It begins...

I've been playing about with different techniques to see what I think of them and how easy they are and so on. So, what have a I found out?

First of all I tried out a gradient with stripes using cellotape. The gradient came out ok, but the stripes didn't look all that. I think I was a bit worried about the tape taking the varnish off, so I didn't push it down that hard. However, next time I have a go I will do as it didn't damage the varnish at all. If you want to have a go at this, just make sure the varnish is completely dry first.
I used, from left to right, 17 Supershine in Simply Pink, 17 Lasting Fix in Royal Rose, Soho Basic NYC in 54, Rimell 60 second in Blue my mind. The stripes are done with Barry M in 47.

Next came a text based adventure! To do this you need to apply a pale varnish to the nail and let it dry. Then take a small piece of newspaper and soak it in alcohol, I used vodka. You can do this technique with water but the print didn't come off quite as well when I tried it. You then put the wet paper on the nail and pat down with a cotton bud. Leave it for a few seconds and peel off. There was a touch of smudging when i put on the top coat, but I will certainly be trying this again soon, I think it looks so good!
I used 17 Supershine in Simply Pink

Next I thought I'd go for a bit of marbling. I've done water marbling before (I'll do a post about that soon) so I thought I would give the pin method a go. Paint on a base coat and allow it to dry. Then roughly daub on a lighter colour and spread it about the nail using a pin or cocktail stick/toothpick. Do the same with an even lighter colour but don't wait for them to dry in between, that's how you get them to mingle together! This comes out different every time and because it doesn't involve 'being perfect', it's great for anyone with bad hands, or who struggle painting their dominant hand.
I used Rimmel 60 second in Blue my Mind for the base, with 17 Supershine in Simply Pink and 17 Lasting Fix in Royal Rose. 

I liked this technique a lot and it reminded me of flames, so I gave it another go on my thumb.

This time instead of a stripe, I put a blob in the corner and teased it out with the cocktail stick from there. I really like this technique and I'm going to be doing a whole lot more of it in future!
I used Barry M in 47 for the base, with 17 high gloss in Risky Red, 17 Lasting Fix in Tropical Island and Barry M 134.