Crackle Polish Challenge #9 - Negative Space Stamping over Pink on Pink Shatter

2015 Crackle Polish Challenge Manicure #9

Featured crackle application:
Stamping a negative space image over a background of crackle polish so that the objects created by the stamped image end up crackle patterned.

Featured crackle polish:
China Glaze's Crackle Glaze in 'Broken Hearted'

Negative Space Stamping over Pink on Pink Shatter

Polishes Used:

China Glaze Crackle Glaze 'Broken Hearted'

OPI 'Pink Friday'

Konad Special Polish in Black

Plate Used:

PUEEN55

I really like the finished look of this mani. This manicure also gave me some new insight on how to take better advantage of the negative space etched images in my stamping plate collection. I usually don't use those images on my plates, because previously, I never really clued in to the advantages of stamping the background colour polish over most of the foreground colour polish except for the design you want, when usually you could just as easily stamp the design in the foreground colour over the background colour. 

Now, I finally get it! Negative space stamping gives you more possibilities, because it allows you to use a pattern or texture as your base coat, or maybe even a sheer colour, (or anything else that is difficult to stamp over another colour), and have that ultimately be the pattern/texture/colour of the design. For example, if I wanted to get the same look of today's mani, without negative space stamping, I would have to stamp crackled hearts over a black background. To do this, I would have to first make sure that the light pink polish was opaque enough that the black won't show through it, (or use multiple coats of the light pink, which would present even more of a technical challenge), stamp light pink hearts over the black, and then apply the crackle polish individually to each heart. That would be way more time consuming, and might not even work without the right light pink polish!

Another interesting technical thing I did with this mani, was using thin, short strokes when I applied the crackle polish, so the cracks would be finer. This way, the smaller cracks would look more proportional on the small hearts. 

Here's a variation of this manicure that I did on my left hand:

Negative Space Stamping over Pink on Pink Shatter - Variation

Originally, I didn't want to have a lot of contrast in my final design, so instead of using black polish, I tried to stamp a silver polish, China Glaze 'I'd Melt for You', over the pink on pink crackle base. That didn't quite work out, because there was not enough contrast! In order to salvage the design (I really didn't want to have to start all over again) I ended up stamping a heart outline image from plate PUEEN41 over it. By the way, this is what I call a 'peace sign' mani, because the index and middle fingers, the fingers used to make a peace sign, are different than the rest of the nails - now, I'm not sure if anyone else uses this term, but that's how I think about it!

Polishes Used