DIY Mermaid Scales

Add beautiful hand-painted mermaid scales to your clothes by following this easy tutorial!

Step 1: Decide where you will add your mermaid scales and line the area with masking tape.

Determine where you would like to add mermaid scales on your washed garment. For the purposes of this blog, I will be focusing on decorating the pockets of an apron. Using masking tape, outline the frame of your pocket to protect the surrounding material from getting painted. Place paper between layers of fabric to prevent the paint from seeping through and possibly sticking together.

Step 2: Use a sponge brush to paint the base coat.

Using a sponge, spread the fabric paint across the pocket. You may choose to coat the fabric evenly for a clean look or unevenly for a distressed look. While that’s drying you can start on the scale stencil.

Step 3: Make a U-shaped mermaid scale stencil out of paper.

To make the stencil, first fold your paper in half. Draw half of a “U” on the fold. Cut along the line and unfold to reveal a perfectly symmetrical mermaid scale. You may choose to make smaller or larger scales depending on the garment, the area you will be covering, and your desired look.

Step 4: Using a pencil, trace the stencil to create the mermaid scale pattern on your clothes.

Once the base paint is dry (check the directions on your fabric paint for exact time) lay the stencil on the top left corner of your garment. Trace the stencil with your pencil. Move the stencil directly next to your outling and trace again. Repeat until the pocket has one row of scales. Now move your stencil below your first row, directly in between two scales  (similar to a brick pattern) and trace. Continue these steps until you have covered the entire pocket with the scale pattern.

OPTIONAL STEP: Make your scales unique!

If you’d like to add a variety of colors or add glitter to some of your mermaid scales, do this now! I added some sparkle to certain scales by applying glitter to wet paint. Be sure that all paint is dry before moving on to the next step!

Step 5: Paint over your pencil markings using a thin paint brush.

Using a thin paintbrush with your dark fabric paint, trace over your all of the pencil markings.

Step 6: Allow sufficient drying time, and then remove masking tape and paper separators.

Once all paint is dry, its time to remove the paper separators, peel off the masking tape, and reveal the finished product!

Now you can sport your mermaid scales even on land!

In the comments, feel free to ask me any questions or share some of your own creations with me! What colors are your mermaid scales? Did you add any special decorations such as glitter, jewels, or maybe even lace? What did you add the mermaid scales to? Thanks for checking out my tutorial! Check back for more projects!