Woohoo! I am finally finished with monochrome week on the Digital Dozen! I wasn't sure if I would make it but I'm proud of myself for pushing through and finishing it up. I actually really like what I ended up doing today even though at the start of it I wasn't sure if it would come together.
Awhile back I was browsing pinterest and found a few awesome "pattern" boards and fell in love. I want my sheets, and clothes, and car upholstery to be made out of all these patterns. They're just wonderful. One such pattern that has really stuck with me since I saw it, was this feather design.
While I knew I wanted to attempt this look, I had no idea how to go about it. I had originally tried doing this as my day 2 look last Monday night and tried it with a gradient background, but my execution failed miserably and I gave up entirely for the night. I'm really glad that I revisited this though because I'm very pleased with the outcome. I'm not sure that it's strictly monochrome, but close enough for me ;)
This is a fairly straightforward design, though it does require a steady hand and some time. I started with a base of Lime Crime's Milky Ways and then painted the white (I know, it's tough to see the white) base of the feathers using OPI's My Boyfriend Scales Walls.
The middle feather uses China Glaze's For Audrey and Exotic Encounters (light and dark, respectively) for the accent colors, and the two side feathers use Lime Crime's Once in a Blue Mousse and American Apparel's Peacock. I finished it off with black acrylic paint to create the feather's barbs (today I learned about the parts of a feather!).
This has been an interesting challenge week for me. I shared 5 looks with you all, but I painted 8 different looks trying to get through monochrome week. Sometimes manis works and sometimes they don't. It can be frustrating and discouraging and I often have to step away from painting my nails when I'm having an off night. It's especially tough when I'm exhausted from work and just want to produce something good...and can't.
That being said, I have to remind myself that it's perfectly normal to go through that process. The best of the best have their lulls and sometimes we just need to take a break and recharge. The ladies of the Digital Dozen have been so sweet this week (and a half...oops!) and made me feel better for being such a brain dead bum. I think my point of all this rambling is that I need to learn to not be so hard on myself and if any of my fellow bloggers ever feel burnt out and discouraged, you should also give yourself a break ;)
Happy Polishing and be sure to check out Day 5 of the other ladies in the Digital Dozen :)
