I'm super cross eyed after reading through this all, so maybe I missed it... How do the webbed gloves work for you? Before I read yours I was thinking of doing them myself, like the ones I have also seen on Amazon
nothing as fancy as yours, yours are incredible!
Also, how do you like your transparent high waist? I have had 3 kids, the youngest were twins, plus I have Ehlers -Danlos syndrome and am self conscious for how baggy my tummy skin can be.
This tail BLOWS MY MIND! It's so beautiful!
Thank you both so much! Mermatron Athena, I don't have a separate post about my monofin, I think I just mentioned in here that I used polycarbonate for the blade and Finis Zoomers for the footpockets, which I attached with a flexible marine epoxy. However, the epoxy ended up not being as strong or durable as I had hoped (had to fix it a couple times) so I'm currently trying something new. I probably won't post about my new method though, honestly, because I've been putting countless hours into engineering research and design ideas for my new fins, trying to do something very different from what's been done in tails before, so if it works out I'll be using them in tails that I eventually sell (and may even be able to patent one of my ideas). So, uhh, yeah
I love my webbed gloves, they're super comfortable! I haven't tried swimming with them yet, though. I still need to fix a couple small holes that happened when I wore them to a costume party :P And I should probably actually finish painting them one of these days, too. I might make another pair to test out too.
I'm really pleased with my high waist! It's not 100% perfect yet, but I'm still quite happy with how it came out. It feels extremely comfortable, due to the extra soft and stretchy silicone I used, and it LOOKS great. However, when I swam in it the first time I realized that it might be a little too soft, because it tends to roll down/fold over a little bit when I swim forward. I made it high enough to tuck under the bottom edge of my top, but when swimming, the water and the motion makes it come untucked so it slides down a bit. So, not perfect, but hey, now I have even more ideas to try for the next one. And I too am rather self-conscious about my middle (no kids for me, but I'm a bit plush) and the coverage helps a lot with smoothing things outI might go back and try normal dragonskin for my next tail, just to test how that compares to super soft silicone. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I already posted this picture several pages back in this thread, but again, you can see how well the waist blends with my skin:
This is with the edge tucked into the top. You can see the edge when it's untucked but it's still not super obvious. I mean, I think it looks ok.
Untucked:
Your point about the value of the tail based on the labor, time etc. that went into it...is a very good one. Honestly, I really didn't keep track of the actual number of hours I spent on it, and I wish I had, but what with all the fiddling, testing, experimenting on other smaller things and then applying those techniques to the tail, researching, and everything else I did peripherally....I don't even know where to start deciding what to count as hours spent. On JUST the tail construction itself....wow, I still have no real idea but I would guess at LEAST $6,000 and possibly closer to $10,000. Even though I know have the process for it down and know more what to expect, I would never sell another tail like this one for less than $6,000 at least. Even once I'd gotten into the groove and was working much faster, it was still very very time consuming and labor-intensive to put together and paint. Luckily, subsequent tails won't be this complicated, and now that I've put in all the hard yards on the sea serpent I'm very confident in my abilities, so I'll be able to sell tails at a more reasonable price.
I might look into an hour-tracking app, though. I think I saw HamptonsMermaid mention that in another thread and it seems like a really smart idea. I am really not good at keeping track of things like that on my own; I need all the help I can get :P
Cosplaning I think is the name of one that helps track cost, hours spent, deadlines, ect for people too if you are looking at apps.
Sometimes Life Just Needs a Bit of Magic
I would LOVE to have a tail made by you some day!
CosplannerOriginally Posted by Saelyyia
I (and most cosplayers) HIGHLY recommend it as a planning/tracking tool. But be aware that some of their features are limited (ie, allows only up to 5 pictures) if you use the free version.
I'm definitely looking that up. Of course, it will make me cry when I see how much I'm actually (not) making.
"Please don't fucking drown." - Regina, my daughter
http://www.pearliemae.net
https://www.facebook.com/MermaidPearlieMae
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PearlieMae
http://pinterest.com/oldhamedia/oceana/
Thanks Arabella! I couldn't remember it off the top of my head and I left my phone at home in my sewing room this smorning.Cosplanner
I (and most cosplayers) HIGHLY recommend it as a planning/tracking tool. But be aware that some of their features are limited (ie, allows only up to 5 pictures) if you use the free version.
Sometimes Life Just Needs a Bit of Magic
No problem! It's con season, so I am living in this app right now
I use it for fae costume commission to kinda keep me focused and for all my fantasy costumes. I'm working on like 6 of them right now all for different events plus the new princesses for my parties. That app is seriously a life saver.
Sometimes Life Just Needs a Bit of Magic
Hmm, I actually had that app on my phone a while back, but had to delete it to make space for something else before I had the chance to try it out. I didn't realize it could be so useful for mermaid stuff too! Thanks for the idea, guys!
The struggle is real.
I love that app :3 the only issue i have is that it has no way to connect to an outside account (like an email or Facebook) so when i had to get a new phone i lost all my tracking.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In the future, use a "migrate" tool. I just switched phones recently and used Motorola Migrate, and it kept all my Cosplanner stuff (which was the main thing I was concerned about, LOL!)
That is so helpful! Thank you :3
Thank you both so much! Mermatron Athena, I don't have a separate post about my monofin, I think I just mentioned in here that I used polycarbonate for the blade and Finis Zoomers for the footpockets, which I attached with a flexible marine epoxy. However, the epoxy ended up not being as strong or durable as I had hoped (had to fix it a couple times) so I'm currently trying something new. I probably won't post about my new method though, honestly, because I've been putting countless hours into engineering research and design ideas for my new fins, trying to do something very different from what's been done in tails before, so if it works out I'll be using them in tails that I eventually sell (and may even be able to patent one of my ideas). So, uhh, yeah
I love my webbed gloves, they're super comfortable! I haven't tried swimming with them yet, though. I still need to fix a couple small holes that happened when I wore them to a costume party :P And I should probably actually finish painting them one of these days, too. I might make another pair to test out too.
I'm really pleased with my high waist! It's not 100% perfect yet, but I'm still quite happy with how it came out. It feels extremely comfortable, due to the extra soft and stretchy silicone I used, and it LOOKS great. However, when I swam in it the first time I realized that it might be a little too soft, because it tends to roll down/fold over a little bit when I swim forward. I made it high enough to tuck under the bottom edge of my top, but when swimming, the water and the motion makes it come untucked so it slides down a bit. So, not perfect, but hey, now I have even more ideas to try for the next one. And I too am rather self-conscious about my middle (no kids for me, but I'm a bit plush) and the coverage helps a lot with smoothing things out
This is with the edge tucked into the top. You can see the edge when it's untucked but it's still not super obvious. I mean, I think it looks ok.
Untucked:
Your point about the value of the tail based on the labor, time etc. that went into it...is a very good one. Honestly, I really didn't keep track of the actual number of hours I spent on it, and I wish I had, but what with all the fiddling, testing, experimenting on other smaller things and then applying those techniques to the tail, researching, and everything else I did peripherally....I don't even know where to start deciding what to count as hours spent. On JUST the tail construction itself....wow, I still have no real idea but I would guess at LEAST $6,000 and possibly closer to $10,000. Even though I know have the process for it down and know more what to expect, I would never sell another tail like this one for less than $6,000 at least. Even once I'd gotten into the groove and was working much faster, it was still very very time consuming and labor-intensive to put together and paint. Luckily, subsequent tails won't be this complicated, and now that I've put in all the hard yards on the sea serpent I'm very confident in my abilities, so I'll be able to sell tails at a more reasonable price.
I might look into an hour-tracking app, though. I think I saw HamptonsMermaid mention that in another thread and it seems like a really smart idea. I am really not good at keeping track of things like that on my own; I need all the help I can get :P
If there is a way to connect that side green stripe to the area under the pectoral fins, it might help it stop rolling? Is it super tight?
Oh yeah, quite possibly, I've been thinking some things over but just haven't gotten around to it yet. It is pretty snug but doesn't feel tight because of how stretchy the silicone is. I found that I had to take it in a LOT from where I first started with it, to get rid of gaps and weird baggy areas (like in the small of my back).
Do you still make these gloves? Your links were broken so did not think you do but, thought i would ask if you still sell them? These are very cool.
Theobromine is actually no longer on the Mernetwork, sorry! She's also not selling anything right now either (She's a close friend of mine IRL).
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks