Is it okay if I just kind of stick around and chat for a little while? I would totally be attempting to draw for you (merpeople are fun to draw. >w< ) but I can't draw with the laptop. D:
For their appearance? Well, I've had merperson characters for a long time, so I've been adding and changing their details gradually as I think about their story. I've been deciding what features I like on merfolk in general and changing their appearances as I go along.
They've mainly changed based on my imagination. I started really getting into their appearances, though, when I commissioned a picture of one of my mermen from a wonderful anthro artist and she drew this. It made me realize that making them look a little cooler and a little more fishy could be really, really interesting. :D