AUGUST MERNETWORK CHALLENGE: MERMAN FASHION DESIGN

[Mermaid Annariea]

okay, guys. im gonna post my pictures. before i do though, allow me to apologize for the AWFUL image quality. i tried enhancing it on my paint.net program, but its still really hard to read everything i took another picture of the dagger and stuff i drew, just to show a bit more detail...
and i hope theyre not too big.





DETAILS, YAY.

- the chestplate sort of thing and the bracers could be either scaled, painted to look like metal, or painted to look like shark skin, which i think that merfolk would use as leather. the bracers have ties (i know its hard to see) which could be made green to look like some sort of seaweed cord. the chestplate thing would tie in the back to adjust to someones preferences and could either have decorations (like some sort of seaglass, shell(s), or starfish) or be plain. i sort of figured theyd be made out of neoprene/latex or silicone.

- the double "x" shaped belt could be made to look like shark skin. or maybe scaled. it would be something that the daggers' sheaths would attach to. i drew it with a starfish centerpiece/buckle. it could also double as a weight.

- the armband could be designed to look like scales, metal, or shark skin. or even just seaweed. i made it have the pod crest on it, little fake sea plants, and black "pearls" around the edges. but little shark teeth around the edges would be really cool too.

- hooray for tridents!

- a tattered fluke fins make the tail look slightly more battle-worn in my opinion. painted scars or scars molded into the tail would make it look more warrior-like as well.

- shark tooth and shell (preferably pointy shells) necklace, for the days you dont feel like wearing a chestplate.

- a conch shell horn. because... its cool. and what badass warrior doesnt want an awesome horn?

- the spear handle could be made to look like metal or driftwood, and the point (probably shouldn't be made of actual metal, same with the trident, thats a tad dangerous) could be made to look like a swordfish's... sword (can't think of the word) or a sawfish's toothy snout. or just like a normal spear tip. decorate it with shells and flowing seaweed, and it could look more ceremonial.

- and finally, the dagger. they can be used as weights, and the hilt can be decorated to look like either seaweed wrap or a shark skin leather wrap. i also decorated the tips of the hilts with shells or small starfish and fake sea plants. if it is removable from the sheath, then the sheath should have some sort of method of securing the dagger into it so it doesnt slip out while swimming. leather strips with snaps are simple and work. the sheath could probably look like shark skin.


YAAAYYY.

this is my official entry (:

[SilverSiren]

Everyone that participated did really good. I like Kanti's and Mermaid Brianna's the best! That's my vote, I can't decide which one is best.

[Mermaid Annariea]

Everyone that participated did really good. I like Kanti's and Mermaid Brianna's the best! That's my vote, I can't decide which one is best.

D OMG THANK YOU!! <3

[Mermaid Annariea]

woah, i just realized that kanti and i had the same idea about shark hide leather!!

[miamiasma]

Oh no! I've almost missed this challenge. I'm going to draw some things up real quick and submit them tonight.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I'm working on mine as we speak... hopefully the deadline isn't at midnight, though I will have them finished tonight.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Ok, here is my challenge contribution.

I wanted to stick with something that anyone, no matter their sexuality, could feel reasonably comfortable wearing, and that drew from a variety of different sea animals that aren't often featured in depictions of merfolk (much like mermen aren't often featured in depictions of merfolk).

I tried to feature the following pieces here...

1. A manta ray cape with attached torc (to mimic the front lobes of the manta and to better allow the cape to remain around the neck of an otherwise shirtless merman). The wings of the cape would fan out just a bit longer than than the merman's arm length so that the ends could be gripped while swimming, or so that the wings could be attached to bracelets or armbands of some sorts (similar to the capes of Storm from the X-men). The torc would be made of plastic or rubber, perhaps around a wire frame to adjust the fit and enable easy removal.

2. A wrap made of exotic looking fabrics similar to those used in saris and belly dancer outfits, helping to disguise the transition from tail to human flesh without drawing attention to the hips as is popular for mermaids, and also giving the image of a different culture. The wrap would not quite stretch all the way around the merman, instead ending about where his apollo's belt would be (if he has one), and would go from the lower back down to the upper thighs or a bit longer, according to taste. Keeping it in place would be a sash of flowing material at least as wide as the merman's hand but no wider than a foot, itself tied in place with a miniature anchor (bought or constructed from metal wire). The ends of the sash should hang down to just above the knees, folded over each other, a bit longer than the wrap, maybe giving a slight barbarian loin cloth look.

3. Shields. I didn't design any weapons (most public swimming areas probably don't look too favorably on weapons, and even ren faires and conventions often require weapons to be "peace-tied," so I didn't want to bother with them). However, taking inspiration from Captain America and Goofy from Kingdom Hearts, I did have two ideas for shields, each formed from plastic or some other sculptable material to make them lightweight and thin (thereby decreasing drag in the water while still looking cool). The first idea was for a giant sand dollar, utilizing the creature's cool star-shaped design. The second idea involved a horseshoe crab shell, constructed in three connected pieces (the curving top portion, the middle ridged portion, and the tail), for a more dangerous and armor-like look. Each would be connected to the arm by a pair of loose straps (velcro?). I think that both designs could be expanded to make breastplates, helmets, shoulderpads, and the like, essentially constructing two suits of armor, but I was pressed for time (even though I like the idea of mer knights and mer gladiators).

4. I had a couple ideas for shoulder pads, and I really liked merman shawn's depictions of cutting plastic jugs to form them, but I also thought it might be possible to attach them to a rash guard of some sort. The first required a toy octopus (plastic or rubber, the varieties found in toy stores and aquarium gift shops everywhere) to rest on the shoulder as if clutching the shoulder/bicep of the merman with it's tentacles, the mantle resting on the plane of the shoulders (and attached to the shoulder pad or rash guard), which I freely admit was inspired by Perfect World's Psychic Tideborn's main art image (the one shown in bipedal form, holding a blaze of blue energy). The second idea involved attaching a piece of a conch shell to the shoulder pad (here a rash guard probably wouldn't be strong enough) to make a marine version of some of World of Warcraft's impressive shoulder armor designs. Again, I'm pretty sure that both designs could be expanded into full armor (octopus or shell based), but I like them each as shoulder pads (these two could obscure that the merman is, in fact, a merman, and confuse viewers if they take up too much room). I've depicted my merman "model" wearing both varieties, as each could be impressive together, with two of them arranged symmetrically, or with only one on a single shoulder and the other shoulder bare.

5. I thought a necklace of curved, tribal-looking teeth or spines (preferably not shark teeth, but longer, more wicked-looking fangs) might be appropriate for a tribal look.

6. I also love starfish and wanted to include them, so I thought that a starfish might make a cool bracelet or armband. I confess I'm not sure how to sculpt a starfish like this, though, and construct it in such a way that it might grasp the arm, so I instead came up with the idea of making a grasping starfish attached to an arm cuff (like the genie in Aladdin wears), either made of fabric or sculpted plastic.

7. I also wanted to come up with a way to wear goggles while mermaning, so I designed an idea for taking goggles, attaching a sea shell to the top and affixing a forward-curving dangling lure with some means of light (my initial idea was to use one of those cheap glow in the dark necklaces for the whole thing, but it wouldn't look quite right and I'll have to do more research into whether those things are waterproof... wouldn't want to leak chemicals into the water. Failing that, a small waterproof bulb (perhaps solar-powered or glow in the dark) might work just as well and wouldn't require constant replacement after use. This, especially combined with the toothy necklace described above, might give a very eerie, anglerfish-esque appearance, and still allow you to wear goggles without breaking the glamour of fantasy.

8. Similarly, I had the idea for a knight-like helmet mask covering and allowing the use of a diving mask, enabling the merman to wear a mask while disguising that fact by using a seahorse-inspired facial plate (again, constructed of plastic) modeled after a knight's visor. Ostensibly, the diving mask would be able to fit into and "lock" into the seahorse visor mask. Like some of the other items, I thought that this (and the anglerfish design) could be expanded into full armor, perhaps giving mermen (and more martial mermaids) some style other than that of pirates when attending ren faires, instead being representatives of Neptune's Kingdom of the Lady of the Lake.

9. While not specific to mermen (this one could work quite well for the ladies as well) I was thinking that remoras might give an impression of sleekness, power and actually being part of the environment, and that they could be created either from existing fish toys (with the dorsal fins removed and sanded down a bit, replaced by hooks or latches of some sort) or sculpted from gray/silvery rubber, plastic, clay, etc, and affixed to different locations on the hips and tail.

I was again unable to apply the images here, but I have posted them on my deviantart pages:

http://un1c0rny.deviantart.com/#/d5as999

http://un1c0rny.deviantart.com/art/M...on-2-320445615

[Mermaid Annariea]

so, how/when is everyone going to be voting on this?

[Winged Mermaid]

A poll will be up soon! This is Malinghi's domain and he's in the middle of a move, but I know he hasn't forgotten and will be on top of it asap!

[Mermaid Annariea]

gotcha! thanks

[malinghi]

Sorry for the delay guys! The poll is officially open! Voting ends in one week!

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Hmmm... I almost feel bad about posting my own designs, here, since there are so many cool features here. Mermaid Saphira's armor/vest/sleeveless top looks awesome, Nykur's fin piercings are a nice touch, Vallee33's chest looks convenient, mermaid dottie's two designs both look regal (I like the knight's hip wrap and the prince's seaweed vest a lot), mermaid madeleine's netting sash and shark tooth crown would look cool, and green 52's trident sling looks extremely useful. Mermaid Jewel, I think you're onto something with the futuristic sci-fi armor concept, and I'm sorry we didn't get to see your designs. MermanJV's outfit is lovely and sexy, mermaid celissa's sea urchin tail loop and jellyfish hat are clever, and I like her kraken armband (I promise you I didn't model my octopus shoulder pad after it), Jinx's crossbow looks great with the seashells, vence.michael.'s designs are attractive and sleekly bad-boyish at once (I particularly like the straps and coral and chain mail designs), kanti's layered shark fin designs look incredible, and I love the Final-Fantasy style of Shawn's work (and the should pad designs, which I do admit using), and Mermaid Brianna's detailed pod-crest armband and chest/shoulder plate, not to mention the finned bracers.

This might be difficult.

[green52]

I think there should be a run-off poll between the top two or three.

[Mermaid Annariea]

green52, what do you mean?

[Spindrift]

@Brianna: He means to get the top 3 winners and have a poll just concentrating on those three.

[Mermaid Annariea]

spindrift, thanks! i thought thats what he meant, just making sure xD

[malinghi]

A runoff might be cool since this one had more people participating that ever before, but I don't think thats necessary. Congratulations to Kanti on her winning entry!

[malinghi]

I just posted a banner of the front page to congratulate the winner and runners up.

Also, I just made separate threads for all these designs so we can discuss them more and keep working on them. The threads are in the Tops and Clothing section of the forum. I'd love to see more of this stuff!

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I also posted a thread about weapons a couple weeks ago... I'm trying to find some designs that I'll hopefully be able to scan and post for your viewing enjoyment.

[Raayvhen]

Grats Kanti! You did an awesome job