Step-by-Step Painted Designs on Toenails
Wearing open-toed shoes with painted toenail designs can dress up any outfit. Experiment with different colors, patterns and drawings. Toenail designs should infuse your outfit with your individual style, so use your imagination. Creating designs on your toes is an art. You will need steady hands and a lot of patience, but you can do it. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Acetone-based nail polish remover
- Cotton pads
- Cotton swabs
- Nail clippers
- Toe separators
- Clear nail polish
- Pencil
- Paper
- Fine art brush
- Nail polish colors
- Nail glue
- Glitter pot
- Gems
Instructions
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Prep Your Toes
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1
Remove any old nail polish on your toes with a cotton pad dipped in acetone-based nail polish remover.
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2
Cut your toenails, if needed, with nail clippers.
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3
Separate your toes with foam toe separators, or weaving rolled up toilet tissue between your toes. This will keep your toenails from touching each other while you paint them, preventing all your toe artwork from getting creamed by a smudge.
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4
Apply a base coat of clear nail polish to your toenails so your design has a nice base to sit on. Allow the base coat to dry for five minutes.
Paint Your Masterpiece on Your Toes
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5
Apply a color or several different colors to your toenails. You will then draw a design on top of that base color. Make sure you choose colors that won't clash or overpower your design. For example, you could paint each toenail a different shade of pink, or paint every other toenail light green. Be adventurous and experiment. Allow the polish to dry completely for five minutes.
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6
Choose which color you want to use to draw your design. If toe painting is new for you, choose simple patterns until you get the hang of it. Decide whether you want the design on just your big toes or on all your toes. If you choose to have the design on every toe, it will need to be small because it will have to fit on your baby toe, which is tiny. Draw your design on a piece of paper and use this as a template. Once your ready, draw the design on your toes with a small, thin paintbrush, using small strokes. Take your time. Don't rush the paint job.
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To draw a flower, make one stroke upwards for the stalk then take the brush off your nail. Draw a petal in one clockwise circular motion. Draw the other petals the same way. Then draw a small circle in the middle of your flower. You can customize this basic flower design with your own style.
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Draw a heart by starting with the curved top, draw the first curve on the left hand side of the heart, then repeat this curve directly adjacent to the first one. Join the two halves of the heart by making the final segment of each curved line straight and slanted toward each other, until they meet in the middle.
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Make a star by drawing one triangle, followed by a second triangle on top of it. Draw all three points in the second triangle in the alternate direction as the points in the first triangle.
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10
Allow your design to dry for 10 minutes. While you wait, choose some glitter or gems to add to your masterpiece. Once your toenails are dry, use a cotton swab to dab a tiny bit of nail glue on top of your toenails wherever you want to add glitter or gems. For example, you could make a small circle of glue at the center of your flower and cover it with glitter. Or add a bit of glue to the corner of your heart and attach a colored gem to it.
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11
Seal your toenail paintings with a clear top coat of nail polish. Allow this final coat to dry for 10 minutes. This will help preserve your mini masterpieces and make them less vulnerable to chipping.
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Tips & Warnings
Take your time and be patient with the painting process. Make sure you leave enough drying time at each stage.
Keep some nail polish remover nearby, along with some cotton swabs, just in case you make a mistake.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit daisy image by Wolfgang Zintl from Fotolia.com
