They won't look gaudy at all. (:
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Thanks for your input, everyone! I've decided to go with the textured scales, though I'll probably want to make a tail with the smooth ones too someday. Took a few days off to fly down to SF for my sister's baby shower, but now I'm back and hard at work on the scale sheet! It's slow going but I'm making progress.
Hopefully I'll be able to smooth down those undercuts or else cleaning out the mold will be super tedious...
Speaking of molds, I made the molds of my side fins last week! They still need to be cleaned out but so far everything is looking good. Once I clean the clay out, I'll be starting on my fluke. WOOOHOOO!!!
In other, more somber news, my family dog is really sick. She had surgery last week to remove a bunch of tumors (vet stopped counting at 7) and was practically covered in stitches when I went down therey. She had drainage tubes and a cone of shame and everything. Yesterday she had a seizure and spent the whole day at the vet, who thinks she has a post-surgical infection. She's been part of our family for almost 11 years and we're all very worried. Please keep her in your thoughts.
Hope your dog gets better soon x
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Thanks, Neri. My parents had made a vet appointment for Thursday thinking they would probably have to put her down... but between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, she really started to get better! She hasn't had any more seizures and her appetite is coming back. They're probably going to be taking out the stitches and drainage tubes today. Happy Valentines for Phoebelicious!Originally Posted by Mermaid Neri Elvina
So... I got about halfway through my scale sheet and realized it was going to be SUPER thick, at least 1 cm, meaning each 24x24" sheet would take almost a whole gallon of silicone and just the body of the tail (minus the fluke) would weigh like 60 lbs. I'm making new molds off of thinner scales (1mm thick) and starting over. :sigh:
Cleaned out most of the side fin molds yesterday, but there are still little flecks of clay that are being stubborn. I'm thinking warm water, dish soap, and a stiff toothbrush should get the rest out but I'm open to other suggestions.
Also noticed a bunch of small bubbles in the molds. It's hard to see in the pictures but they're those darkest little spots. I'm using Shell Shock Slow but even that is setting up super fast and making it hard to get a thin, even, bubble-free layer. Any hints for thinning and/or retarding the cure time?
Got about 1/4 of my scale sheet done over the weekend. Much thinner now (by about 30% I think) so it should be much lighter and more comfortable. I'm thinking of using fiberglass for the mold for this and fluke because they're just SO LARGE that there's no way I could get them covered in Shell Shock before the pot hardens.
fill any bubble holes over with some clay and smooth flat, that way your molds will still be absolutely useable
the colder it is the slower shellshock cures. do it in an air conditioned room! lol.
I would, but I live in Portland - houses here don't usually have AC because it's almost never hot! My garage stays pretty cold so that would probably be the best place to try it.
Almost done with my scale sheet! I might have finished tonight but I wanted to make a mini one to use to test the fiberglass and some of my pigments. I've got seriously 20 samples in my cart right now (including 6 or 7 different glitters) because I'm (1) indecisive and (2) love color more than might be healthy. Trying to decide between two color schemes:
* deep teal fading to seaglass and pearl, with hints of coral. To go with my tattoos and my skintone.
* Dark stormy blue fading to steely slate blue/gray, maybe with some pearl and hints of blush and coral too keep it from getting too dark. Inspired by my favorite mermaid painting.
I've been toying with the idea of dyeing my hair red, like it was when I took that first photo, so that might be part of why the Waterhouse colors are so appealing to me right now. I have extremely pale skin, as you can see, so I want a color scheme that will compliment it without making me look like a corpse.
Posting my color palette! Samples should be here soon so I can start playing around
Did a fiberglass mold of a small scale sheet today. Will update tomorrow with how it went. Hopefully I'll cast my side fins tomorrow as well, and the big scale sheet is on track to be finished early this week.
Love it!
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