Water marble – dun dun dun! I’ve only ever water marbled once before this and it was a huge mess with so-so results. I was totally dreading today and fearing that I would be the moron of the nail art community. It actually went no-so-terribly. It’s not great, but it could be worse:
It’s far from perfect, not a very complicated design, and yes, I did use dots to cover up the spots that weren’t so great. I actually didn’t have a terrible time doing this and it actually makes me want to maybe try it again sometime after this whole challenge is over. I guess that’s the best I could have hoped for.
By the way, I know my posts this month are super short and often lacking detail, so if you have questions or want more info, please feel free to ask and I will happy answer when I have a little time. My focus has just been getting my nails posted each and every day, even if it’s short. I’m still attempting to have a life this month outside of this challenge!
Tomorrow is the first day of the “inspired by” portion of the challenge. Tomorrow’s them is Inspired By a Color. I think I’m feeling purple…
Polish Me Snazzy 
Puleeeze stop denigrating your work!!! It happens to be a lovely design and there are plenty of people who can’t do what you did, even if sometimes you do what you find more pleasing. The marbling technique is not easily controlled. If you like certain combinations of colors or specific effects, try to figure out how to get closer to the look you are going for but this is pretty freeform stuff and that is good. Only by trying different combinations will you find what you, specifically, like.
OR, you can check out what others have produced and list what you like so you can know what you are trying to achieve and then list the steps to control the process.
You already know the sharpest color contrast gives the most “pop,” and simple next to complex showcases the complex.
Have you been watching any tutorials on these techniques? They often give tips on how to control complications and you probably know the people who do them like Robin Moses and one woman from Argentina, I think. This community is so generous with what they worked on for long hours, I imagine.
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I really liked the dots on there. I thought it was a great way to fill the spaces that didn’t get as stripy as others.
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I noticed from the challenge blogers that half the people also dread doing water marbling! There is a way to do it so you don’t have to go through the mess of a “try.” You are the one who makes decals sometimes, I think, so you can just do the marbling in the container and then press a sandwich bag to the surface and lift gently, thus picking up most of the entire pattern at one time.
After you place it clean-plastic-bag-side down and let it the polish-side dry, you can select portions that please you and cut them out to paste onto your nails. (Some people save the rest of the “decal” to use at a later time in various “geometric” pieces.) Apply top coat and place the “decal” on top and then apply another topcoat layer to hold the piece securely.
You may find it easier to do this suface-lift several times now that you aren’t getting your hands so messed up and in need of cleaning with each try. This way you can get experience of which type swirls of polish combinations please you best.
BTW, I was out of line telling you not to feel as you did; your feelings are not in my domain. I’m sorry I said what I did :(.
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Thanks for sharing your idea! Larger decals made of polish are sort of hard to get to lay smoothly on the nail, so I’m not sure if the results would be as smooth. I think also it would be hard to preserve the design when lifting the baggie out of the water. If you decide to give it a try, please let me know how it works!
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I remember reading that whenever you make a decal you should make the polished part, i.e., all of it, as thin as possible. That’s why you are supposed to polish the nail with top coat as opposed to doing a first layer of decal with top coat, etc.
Even if it isn’t perfect for using as a finished mani, you still have the chance to use inexpensive polish and get a sense of patterns/color combination and “stirring” effects without getting your “paw” all messed up which counts for a lot, right?
I could’t believe how many artists who do such great quality work in other techniques could be so uncomfortable with the water marbling.
I guess you can use metallic polishes for water marbling, right?
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Dots are great for covering up all sorts of stuff in nails art 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
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