Calico

Hello everyone! Today I finally got around to experimenting with some calico patterned nail art. I've been wanting to try this for a while now. I don't know why I waited so long! I absolutely love how this came out!

This was inspired by my own calico cat, Tessa. My boyfriend and I took Tessa in last March. She originally belonged to a friend of my boyfriend who could no longer keep her due to moving. He was so set on finding her a good home that he paid all transport fees from New Mexico to Maine. Such a long way for a little kitty to travel! She's settled in very well and we simply adore her. She's incredibly sweet, and very bossy.

This was actually very straight forward. I started off by painting my nails white with Sinful Colors Snow Me White. I topped the white with a layer of essie Marshmallow to soften it a bit and to give me a creamier, more neutral color.

I allowed my base color to dry before mixing up three colors of acrylic paint: black, orange and and brown. Why three colors? I wanted the brown to act as an intermediary color between the black and orange to help blend them together. I then took a fan brush and dipped it in my colors, taking care not to mix them together. I put brown on the middle of my brush, and the orange and black went on the outside bristles.

I gently removed some of the excess paint by making a few quick strokes on a piece of scrap paper before applying the paint to my nails. Starting at the outer edge, I dragged the brush inward and stopped at about the middle of my nail. Most nails only received one stroke of paint, but some had small touchups. Everything was topped with a generous layer of Seche Vite.

I love how this turned out! Unusual animal prints are so much fun, aren't they? What other animal inspired patterns would you like to see me try? I have some ideas but I'd love your input!