It's Another Doodling Day- Experiments With Lines and Dots

 

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I'm a doodler. I doodle in my sketchbook, I doodle in my notebooks, I draw in my planner and on scrap paper. I also love setting up a set of false nails on bamboo skewers so I can doodle on them with my various polishes as the urge hits me.

I generally keep 10-20 nails on sticks at any time, so that I can hopefully get right into it whenever the urge hits me. I get annoyed if I'm hit with a creative burst and I have to spend 15 minutes prepping. This time I ended up with three nails in similar styles, and I really like them all. They're all very similar, and yet pretty darn different, too.

First, I painted some backgrounds. I wasn't going for any look in particular, so I picked three different base colors to work with: a deep blackened emerald (Hard Candy Envy, YUM!), a deep red, and a brown taupe (Milani Bare Necessity¹). I let those dry while I killed a few minutes on the internet, looking at random stuff. I decided I would use the Milani Nail Art Lacquer in White Canvas I'd been sent to see how it works.

Once they were dry enough to continue, I started with the Envy nail. I wanted to practice painting lines and experimenting with curves, so I started a basic scroll pattern. Once I got going, I really liked what was developing, so I left a diagonal section of negative space between the two bold design sections. Believe it or not, the white curls were really simple to do... it's just a matter of making a swirl, then another swirl. Add a bit of a line, etc... Once I got the basic lines down, I used some envy on the brush to clean up any booboos I made, then used my new dotting tools to fill in the few empty spots with dots. If there's any interest, I can put up an animated gif showing my process.

I really like this one, and I can see doing this in a variety of shades. The bold contrast between almost black and white really draws the eye, and the bold graphic pattern is fun and whimsical. What can I say, I'm really drawn to bold patterns!

Next, I wanted to explore a similar idea, only using geometric shapes instead of organic swirls. As you may be able to tell, I had problems with my line thickness on these. I'd switched to a different brush and I just didn't like it as much. However, wobbly lines aside, I think this is a fun pattern as well. The concentric lines are very graphic and fun, and I'll definitely revisit this as a full manicure.

I started out with the square. I painted the large partial square, then filled in the smaller one. I wanted a third smaller one, but it was just too small! I figured dots would fill in nicely, though. Then I added the partial triangle at the top left, and filled in the smaller ones. Finally, I did the partial circle at the bottom, then filled in the smaller one. I added white dots in the negative space between the shapes, and then for fun I added dots in a brighter red on top of the white negative space dots. I think I should have cleaned up my edges on this one too, though.  Again, if you want an animated gif, just ask.

Finally, I went for the taupe. My husband and I have been kicking around the idea of circuit boards as an inspiration. This is much more open than a traditional circuit board, but it still has a vibe that makes me think of them. I started with the white lines, then added a few red lines. I didn't want a crowded nail, so I then went for some dots in various sizes.

I felt like something was missing, so I pulled out some black to add to it. Much better... the black helped add a punch of contrast that really did energize the whole design. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It has potential, but I don't think it's really where it needs to be yet. Ah well, it's a good start. Again, just ask if you want the animated process.

Some thoughts about the Milani Nail Art Lacquer: I'm actually pretty impressed with it! The brush is an odd color- both the brush and stem are a sort of yellow color, so when you wipe down the excess it looks pretty strange! Still, the brush is very nice, and the polish is very nice! Opaque and creamy, and easy to control. The brush tends to pick up a lot of polish, but that's how it goes with most nail art polishes I've used. Also, call my crazy but I think the little bottle is adorable! Plus, this one came with a set of rhinestone stickers that are just too darn cute! You'll definitely see those before long...

So there we have it, the results from my recent nail doodlings. I think I'm pretty content with them... what do you think? :D

¹ While I was unsure about the Bare It All collection from Milani, I find I'm reaching for those darker neutrals fairly often! Teddy Bare and Bare Necessity are both cool as heck!

Milani White Canvas, Hard Candy Envy, Milani Bare Necessity were
provided by the manufacturers or their PR firms for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

A day in the life of Laynie...

Have you ever had one of those days where it seems everything you touch goes wrong, where everyone is grumpy and you just wish you could press fast forward and get the day over with? I've had all too many of those lately, but today was not one of them. In fact, it was the opposite!

It started with waking up to the alarm taking meds, then realizing that hey, I actually slept all night! Since I was still sleepy, I turned over, went back to sleep, and slept til 11am. Delicious! Considering I've been sleeping maybe an hour at a time if I'm lucky, maybe three times a night I considered this one of the most amazing, wonderful mornings I've had in a long time. I managed to snuggle with my husband almost enough!

He woke me around 11 because we needed to go get the kiddo's insulin. Long story there, but our son has type 1 diabetes and due to a weird insurance thing he was running out of insulin before we could refill it. Thankfully his general practitioner had sample bottles he could share with us, so we all hopped in the car and rode to the doctor's office, only to find that it was closed for lunch.

That was annoying! Didn't they know they were supposed to be there for us? *grin* To heck with lunch, you're totally supposed to be at my beck and call. But we decided that since it was such a gorgeous day we'd go to the nearby park and toss the frisbee around for a while. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, chilly and breezy, and perfect for just getting outside and feeling the sun a bit!

While my husband is pretty good with the frisbee, my son and I are... well... not. We spent more time chasing after it and yelling, "Oops, SORRY!!!" But no one got hit in the face, so I consider it a successful venture. I also observed a tiny spider for a while that seemed convinced he was going to be a tough guy and chase me off. He was no larger in diameter than my pink nail (including his outstretched legs), but he would lift those front two legs and look at me like, "C'mon, b**ch, whatcha got?" I managed to set my arachnophobia aside for a while to watch him wander and pose.

After an hour or so of frisbee we stopped back at the GP's office, picked up the insulin, then went to WalMart to pick up my meds. I know, I know, WalMart is evil. If I had more money I'd shop someplace else, but I really can't afford to. One day... one day. We also spent some time walking, and I made a quick run through cosmetics. My local WalMart now has the new Hard Candy display, although they didn't seem to have the tattoos out. Shame, those may be my favorite part. They're so cute...

Then we loaded into the car and headed for Baton Rouge, because while we were tossing the frisbee, it broke! Well, they were headed for Dick's Sporting Goods which just happens to be next door to Ulta! They were kind enough to drop me off there, so while they looked at all the sporting goods, I wandered through Ulta and found something I've been hunting for months- lime green opaque creme polish! I've got several lime green polishes, but not one actually looks opaque on the nail. But thanks to a Twitter friend, I got the suggestion to try Essence's Lime Up! OMG, y'all... it is SO PERFECT. One coat and it's creamy and opaque and smooth as can be. And not only is it the perfect lime green, it's only 99 cents!

I know. I couldn't pass it up. My husband fussed, but it was only a buck. And hey, it's my first Essence polish! (But definitely not my last!) He spoils me. We then spent the rest of the evening at the bookstore, where I read about blogging and fashion dolls and makeup and... yea. It was delicious, and now I'm about to curl up in bed with my best friend once again. Instead of wishing I could fast forward through the day, I wish I could press record so I could run through it again and again. This was one of those perfect fall days that I'll look back on when I'm old and grey, thinking what a wonderful life I've had.

And so this isn't a picture-free post, I'll share my poor pathetic manicure. Once again, I was doodling on my nails. I wound up with three fingers of each hand the same Sinful Colors blue (Love Nails), an unnamed Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear on my left ring finger and my right pinky finger that's almost identical to Love Nails, a sheer lime green Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear on my left pinky finger topped with a hot pink unnamed Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear with a scalloped edge, and a purple unnamed Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear on my right ring finger topped with that sheer green. My right ring finger was damn close to Zoya's Adina, btw... just a touch darker purple, with the same green flash from certain angles.

I used my decorative edged scissors to make nail stencils and had to test one, so I tested it over the green. Then I added some rhinestones in multiple sizes, just for the fun of it. I'll definitely end up making a tutorial for this technique, it's simple and fun!

I hope you've had a great day as well, and that your weekend is even better. I've got some surprises coming up soon, so come back soon. I can't wait to share the goodies I've got up my sleeve!