Using Abstract Patterns in Simple Nail Designs

Many nail designs, including some highlighted on my site here, are done in themes like leopards, ladybugs, flowers, etc. – basically very concrete subjects that bring up visual images of a real thing.

However, some very cool simply nail designs to try at home involve more abstract designs. Compare these to fine art pieces that don’t resemble any real object in life, but evoke an emotional reaction and beg for interpretation – what does the design mean, what does it convey about the person wearing it…often abstract nail designs will capture interest faster than any other design, and stimulate conversation and more focused observation than something like a flower.

Simple Abstract Nail Design for Beginners

Let’s look at a fairly simply design that for me always conjures up image of marble – like a classic greek look. However, I’ve been told I’m nuts and it doesn’t look anything like marble…but hey, this is the beauty and fun of abstract designs right? They mean something different to everyone that looks at them…which is where the fun is!

To make this design, you should have a find nail polish brush. You can use the ones in the caps of most nail polish brands, but for better control you may want to go to a beauty store and invest a few bucks in a finer, higher quality brush for detail work. Don’t worry – you don’t have to be an artist to do this design!

Start with applying a good base coat of light, powder blue polish – preferably a high gloss polish. Let it dry COMPLETELY before your next step. Once dry, select a darker [much darker] shade of blue, and using your nail brush, make vertical lines from the base of your nail out to the tip. I’d do two lines per nail, spread fairly far apart.

Now comes the hard part – you have to wait for this polish to dry completely as well…an alternative is to use gel  nail polish [like OPI Shatter Crackle Polish] and then dry them under a UV light fairly quickly, but not everyone has made this investment yet…

Then open up a bottle of glossy white, and after cleaning your brush, repeat the same step but this time with the white nail polish, interleaving the lines between the ones you made earlier. If you mess up and create blurry or crooked line, use a fine q-tip immediately to straighten and/or remove the line and try again. You may have to dip it in a little nail polish remover depending on the type of polish you’re using – just be sure and NOT remove the base powder blue coat!

Once dry, coat with a good quality clear top coat [OPI Nail Polish Top Coat for example], and you are done! Go and show the world your new simple nail design – nail design for beginners has never been this easy!