Acrylic paint for nail art or just carry on using Shellac for it?

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Hey geeks, I'd love to hear your opinions on acrylic paint for nail art. I trained about 100 years ago with star nails spangles befor shellac was even a thing lol so now I am trying to update my skills. I have fallen in love with nail art all over again and was wondering what you guys prefer? Iv never used acrylic paint before and don't want to waste money on something the clients aren't bothered on having. I get mostly good results with shellac on art but struggle to get solid sharp thin lines on lace type designs for example. I actually cheated on my own nails and used a sharpie pen I know it's bad but I got such a nice line for the loops on the lace but I couldn't bring myself to do that on a client so any thoughts? And if you rate acrylic what brand would you recommend in the uk and what brushes for fine detail? Sorry so many questions.
 
Why not consider stamping along side your shellac nail art?

You will get clean crisp lines in an instant with stamping and produce effects that would be nearly impossible free hand.

Acrylic paint will work too but if you struggle to get clean crisp lines with shellac you may struggle with acrylic paint too :)
 
Why not consider stamping along side your shellac nail art?

You will get clean crisp lines in an instant with stamping and produce effects that would be nearly impossible free hand.

Acrylic paint will work too but if you struggle to get clean crisp lines with shellac you may struggle with acrylic paint too :)
Thanks so much for the reply, I have seen some nice stamping but I don't think My creativity would feel satisfied by it, I love the feeling of accomplishment on a free hand design but maybe I'm being selfish and overlooking what is practical for the client but I have an inner need to perfect my free hand design.
 
You'll struggle to get crisp lines with Shellac as it always needs two coats to get the colour density.

I don't see the problem with Sharpies, there is a well known nail supplier offering Sharpie Art Classes so there can't be an issue with it. Acrylic paint is fine too, just watch Robin Moses in YouTube for some seriously good acrylic paint artisty.

Don't stifle your gift.....go....draw, design, art freely......:p:D:cool:
 
You'll struggle to get crisp lines with Shellac as it always needs two coats to get the colour density.

I don't see the problem with Sharpies, there is a well known nail supplier offering Sharpie Art Classes so there can't be an issue with it. Acrylic paint is fine too, just watch Robin Moses in YouTube for some seriously good acrylic paint artisty.

Don't stifle your gift.....go....draw, design, art freely......:p:D:cool:
Aw wow! Thank you! ✍[emoji140]I'm bringing my sharpie to work tomorrow lol! Think I may just bite the bullet and get some acrylic to try out, even if I just use it on myself. Il check out YouTube, thank you for the advice [emoji120]
 
I get clients coming in for one stroke and I use acrylic paints for it. There are tubes that are sold in your local art shop and these work fine. Just make sure they are not thick pigment as otherwise flow will be problematic and you need to get water into it.

These are examples of what I have done with acrylic paints.
 

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I get clients coming in for one stroke and I use acrylic paints for it. There are tubes that are sold in your local art shop and these work fine. Just make sure they are not thick pigment as otherwise flow will be problematic and you need to get water into it.

These are examples of what I have done with acrylic paints.
Love your flowers. Did it take a lot of practice? Iv seen some tutorials and it looks not too bad but they make it look easy I think. This is the design I done ( with the sharpie on the thin loop parts) so you think the acrylic paint would do this ok?
ImageUploadedBySalonGeek1454342792.201724.jpg
 
I am doing a one stroke master tech course which I am 1/3 complete, and yes, they do make it look easy. I'd say that having high quality brushes and paints do help a lot. At the beginning, it was stressful in getting the blend in, but probably was due to brush and paint quality. Kirsty Meakin is the person who teaches this technique in her LOL courses.

Definitely, I'd go for acrylic paints for that kind of nail art.
 
You'll struggle to get crisp lines with Shellac as it always needs two coats to get the colour density.

I don't see the problem with Sharpies, there is a well known nail supplier offering Sharpie Art Classes so there can't be an issue with it. Acrylic paint is fine too, just watch Robin Moses in YouTube for some seriously good acrylic paint artisty.

Don't stifle your gift.....go....draw, design, art freely......:p:D:cool:
What nail supplier?
 
I borrowed my dads acrylic paints this morning and Iv discovered It's soooo much harder than it looks. Can't get the paint to a nice consistently and the colours are not popping like I thought they would, all a bit wishy washy. Maybe they are crap paints, maybe it's just not for me. [emoji22][emoji22][emoji22]
 
I've tried lots of paints too, some with success some not so much, check out Robin Moses on YouTube and Tartofraises (she's french so turn the volume off) both will tell you the paints they use
 
I treated myself to an appointment with a fabulous nail technician in Devon recently (1 3/4 hours drive from Bristol!) and she used a mixture of Shellac and acrylic paints for the designs on my nails. When I asked why she did some parts with the paints, she explained that Shellac is good for larger areas, but not for precise clear details. She used acrylic paint for the eyes and other tiny features such as the hair with gaps in the fringe. Hope this helps. I'll try to upload a photo. X
 
I treated myself to an appointment with a fabulous nail technician in Devon recently (1 3/4 hours drive from Bristol!) and she used a mixture of Shellac and acrylic paints for the designs on my nails. When I asked why she did some parts with the paints, she explained that Shellac is good for larger areas, but not for precise clear details. She used acrylic paint for the eyes and other tiny features such as the hair with gaps in the fringe. Hope this helps. I'll try to upload a photo. X
Omg I love these! I'm obsessed with cherry blossom. Thank you so much for posting, I feel maybe this is the answer, to combine both. :) xx
 
Have yet to read whole thread but a sharpie pen is an acceptable tool to use for professional nail art. On a technical level it's no less legit than using any other medium for nail art.
 
Have yet to read whole thread but a sharpie pen is an acceptable tool to use for professional nail art. On a technical level it's no less legit than using any other medium for nail art.
Thanks for replying, I think I almost think of it as cheating as its not designed for nails but neither are acrylic paints I suppose. It definitely makes the thin black lines sharper. Iv yet to find a nice nail art brush that I'm happy with, anyone got any firm favourites they can't like without?
 
I just use acrylic paint from the dollar store. Dries almost instantly so great for use with gel polishes. Your right about getting the crisp lines, much harder with gel polish! You'll be pleased if you try out the acrylic paint.
 
Sam Biddle ......she does online nail art courses but I've purchased her paints and brushes and I think they are amazing, really workable paints with great consistency .....defo worth a look [emoji106][emoji3]
 
You'll struggle to get crisp lines with Shellac as it always needs two coats to get the colour density.

I don't see the problem with Sharpies, there is a well known nail supplier offering Sharpie Art Classes so there can't be an issue with it. Acrylic paint is fine too, just watch Robin Moses in YouTube for some seriously good acrylic paint artisty.

Don't stifle your gift.....go....draw, design, art freely......:p:D:cool:
Hi I know this is an old post so hope you don’t mind me messaging- but can you remember who it was offering the sharpie marker nail art classes thanks so much if you can
 

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