Friday, October 17, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Glitter

For today's challenge I of course had to use my own fabulous glitter toppers! Who loves Sonoma Nail Art?! I heart Sonoma Nail Art. (See what I did there?)


I started by painting my nails with Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris, then topped the black with Pumpkin Hurl (a gorgeous orange, red, and yellow topper), and the middle finger with Grape Stomp (purple squishy goodness). Both of these shades and other gorgeous colors are available in my etsy store right now. And that orange topper would look great for any Bay Area sports fans right about now, wink wink. On my ring finger I started with butter LONDON Minger, then used acrylic paint to make the Jack Skellington head. 

Click here to see my glitter manicure from 2011.

P.S. I am going to have to take a breather from the challenge for a bit. I am supposed to be getting ready for a group open studio at my art studios and I really need to get ready for that. Plus, I am just stretching myself too thin right now, and starting to not feel good. So I will probably pick the challenge back up in November. Thanks for your support! Oh and if you are in Sonoma County and want to come to my art show (it's free!), it is at 3840 Finley Avenue in Santa Rosa. It will be November 1st and 2nd from 11am to 5pm. We will have a little reception on Saturday the 1st, from 5pm to 6pm. 



Thursday, October 16, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Geometric

I am so glad that today's challenge prompt has changed from Tribal to Geometric. I was never comfortable with calling a nail pattern "tribal" unless of course it was referring to a specific tribe and emulated that tribe's artwork. So here is my Geometric nail art: a deconstructed Jack o'Lantern!


I started with a base of OPI Tangerine Scene, and then used my small nail art brush and black acrylic paint to add the geometric shapes in random arrangement. You might also call this a Picasso Pumpkin. And that would be a really fun way to carve a pumpkin! With the facial features all there, but in random places. Ha ha!


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Delicate

My challenge nails today are somewhat similar to the ones I did in 2011. They are also done with a wallpaper-like background done with stamping. But I think these are a bit scarier. I painted the horrifying little girl from The Ring. (Spoiler alert: if you haven't see The Ring, or don't want to scare the crap out of yourself, don't click on that link.)


I started with a base of OPI Did You Ear About Van Gogh? Then I used a combination of the same polish and Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris to stamp the pattern from MoYou London Sailor Plate 05. I wanted a more muted color for the 'wallpaper' so that is why I toned down the black a bit. 


Then I used acrylic paints to paint the evil girl. Here she is partway done. I used a mixture of white, blue, and black to paint her since the movie is really blue toned. 


Then it was time to paint her creepy hair. I should have made her head a bit taller but my nail was not long enough. If you look at pictures of her, her head seems abnormally far from her shoulders. Perhaps that adds to the creepiness of this character. Also, I don't suggest looking at images of her for a long time. It's freaky. bleh. (On a side note, when I moved to California from Washington State, my brother told me about this film as we were driving down I-5. He was so scared by retelling the plot of this movie that he started to cry a little. And it also helped me remember when to close my eyes when I eventually watched The Ring.)


Another super creepy part of this manicure is that I had a really hard time photographing it. Normally there are one or two images that are blurry, but with this manicure at least half of the images were blurry. Ok, freak out time. 

And did you notice I painted her image on my ring finger? See what I did there...


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Floral

Today's challenge is floral nails and besides Audrey II, that lovable man-eating flower, the other deadly bloom is Belladonna, or deadly nightshade.


I did a gradient of China Glaze Glittering Garland, Zoya Midori, and Sally Hansen Lickety-Split Lime. Then I added the stems, leaves, and flowers using acrylic paints. I am pretty happy with how this turned out.

Click here to see my floral nails from 2011.

Monday, October 13, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Animal Print

Today I tried to accurately depict the jewel-encrusted hide of the very rare Hairy-Bottomed Kersnarficus. As everyone knows, this creature loves to hide with the dust bunnies under your bed, and only comes out when you are having particularly bad nightmares, at which time it sits directly in the middle of your forehead and licks your Third-Eye Chakra. It's super rare to see one in the daylight, so this is more of an artistic rendition. This is what the scientific community THINKS it looks like. I didn't have room for its gigantic teeth.


I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Licketly-Split Lime as the base, then added little nail jewels and crystals, and then dumped on green flocking powder. Flocking powder is a total pain to put on and to clean up. Yuck.


Sunday, October 12, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Stripes

For today's challenge, I made a creepy monster crawling out the darkness. He's modeled loosely on Spike from the movie "Gremlins" LOL!


The base color is OPI I Don't Give A Rotterdam! Then I used striping tape to mark off the black stripe areas on all of my nails, and painted them in with Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris. The rest of the details are done with acrylic paints.

Click here to see my stripes challenge from 2011

Saturday, October 11, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Polka Dots

Today I did a fun, random polka dot manicure with a few Jack o'Lantern accents.


I used Lime Crime Pastelchio as a base, then added the dots and details with acrylic paints. 


Friday, October 10, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Gradient

I was trying to figure out what the heck to do for today's prompt that might have something to do with Halloween. I've done the spooky graveyard gradient before, so I decided to try a water colored gradient and attempt a "bobbing for apples" manicure!


The gradient is Color Club Blue-Ming, Color Club Age of Aquarius, and OPI Fly. Okay now, let me tell you that the water ripple effect was a pain in the a$#. I have seen the video tutorial by cutepolish, and I've seen many others do this effect, but it is NOT easy. I tried spray hand-sanitizer, a mix of water and vinegar, and finally tried using a spray leave-in conditioner. It was not consistent and that is why all of the nails look different. If you have any tips, let me know.



Click here to see my gradient nails from 2011

Thursday, October 9, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Rainbow

I am scared of my own nails. Honestly, I can't really look at these too long. *shudder*



For the base I used OPI My Vampire Is Buff, and then stamped each nail with BM301 using red, yellow, green, and blue Konad stamping polish. Pennywise is painted with acrylic paints and pure terror. Sheesh.


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Metallic

Today's challenge is Metallic nails. I could not think of a better metal than GOLD. Woohoo! I used the real 22K gold leaf topcoat I got from Lori at spectraflair4u.com. It needs to be applied in a dabbing method to work well, but it is such a thrill to say that you have real gold on your finger tips!

I used OPI San-Tan-Tonio as the base, then used the gold topcoat on most of my nails. I added the ring finger design using acrylic paint. There's a skull, a little bug/spider dude, and a bat. I am pretty happy with how it turned out!

Click here to see my metallic nails from 2011.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Black and White

Today's challenge was super fun, and I love it as much as the black and white nails I did LAST time I took the challenge. This was also a litmus test of sorts to see who was old enough to remember the movie Beetlejuice. I'm happy to say most of my coworkers passed.


It's the Sand Snake! I painted my nails with a sheer polish (Revlon Barely Peach) first, then hand painted french tips with Sinful Colors Snow Me White. It's okay if they aren't perfect, because it lends to the Tim Burton feel. I used acrylic paints for the rest of the details, including the end of the tail on my pinkie, and the two headed Sand Snake on my thumb. 

Again, if you want to see what I did for the black and white challenge in 2011, click here.

This is my 160th post on sonomanailart.com. Every twenty posts I make a donation to Women's Recovery Services. They help women and their children transition out of addiction and into healthy lifestyles. If you would like to donate or learn more about their organization, click here

Monday, October 6, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Violet

The base coat for this mani is Essie DJ Play That Song, which I totally had to use because *ahem* I happen to be DJ. Yay! It's a fun life, but not the road to riches.

I used acrylic paints to add the details to the "One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater" but in retrospect I should have added wings. 

Click here to see my violet nails from 2011, the tragic Buffy themed nails.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Blue

I took inspiration from a cereal for today's challenge Boo Berry. I've actually never tried Boo Berry cereal. Do they even still make it?


I used Illamasqua Caress as a base, then added Boo Berry with acrylic paints on my ring finger. 


Saturday, October 4, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Green

I did Elphaba nails for the Green challenge. Index and pinkie are China Glaze Electric Pineapple, middle finger is Sonoma Nail Art Flippin' Out (get your own bottle here), and ring finger is a base of WnW Ebony Hates Chris with acrylic paints for the witch. And I matted it, cause that is awesome!


This shot is before I matted it. 

Here is what I did for the green challenge in 2011.

Friday, October 3, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Yellow

Today I decided to try a gradient with some simple hand painted nail art. This creepy claw reminds of the time my husband thought it would be funny to scare me right after we watched a scary movie one night. I went into the bathroom, and then he crept up to the bathroom door and ran his fingernails down the side of the closed door. I freaked OUT! My hubs was *this close* to becoming a divorcee that night, LOL.


I used Revlon Buttercup as the base, then did a gradient with that color and Sinful Colors Let's Meet. Then I used acrylic paints to make the scratches and the claw. 


Thursday, October 2, 2014

31 Day Challenge: Orange

For the orange challenge, I decided to try a jelly sandwich. I then stamped a fun pattern of skulls on my ring finger.


I started with one coat of OPI Y'All Come Back Now Ya Hear? and then used one coat of Sonoma Nail Art Pumpkin Hurl, then added another coat of the OPI polish. I love how squishy and pretty it looks! On my ring finger, I used Konad Black to stamp an image of skulls from Sugar Bubbles SB023. 

Here is what I did for the orange challenge in 2011.

You can buy Sonoma Nail Art Pumpkin Hurl in my esty store now! :)

31 Day Challenge: Red

I am going to attempt the 31 Day Challenge again this year, which I tweaked in 2011 with my own Halloween themed nails. So here goes!


Day 1 is Red. I did these on October 1st, but got too busy to post them yesterday. I used OPI Comet Loves Cupid as the base, then topped with OPI The Show Must Go On. I hand painted the spider web with black acrylic paint, then stamped the spider with BM13 plate. I added a dot of red acrylic paint to the spider so she would be a Black Widow, baby. (BTW, I always mishear the lyrics to that song as "I'm gonna love you like a black little baby." I need my ears checked.)

Click here to see my red nails from 2011.

Here are the different daily challenges, courtesy of Chalkboard Nails.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

I Sh@t On The Cat In The Hat

Okay, so this mani made me LOL. It's Grumpy Cat with some Cat In The Hat inspired stripes (albeit a little curvy). I did this for my art show happy hour tonight! And I did give it a rather rude name, perhaps something that Grumpy Cat might say herself: I Shat On The Cat In The Hat.


I painted my nails using Wet n Wild French White Creme, except the ring finger which is painted with a base of OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons. Then I used Konad Red and MoYou London Sailor Plate 05 for the stripes. I hand painted the Grumpy Cat on my ring finger using acrylic paints. Everything is topped with Seche Vite topcoat.

My art show is tonight from 5pm to 7pm (a special happy hour) and also this Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. I'll have wine tonight, otherwise you can have a Capri Sun juice pouch. Oh and candy! And you can see my artwork. The Studio Santa Rosa is located at 3840 Finley Avenue in Santa Rosa, CA. 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

MoYou London Stamping

I am having SO MUCH FUN with my MoYou London stamping plates. The quality of these plates is far superior to any other stamping plates I have used. The etching is perfect, and the images are unique and well thought out for use on the nail. The landscape style of plates are beautiful and seem like little pieces of art on their own. I have been posting a few manicures on my Instagram account for the MoYou 10K challenge. Here are my manis so far:

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 1: Art 

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 2: Nature

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 4: Fantasy

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 5: Shadows

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 7: Red

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 8: Food

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 12: OOTD (I chose to go nudie for this challenge, ha ha!)

MoYou 10K Challenge Day 14: TV Show

As you can see, I am having a blast with this challenge. Please follow my Instagram account for more challenges this month. Also, I am sure you noticed a new color in my Kermit manicure! Yup, my new collection is out and available in my etsy shop. Click here to view the collection and pick up a few bottles. They are Muppet inspired colors, yaaaaaay! *Kermit arm flail*

Saturday, April 12, 2014

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I am a HUGE fan of Wes Anderson. His films are wonderfully weird, and characters so earnest and flawed. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou came out in 2004. It features Bill Murray as a bumbling Jacques Cousteau-type character, intent on seeking revenge on a shark. The sea creatures in this film are fantastical and mostly not-real. There are fluorescent pink schools of fish who appear on screen right before Steve Zissou's best friend Esteban is eaten by the above-mentioned Jaguar Shark. And Steve gets a Crayon Ponyfish from a fan during the screening of one of his films. I've combined these creatures in a tribute manicure to Wes Anderson's fourth feature length film.


I started by painting a base of  Sally Hanson Complete Salon Manicure in Fairy Teal. Then I sponged on a gradient of Color Club Age of Aquarius, Ulta The Jungle Book, and Ulta Dance Teal Dawn. After that I stamped on a mixture of Konad White and Ulta The Jungle Book using Konad plate M16 for the bubbles. Finally, I hand painted the school of fluorescent pink fish and the Crayon Ponyfish using acrylic paints. I topped everything with Seche Vite topcoat.

Here's Esteban about to be eaten by the Jaguar Shark:


And here is Steve Zissou getting a Crayon Ponyfish from a fan:



Besides my love for Wes Anderson movies, this manicure was also inspired by a stamping group challenge. Our choices for the week were to either 1) stamp on a green background, 2) stamp wildlife images, or 3) stamp an homage to a favorite movie. I did 'em all. 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Baby Magic Manicure

Today's manicure is one I did for The Lacquer Legion monthly challenge. The theme this month is "Lucky" and I thought about things that I consider myself lucky to have for possible subjects. I am so lucky to be Auntie to two darling, smart kids. So today's manicure is of my little nephew, Baby Magic. Magic was born just four days before his mom died, and he is a little treasure. I love him so much! Dealing with the loss of my sister in law has been heart wrenching, but I find that being creative makes the pain hurt a little less.

I started with a base of OPI My Vampire Is Buff. Then I used a water color technique to add splotches of Morgan Taylor Berry Perfection, Orly Fresh, and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Fairy Teal. 

After I topcoated the watercolor layer, I stamped with BM 04 plate using Pure Ice Silver Mercedes. Then I used acrylic paints to add little Baby Magic on my middle finger. His nick name is Magic, his real name is Will. :D I had so much fun painting in his little dimples, which he got from his dad. 

Here is the photo I used for reference. I will have to do a manicure of my niece Molly, too! If Molls will slow down long enough for a picture, that is. Look on social media platforms today to see more Lucky manicures. They will be marked #LLlucky

Have a great day!

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Goldfish Nail Art

Today's manicure is for the Adventures in Stamping challenge: Under the Sea. I sadly found that I don't really own many aquatic stamping plates. Note to self: remedy that! I do however have this gorgeous stamping plate from MoYou London which has a pair of goldfish swimming around each other. An infinite circle of koi. So I combined that stamp with a water technique that I have used previously on another manicure.


I started with a base of Color Club Factory Girl, then used a cosmetic sponge to dab on some OPI Fly in areas. After that I used acrylic paints to add little veins of blue-grey, and light blue to indicate little waves. I used a stamping decal technique and MoYou London plate Suki 09 and Konad Black stamping polish. I filled in the fish with orange and yellow acrylic paints. The stamp decal was a little messy, but I like the effect. It feels lived in, like it's been there a while.

Enjoy!

Friday, February 28, 2014

Adorable Rice Bowl

Today's manicure is something I came up with for two different challenges. One is The Lacquer Legion "Adoration Challenge" - I am super in love with Japanese food (bento boxes RULE) and love all things kawaii, so this mani fits perfectly within that theme. And it also works for the AIS stamping challenge this week, which is purple and orange together.


I used OPI Tangerine Scene as the base color, then used MoYou London Suki 03 Stamping Plate with Konad Black for the stamp decal. I filled in the stamped decal with acrylic paints. If you like bento too, be sure to check out my bento blog.

Have a great week!

Friday, February 14, 2014

Molly and Me Nail Art

I adore my little niece Molly! She is three years old and loves to have her nails painted blue. When she first got her nails painted, she did not want to have anyone wash them for fear that the polish would come off. It took a bit of practice to demonstrate that nail polish can be removed and reapplied, but this girl has the routine DOWN. She's so awesome. I brought along some nail art supplies during my last visit to see family in January. Here is a record of our home nail salon adventure!

I made water transfer decals with her favorite characters from the Pixar Cars movie. She was thrilled with them!

Molly is ready to get her nails done! She had patience for a base coat, decals and topcoat. And she's only three! 

Our nail salon set up complete with nail polish remover, three colors of polish, a shot glass with water for the decals, and the decals I made for Molly. I did accidentally spill a tiny bit of nail polish remover on my brother's dining room table. Shhhh, he'll never know.

After applying the decals and letting them dry, it was time for Playdoh! If I mash enough Playdoh into my brother's table, he'll never notice the little patch of nail polish remover. Plus he'll probably blame it on Molls. Best. Aunt. Evar.

Here's Auntie's nails. I prepped my nails for the Seahawks game during my visit to see my family in Washington state. I've got a 12 for "12th Man" on my middle finger and Sally from Cars on my ring finger. The colors I used are butter LONDON Jaded Jack, OPI Ogre The Top Blue, and Sinful Colors Snow Me White. 

I can't wait for my next visit and nail salon party with my favorite 3-year old.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Pueen Stamping with Clockwork

Today I am featuring some of my new stamping plates I got from Pueen! They are gorgeous and I love the full plate designs which let you really customize your images. I paired this plate together with my polish Clockwork, which is available right now in my etsy shop.

I painted my nails with Orly Buried Alive first, then topped most of my nails with my Sonoma Nail Art color Clockwork. On my ring finger I stamped Orly Glitz over the nail with Pueen Plate 57. I topped it all with Seche Vite. 

Isn't this color pretty!? I am not sure why I haven't tried it before. The colors in this collection (inspired by Dark Shadows) were super vampy and fun. I bought this at a big discount at Sally Beauty Supply.

Here is the full plate image from the Pueen Palte 57. There are so many ways you could wear this, I just love it. I think I will have to do a Yellow Brick Road mani verrrrry soon! Happy Monday!