Res gestae (translation: things accomplished)
I put the skirt on the dressform so I can mark the hem and took pictures. And now I'm posting instead of marking the hem. :p This is my improved dress improver/ruffled bustle, the ruffled panel that gave me fits buttoned to my narrow 1910 petticoat, and the scaly Gala skirt.
For the painted scales, I used a scalloped stencil on the bottom edge of each scale row and used Lumiere paint (a mix of metallic silver and bright gold) well diluted with water and painted with a sponge in upward sweeping strokes. I'm not totally sold on them. I think they look cool when light is shining on them and you can see that they're all shiny, but they don't look so hot in low light. I guess it's fine for the Gala. I'll change the skirt to something less mermaid-y one day, if I can find a nice brocade.
For the painted scales, I used a scalloped stencil on the bottom edge of each scale row and used Lumiere paint (a mix of metallic silver and bright gold) well diluted with water and painted with a sponge in upward sweeping strokes. I'm not totally sold on them. I think they look cool when light is shining on them and you can see that they're all shiny, but they don't look so hot in low light. I guess it's fine for the Gala. I'll change the skirt to something less mermaid-y one day, if I can find a nice brocade.