I am in agreement with Geeg and Mrs. Geek here. I was not taught sculpting in school; in fact I was told "nobody does that anymore; they just do tips". I found out that yes, most people expect tips when they get their nails done because they have never seen scultping before, and the NSS salons around here only do tips.
My entire philosphy has always been to provide something memorable and different to a customer, something they can't readily obtain any place else. So why would I just provide tips and overlay; customers can get them elsewhere, and probably pay less for them too. I decided quite early on that I had to learn to master sculpting P&W's. I am in the process of doing that right now. I am not perfect but I have only just begun and I know I'll never stop seeking information, or education about this craft.
I am happy to say that I did my first set of them last week on another person besides myself. My sister-in-law was absolutely amazed as she watched them appear, finger by finger, on her hands. I was thrilled that they turned out so well and it really gave me a lot of confidence in my skill level. She even said to me "anybody can do tips but I watched you work and I know it takes talent to sculpt nails".