Artwork: - Lockheed SR71 Blackbird

Hey scribblers! So sorry for my lack of posts recently. It's been pretty hectic. This year I'm going to be working a lot harder on this blog, with some new changes and a new look coming soon.

So let's kick things off with my first post of 2015.

This is a Christmas present I made for my little brother who is a complete aeronautics and engineering nerd. This is a Lockheed Blackbird SR71 stealth plane and was built and tested at the infamous Area 51.

To create this piece, I used a 50cm by 60cm stretched canvas from Tiger, chalk pastels and a grey Sharpie.

First I marked the canvas in a grid and, using a photograph as a guide, marked the basic outline like you can see in the photo to the left.

Then I went over it using the Sharpie.

I then used chalk to fill it in by using small chalk lines and then blending them using a paintbrush dipped in water. I found this gave the image a more dynamic look. For the background I used the same method. Once dry, I sprayed it with hairspray to seal it.

Here's the finished product with a very happy little brother!

Until next time.

Happy Scribbling!!

XOXO

Hello people!

Hey guys!

I have a small announcement. From now on, this blog will not only show off my nail designs but also all of my random sketches and doodles and art pieces.

I am also in the process of renaming my blog, it will now be called Scribbles and Nails.

Hope you guys still like it!

Much love and Happy Scribbling!

XOXO

Diamond Accent Manicure

Hey guys and gals!

Sorry it's been so long, university is very intense at the moment. To make up for my absence, I am going to be posting a whole stream of new nail art designs so stay tuned!


The first one is a nail striping design. This is the first time I've used nail striping tape to make a design, so I know it's not perfect. In fact I found this insanely tricky but don't despair. It will look awesome when it's finished.



What You Need:

• 1 bottle of basecoat (Sally Hansen or Rimmel London)
• 1 bottle of Zoya nail lacquer in Jem
• 1 bottle of Barry M Nail Effects in Silver Foil
• 1 bottle of topcoat (Sally Hansen or Rimmel London)
• 1 roll of striping tape
• Scissors
• Tweezers 
• Nail Dotter

Technique:

1. First apply basecoat to all nails and allow to dry.
2. Apply two coats of Zoya Nail Lacquer in Jem to each nail. Allow to totally dry. This is important or it will come off with the striping tape.
3. Using scissors, carefully cut the striping tape into 18 inch long strips - 9 strips for each hand.
4. Using tweezers, carefully place the strips on the ring fingernail in a diamond shape, as shown in the photo. Make sure you leave a tail on each strip so you can remove the tape.
5. Using a nail dotter, press down on each strip to ensure firm contact.
6. Paint over the tape using Barry M Nail Effects in Silver Foil. Ensure you coat the entire nail but don't use too much product, only one thin coat. Allow to dry.
7. When dry, use tweezers to remove the striping tape.
8. Topcoat.

I know this seems really daunting, but don't worry. It's much easier than it looks. As always, feel free to leave comments below and click subscribe!

Happy Scribbling!!

XOXO

Game of Thrones Nailart No.4 >>>> House Tyrell.

House Tyrell sigil and words.

This is a manicure representing the Great House Tyrell of Highgarden. They are the second richest family in Westeros after House Lannister and own a large portion of the kingdom. They are responsible for providing food for the rest of the kingdom.

Margaery and Lady Olenna Tyrell

Their seat is Highgarden in the South West of Westeros and they control the Reach. Their sigil is a golden rose on a pale green field and their words are 'Growing Strong'.

For this manicure I wanted to incorporate both the colours of House Tyell and their nature as a House. I decided to go for a simple French-style manicure with half moon accents. This is a simple, understated yet unbelievably sophisticated look. This reflects the Tyrell's nature as being an extremely sophisticated and unbelievably wealthy house but one that is usually underestimated especially by their main rivals, the Lannister's of Casterly Rock. The green nail polish is actually a metallic magnetic nail polish by Barry M. the gold accents are created using a Texture nail polish, also by Barry M.

What you need:

1 high quality basecoat (preferably Sally Hansen or Rimmel London.)
1 bottle Barry M Magnetic Nail Effects in Cosmic Glow
1 bottle Barry M Textured Nail Effects in Gold Majesty
1 high quality Topcoat (preferable Sally Hansen Hard As Nails)


Application:

1. Basecoat each nail and allow to dry.
2. Paint two coats of Cosmic Glow on each nail and allow to dry.
3. Using Gold Majesty, carefully paint the tips of each nail and a small half moon on the bottom of each nail, use a nail art dotter if necessary.
4. Topcoat each nail and allow to totally dry.

I hope you enjoy this manicure. I know I was meant to do Baratheon next but I thought we'd had a bit too much black lately so I wanted to break it up a bit colour wise.

Baratheon's. You're up!

Happy Scribbling

XOXO

Game of Thrones inspire Nailart No.3 >>>> House Targaryen

House Targaryen sigil - Three-headed dragon

Hello guys! Thanks for coming back and tuning in to my third entry in my Game of Thrones inspired series. This one is based on the House that we all love: the Targaryens!

Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons

This house is formerly the ruling House of Westeros before being overthrown by the Baratheon's. Previous to that they ruled Westeros for 280 years.

Their sigil is a three headed dragon, breathing fire on a field of black, and their words are 'Fire and Blood'.

Currently the last Targaryen is Daenerys Targaryen and she currently has three dragons.

Now on to the manicure.


What you need:

1 high quality basecoat (preferably Rimmel London or Sally Hansen)

1 bottle Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Espresso

1 bottle Barry M Nail Paint in Red Glitter


Application:

1. Basecoat each nail and allow to dry.

2. Using Espresso, carefully paint two coats on each nail, taking care to avoid any ridges and bumps and allow to completely dry.

3. Using a flat piece of card, pour a small amount of Red Glitter and, using a nail dotter, carefully dot  Red Glitter on the surface of each nail to create the pattern seen in the image.

4. Allow to totally dry, no need to Topcoat.


This manicure is meant to look similar to dragon skin and is meant to have a rough texture. The black and red glitter is very similar to the Targaryen colours. Even better, in the books there is alot of reference to Rhaegar Targaryen and the many rubies that glistened on his armour and were scattered everywhere when Rhaegar was killed by Robert Baratheon in the Battle of the Trident. This is the look I was trying to create and Barry M's Red Glitter is perfect.

This manicure isn't really an everyday look mainly because it's fairly impractical. If, like me, you have long hair, I find the glittery sections of this manicure get caught on almost everything, including hair. However, this can be easily remedied by using several coats of topcoat to even out the surface of the nail.

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial.

Next time I'm doing House Baratheon!

Happy Scribbling

XOXO

Game of Thrones Nail Art Series No.2 >>> House Stark of Winterfell.

The Stark Family (l-r) Hodor, Bran, Arya,
Sansa, Robb, Lord Eddard, Lady Catelyn © HBO

Hello people!

This is Nail Art entry No.2 in my Game of Thrones nail art series featuring the Kings in the North, the House Stark of Winterfell.

House Stark sigil and words © HBO

House Stark is one of the great Houses of Westeros with many lesser Houses being allied to them. Their sigil is a silver direworlf on a white field (or a grey direwolf on a black field if you watch the show). Their words are 'Winter is Coming' and several members of House Stark are key characters in both the shows and the books.

This manicure is ridiculously easy to create and takes no time at all. For this I combined the colours of black and grey and used a holographic topcoat on top of the grey to give the manicure a frosted finish closely resembling the Stark colours but also the landscape of the cold North the Starks call home.

What you need:

1 bottle high quality Basecoat, I recommend Sally Hansen or Rimmel London
1 bottle Barry M matte nail paint in Espresso
1 bottle Zoya nail polish in Marina
1 bottle GG Couture Holographic topcoat in Genevieve
Striping tape or Micropore

Application:

1. Basecoat each nail and allow to dry.

2. Paint each nail using two coats of Espresso. Allow to dry.

3. Carefully place a striping tape or a piece of micropore on the lower quarter of each nail.

4. Paint the uncovered nails using Marina. Allow to dry.

5. Topcoat the uncovered nails using Genevieve. Allow to dry.

6. Remove the Micropore/Striping tape. Using a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover tidy the edges of the nails and the cuticles.

This is a very simple manicure to create and perfect and works in so many colours. The key to nailing this manicure is giving each coat of nail polish time to dry. If, like me, you're impatient; I recommend using iced water. Simply plunge your painted nails into iced water for as long as you can bear. This will speed up the drying process. Alternatively, you can use a drying spray or spray-able cooking oil.

I hope you guys like this manicure. House Targaryen, you're up next!!

Happy Scribbling!

XOXO

Game of Thrones: Lannister inspired nailart

The Lannister's of Casterly Rock. (l-r: Tywin, Joffrey, Jaime,
 Cersei and Tyrion.

For those who don't know, I am a complete Game of Thrones nerd. And how can I not be? A song of Ice and Fire is one of the best literary series I have ever read.

This is the start of a load of Game of Thrones inspired nail designs I am going to be doing over the course of... I don't know. Until I get bored.

This one is inspired by one of the great Houses of Westeros: the great House Lannister of Casterly Rock.

The Lannister's are one of the principal Great Houses of Westeros with Cersei Lannister being the Queen Regent of the Realm. To learn more go here >>http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/House_Lannister

I happen to love the Lannister's, even though they are complete and utter nightmares.

This manicure is ridiculously easy and requires no striping tape, just a really steady hand.


What you need:

1 high quality basecoat (I prefer Sally Hansen Hard As Nails)

1 bottle Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Crush

1 bottle Barry M Texture Nail Effects in Gold Majesty


Application:

1. Basecoat each nail

2. Using three coats, paint each nail using Crush (the red one), allow to totally dry.

3. Using Gold Majesty, paint the bottom diagonal section of each nail. This polish is really gloopy so you will need to spread it around a bit. I recommend using you index finger to gently pat down each nail when they are half dry.

4. No need to topcoat! Just allow to dry.


This manicure is really simple and uses the two main Lannister colours of Crimson and Gold. I personally love how this turned out, it reminds me of Cersie Lannister's wardrobe - red velvet and gold brocade. Very decadent and luxurious, perfect for the richest and mightiest House in the Seven Kingdoms.

Next I will be doing a House Stark- inspired nail design so keep checking back.

If you like what you see and have any suggestions and comments, please let me know.

Bye for now!

Happy Scribbling!

XOXO