Nail Art: Christmas Tree Patches

Christmas Day is only a matter of hours in my part of the world. Here in the Philippines, it has been a tradition to get together during Christmas Eve for a night of overflowing delicious food! We call it Noche Buena. Do you celebrate this, too?

Well, on to the nails! This year, I wanted to wear green on my nails. Red was the more obvious choice because it was my favorite. But I didn't want to wear green polish. So I decided on a green design and the first thing that came to mind was a Christmas Tree.

This is what I came up with:



I simply called this Christmas Tree Patches! This is actually the same concept I used on my Heart Patches Nail Art. I painted the simple shape of a Christmas Tree on each of my nails and added stitch marks on the edges for that patch effect.


I needed a light background for this Christmas nail art. I didn't want a pure white base. I wanted something subtle, an off white maybe. But, I as I looked into my polish stash, I decided to use Dazzle Dry Rose Quartz. It is a super sheer, super baby pink nail lacquer. It has a slightly thick consistency and application can be tricky. I recommend applying this polish thinly on each coat to make brush strokes more manageable. If you're looking for an elegant color to wear for any occasion, this is definitely in! I used 3 thin layers for this nail design.


I wasn't sure a very light pink base would complement a green design. But after doing one nail to see how it would look, I think it did. And since it was sort of translucent, it made the trees pop which I really liked.

For the design, I used nail art brushes and Liquitex Basics acrylic paints -- Titanium White, Mars Black, and Light Green Permanent.


I guess by now you have noticed that one of my personal styles is to create designs that are placed on random places on all nails. I really think it makes certain nail art ideas more interesting. And I like the idea that you can view the nail design on any angle and still get it. I also think that establishing your own style on your nail art is a good way to show your individuality. It acts like a watermark.


The green acrylic paint that I chose to color the Christmas Trees was not so pigmented and was a bit hard to apply. To compensate, I first added a thin white layer before actually painting the trees green. I used 2 layers of green to get the coverage that I wanted. And for texture, dabbing worked.


I've received a few questions on how I do my outlines. When the design permits, I draw the outlines first. Then fill in the shape next. Based on my experience, it was easier to control the thickness of the outlines this way. Watch the tutorial here to see what I mean.

As for the stitch marks, watering down the paint can help create a very fine line that has enough opacity. The idea is to only have minimum amount of paint on the tip of your nail art brush.


When I finished this nail art, I didn't realize that this would probably look like a cactus plant if not for the shape. :P

I hope this would give some inspiration on how you'd be wearing your nails for Christmas!

To all my readers, my friends ... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you! Thank you very much for gifting me with your support and appreciation all throughout this year.






SHARE THIS:

Tweet

Receive updates straight to your inbox by entering your email address below.