(See him in my SHOP)
Sculpting a Tiny Merboy
Merfolk body proportions are not unlike human proportions, where the length of the legs are similar to the length of a mermaid tail.I used a series of baby 'model' photos shrunk to 1.5 inches as a guide for my little boy's features. I sculpted first the face and torso. Then measured the legs to match his curled tail. I do not know where little merboys keep their 'boy parts' and so I left him rather neutral.
Once satisfied with the placement of his tail I added final details such as tiny hands with individually sculpted fingers, and a set of pointy elfish ears. (mermaids are the magical 'fairies' of the water, so fairy ears were in order)
I was afraid to use multiple clay colors when sculpting such a tiny creature lest they stain the baby's skin and get all over. (dark color clay easily stains fingers which transfer to lighter color clay)
Instead I baked the completed sculpture and then added color detail using Genesis Heat-Set Oil Paints.
I gave his tail a dark coat and baked to set. I then added blushing and facial details.
Accessorizing the Merboy
The merboy's tail was finished using another layer of paint/TLS mixture (TLS = Liquid clay) with embedded Pearl-ex (glitter). His hair, made from very fine blue feathers was added one by one to a coat of liquid clay on his scalp. Alas the feathers preferred to stick to my fingers instead of the head, but I won out in the end.
One final trip to the oven, and my little merboy is complete.
(you can call him a girl if you prefer, but he really is a boy)
He measures just over an inch in length and would be 2 inches if uncurled and awake (he may also start crying)
