Shello everyone! My name is Mermaid Maira, and this is my story!
I began mermaiding March 24 2018 by the grace of Mermaid Paige, my beautiful Fairy Podmother. I received my first tail in May 2018, and by October I had my mythic tail (thank you Kori). In 2019 I started dry land photography (thanks to Paige and Utmost Images), did a public appearance in the APG tank at Mermaid Megafest courtesy of Marielle, got my NAUI certification with Mermaid Lila, and began learning underwater posing techniques. This year, I've taken an underwater dance class with Syrena, and worked a corporate event at Ripley's Aquarium as a professional mermaid!⠀
These past two years have been phenomenal for finding myself, and finding a place in a huge and beautiful community that has enriched my life in so many ways. I'm ready to take the next step in my #MermaidLife!
After much searching and consideration and consultation (Huge thanks to Paige, Adria, Eloise, and Victoria for their input and advice) I have finally decided on a name:⠀
Maira, or Μαιρα, a naiad from Greek Mythology. The name means "Glittering"
What do you think my fishes? Ready for more sparkling adventures together?!
~Video credits~
Mermaids: Mermaid Paige, Adria, Victoria, Madison, Shawna, Pawel, Eloise, Melanie, Jasmine, Marielle, and other members of the Sirens of Southern Ontario pod.⠀
Events: Sirens of Southern Ontario meetups, Mermaid Megafest 2019 by Aqua Performance Group, MerMagic Con 2020 by the Circus Siren Pod, Grace in (Slow) Motion Workshop with The Singapore Mermaid, and AquaMermaid meetups⠀
Footage & Photography: Mermaid Paige, Wysocki Photos, Canera Media, AquaMermaid, and Wolfgang Knudson⠀
Tail: Finfolk Productions
Top: Mermaid Regalia
Wig: Webster Wigs
Gems: MermaidMagic
Circlets: Mermaid Tempest & Wire Princess
Gloves: Art Of Angel by Sabine Dietrich
Ears: Locked In The Cellar
Royalty free music from @Bensound, video editing using Lightworks 14.5
Sea Fever! My favorite poem in the world, especially as the season ends each year and I get nostalgic. I hope I’ve done it justice.
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other comics /art /ko-fi /patreon
Looking for a little relaxocean? Take a few minutes and swim through schools of blacksmiths, blue rockfish, and towers of giant kelp from a dive in Monterey Bay earlier this week!
On Tuesday, a couple of Aquarium divers went out to explore Eric's Pinnacle, a rocky reef off the coast of Pacific Grove, about a mile and half from the Aquarium. They were greeted by a large school of blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) and blacksmiths (Chromis punctipinnis) battling the strong surface current flowing down the coast, as well as a few passing drifters like Pacific sea nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens)—tasty treats for the planktivorous fishes on the pinnacle!
Blacksmiths used to be a classically Southern California fish species, but these days they're residents in the Monterey Bay. Many groups arrived with the warmer water that has bathed the Northeast Pacific coast for the last several years, largely due to marine heatwaves and ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) events.
The bottom of the pinnacle is around 60 feet deep, and the top around 20, making it a classic "advanced" dive site for new SCUBA divers. The kelp was nearly horizontal from the surface current, which makes some of the video a bit disorienting!
We hope you enjoy the video! Let us know if you'd like to see more of this kind of content in the future, or if you have some ideas for what you'd like to see from the bay!
I think it’s incredible how seals experience the world.
Many of the deep-diving seals can go blind during their lifetime and live just fine.
Round whiskers flap around in the water and create their own turbulence, but the specific whisker shape they have cancels turbulence, so they can pinpoint trails of turbulence from prey.
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I realized much later that I was confusing Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” lyrics (which are actually “walk, walk, fashion baby”) with Madonna’s “Vogue”, but I’m rolling with it. I felt very haute couture once the look finally started coming together!
And yes, I painted my lips tiny for the sole purpose of exaggerating the kissy fish face!
Silicone prosthetic FX makeup done as part of the California MerCon Mermaid Makeup workshop led by Smogteeth! This took me… so many hours. SO MANY. I’ve gone over in Photoshop to erase the prosthetic edges that I didn’t have the skill to hide for real, and wow, what a difference! With enough practice, maybe one day I’ll be able to achieve this smooth finish with the power of makeup!
Exactly two years ago, I met my mersister Fiuffy Meowmaid for the Mermaid Ball at The Fun House in Toronto. The event has been cancelled the past two years, but we're surely looking forward to attending next year! Keep the mermaid goodness rolling!
My art for mermay! This one was a doozy 🥵 I decided to only do one big piece this month instead of one drawing a day. I’m very proud of the trident! It was very fun to design!
I am celebrating my 1st year anniversary on Patreon and I’ve decided to gift August’s art print to anyone who pledges this month. Just pledge any tier by 31 August and you will receive this print along with my Patreon exclusives and perks.
A snippet for a comic about a mermaid and their crush on the Janitor that passes their tank everyday! I’ll hopefully draw more of these two, since this narrative was a re-vamp of a comic from my second year in uni.
I’m hoping
This was the last painting I did for Mermay this year, and it was a redraw of something I did for Mermay a few years ago (the old one is on the left in case it wasn't obvious)
