Hi guys, welcome to the weekend, and Day 8 of the NAGG challenge. Today's prompt is Still Life, and you may be able to tell already that I couldn't really think of anything that actually
was Still Life that I wanted to do. So, since I didn't want to sit this out completely, I decided to really stretch the prompt, and go for something that is quite commonplace in real life, although they're not exactly what you would think of as Still Life - Tattoos! What can I say, I'm a rebel :p
This mani was created with a mixture of stamping and stamping decals. Decals are something that I really want to practise at the moment - this is my second attempt so far, and I think I have a ways to go yet. You can see how badly I messed up the middle finger near the cuticle, and there's a whole bunch of smudging issues going on too, however in real life, they looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I have since discovered that Seche Vite is a bad top coat for making decals, so am looking forward to trying again with a different one :)
The base for this is OPI - My Vampire is Buff. I finally got this polish the other week, and I'm really glad I did. It's such a lovely creamy colour. The decals and stamping were done with Sinful - Black on Black, Revlon - Emerald, Rimmel Lycra Pro - Heart on Fire (red), Barry M - Silver Foil, and Sally Hansen CSM - Lavender Cloud (white) + Bandage (beige).
This whole mani was done with MoYou Biker plates, the thumb, middle and ring finger decals all came from Biker 05, the rib cage on the pointer is from Biker 10, and the barbed wire and skulls on the pinky were isolated from Biker 08.
I prefer this mani matte, but like usual, I have glossy pictures too so you can decide for yourself.
Don't forget to check out the other awesome Still Life mani's in the thumbnails below :)
Those objects would make a totally awesome still life! All they really are is an object or a collection of objects with light coming from a single source. They're used to teach students how to draw/paint shadows with the side benefit of texture & proportion. Very boring to draw over & over again tho' the lessons are useful. Skeleton bits with a sword & roses would have been more fun to draw!
ReplyDeleteI use Milani Glosse' top coat for my decals. It isn't a fast dry & makes a fairly sturdy decal.
I was always rubbish at art in school (I know, somewhat ironic now lol) I didn't really learn much from those lessons, but if it had been skulls and swords, I think I would have peaked a lot earlier :D
DeleteI'm not too sure where I can find Milani in the UK, but by the sounds of it, anything will be better than SV - I did feel like they were kind of rigid, but just made the best of it. Do you think just a regular clear polish would work instead, I know I have one laying around somewhere? :) xx
I could render well, but it took forever! My skills lie more with color, texture & composition...perfect for nail art, not so good for graphics or design. LOL
DeleteYes, a regular slow dry clear should work much better than SV. I tested several (NYC, L.A. Colors, Orly Top2Bottom) & the Milani worked the best. I got the 1st bottle at a dollar store, but I stock piled several off Amazon. I also do 2 coats for a full nail decal so they don't tear easily while I maneuver them around. I recommend you test the clear polishes you have & maybe check out some of the cheaper clears available in the UK. Pound Land, here you come! LOL
I was never short of ideas, just couldn't put them on paper to save my life. Strangely, my handwriting is really neat though lol
DeleteI do have a couple of clear polishes that I can try out, so might not even have to go to Poundland.....although, on a side-note, they are launching an online poundland - I am in serious trouble :D xx
LOL Our Dollar Trees usually have polish, but it's so hit & miss as to whether I have it or not as well as is it even worth a buck to get. They're online too, but I just don't go there.
DeleteI don't get a chance to pop into town often at the moment, so them getting online could be very dangerous for me :D x
DeleteThese look rad!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jacqui! I have wanted to do this design for sooooo long :D x
DeleteThat's brilliant!! I found HK girl pretty good for decals xx
ReplyDeleteThanks! That's good, since I'm hoping to get some of that once I've almost finished my salon size SV :D Thanks for the tip hun xx
DeleteI love these, especially the ones with the roses! You did an incredible job!
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks :D I really wish there wasn't so much smudging, but I'll keep practising! x
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