Beginner's Acrylic Frustration

[Cnaito]

I started school nearing a month ago, and started learning to apply acrylic a couple days ago. My teacher has shown me quite a few times how to do it properly, but it really just is making it look easier than it is. I mostly have trouble getting it close enough to the cuticle so there isn't too large of a margin, but far away enough so it's not touching, and neatly so.
My teacher is having me practice on my own fingers now, with loosely placed tips and cuticle oil on my nail plates so the acrylic is easily removed after practicing, but I can't keep doing that, it's screwing up my fingers...

 

[The Geek]

Hi there. Not sure what you mean by screwing up your fingers, but I'll try to help

The trick to Zone 3 (along the cuticle line) is this: Apply your bead closer to Zone 2 (the middle of the nail). Angle your brush down slightly flatter than a 45 degree angle (like mmmm... a 30 degree angle!). And when you press and guide the product out... make sure the flag of the brush touches the natural nail plate. So all product stays on the side of the brush you want it to stay on (and not squidges past). This will leave no ledge behind and the product.

Here, I'll draw you a quick picture of what I was talking about.



er...

omg. That was hard to draw out.

HTHs

 

[MissOwen]

Hi there. Not sure what you mean by screwing up your fingers, but I'll try to help

The trick to Zone 3 (along the cuticle line) is this: Apply your bead closer to Zone 2 (the middle of the nail). Angle your brush down slightly flatter than a 45 degree angle (like mmmm... a 30 degree angle!). And when you press and guide the product out... make sure the flag of the brush touches the natural nail plate. So all product stays on the side of the brush you want it to stay on (and not squidges past). This will leave no ledge behind and the product.

Here, I'll draw you a quick picture of what I was talking about.

View attachment 7132

er...

omg. That was hard to draw out.

HTHs

:lol: You may be no picasso Mr Geek but the picture was great to explain the process..... still made me chuckle though!! :lol:

You could try practising on nail tips for a while rather than putting them on your natural nails (and then pulling them off again i guess?!) you could draw on a curved cuticle line to practice the technique a bit and when you think you have a better grasp of how to do it, go back to working on real fingers!!! Good luck, i still struggle with zone 3.... i still struggle with lots of things in fact!! :hug:

 

[bandit]

that picture is brill....i think it shud be used for training purposes, it would make things so much easier

 

[Deena]

That little masterpiece helps a lot!

 

[Cnaito]

Thank you very much!
The picture did help me get a good idea hahaha, so thank you.
The reason I'm not practicing on fake fingers anymore is because the acrylic looks fine on the fake fingers lmao. It's much harder on real nails, especially my nails because well, they're always very short, with tiny little nail plates, which are thinner these days from beating them up all the time.

Btw, picture was better than any picture in the textbook. xD

 

[deanosnana]

Here, I'll draw you a quick picture of what I was talking about.

View attachment 7132

er... omg. That was hard to draw out.

HTHs

Great pic, that helps alot! Thank you!

 

[Dinkydot]

An...Artist.....aswell, is there no end to your talents? x

 

[catsaremad]

The picture does actualy help !!! I learn visually so struggle with books with no pictures in .................