How to Paint a Giraffe on Your Nails

Painting a giraffe design will liven up boring nails.

Nail polish is a special type of lacquer designed to use on fingernails for protection, as well as decoration. A unique nail design can be used as an additional method of beautifying and also expressing yourself. Add a fun design to your nails as a quick way to jazz up an average manicure. Using some common supplies, you can create a giraffe design on your freshly painted nails in one of at least two ways.

Things You'll Need

• Pin point paintbrush
• Paintbrush
• Yellow nail polish
• Brown nail polish
• Clear nail polish
• Nail polish remover

Instructions

Giraffe Spot Design

1. Apply a yellow base coat to each nail.

2. Wait at least two minutes to allow the base coat to dry. Speed this process by placing your fingernails in front of a fan.

3. Dip the paint brush into the brown polish. Place three to four dots on each nail, because brown spots on top of yellow polish will resemble the pattern of giraffe fur. Clean the tip of the brush with nail polish remover.

4. Dip the pinpoint brush into the brown polish. Fill in the area around the larger dots with smaller dots. Be careful not to overload the nail with dots. Five to seven smaller dots is generally enough to sufficiently fill the nail. Clean the brush with nail polish remover. Do not over stress uniformity; every giraffe has a unique spot pattern.

5. Wait approximately five minutes, allowing the dots to fully dry so they won't smudge.

6. Apply a top coat of clear polish to each nail. Smooth the top of each nail with the clear top coat, creating a uniform appearance. Prevent the design from chipping with this protective layer.

Giraffe Figure

1. Apply a base coat of your choice to each nail. Choose a color that contrasts with the yellow you'll use to paint the giraffe. Pastel colors -- such as baby blue, pale pink and lavender -- work well. Wait approximately two minutes for the base coat to fully dry.

2. Dip the tip of the paint brush into the yellow polish. Place a circular dot in the center of each fingernail. This dot is the head of the giraffe.

3. Place the brush on the bottom of the dot you have just created. Move the brush down toward your cuticle in a straight line, creating the neck of the giraffe.

4. Create a half circle at the bottom of each nail to form the body of the giraffe.

5. Using the pinpoint brush, place two small lines at the sides of the head to create the giraffe's ears.

6. Allow the design you have just applied to dry for at least five minutes before continuing. Dry the design completely or the colors will simply smear together.

7. Dip the pinpoint brush in the brown polish. Place two evenly spaced drops on the center circle. These drops are the giraffe's eyes. Place two small lines on top of the giraffe's head, just inside the ears, to form the horns. Place several more randomly spaced drops over the surface of the neck and body to make the giraffe's spots.

8. Apply a clear top coat over the entire surface of the nail once the giraffe design has completely dried.

Tips & Warnings

• Black polish also provides a stark contrast for your giraffe figure.

• Keep a cotton swab soaked in nail polish remover nearby to correct any errors.

• If you like, add rhinestones for more shine.

• Male and female giraffes both have two distinct horns, called ossicones, which they use primarily during play.

References

• Seventeen: DIY Nail Designs
• Beauty Den: French Manicure