Mermaids are a MUST on your design boards as they are all the rage right now with every age! There are so many ways you can paint a mermaid...simply add scales and/or a mermaid tail and presto, it has that mermaid look. I began by designing a Mermaid Tail Bling Centerpiece and built my design around that. Check out my step by step and let’s paint a mermaid!
Supplies
Diamond FX Metallic White Paint
Blazin Brush By Marcela Bustamante - Flora Flat #6
Loew-Cornell® Gold Grip #2 Round Brush
Mehron Mark Reid Signature #2 Round Brush
Mermaid Tail Bling
Step one: eyelids
Using a petal sponge spritzed with water, load it with the Mermaid Pixie Rainbow cake making sure the purple is on the outer rounded side. Tap sponge over eyelids making them as symmetrical as you can. Position the color over the top of the eyebrows and end at the outer corner of the eyes.
Step two: scales
With a sponge loaded with Diamond FX white and a scale stencil, add scales over the eyelids. Diamond FX metallic white is a great color to use as it is more subtle and transparent than if you used a solid white. I used the TAB Body Art Stencil 1030 as it has very small scales, but you can use whatever stencil you have (there many options available).
Step three: flower stencil
Use the same sponge that you loaded for the eyelids to add a flower to the center of the forehead using the Diva 861 stencil. You may need to reload or just spritz it with water again. I positioned it to show above the bling peice that I will be adding later. Because the bling is dark purple on the upper edge, I made sure the color I used for the flower was a lighter and different color so it would have some contrast...so I just used the white, green and blue portion.
Step four: white teardrops
Outline the eyelids using a series of teardrops. I used a #2 round brush loaded with Diamond FX White.
Step five: petals
I love the Flora Flat #6 Blazin Brush By Marcela Bustamante. It is very petite and makes lovely floral petals! I used this brush for the petals you see here. The brush is triple dipped using white with Paradise teal and FAB purple rain (see inset). The petals on the forehead have a “water splash” sort of look.
Step six: white swirls, teardrops and dots
Add some white accents. I used a #2 round brush for the teardrops and dots. Then used the Mehron Mark Reid Signature #2 Round Brush for the swirls and drag and drop teardrops on the sides.
Step seven: mermaid tale bling centerpiece, glitter and lips
The whole design comes together with the addition of the tail centerpiece! Be sure to apply cosmetic glue before you start the design so it has a chance to dry before you apply the bling to the skin. I added a few more white teardrops above the flower and below the bling. No design is complete without glitter! Pixie Paint “Splash” is perfect for this design. I added it under the eyes in a sort of triangular shape and then right above the outer tail tips. Finally give your mermaid blue gllitter lips to complete the look. I used FAB London Sky Shimmer Paint with blue glitter.
Mermaid tail bling
This photo shows the supplies needed to make a mermaid tail. I used clip art for my template and positioned it under a plastic page protector. I used Tulip fabric paint to make my bling and worked from top to bottom. I cut the purple and blue wings in half and trimmed the blue ones a little shorter. It is a good idea to let the fabric paint sit for a little while before inserting the wing sections in it. It gets a little tackier then, and the wings stay put. This will need to dry for a day or two before you can use it, so plan ahead!
This sweet mermaid was so much fun to paint! I hope you are inspired to paint a few mermaids of your own. And remember, “Always be yourself, unless you can be a mermaid, then be a mermaid”!
Pam Kinneberg is the owner and artist for her business, PiKadilly Face Painting located near Fargo, North Dakota. She has won numerous contests and can be found in various magazines including SkinMarkz Magazine, The Colored Palette, QMagazine, Wet Paint Magazine and SillyFarm Newsletters.
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