Mermaid OC Ideas

Press the button for one mermaid: home waters, tail, job in the shoal, collection and a fear or rule.

Mermaid OC Ideas: 30 mermaids

A mermaid from a hot spring high in the mountains. Tail: a single spiral, carried coiled. Job in the shoal: gardener of the anemone terraces. Collects sandcastle flags. Fear or rule: fears being painted by someone on a pier.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

  • Home watersa hot spring high in the mountains
  • Tail and finsa single spiral, carried coiled
  • Job in the shoalgardener of the anemone terraces
  • Collectssandcastle flags
  • A fear or a rulefears being painted by someone on a pier
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    Mermaid of the day

     

    1. A mermaid from a hot spring high in the mountains. Tail: a single spiral, carried coiled. Job in the shoal: gardener of the anemone terraces. Collects sandcastle flags. Fear or rule: fears being painted by someone on a pier.
    2. A mermaid from a flooded quarry with a crane still in it. Tail: rose at the hip, fading to bone white. Job in the shoal: net maker who knots only for hammocks. Collects pier pennies dropped for wishes. Fear or rule: panics when her hair tangles in rope.
    3. A mermaid from the fountain basin in a railway station. Tail: plain gray, with a single line of gold down one side. Job in the shoal: puppeteer with a cast of trained shrimp. Collects spectacles, which she tries on for each visitor. Fear or rule: crosses a shipping lane only at slack water.
    4. A mermaid from a coral garden that glows at dusk. Tail: ridged down the back with small sails. Job in the shoal: storm caller's apprentice. Collects kite strings, wound into one ball. Fear or rule: fears being painted by someone on a pier.
    5. A mermaid from a bay where the plankton lights up. Tail: tipped with a tuft like a lion's. Job in the shoal: scout who checks what the trawlers leave. Collects frosted bottle shards in forty tints. Fear or rule: wears one shell on a cord and never shows which side is up.
    6. A mermaid from the reef flat inside a ring of breakers. Tail: trailing veils twice the body's length. Job in the shoal: sculptor of sand castles nobody above will see. Collects raindrops, in a way: she counts the rings. Fear or rule: fears the day the kelp is cut.
    7. A mermaid from the ribs of an old whaling ship, keel up. Tail: tipped with a tuft like a lion's. Job in the shoal: gardener of the anemone terraces. Collects fishing floats in faded colors. Fear or rule: hates the squeak of a dolphin's laugh.
    8. A mermaid from the cod banks beneath the fog. Tail: a trailing length of ribbon, tied by someone else. Job in the shoal: turtle hatchery lookout. Collects deck shoes kicked off and never missed. Fear or rule: holds her breath when a ship's shadow passes.
    9. A mermaid from the cod banks beneath the fog. Tail: finned like a flying fish, wide at the hips. Job in the shoal: finder of lost hatchlings. Collects dandelion seeds that land on the water. Fear or rule: never surfaces twice in the same place.
    10. A mermaid from a seamount whose summit never breaks the surface. Tail: midnight blue, scattered with pinpoint lights. Job in the shoal: escort for eels on their long migration. Collects children's lost goggles. Fear or rule: greets every wreck before entering.
    11. A mermaid from the warm outflow below a volcanic island. Tail: midnight blue, scattered with pinpoint lights. Job in the shoal: caretaker of the drowned bell. Collects fishing floats in faded colors. Fear or rule: turns three circles before leaving the reef.
    12. A mermaid from the underside of a drifting ice shelf. Tail: midnight blue, scattered with pinpoint lights. Job in the shoal: message runner between two reefs. Collects kite strings, wound into one ball. Fear or rule: never counts her collection on a full moon.
    13. A mermaid from a city canal, under the fourth bridge. Tail: trailing veils twice the body's length. Job in the shoal: nurse to an elderly manatee. Collects buttons from officers' coats. Fear or rule: thinks pearls bring arguments.
    14. A mermaid from the moat of a castle that no longer exists. Tail: faded by daylight along the upper flank. Job in the shoal: mapmaker of the shifting sandbars. Collects dandelion seeds that land on the water. Fear or rule: distrusts still water with no current to read.
    15. A mermaid from a city canal, under the fourth bridge. Tail: one fin ray splinted with a sliver of driftwood. Job in the shoal: mender of the kelp hammocks. Collects lost anchors, labeled with where they fell. Fear or rule: flinches at anything shaped like a hook.
    16. A mermaid from a grotto that thunders midway through the ebb. Tail: a healed net line across the scales. Job in the shoal: wreck librarian sorting waterlogged books. Collects sand buckets abandoned at dusk. Fear or rule: cannot bear the taste of a river after rain.
    17. A mermaid from a sandbank where rays sleep in rows. Tail: a kink where it healed after a rockfall. Job in the shoal: shell carver who signs nothing. Collects moonlight, in bottles that turn out empty. Fear or rule: wears one shell on a cord and never shows which side is up.
    18. A mermaid from the cod banks beneath the fog. Tail: a copper band riveted round the narrowest part. Job in the shoal: mender of the kelp hammocks. Collects kite strings, wound into one ball. Fear or rule: dreads the hum of an outboard motor.
    19. A mermaid from a chain of tide pools that join at high water. Tail: forked deeply, like a swallow's. Job in the shoal: pearl nursery attendant. Collects kites that came down in the surf. Fear or rule: never eats what she has named.
    20. A mermaid from a lagoon ringed by leaning palms. Tail: ringed in russet and ivory. Job in the shoal: pilot for whales through the shipping lanes. Collects dandelion seeds that land on the water. Fear or rule: hates the squeak of a dolphin's laugh.
    21. A mermaid from the mangrove roots at a river mouth. Tail: armored in overlapping plates. Job in the shoal: storm caller's apprentice. Collects feathers from birds she cannot name. Fear or rule: never eats what she has named.
    22. A mermaid from a blue hole with daylight down its middle. Tail: broad paddle fluke, built for distance. Job in the shoal: storm caller's apprentice. Collects lost dog balls, returned if possible. Fear or rule: keeps her collection where the young cannot reach.
    23. A mermaid from a salt lake that shrinks every summer. Tail: barnacles settled along one side. Job in the shoal: guide for visiting river folk. Collects pier pennies dropped for wishes. Fear or rule: keeps a pebble under her tongue in fog.
    24. A mermaid from a field of chimney vents in the dark. Tail: a spreading fluke that unfurls in a half circle. Job in the shoal: scout who checks what the trawlers leave. Collects deck chairs from one particular liner. Fear or rule: returns one thing for every thing she takes.
    25. A mermaid from the sound between two lighthouses. Tail: one fin ray splinted with a sliver of driftwood. Job in the shoal: surface watcher on the dawn shift. Collects teaspoons, each from a different vessel. Fear or rule: never counts her collection on a full moon.
    26. A mermaid from a sandbank where rays sleep in rows. Tail: copper scales edged in verdigris. Job in the shoal: pilot for whales through the shipping lanes. Collects sunglasses, worn six at a time. Fear or rule: believes a red sunrise means company is coming.
    27. A mermaid from an eelgrass prairie sheltered by a sand spit. Tail: trailing veils twice the body's length. Job in the shoal: keeper of the current gauges. Collects life rings with the names worn off. Fear or rule: never counts her collection on a full moon.
    28. A mermaid from a seamount whose summit never breaks the surface. Tail: a notch missing from the left fluke. Job in the shoal: puppeteer with a cast of trained shrimp. Collects buttons from officers' coats. Fear or rule: crosses a shipping lane only at slack water.
    29. A mermaid from an ornamental lake with pedal boats. Tail: rose at the hip, fading to bone white. Job in the shoal: teller of surface stories to the young. Collects deck shoes kicked off and never missed. Fear or rule: dreads the gap after a beacon's sweep passes.
    30. A mermaid from a hot spring high in the mountains. Tail: mottled to match wet granite. Job in the shoal: surface watcher on the dawn shift. Collects binoculars, for looking at the ceiling of waves. Fear or rule: ties a knot in her hair for each promise.

    Next step Paint the water she lives inGet a scene to draw this mermaid in

    Home waters: all 42 homes

    Warm and shallow 14

    • a bay where the plankton lights up Every movement leaves a trail of blue sparks.
    • a blue hole with daylight down its middle A dark circle in pale shallows, and shafts of light down the middle.
    • a chain of tide pools that join at high water A chain of small mirrors across black rock.
    • a coral garden that glows at dusk Paint the corals lighter than the water for the hour after sunset.
    • a drowned orchard of petrified trees Bare stone trunks, with schools of fish for leaves.
    • a lagoon ringed by leaning palms Turquoise over white sand, with palm shadows striping the surface.
    • a sandbank where rays sleep in rows Diamond shapes half buried, with only their eyes showing.
    • a shallow strait crowded with fishing stakes A forest of thin poles and nets hung like laundry.
    • a sunken amphitheater colonized by sponges Curved stone steps, softened by orange and violet growth.
    • an eelgrass prairie sheltered by a sand spit Long ribbons all bent one way by the current. Hide the tail among them.
    • the mangrove roots at a river mouth Arched roots like the ribs of a great hall, and tea-colored light.
    • the reef flat inside a ring of breakers White foam in a circle, and calm green within.
    • the warm outflow below a volcanic island Bubbles rising in threads, and the water shimmering like air over a road.
    • the wreck of a pleasure steamer, promenade deck A grand staircase with fish going up it.

    Cold and deep 14

    • a canyon that funnels the winter storms Sand streaming along the floor like smoke.
    • a field of chimney vents in the dark Tall crooked stacks, and water that ripples with heat.
    • a fjord so deep that noon looks like evening Vertical rock on both sides, and a thin strip of sky.
    • a grotto that thunders midway through the ebb A dark arch, foam, and rings spreading inward.
    • a kelp forest under gray swells Tall stalks reaching into green dimness, with light only at the top.
    • a seamount whose summit never breaks the surface A mountain drawn whole, with the waterline far above its peak.
    • the cable crossing on the abyssal plain One thick line across mud, running out of sight both ways.
    • the cod banks beneath the fog Everything gray on gray, and a bell buoy's chain coming down.
    • the floe margin where seals sun themselves Dark shapes above on white, and their shadows below.
    • the ribs of an old whaling ship, keel up Great arched ribs with a village of small creatures among them.
    • the sound between two lighthouses Two beams sweeping across the surface far overhead.
    • the sunless side of an iceberg Scalloped blue walls going down past the frame.
    • the trench where the lantern fish gather Black water pricked with small cold lights.
    • the underside of a drifting ice shelf A white ceiling, pale blue cracks, and breath-holes of light.

    Fresh, brackish and strange 14

    • a city canal, under the fourth bridge Reflections of windows, and bicycle wheels on the bottom.
    • a crescent lake that a river left behind A crescent of still green among fields.
    • a duck pond that remembers being ocean Lily pads above, and a wooden wheel turning at the edge.
    • a flooded quarry with a crane still in it Square stone walls and a rusty jib breaking the surface.
    • a hot spring high in the mountains Steam on snow, and a pool the color of jade.
    • a reservoir with rooftops far below the dam A straight concrete rim, seen from underneath the surface.
    • a rice paddy during the flood month Sky reflected between rows of green stitches.
    • a salt lake that shrinks every summer White crust at the edges and a bathtub ring on the rocks.
    • a sinkhole pool lit through one hole in its roof A single column of light, with roots hanging into it.
    • an ornamental lake with pedal boats Swan-shaped hulls seen from underneath.
    • the aquarium's largest tank, after closing Dim blue safety lights, and a chair left by the glass.
    • the estuary where salt and fresh braid together Two colors of water side by side with a wavering seam.
    • the fountain basin in a railway station Coins on tile, and travelers' legs passing.
    • the moat of a castle that no longer exists A ring of water round an empty lawn.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: warm shallows, cold deeps, and fresh, brackish and strange waters. No real sea, river or coast is named, and nothing here is a fact about a real place. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    Tail and fins: all 42 tails

    Shape 14

    • a single spiral, carried coiled A tight curl below the waist that unrolls to swim.
    • a spreading fluke that unfurls in a half circle Draw it closed in one view and spread in another.
    • armored in overlapping plates Hexagons, larger at the hip and tiny near the fluke.
    • broad paddle fluke, built for distance A wide crescent at the end, drawn bigger than seems right.
    • finned like a flying fish, wide at the hips Two side fins big enough to glide on.
    • flat like a ray's wings, rippling at the edges Seen from above it is a diamond. From the side it is a line.
    • forked deeply, like a swallow's Two long points that cross when at rest.
    • long and eel-slim, with a fringe along the top One unbroken S curve, and a ribbon of fin from hip to tip.
    • ridged down the back with small sails A row of triangles that can lie flat or stand.
    • short and round, for turning in tight caves A stubby tail that gives a comma-shaped outline.
    • split into two slender tails for the last third Two flukes that work like a pair of oars.
    • thick at the base and whip-thin at the end A steep taper, with the last third nearly a thread.
    • tipped with a tuft like a lion's A smooth tail ending in a sudden brush of filaments.
    • trailing veils twice the body's length Let the fins lag behind every movement, like scarves.

    Color and pattern 14

    • checkered in two shades of moss Squares that distort as the tail bends.
    • cloudy patches adrift on deep indigo Large soft shapes, like continents.
    • copper scales edged in verdigris Warm metal with blue-green in every seam.
    • glassy fins veined in scarlet Clear membranes with red branching lines.
    • midnight blue, scattered with pinpoint lights A night sky, wrapped round a tail.
    • mottled to match wet granite Break up the outline so that it vanishes against rock.
    • oil-slick dark with a green sheen Black base, and color only where the light hits.
    • plain gray, with a single line of gold down one side A single bright line from hip to fluke.
    • ringed in russet and ivory Even rings, a thumb wide, right to the tip.
    • rose at the hip, fading to bone white A gradient with no hard edge.
    • sand-colored with false eye spots Two dark rings near the fluke, staring.
    • silver above and slate below A hard line along the side where the two tones meet.
    • speckled like a trout stream's gravel Dots of three sizes, denser along the spine.
    • translucent, with the spine showing as a shadow Draw the bones faintly inside the outline.

    Marks and wear 14

    • a burnished patch from brushing coral A polished patch, like the elbow of an old jacket.
    • a copper band riveted round the narrowest part An old ring, green with age, engraved with numbers.
    • a fishing lure worn as an ornament A bright spinner clipped through the fin edge.
    • a healed net line across the scales One row of scales growing at a slightly different angle.
    • a kink where it healed after a rockfall A slight zigzag two thirds of the way down.
    • a notch missing from the left fluke A clean bite-shaped gap that she steers around.
    • a trailing length of ribbon, tied by someone else Faded red, knotted well, and never removed.
    • algae growing in the shape of a handprint A soft green mark where a diver once touched.
    • barnacles settled along one side A rough white crust on the side that she sleeps on.
    • faded by daylight along the upper flank One flank several shades paler.
    • fin edges frayed like old silk Ragged ends that trail threads.
    • one fin ray splinted with a sliver of driftwood Twine wrapping, and a neat mend.
    • small shells glued on in a growing pattern A spiral of cowries added one a year.
    • three scales replaced with mother-of-pearl Brighter and flatter than their neighbors, set by hand.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: shapes, colors and patterns, and marks of wear. The list covers the tail and its fins only and describes no other part of the body. No real species is claimed as a model. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    Job in the shoal: all 42 jobs

    Keepers and menders 14

    • anchor inspector, unofficial Knocking on iron with a stone and listening.
    • caretaker of the drowned bell A bronze shape furred with weed, and one clean handprint.
    • gardener of the anemone terraces A soft brush for cleaning, and stings on the wrists.
    • keeper of the current gauges Ribbons tied to a post, read like a windsock.
    • lamp tender for the glowing-jelly lanterns Glass floats with something bright drifting inside.
    • mender of the kelp hammocks A bone needle, and green rope over the shoulder.
    • net cutter who frees whatever is caught A shell blade on a wrist loop, and a coil of salvaged line.
    • nurse to an elderly manatee A bundle of sea lettuce, and a slow pace.
    • pearl nursery attendant A tray of open shells, checked with one fingertip each.
    • sand raker for the sleeping grounds A comb the width of two arms, and neat parallel lines.
    • scale polisher before the festival A pumice stone and a pot of something pearly.
    • turtle hatchery lookout Lying just under the surf line, eyes above water.
    • warden of the seal pups' shallows Arms spread to herd, and small faces all round.
    • wreck librarian sorting waterlogged books Pages turned with tweezers made from urchin spines.

    Guides and messengers 14

    • escort for eels on their long migration Swimming in a river of silver bodies.
    • finder of lost hatchlings A net bag of very small passengers.
    • guide for visiting river folk Pointing things out with a webbed hand, like a tour leader.
    • harbor listener who counts the propellers Ear to a piling, eyes shut.
    • interpreter between dolphins and everyone else Head tilted, mouth shaping clicks.
    • mapmaker of the shifting sandbars A slate, a stylus and yesterday's lines rubbed out.
    • message runner between two reefs A sealed bottle on a cord across the chest.
    • pathfinder through the kelp at night A jar of glow held ahead like a lantern.
    • pilot for whales through the shipping lanes A tiny figure at the eye of something enormous.
    • scout who checks what the trawlers leave Peering over the rim of a furrow in the mud.
    • storm caller's apprentice Finger held up into a current, counting.
    • surface watcher on the dawn shift Half a face above the water, hair plastered flat.
    • tide reader who posts the day's times Knots tied in a hanging rope.
    • timekeeper who rings the hours on a hull A stone swung against rusted plate.

    Makers and performers 14

    • choreographer for a school of sardines Arms raised, and a silver cloud turning as one.
    • cook of the cold kitchen Slicing something translucent on a flat stone.
    • drummer on an upturned lifeboat Palms flat, rings of sound spreading.
    • dyer who trades in squid ink and urchin purple Stained to the elbow in two colors.
    • glassblower at the warm vents A bubble on a hollow reed, lit orange.
    • jeweler who restrings other people's finds A tray of mismatched beads and a magnifying bubble.
    • net maker who knots only for hammocks Mesh stretched between two posts, sized for sleeping.
    • painter with crushed coral on cave walls A red handprint beside a half-finished whale.
    • puppeteer with a cast of trained shrimp Threads so fine that only the puppets show.
    • sculptor of sand castles nobody above will see Turrets at ten fathoms, and a tide that never comes.
    • shell carver who signs nothing A drill of spun bone, and dust rising in a thread.
    • singer for the midwinter gathering Hands cupped to send the sound one way.
    • teller of surface stories to the young Hands miming a horse, badly.
    • weaver of eelgrass baskets Strands held taut between teeth and fingers.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: keepers and menders, guides and messengers, makers and performers of an undersea community that does not exist. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    Collects: all 42 collected things

    From ships 14

    • binoculars, for looking at the ceiling of waves Lenses up, lying on her back.
    • brass portholes, polished and stacked Round frames threaded on a mast like bracelets.
    • buttons from officers' coats Sewn in rows onto a strip of sailcloth.
    • compasses that all disagree Needles pointing every way on a flat rock.
    • deck chairs from one particular liner Striped canvas gone soft, arranged in a circle.
    • deck shoes kicked off and never missed A neat row on a ledge, sorted by size.
    • life rings with the names worn off Stacked like donuts on a spar.
    • lost anchors, labeled with where they fell Tags of slate tied to each shank.
    • message bottles, unopened on principle Corks sealed with wax, shelved like a library.
    • ships' cats' collars, with bells A string of small bells that rings in the current.
    • soggy aces and jacks, two short of a deck Cards pinned out to dry on a net, gaps obvious.
    • spectacles, which she tries on for each visitor A basket of frames, and a squint.
    • teaspoons, each from a different vessel Hung by their handles on a line, like wind chimes.
    • typewriter keys, sorted into words Round letters laid out to spell something short.

    From the shore 14

    • bleached branches that resemble creatures A shelf of almost-horses and nearly-birds.
    • children's lost goggles Dozens of small lenses strung like a necklace.
    • fishing floats in faded colors Globes hung in a cluster like grapes.
    • frosted bottle shards in forty tints Sorted by shade on a windowsill of rock.
    • kites that came down in the surf Tails knotted together into one long streamer.
    • lost dog balls, returned if possible A net bag, bright as fruit.
    • message-in-the-sand photographs she cannot take Staring up through shallow water at letters on the beach.
    • picnic forks, bent and straightened A bouquet of tines in a bottle.
    • pier pennies dropped for wishes A jar of coins, and guilt.
    • rings that slipped off cold fingers Threaded on a strand of her own hair.
    • sand buckets abandoned at dusk A row of small pails, nested by size.
    • sandcastle flags Tiny paper squares on toothpicks, in a clam shell.
    • sunglasses, worn six at a time Stacked up the forehead and into the hair.
    • unmatched rubber sandals Nailed along a timber by their straps.

    From the air and the weather 14

    • autumn leaves from a river mouth Pressed between two flat shells.
    • balloons that drifted out to sea Tied down so that they bob just under the surface.
    • dandelion seeds that land on the water A drift of white fluff in a jar.
    • feathers from birds she cannot name Stuck upright in sand, a garden of quills.
    • hailstones, kept as long as they last Cupped hands, and a melting handful.
    • hats the wind took A tower of brims on a mooring post.
    • kite strings, wound into one ball A sphere of twine the size of a melon.
    • lost umbrellas, opened into a canopy Ribs and fabric overlapping like a reef of their own.
    • moonlight, in bottles that turn out empty A row of clear glass, corked hopefully.
    • paper airplanes, unfolded and read Creased sheets flattened under a stone.
    • raindrops, in a way: she counts the rings Lying under the surface with a tally shell.
    • the reflections of fireworks, by sketching them A slate scratched with bursts.
    • snowflakes, which she has never seen whole A palm held up through the surface in winter.
    • songs that carry from the boardwalk A shell at the ear, and lips moving.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: things lost from ships, left on shores or fallen from the air. No brand or real ship is named. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    A fear or a rule: all 42 fears and rules

    A fear 14

    • cannot bear the taste of a river after rain A grimace, and a hand fanning the water away.
    • distrusts still water with no current to read Dropping a pinch of sand to see which way it drifts.
    • dreads the gap after a beacon's sweep passes Racing a sweep of light across the surface.
    • dreads the hum of an outboard motor Hands over the ears, tail curled tight.
    • fears being painted by someone on a pier Diving at the first glimpse of an easel.
    • fears the day the kelp is cut A hand flat on a stalk, like someone checking a pulse.
    • flinches at anything shaped like a hook Recoiling from a harmless question-mark of weed.
    • hates the squeak of a dolphin's laugh A wince and a polite smile at once.
    • is nervous of gulls, though they cannot reach her Peering up from a hand's depth.
    • is uneasy in water too clear to hide in Arms wrapped round herself in bright shallows.
    • panics when her hair tangles in rope Fingers working at a knot, eyes wide.
    • shies from her own reflection in a hull A double take at a face on painted steel.
    • will not swim under a bridge at noon Stopped at the line of shadow.
    • worries that the surface is a ceiling that could close One hand always reaching up to touch it.

    A rule kept 14

    • counts the shoal aloud before any journey A finger bobbing along a line of heads.
    • crosses a shipping lane only at slack water Waiting at the edge with one eye on the ribbons.
    • dozes with her fluke pointing offshore Head inshore, on a pillow of sponge.
    • greets every wreck before entering A small bow at a broken doorway.
    • keeps her collection where the young cannot reach A high ledge, and small faces looking up.
    • leaves the first find of the year where it lies Hovering over something shiny, hands back.
    • never eats what she has named A crab on her shoulder, smug.
    • never surfaces twice in the same place A chart of crosses, each one different.
    • returns one thing for every thing she takes A shell set carefully where a spoon was.
    • sings only on the way home Mouth shut going out, open coming back.
    • stays silent wherever the sand is dry A finger at the lips at the edge of the foam.
    • tells the truth to anything with whiskers Leaning in to confide in a seal.
    • ties a knot in her hair for each promise A braid lumpy with them.
    • touches nothing with a name painted on it Hands clasped behind her, reading a transom.

    A superstition 14

    • believes a red sunrise means company is coming Tidying a ledge at dawn, just in case.
    • blows a ring of bubbles round new friends A silver hoop rising about two heads.
    • holds her breath when a ship's shadow passes Cheeks puffed, pointlessly, under a dark hull.
    • keeps a pebble under her tongue in fog One cheek a little rounder.
    • never counts her collection on a full moon A cloth of weed thrown over the shelf.
    • pops the first bubble of the morning for luck A fingertip at a silver bead.
    • reads tomorrow in the way a crab walks Crouched at eye level with a sideways traveler.
    • says thank you to waves that carry her A nod over the shoulder.
    • swims backward past shipwreck figureheads Eyes fixed on a carved face until she is clear.
    • taps every anchor chain for luck Knuckles on rusty links, in passing.
    • thinks pearls bring arguments Holding one at arm's length in a leaf.
    • turns three circles before leaving the reef A corkscrew of bubbles behind her.
    • wears one shell on a cord and never shows which side is up A closed fist at the collarbone.
    • will not say the word for net aloud Spelling it with her fingers.
    How this list was compiled

    Original list written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-03. Made up for this list: fears, rules kept and small superstitions. They are inventions for a character, not folklore of any people, and nothing here is advice about the sea. The notes are our own drawing advice. Licence: own work

    How it works

    These mermaid OC ideas come in five parts: home waters, the tail and its fins, a job in the shoal, the thing she collects from the surface, and one fear or rule. Draw the waters first.

    Read the full guide

    Start with the water

    Home waters set the light and the palette. A kelp forest under gray swells is green dimness with light only at the top; a lagoon ringed by leaning palms is turquoise over white sand. Paint the tail to hide in that water, or to stand out from it.

    A tail with a history

    The tail list has shapes, colors and marks of wear, and the worn ones say most: a notch missing from the left fluke, three scales replaced with mother-of-pearl. The list covers tail and fins only. The rest of the figure is yours.

    • Give her a job and she has a pose: a net cutter reaches, a surface watcher peers.

    Questions and answers

    How do I make a mermaid OC that is not like every other?

    Give her work and a habit. On this page a mermaid may be the keeper of the current gauges, collect compasses that all disagree and never surface twice in the same place.

    What colors should a mermaid tail be?

    Any that suit her water. The pattern group runs from silver above and slate below to midnight blue scattered with pinpoint lights, and each note under the tool says how to shade it.

    Can I use this for a merman or a siren?

    Yes. The home waters, tail, job and collection fit any merfolk character. The sentence says mermaid and she, so change those words to suit your own.

    Are these mermaids from a film or a fairy tale?

    No. Every part was made up for this page. No named mermaid, story or real sea is used, and the fears and rules are inventions, not the folklore of any people.

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