Jessica's Second Dragonskin Tail

**Jessica** · 10-20-2013, 04:08 PM

Jazz, the seahorse is for my scale top! He's going right in the middle

I finished cleaning my fluke mold and poured the first half of the fluke! I tinted the silicone white to make it easier when I paint. It won't take as many layers of paint that way.

I used two cups part a and two cups part b and it filled the mold perfectly! For those of you who are making tails:

measure carefully! Part b is the catalyst. It's ok to have a little extra part b, but its not ok to have extra part a. Extra part b will speed up the cure time. However, if you use extra part b you will wind up having leftover part a when you get to the end of the bucket.

I label my measuring cups A and B so I don't get them mixed up, and I also label my spoons!

i mix the pigment in one part first and then add the other part. Its just easier for me to mix it that way. It is so incredibly important that you mix silicone completely! You really need to spend a solid 3-5 minutes mixing your silicone. Don't forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the bucket really well.

in the picture with the paintbrush...
pour your silicone slowly into your mold. If you pour too fast, you can wind up with a lot of bubbles! Some bubbles are completely normal. I use a paintbrush to spread the silicone after I pour it in the mold. By dragging a paint brush through the mold you can release trapped air bubbles and get a better casting. This works well for me! It also helps if you have fine details (like the tattered edge of this fluke) if you take a paintbrush and gently brush the silicone around the area. By doing this you can make sure you get every detail and an even layer.

Pictures:

**Jessica** · 10-20-2013, 08:04 PM

Finished fluke half:

**jazz2453** · 10-20-2013, 08:22 PM

Came out really nice! I used white for pigment also. It came out more translucent with a slight pearl like yours (you can't tell in the pictures I posted)

**Mizuko** · 10-20-2013, 08:41 PM

I love the pearly look to it ^_^

**Jessica** · 10-20-2013, 08:56 PM

Jazz,
i actually got the idea from you! I could tell that you tinted your silicone in the pictures and it got me thinking....pigment is way cheaper than silicone...so it makes sense to tint it if you know what colors you're using.

this tail is going to be pinks and greens with white at the end of the fluke. It's a gorgeous color combo! I finished my paint tests the other day and I'm in love with the colors.

Mizuko,
I love the pearly white too....it reminds me of Delphine's tail!

My fluke turned out a bit thin in the center....a little too thin to cover the ridges of the wave monofin completely. So back in the mold it goes! I just added an extra 2 cups of silicone to the back to make it thicker in the center. This should be enough to cover the monofin well.

I have the first section of scales in the mold right now. I will be doing the body of the tail in sections again, but assembling the sections a little differently this time. I'm also using powermesh as a liner, but I'm waiting until I join the sections together to add it to the silicone.

I'm going to pour the second half of the fluke and start painting the first half tomorrow! I'm so excited about how this fluke turned out.

**Mizuko** · 10-20-2013, 09:04 PM

Ohhh pink and green! I cant wait to see this!

Mine will be pearly pink and maybe some touches of blue.
Will you pour more silicone onto the sections of the scales before adding the powermesh, to stick it on? How thick to you estimate this will make the scales? I think mine might be a bit thick!

**jazz2453** · 10-20-2013, 09:04 PM

I completely forgot about using power mesh! WHOOOPS! But yea I did the pearly white since the dots will be white, it's a good base color, and with createx the colors come out they way they do on the online pictures due to a white base coat. Pink and green are amazing together! Those were the first color I got when I had braces XD

**teeth4u** · 10-20-2013, 09:39 PM

You're doing such an amazing job! I'm so excited to see more of this tail

**Jessica** · 10-20-2013, 09:40 PM

This sketch is not so great...but it will give you an idea of what I'm doing with this tail! The tail will be a peachy pink gold in the center and gradually fade to a teeny bit of white and then immediately into the pale sea foamy green...then into a brighter teal green...then into the darker green on the side seams! The fluke will have dark green ridges and fade from dark green to lighter greens to white. The very edge of the fluke will have just a tiny hint of pink...possibly. I'm going to add it so eva can see if she likes it!( Its going to be very light so it would be easy to paint over if she doesn't) Eva and I worked really well together to come up with this design...and I'm really excited about all the different shades of pink and green!

i have a feeling that i will really love this tail by the time I finish it.... and it will be rather difficult to part with it!

mizuko,
since I'm doing the scales in sections again, I'm casting the scales very thin so they will be easy to join. Once I have all three sections for one side, I'm going to line them up, join them together and then brush a very thin layer of silicone on the back. Then I will add the powermesh. If I could just pour two sheets like you, I would just add the powermesh right after I brush the scales in the mold.

if you pour your scales, your scales will be very thick! I think it's best to brush the silicone in the scale mold. (Well, technically i just dump it in the middle and brush it outwards from there ) Its worked very well for me. You can always make your scales thicker by brushing layers on the back or even the front. If your scales are thin it also makes it much, much easier to hide your seams! As soon as I finish these scale sections I will be posting detailed pictures showing how I do my seams. If you get ahead of me, let me know! I can post how I did them last time. I just plan on taking lots of pictures this time so I can do my best to explain my process. I hope if you get a chance you will too! It would be awesome if we all keep learning from each other

Jazz,
i love how well the white helps cover the bright yellow monofin! The wave has black foot pockets too...it's going to take a few layers to cover that! I really like the pink and green color combo

it's kind of an elegant princess Ariel look

how do you like the createx colors? Do you like them better than pearl ex?

**Jessica** · 10-20-2013, 09:51 PM

Thanks Eva! I'm so excited to be working on this project!

**AniaR** · 10-20-2013, 09:53 PM

pretty

**PearlieMae** · 10-20-2013, 10:56 PM

So awesome and completely helpful!

According to Roman legend, the goddess Venus, associated not only with love, but beauty and money, too, has pink and green as her colors. So, your tail is well on its way to being divine!

PS: what are the dimensions of your fluke?

**Mizuko** · 10-20-2013, 11:19 PM

those colours are going to look stunning <3 I agree with you: elegant princess Ariel!

**Jessica** · 10-21-2013, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by PearlieMae

So awesome and completely helpful!

According to Roman legend, the goddess Venus, associated not only with love, but beauty and money, too, has pink and green as her colors. So, your tail is well on its way to being divine!

PS: what are the dimensions of your fluke?

Pearlie I didn't know you were a mythology nerd too! I've been obsessed with mythology since I was a kid

I'm so excited about this tail! It's really amazing taking someone's idea and make it come to life. I'm really glad Eva picked pink and green....I used the same pink on my tail and I know I can blend the green well. I've never really done much painting, so I'm learning as I go!

my fluke is 27" long and 20" wide

it took 4 cups of silicone to fill the mold, but I added an extra two cups to the back to help hide the monofin ridges.

thanks Raina and Mizuko!

**PearlieMae** · 10-21-2013, 09:20 AM

Oh, I'm just a nerd about most things!

Now that I can see it on my big screen, your color tests look wonderful! Your sketch is close to what I was thinking for mine, dark green dorsal into purple sides into the front, with a goldish-peach fishbelly.

Thanks for the measurements...I wasn't sure if I was going big or small with mine. Can't wait to see the next steps!

**Jessica** · 10-21-2013, 04:31 PM

I put the monofin on the edge of the table and laid the fluke half on top so you can see how the fluke hangs. The extra silicone I added to the back is perfect and hides the ridges pretty well. I poured the second half of the fluke and another patch of scales. I also started painting the first half of the fluke! It's been a busy day