Most of the time when I make a cosplay I start with a design and then start selecting materials, but when I found the Yaya Han scale fabric on sale I could resit, and decided I definitely needed to make some sort of mermaid costume with it. It took a few months, but I finally got the whole thing together, and love how this monstrous look turned out!
As always designing my own costume as opposed to basing off an existing design is a very different challenge, but it’s definitely a fun change. In wanted to emphasize the “monster” rather than a more traditional pretty mermaid, so I incorporated some pretty dramatic make-up and some prosthetics, as well as keeping the color pallet darker and dingier.
Level23 as always took AMAZING photos, we started a little late so it ended up being extra dark and spooky, and she made it look awesome. SourFruitJunkie also provided amazing general photography support and took some sweet behind the scenes pictures. Also all of us managed to survive the very hungry mosquitoes, that were super attracted to our lights.
If you are looking to make your own mermaid cosplay, then this tutorial has you covered!
This cosplay and tutorial was made possible by my generous Patrons, head over to Patreon to check out the full set of photos, exclusive wallpapers and many other rewards.
Tail
The base fabric for the tail was the fabric that inspired the whole cosplay, Metallic Faux Fur Scales Fabric. I love the texture of these scales, as it’s essentially a fur style fabric it has a lot of dimension over a printed scale fabric. That being said, it’s not a stretch fabric which made getting a snug fit, and generally moving in the cosplay much trickier.
The shape of the tail is basically “the tightest skirt ever”, I essentially started with a rough shape based on my measurements and then just kept taking the side seams in until it was super snug. I also added a center back dart to fit better, as well as a zipper in the base in order to at least be able to walk (well, more of a hobble). To keep it snug at the hips I stitched elastic to the inside.
To blend the tail into my actual human flesh I added a strip of mesh fabric, and cut out circles of the fin fabric and stitched those in place around the edge to look more like scales than the raw edge of the fur fabric would have. I also added a random speckling of the spandex scales down the body for a rainbow fish sort of vibe. Lastly I added liquid latex to the mesh band and then stuck it to my skin using Pros Aide, and blended the edge with makeup.
For the fin I used a textured spandex fabric with an oil slick color scheme. I liked that is was a little brighter than the green scale fabric, but still in the same color pallet and had some texture to make it more monstrous. To give the fin structure it has a lining of vinyl, I just used a cheap table cloth from the dollar store, along with wires on each of the sides that also runs into the main portion of the tail, and help it stop flopping completely.
I used a black spandex to join the fin to the tail body, and then blended this using fabric paint to make the transition between the sections smoother. I also added two smaller fins at the hips, these had no wires but were otherwise made in the same way as the bottom fin.
Top
The top was super simple, originally I considered figuring some fancy prosthetic stick on sort of idea but I decided that the fabric scrap look was going to be easier. I covered the whole thing in dirt and blood to lean into the monster idea, as well and use more inspiration from Princess Ariel and her sheet look from the movie.
Make-Up
I spent a lot of time looking at different mermaid make up inspirations, and there are lots of different tutorials and ideas out there! In the end I went for green contouring and LOTS of sparkles and glitter, basically I covered my whole body in highlighter to give it a really ethereal sheen. I used a mixture of liquid Mehron make up as it blends easily and covers quickly, but it does rub off easily, so it’s not great for a full day look. I also blended using a bunch of different shades of eye shadow.
For the ears I made fin style mermaid ears, based on this awesome tutorial. Essentially it’s two layers of EVA craft foam sandwiched around a sheet of liquid latex. I added some texture to my latex by using a sparkle mesh as a base that I covered in the latex. I then used more eye shadow and some acrylic paints to blend everything into the rest of my make up.
The hand fins were made in a similar way, based on this tutorial, a latex sheet with the netting, then cut to shape and stuck to my hands with Pros Aid. For the claws, they are just long acrylic nails stuck down with temporary nail stickers, though Pros Aid would work too.
I also used circle contacts from Pinkie Paradise, originally I planned on having these for my Jewel cosplay, but I really liked the sort of creepy big eye look that it gave me, adding a great touch to the cosplay. Also these are some of the first comfortable contacts I’ve ever worn.
