Hmm!
Mereman - or Merman? Someone
challenged me to make a merman to go with my mermaid. I was not thinking of the
mermaid, (which is rather conventional), when I made himself!
My first thought was to make this doll with
coloured dreadlocks, and that was my inspiration. When I had made sufficient, I began with the trunk of the body of
course - to see if I could make some muscles, because mermen can be half naked
and no-one thinks anything of it!
Now the next obstacle - how to display him, with only a fin, and he can’t lean
on anything. Deciding it would be very
manly to insert a wire hanger into his back muscles, (to show his strength and
courage of course), high enough to be hidden beneath his cropped, shoulder
cover thingy! That worked!
I tucked his body into a tail - armatured
with my favourite skinny coat hangers, so I could shape it later and to give it
some 'body'!
Next, suitable arms, and I had to think what he might be doing, so one
straight and one half bent. Ideal for tattoos, and to hold something.
Then the head. Had to be manly, so this head has a bit of shape. (I
never know how they will turn out when I start.) Thinking of a good jawline
when drawing it out, I feel I am slowly getting there with that one. I am
pleased with the mouth shape, which is incorporated in the initial pattern drawing.
The next part of the process is how to present him. I thought of Steampunk,
and went with that idea for a while, as I have seen a few trendy looking steam
punkers, and so I added a few such embellishments, but in the end, I settled on
something that reveals his alternative, feminine, creative, and caring side. With the sea themed tattoos, (done by his
local swordfish), the Paua Shell embellishments and neck bling, and his
artistically arranged dreadlocks (styled by his local octopus, who is renowned
for her creative agility to twist things around – tentacle-y speaking!)
With a critical eye, I noticed there was an imbalance between the body
and the tail, so I connected them with the strap of a man bag, anchored to his
belt! I made the trident, but did not
want him to be holding it – unwieldy for packing and sending anywhere – so made
a strap that could sling it across his shoulders and be a prop.
The dreadlocks draw the eye down and connect the head with the tail, and
I addressed the imbalance of the length of tail with the pet fish, hanging from
his hand on a harness, to bring the eye right down.
I could do more with the tail if
I wanted to, but I liked the simplicity of his message: Here is a mereman, not afraid to show himself
as he is, usually found in deep water, vulnerable to predatory fish and the
elements, but with the strength and resilience to deal with whatever life
brings him. Happy with who he is, willing to intelligently stand for right, and
with a care for the wellbeing of his fellow creatures! Yes, there are Mermen like this!
