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Jakegothicsnake — Guide to properly drawing mermaids Pg.7
Published: 2011-11-26 09:50:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 8969; Favourites: 77; Downloads: 46
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Page # 7 of my mermaid drawing guide!Ok, I know artists out there have made mermaids be half some other sea creatures, but to me, mermaids should be depicted traditionally with a fish tail. To me, an aquatic being with the upper half of a woman and the tentacles of either an octopus or a squid is a cecaelia and an aquatic being with the upper half of a woman and the body/tail of a seal is a selkie(despite traditional mythology stating, that selkies are merely human to seal shape-shifters),
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Comments: 33
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I would consider Cecaelians and Selkies a type of Merfolk.
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They kind of are in a way. Something of a similar vein, but not quite, since cecaelians are half invertebrate and selkies completely mammal while merfolk are half piscine.
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Can I ask a question? You know that mermaids in media, arts and basically everywhere are usually portrayed with curvy bodies (Big hips and buttocks, Big bust, Small and defined waist etc.) like an hourglass and/or pear-shaped regardless if are more fish, mammal or human-like. Do you believe if real mermaids exist, would they actually have curves?
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Well, I know that the actresses for the mermaids on the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean movie and the tv show Siren have slender bodies and natural or petite breasts, so I'd imagined most mermaids would probably be graceful and willowy as well. However, this is a mythological species we're talking here, so whatever body types merpeople would have is left up to our imagination
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It could be, but yet again most of them are based on fish and shark species. What about dolphin-like mermaids, Snake-like mermaids and human-like mermaids?
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Snake-like mermaids and human-like mermaids?? I don’t quite follow.....
Are you talking about like creatures that’s half human with a snake tail from the waist down?
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Yes, I meant reptilian-like mermaids likes Nagas, Lamias and Gorgons and the more human-like like Aquaman.
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Well.....I certainly wouldn't classify gorgons, nagas, and lamias as mermaids. They're another thing of their own. I don't know about Aquaman though.....I think in the comics there were aquatic humans like Aquaman and actual merpeople as well.
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Well what about mermaids with different types of fish tails? Like lionfish or shark or something else? Frankly I'm sick of seeing 'traditional' merfolk.
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You can do lionfish merpeople or shark merpeople if you want.
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Cecealia are another species of aquatic beings.
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Yeah, there are many species of merfolk.
Because merpeople are musically inclined, I imagine in the modernic setting, they also form rock bands.
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is a octopus or squid "mermaid" called a octomaid and a squidmaid XD
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There's actually a term for that sort of hybrid creature. It's called "cecaelia".
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oh I didn't know that thank you
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I think it's sort of amusing that in this page you write that mermaids must be part fish to be a mermaid, while in another page you include a part whale mermaid as being "okay."
Also, not to sound rude, but I do think the idea that there is a "correct" way to draw a mythical creature is rather pretentious. One of the wonderful things of drawing fantasy and mythical beasts is the fact that they can look however you want them to look.
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Yeah, this was made years ago.
I do see your point though. I was just trying to sound structured.
My apologies.
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I.. A selkie does not have a bottom half of a seal, they are literally a seal, who can shed their pelt and become a human, and walk on land, I dunno where you got this lower half of a seal from.
A cecaelia is classed as a merfolk actually, a sub-species, much like a Moose is to a Deer, now cecaelia are rarely portrayed as good, but ay, someone needs to play villain.
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Yes, I am aware that traditionally Selkies are simply shapeshifters. However, there are artists out there who depict Selkies as more of a mammalian type of merpeople.
As for cecaelia, it doesn't really make sense to make a comparison between them and merpeople with moose and deer, on account of moose and deer both being cloven hoofed ungulates with antlers, where as merpeople are half fish and cecaelia are half octopus/squid, who unlike fish are both tentacled invertebrates.
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How do you make an octopus mermaid anyway ? They're mostly muscle and a beak.
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Easy, just put tentacles where her legs would be. 
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I think this part is really more a matter of taste than a concrete fact, since we're talking about a mythological creature. Kinda like how some people like to draw unicorns more deer-like than the traditional equine form.
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I suppose that's a good point. But then again at least horses and deer have a more similar body shape.
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The Seal is most likely a Selkie, not a mermaid and the octopus/ squid are most likely cursed or something lol.
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Yes, the seal-body is definently for selkies. I don't know if caecelias are actually cursed merpeople or not. I think it's up to the person who's creating his/her own fantasy world's interpretation.
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Oh I have never heard of them before but thanks for sharing there name, gives me something to research ^^
And indeed, its all up to the person creating the character. But thanks for your time :3
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