How do you achieve a dimensional look for the scales on fabric tails?

[SirenGita]

Thats a good idea! I thought about hand quilting mine but its too thin

[MermaidFinley]

I’m giving my Finfolk fabric tail actual texture by embroidering it. It’s quite the process but the results are definitely worth it. You could probably do the same if you got this printed on some thick neoprene.


Sent from my iPhone using MerNetwork mobile app

That's actually a really neat idea! I'd love to see how it comes out when you finish with it!

[selkie.astraea]

That design looks amazing! I really hope you can bring it to life!

[MermaidMakena]

Hi, to get a dimensional look on a fabric tail is, at the top of the scale make it darker, kinda like a shadow. Then as it get bigger make it become lighter. Its all about shading. P.S. this is just for 1 scale so you would have to do all the scales like this

[BlueCorvidae]

Draw one single scale. Draw the scale as if you plucked it from the fish, and it was sitting by itself on the table. Shade the scale, but not the background of it. The scale should be sitting by itself in a white void. Properly shaded, the scale should pop like it's own 3d object. Now turn your scale into a repeating pattern.



This is the tutorial I used for figuring out how to make a repeating pattern in Photoshop. I had to experiment a bit to make the top scales overlap the ones below it, but it wasn't too hard to do.

My method was to start with a decently sized file, and to draw a single scale in a way where the linework touches every edge of the canvas. I shaded it like you would any other drawing, only I kept it in greyscale. If I wanted colored shading, I'd adjust the color balance of the scale pattern on the file for whichever tail you're working on. I then for the most part followed the steps of this tutorial.

[Merperson Danny]

The same thing can be done for a program like Clip Studio Paint, since you can 'import pattern from image'. Forms a scalable (hah) pattern that you can then put over the colour design. Since you're a graphic designer, this information is probably redundant, but I thought I'd throw it out for anyone not as skilled with digital art and design - using a multiply layer might be the best bet rather than having the scales semi-transparent, since it'll let you keep all the tones and shadows without dulling/muting any of the colours below with the translucent white/grey areas ♡