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Aryenne — Aurora Flight
Published: 2013-05-19 23:25:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 456; Favourites: 17; Downloads: 0
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Description
A different piece, and no, I didn't finish it super fast. I start this back in February or so and got frustrated and needed a break to figure it out.It is lacking in detail because it was painted with a unique type of paint: nail polish. Yes, that thick paint most girls (not me, though), paint their nails with. I used between 30 and 40 different colors to do this and didn't really thin the paint at all. I've wanted to use nail polish for an art piece for years because I love cool effects, like shimmering colors, glitters, metallics, and my all-time favorite, paints that shift between colors. This piece even has some glow-in-the-dark paint to highlight the bird and the brightest parts of the aurora.
I hope people like this piece, because I plan to do more nail polish paintings. I intend to master this medium. A photo really doesn't do this piece justice because part of its beauty is how it changes with the light shining on it.
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Comments: 23
What a beautiful composition and extra kudos for doing all of it with nailpolish! Did you also use the brushes that come with the little bottles or your own?
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On this piece and the other aurora, I used the brushes in the bottles. So far, I've only used my own brushes when I need a fine tip for details, which is on a different that I haven't been able to post yet. For the most part, the brushes in the bottles work just fine.
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Quite neat. Any idea on the lightfastness on nail polish?
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Not really, but I don't plan to expose it to lots of direct sunlight. Nail polishes stored in bottles can retain their colors for years (I scrounged up the few I'd bought more than 10 years ago), though they can thicken or separate. I guess I shall see in the next little while. I'm more than halfway through my next aurora painting, though.
So far, I haven't found any info online about using nail enamel as an art medium, except in nail art. I tried searching for some information prior to starting, but the only useful thing I found was about thinning nail polish down with nail polish remover (which anyone could figure out, really).
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I'd worry abour it eating the paper/canvas, but this is why we experiment, right? To learn!
I look forward to seeing what elae you come up with!
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Stunning <3 I love all those colours.
Hmm... nail polish. That could be fun to experiment with
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Fun, but definitely tricky. It's a thick paint and designed to dry fast. But it sparkles and shimmers!
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This is insanely awesome D:
What a wonderful idea! I might have to try it out sometime
I love the smooth transitions between the colors and the soft, yet colorful look
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Thank you! 
It's a tricky medium to work with. It's very thick and this aurora piece was painted with the brushes that come in each bottle. They are kind of stout, designed to cover a fingernail quickly with paint. Since most practical people use it to color their nails, it's also designed to dry very quickly. I build this in a lot of layers, placing solid colors down early on and layering over it with paints of varying opaqueness. That's mostly what creates the smooth transition. A liberal coat of clear coat at the end probably helped too.
If you plan to try it, give yourself time and plenty of leeway. I didn't even like it for the first two weeks, then had to put it aside for a few months to figure out how I wanted to fix it when I liked it but wasn't quite happy enough to call it done.
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You're welcome!
And thank you so much for the tips, I shall save this comment for future reference! <3
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No problem. 
If you live in the U.S., Walmart seems to have the largest selection of colors for the cheapest prices. Most enamels I buy are betweeen $1 and $3.
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ooo This is beautiful! and you did it with nail polish 
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I need to find a wall to hang it on, still. Plus, when it sits under good light, it'll even glow in the dark.
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ooo making another one. Awesome. 
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It's coming along. Hopefully close! At some point, it just looks right and it's almost there, I think.
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oooo awesome.
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