Art Gallery

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"Art Gallery" showcases the nail art of some of the best artists in the industry. Every month, the column features four to six nail art designs created by one or more of our readers with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. The nail art usually follows a theme for an upcoming holiday or season and depicts that theme in creative, easy-to-replicate designs. The column also provides promotional tips to help readers make the most of their nail art businesses.

Nailpro is actively seeking nail art submissions, so send in your best examples today. If your art is chosen, we'll pay you $25 per nail and you'll be featured in an upcoming issue. Package nails securely, using bubble wrap, a padded box or cotton, and send by snail mail to: Nailpro, 7628 Densmore Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91406, Attn.: "Art Gallery." Don't forget to include your name, address and phone number!
 

Art From the Heart

Sweethearts and nail art go hand in hand.

By Pam Minch

The month of February: a time to celebrate love and friendship with boxes of gooey chocolates and cutesy cards professing warm fuzzies in sloppy but heartfelt prose. Do your clients feel that they want to share the love more creatively? What better way to express their feelings than with romantic nail art that says, “Je t’aime”? Just as there are many different types of people in the world, there are also many different styles of Valentine’s Day hearts, and finding the perfect heart for your client can be as exciting as finding the perfect mate with whom to celebrate!

Your clients will fall head over heels in love with this month’s nail art ideas, provided by four talented nail techs. Mychelle Smith of New Orleans designed an adorable heart face with 3-D effects; Izabelle Kurdian of Orange Park, Florida, also incorporated 3-D hearts, signaling that love is in the air. Your clients will feel cute as a bug donning the heart ladybug from Karen Meyer of Wingate, North Carolina; Leilani Douglass of Florence, Oregon, created a classy design that will steal your clients’—and their loved ones’—hearts.

Offer these symbols of romance and love and everyone will surely live happily ever after.

Marbleized Heart
Leilani Douglass

Step 1. Apply a thin layer of red gel over the entire prepped nail. Do not cure.

Step 2. Using a tiny gel brush, paint a heart design with white or gold gel. Do not cure.

Step 3. Drag a clean striping brush through the heart design four to five times. Do not cure.

Step 4. With a clean striping brush, drag gold or silver sparkle gel over the existing drag lines. Cure the entire nail. Apply top coat.

Average Time: 5 minutes per nail.
Suggested Price: $15 for a full set or $2 per nail.

Lady Bug in Love
Karen Meyer

Step 1. Polish the entire nail with shimmering white polish and allow it to dry. Paint a ladybug’s body, head, arms, legs and antennae using black paint. Allow the design to dry.

Step 2. Create the bug’s face using beige paint. Use white paint to create a belly, eyes and hands.

Step 3. Using red paint, add feet, wings and a heart. Allow the design to dry.

Step 4. Outline the design in black, adding a nose, eyeballs, a smile and tummy stripes. Finish with tiny white accent lines. Allow the design to dry and apply top coat.

Average Time: 10 minutes per nail.
Suggested Price: $5 to $7 per nail.

Heart to Heart
Izabelle Kurdian

Step 1. Polish the entire nail dark blue and allow it to dry. Sculpt hearts and some halves of hearts with red acrylic. Place them randomly on the nail.

Step 2. Using white acrylic, sculpt tiny hearts and place them randomly on the nail. Complete the red heart halves with white heart halves. Allow the design to dry and apply top coat.

Average Time: 3 to 5 minutes per nail.
Suggested Price: $3 per nail.

Heart Face
Mychelle Smith

Step 1. Polish the entire nail red. Allow it to dry. Using black, paint the top of the heart and create two eyebrows.

Step 2. Using white, paint a narrow smile line on the nail’s tip and use small brush strokes to create white hair.

Step 3. Apply top coat. Glue on googly eyes and a tiny pompom for the nose.

Average Time: 3 to 5 minutes per nail.
Suggested Price: $5 per nail.

Brush Up

While we typically think of pink and red as Valentine’s Day colors, using black and white instead can create a classy, romantic look. Leilani Douglass recreated her gel heart nail in black and gold for an edgy, modern take on her original design.

Celebrating her 25th year as a nail tech this year, Pam Minch specializes in nail art at Elysium Day Spa in Parker, Colorado. Her art has been featured in Sports Illustrated and several other publications. She has been a top nail art competitor, a competition judge and an educator for a major manufacturer.