31 Day Nail Art Challenge 2.0: Day Six, Monochromatic

Hi everyone! I'm very behind in posting my monochromatic nails for the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge 2.0. My fellow challenge partners-in-crime, Kelli and Lindsey, have already posted theirs, so make sure you check that out (links are at the end of the post).

Monochromatic intricate patchwork nail art

I wanted to do a variation on my black-and-white nails from earlier this week. The design is very similar but instead of trying to follow my original source, I just did my own thing. And since the design is rather intricate I put together a step-by-step tutorial for you!

Monochromatic intricate patchwork nail art

About this design:

As I mentioned above, this is very close to my black and white nails that I did for Day Five. The only change is that I started with a grey base, and I used different shades of blue plus white to fill in the spaces. I also didn't use the original design inspiration as my starting point, so the doodles are modelled less after the original artist, and instead were based on what came to mind.

Monochromatic intricate patchwork nail art

To get this look:

Since the design is quite intricate I put together a step-by-step so you can see how it was done.

Monochromatic intricate patchwork nail art

What you'll need: 

• A grey-toned base polish. I used KBShimmer How You Dune?
• Acrylic paints in white, black, Phthalo blue, and Van Dyke Brown
• Detail brushes in different sizes. I used a Winstonia Kolinsky Sable #000 for the lines and Pure Color Glamor #1 from Stylish Nail Art shop on Etsy for the doodles.
• Top coats. I used KBShimmer Clearly On Top and Essie Matte About You

Monochromatic intricate patchwork nail art tutorial

Step-by-Step:

1. Paint your base colour and let it dry. Using black acrylic, paint in a few thicker lines, these will provide a structure for the rest of the lines.
2. Put in more lines, you'll end up with what looks like the beginning of a stained glass mani.
3. Mix some light blue and fill in a few spaces. Note: when filling in spaces don't worry about covering it completely, you can leave it a bit streaky. Also try to stay in the spaces, but if you accidentally go over the black lines you can fix it later.
4. Mix in a lighter blue and fill in some more spaces. I mix the blue in with a bit of brown to get a muted shade.
5. Fill in some spaces with blue (not mixed) and white (not mixed). Leave some spaces grey.
6. Using your smallest detail brush fill in your spaces with doodles. Think stripes, zig zags, dots, swirls, etc. 
7. Continue to fill in all the spaces with different doodles. Lots of variation is good here!
8. Clean up any black lines that were covered with paint. Clean up your cuticles and sides of your nails with a small angled brush dipped in acetone. When design is completely dry, top with a quick dry top coat and then a matte top coat. (matte top coats tend to smear nail art).

And you're done! Voila!

Monochromatic intricate patchwork nail art

Final Thoughts:

I had a lot of fun with this, and I hope you enjoyed the step-by-step tutorial! It's hard to tell but I think I like this variation better than my black and white one. 

What do you think of this? Do you prefer the monochromatic or the black and white version?

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