A Show-Ring Worthy Tail
In this hybrid text/video tutorial, I will walk you through the basics of building a fishtail braid. I’ve also demonstrated it on a stablemate to show that it is quite possible to do this at smaller scales as well. This tutorial does expand upon the methods shown in my mane and tail armatures tutorial from earlier, and does assume you have the basic skills of sculpting loose hair. If you need a refresher, you can check out that tutorial here
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Tools and Supplies
- Hair reference (lots!)
- Epoxy putty in your brand of choice
- Toothpick, hobby knife or other pointy tool
- Clay shapers
- Water or isopropyl alcohol
- Paper towels
- Soft paintbrush
Step 1: Sculpt the Loose Strands of the Tail and the Underside of the Tail
On horses with fishtail braids, the fleshy part of the tail is clearly visible, and you can replicate this by sculpting a noodle of epoxy onto your tail armature. Make sure it is thicker towards the butt and thinner towards the end of the tail.
TIP: When working on smaller scales, it can be helpful to sculpt the loose hair strands first, let it cure, and then sculpt the underside of the tail after, letting that cure before proceeding to step two. This helps avoid squishing parts.
TIP: When working on smaller scales, it can be helpful to sculpt the loose hair strands first, let it cure, and then sculpt the underside of the tail after, letting that cure before proceeding to step two. This helps avoid squishing parts.
Step 2: Sculpt the Sides of the Braid
Make two little noodles with one end that tapers to a thinner point. Squish the thicker end towards the butt and shape them so that both noodles join at the top. Don’t worry about smoothing out the line at the top: we are covering it up later. Also, be careful not to cover up the fleshy underside.
Step 3: Sculpt the Top Braid
Rolling a very skinny noodle, lay it along the top of the tail. Traditionally, the end of this little braid is rolled into a circle, and I am simulating that roll with a tiny magnet for a second attachable tail, so my braid terminates at that magnet.
Step 4: Detail
The final step is to draw a series of vertical lines along the sides of the tail, simulating the hair strands that have been pulled up and into the little braid along the top. I detail the braid on the top by first laying a guide of dots and then adding the different angled lines. You can also see this method on a larger braid in this video.
Don't Be Afraid to Refine the Results
The trickiest part of this kind of braid, especially at smaller scales, is getting it fine enough.
My tail came out a little too thick, so I waited for it to cure fully and then carved it down. This did mean that I had to carve back in the braid detail on the top, but the result was worth it.
My tail came out a little too thick, so I waited for it to cure fully and then carved it down. This did mean that I had to carve back in the braid detail on the top, but the result was worth it.
