Jessica's Second Dragonskin Tail

[PearlieMae]

I can't wait to see the progress!

[Mermaid Cecelia]

Jessica, if your tails arent perfect, then your tails are the most perfect imperfect tails I've seen :P

[Jessica]

Jessica, if your tails arent perfect, then your tails are the most perfect imperfect tails I've seen :P

You just made my day


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

[Mermaid_Dominique]

Wow! Really nice! I love it! You go girl!

[Aziara]

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?

[Jessica]

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!

[mermaidm]

OH MY GOD!!!! THAT IS SO GORGEOUS!!! Seriously...amazing fluke. I can't believe this is only your second tail.

[Mizuko]

Wow, just wow!! You really are inspiring, Jessica!!

[Aziara]

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.

[Jessica]

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?!

[MermaidHyli]

I love this fluke and the colors are to die for!

[Aziara]

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

[shadeofmyheart]

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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[Jessica]

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!

[PearlieMae]

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.

[mermaidm]

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

[Mermaid Julz]

Wow Jess, things are flying along for you. You are doing great!

[Jessica]

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.

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.

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!

[PearlieMae]

Excellent! Good to know. Thanks!

[Jadestone]

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!!

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).