Mermaid Mizuko's Silicone Tail Creation
A$320
of $2,200 targetyrs ago
Closed on 1st Sep 2013 at 2:00AM.
www.facebook.com/mizukomermaid
My story:
Mizuko started out as a childhood fantasy. Dreams of gliding beneath the surface, enchanting rainbow fish and mermaid magic filled my imagination every day as I grew up beside the ocean. These dreams followed me into teenage and adult years, and I escaped to them every time I went for a swim in the beautiful- but often cold!- waters of South Australia. What would it be like to truly be a mermaid? My desires got the better of me.
In late 2011 I created my first mermaid tail. It was a simple fabric sheath painted with metallic paint, and a monofin sewn inside. What it lacked in glamour it made up for in swimming: to move like a mermaid through the water was incredible! I was hooked (excuse the pun). And I discovered that my enthusiasm was not the only reward: I had children entranced and parents amused every where I went. This fed my desire to continue this journey, as an entertainer and a born ocean lover.
This is where Mizuko began! The name means 'water child' in Japanese. Under this persona I began my business as an entertainer, artist and performer. Since then I have featured on Adelaide's local Today Tonight, and have been published in author Varla Ventura's book 'Among the Mermaids: Facts, Myths, and Enchantments from the Sirens of the Sea'!
Mermaids bring magic to any situation, whether it be to make a child’s day at their birthday, enchant guests at an event or appear as beautiful creatures for underwater photography. I have been on stage dancing, singing and acting since I was a child, and as an experienced swimmer and free diver becoming a convincing mermaid was as natural as walking to me! Spreading education about our oceans has been a vital part of my transformation, as when a mermaid talk’s people tend to stop and listen!
My Aim:
To help enchant all that I meet as Mizuko, I am aiming to create my own swimmable, realistic 100% silicone mermaid tail. I want to use this tail for ocean underwater photo shoots throughout Australia, focusing on native marine animals, and wear it to local volunteer & interstate events such as the Gumeracha Medieval fair for all to see/touch and enjoy. My overall goal is to bring back some magic, and ultimately tourism, to South Australia through photographs and videos.
Having created fabric tails which unfortunately degrade over a few months of use, I spent a year saving to have a beautiful neoprene-lined tail from renowned tail makers Merbella's Studios (the blue/pink tail pictured). It is the most precious item I own. However, neoprene has some issues, such as buoyancy in the water and the ultimate degrade of materials over time and use. Through the owning of this beautiful tail and my own creative heart, the desire to create my own 100% silicone tail has led me to spend a year researching and experimenting- and I feel I am ready to tackle this big project!
100% Silicone tails are the 'holy grail' of performance tails! They are completely neutrally-buoyant in the water, suction to your skin, are easy to clean and dry, and with proper care do not degrade. This makes for natural movement in the water, and a super realistic feel to the touch with raised scales.
Creating a silicone tail requires molding and casting materials such as oil-based clay, liquid plastics and fiberglass- which once created, can be re-used indefinitely to create different tails! I aim to use Smooth-On's Dragonskin Silicone for the tail, which is used in both Special FX creations and medical prosthetics, as it is the highest quality silicone available and will last a lifetime. Also required are spandex netting, silicone paint pigments, and a monofin to give propulsion which will be sealed permanently inside the tail. Besides these integral materials, I would also like to use an airbrush to paint fine details onto the tail to make it unique and realistic- however I am pretty handy with a paint brush!
As one of very few Australian mermaids, I would love to be the first one down-under to produce a realistic, swimmable and unique tail, and develop the skills and equipment to continue to create an array of mermaid tails right out of your imagination!
Challenges:
Unfortunately the Dragonskin silicone required to make such a sturdy tail is in short supply in Australia, which means the price is higher due to marked up shipping/importing costs. I would prefer to source locally all products used in making this tail, and therefore it will be a costly endeavor- much more than my American friends who can find these products easily! This is why I am asking for support from fellow big-dreamers, as any donation will be incredible and help push my idea onward!
I hope to achieve this project before Summer this year, so that I can take full advantage of the sun and long days for swimming and photo shoots! I have some friends and family members who are all experienced with FX and prop creation, and along with all the research I have been doing I am very confident I will be able to achieve this dead-line.
Steps:
The steps I intend to follow are as:
· ~Create a body-cast of my legs from duct-tape and fiberglass. (Completed)
· ~Create a mold-box for the flukes, extra fins and scale molds.
· ~Create molds of the fluke and fins out of sulphur-free modeling clay.
· ~Cast the molds of the fluke and fins using liquid plastic.
· ~Create scale mold using layers of shaped clay and foam stuck into mold box.
· ~Cast the scale mold using liquid plastic.
· ~Mix the Dragonskin Silicone with paint pigments and pour into the plastic molds.
· ~Permanently seal the monofin inside the fluke molds using silicone.
· ~Using the body-cast, attach the scale sheets together seamlessly using clamps and more silicone.
· ~Attach the fluke using clamps and silicone, and the extra fins in the same process.
· ~Mix paint and silicone together and slowly layer colour over tail using airbrush/paint brush.
Thank you very much for reading, and Happy Swimming!
(My website will be up and running within a few weeks!)
A shout-out on my Facebook page saying Thank you!
3 chosen
Est. delivery is May 13
A signed photograph and a sincere Thank You on my Facebook page!
3 chosen
Est. delivery is May 13
2 Signed Photographs and a letter giving thanks.
3 chosen
Est. delivery is May 13
A poster and a letter addressed to you personally saying thank you
0 chosen
Est. delivery is Jun 13
A poster, 2 photographs and a letter addressed to you giving gratitude.
0 chosen
Est. delivery is May 13
A personalised A4 caricature of yourself/ family member/ friend/ etc as a mermaid drawn by myself!
0 chosen
Est. delivery is Jun 13
A personalised A4 caricature of yourself/ family member/ friend/ etc as a mermaid drawn by myself, as well as a signed poster.
0 chosen
Est. delivery is Jun 13
Your name and/or company will be listed Permanently on my Website as a sponsor, as well as your choice of poster/photograph pack or caricature.
0 chosen
Est. delivery is Jul 13
Your name and/or company will be listed Permanently on my Website as a sponsor, as well as both a poster/photograph pack and caricature. I'll also appear at your next chosen birthday or event!
0 chosen
Est. delivery is Jul 13