NVQ Level 2 Beauty Therapy

NAIL ART APPLICATION TECHNIQUES

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TECHNIQUES THAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO

APPLY

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Painting TechniquesBlending

Polish Secures

Rhinestones

Flat Stones

Glitters

Transfers

Foiling

Clients nail shape and lengthOccasion the client wants the nail art for

Maintenance requirements – i.e. if the client has the colour to top up the nails if they chip etc

Type of job that the client has, some types of nail art are harder wearing than others

Clients wishesColour of outfit to co-ordinate with the enamel and nail

artSeasons or occasion – quite often nail art designs are

influenced by the holiday events such as Valentines Day and Christmas.

Fashion has a strong influence on nail art designsThe clients age will influence the type of design being

produced

FACTORS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN DECIDING ON

WHAT NAIL ART TO CREATE

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REMEMBER

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When preparing for each technique always double check that you have sufficient decorations and enamel colours for all of the nails. It is best to count out exactly what you need first.

PAINTING TECHNIQUES

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The nail technician will use enamels and acrylic paints to create a variety of effects and designs that are applied free

hand. Acrylic paints are available in a variety of colours

that can also be mixed to create new colours. It is the acrylic paint that is used to create the design of the nail

art, applied using a variety of brushes and tools. The enamel

is used to provide the background canvas for the nail

art designs.

FREE HAND PAINTING

A variety of designs can be produced, with

professional journals and

textbooks providing ideas and

inspirations. Nail art follows no set rules, the main thing is to be

creative and try new designs.

C L A R E H A R G R E A V E S - N O R R I S

Brush strokes are accomplished using three techniques: pressure, pull and position.

The more pressure applied the larger the coverage area. When the pressure is lifted gradually, you will produce a

tapered stripe

Pulling the brush, as opposed to pushing it will produce a fluid movement

Position refers to the angle at which the brush is held. If the brush is held straight up, it will only allow the tip to

touch the surface; used when outlining, lettering or producing detailed work. If the brush is laid onto the nail,

the whole of the brush touches the surface: used to produce fluid lines when striping

BRUSH STROKES

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Stems and branches are produced using a striper or liner brush:

Select chosen paint and apply to brush

Simply pull the brush to create each branch/stem – starting with the main stem is usually the easiest

Apply more pressure to create extra width to the branch or less pressure to create a narrower

branch

STEMS AND BRANCHES

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Flower petals – are best created using a flat brush. For best results:

Load a darker shade on one side of the brush and a lighter shade on the other. This is referred to as

‘double loading’

Place the tip of the brush onto the nail and allow about half of its length to touch the nail

Pivot the brush slightly and then pull to produce the tip of the petals, lifting up slightly at the end

Remember to start the brush in the same position each time so that the shading of each petal is the

same

FLOWER PETALS

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Leaves are produced in a similar way as flower petals:

Double load a flat brush with two shades of green paint

Place the brush with its chiselled end at right angles to the nail

Press slightly, then turn one quarter, lift and pull off

LEAVES

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Animal stripes – are best produced using a striper or liner brush:

Select paint colour and load only the lower three quarters of the brush

Place the brush across the nail and start pressure at the outer edge, creating a slightly wavy line as you pull into the centre

Remember to lift off slightly as you near your stopping point

You will continue this process down one side of the nail, leaving space in-between each stroke for the opposing stroke

Now repeat the process on the other side of the nail to create the opposing stokes

ANIMAL STRIPES

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Hearts are created using a detail brush:

Place three dots of pink/red paint close together

Using the detail brush join the dots together to produce a ‘v’ shape

Now round the edges at the top of the ‘v’ to produce the curve of the love heart

HEARTS

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Circles are created using a fine detail brush or a medium sized liner brush:

You must keep the brush straight, dip into the paint and pull out straight up

Place the brush at a right angle to the nail

Apply light pressure for a small circle, the more pressure you apply the larger the circle will become

Lift off in an upwards direction

CIRCLES

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BLENDING

Blending is achieved by dragging wet acrylic paints over each other to blend the

colours together.

This technique is particularly effective when applied over

dark enamel.

Opalescent nail paints are popular paints to use for this

technique. C L A R E H A R G R E A V E S - N O R R I S

Select colours of paint that complement each other.

There are two techniques that you can use:

Dot the chosen colours of paint down either side of the nail and use the fan brush to gently sweep from one side to

the other

Apply a thin coat of the paint to the nail and then use the striping brush to sweep from side to side, working towards

the free edge

Allow to dry thoroughly before applying two coats of top coat

BLENDING

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