Nail Art

I’ve been clearing out junk recently, which included going through my makeup drawer. I have a lot of nail polishes that I have collected over the years, and after recently suffering a spate of chipped manicures, I investigated the shelf life of nail polish.

Apparently nail enamel has a shelf life of only 1–2 years. Ooops. Many of mine are ten years old! An appropriate way to dispose of it is to tip out the enamel onto newspaper and let it dry until the solvents evaporate. Hmmm, I thought. I can do better than that. A drawing painted with enamel would be an interesting experiment.

Hair in Orange Flip :: Watts // Big Up // No flashSo today I quickly sketched out a drawing, the main concept being that somehow the finished illustration should involve polka dots – a) because they’re cute, and b) enamelled polka dots would create a great texture.

Most of my nail polishes are buff or blush tones, or strong shades of red. Very little pink (which is odd, for me). There are a few oddities amongst them – turquoise, navy, white – but they are new and still usable.

Dress in Glisten, Bow in Ballet Buff :: Watts // Big Up // No flashUnsurprisingly, painting with nail polish is rather different from any other wet medium I have used. Things I learned:

1. The brush is horrible – too long, flat, stiff, and not flexible enough. Also, it blobs unpredictably.
2. One needs to work fast. It dries quickly on the paper so it is difficult to create flat, smooth colour.
3. Pouring is fun, but enamel is far more viscous than ink for example (obviously), but equally unpredictable.
4. Two coats are better than one. (This we all already know!)
5. Mistakes, if they drop on dried enamel, can be lifted off relatively easily with a cotton tip if applied immediately.

Polka Dots in Firecracker :: Watts // Big Up // No flashI am quite pleased with the finished illustration, especially with its coppery effect. It’s tactile, and shiny. It glistens in the light. That copper colour that forms the dress is actually called Glisten – and I like it more in this application than I ever did on my nails! The illustration doesn’t scan very well though, which is not surprising, so I’ve included some photos (shot at an angle to take advantage of the sunlight) of the work in progress.

This was quite fun, and I’m looking forward to doing some more, although I think I might take advantage of the current craze for polish in every colour of the rainbow and stock up on additional shades.

A Snow Flurry in Van-Couvered in Snow :: Watts // Big Up // No flashColours used in this illustration: Orange Flip, Peach Chiffon, Ballet Buff, Sheer Blush, In the Buff, Sorbet, Glisten, Firecracker, Marooned (all by Revlon); Russian Navy, Passion, Van-Couvered in Snow (all by O.P.I.). 

A Flurry of Snow :: Watts // Big Up // No flash