Giving a supposedly semi-mammalian creature the tail of a fish never made much sense to me -- especially when most mermaids you see in animation and film move their tails in the up-and-down motion of marine mammals, not the side-to-side movement of fish. That's why I prefer to give my mermaids the lower body of a whale or dolphin... but, man, is it tough to combine the strength and musculature of a cetacean with the comparatively frail frame of a human! (Convincingly, at least.) In my most recent attempt, a mermaid-y version of yours truly swims through beautiful tropical waters, excitedly holding in her hands her latest treasure: a seashell.

Dolphin body referenced from stock picture; human body referenced (poorly) from personal photo; background done by following *kaykaykit's wonderful water background tutorial.

May 19, 2006.