Snowman Nails

I had to wait for my natural nails to grown nice and long to paint this design. The backdrop to this scene is a snowy New England forest. The length let me show a full landscape, with a snowy foreground, and full set of treetops. It also gave me plenty of room to paint the snowmen large enough to be detailed.

1. As usual, I started with a base coat.
2. Then I painted one coat of navy blue polish to act as the dark sky.
3. Next I used white acrylic paint and a wide brush to create the snowy ground. 
4. I used a much more tapered long brush to create each branch in the trees. I added some white snow to the trees to make it more realistic.
5. Once the trees were done and dry, I filled in the sky with the smallest white dots possible. This created the look of falling snow.
6. The snowmen on each ring finger were made by creating three large white dots, just as you would a real snowman. I chose a red color for the scarf and hat so it would stand out from the background. To give dimension to the hat and scarf, I mixed that red with some white to create a lighter color that matched well. That color acted as the brim of the hat.
7. I used a tiny paintbrush instead of a dotting tool to make the black eyes and buttons.
8. Once those steps were done, I could finish up with a top coat, making sure to cover the free edge of my nails. Having that extra rim of protection helps avoid chips and scratches of nail color.