Picture Frame Update

There are times when I catch myself in the mental trap of spending more time on the computer reading about what other people have done than actually participating in the creative process myself...I've been feeling like that lately, so last night I decided to try a new technique on a picture frame/mirror that I had already started painting. 

I hadn't tried this technique before, and I tend to hesitate when I'm trying something new until I'm sure of what I'm doing. I realized though that I could hem and haw, and compare my plan to the success of others, and look for a better idea, or more specific directions...or I could just do it. So that's what I did!

Here's the before:

I had used a gray first, but I wasn't really happy with it...it was kind of plain and just boring. I grabbed a very light blue that I had on hand and brushed it over the gray. I let it dry for about 20 minutes (give or take, the paint was still a little wet so I probably could have waited longer for a different result), then came back and gently distressed with a fine grit sanding block so the gray peeked through. 

Here's how it turned out - keep in mind these photos aren't staged & I know the mirror is super dirty. The sun was going down so the lighting wasn't great.

I'll have to try to remember to take some better pictures tomorrow after I clean it up a little more.

I'm really not sure what to think about this..the blue really didn't turn out the way I wanted (at all) - it was just some oops paint I picked up for $5 and it didn't end up looking like the sample dabbed on the can. I think i would have looked better with a brighter color, but now that it's done, I'll just keep improvising and see where it takes me!